President Joe Biden reaffirmed his commitment to remaining in the presidential race during an interview that aired on the evening of July 17, stating that he would reconsider his decision to run only if doctors were to inform him that he had a medical condition.
“If I had some medical condition that emerged,” President Biden responded when asked if there was anything that might change his mind. “If doctors came to me and said, ‘You got this problem, that problem.’”
President Biden’s interview with Ed Gordon of BET News was taped on July 16 in Las Vegas.
“I made a serious mistake in the whole debate,” the president said, acknowledging concerns about his age and mental fitness, which arose particularly after his first debate with former President Donald Trump on June 27.
The day after the taped July 16 interview, President Biden tested positive for COVID-19.
On July 17, his staff announced the president would cancel all remaining events in Las Vegas and return home to self-isolate in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware.
“I tested positive for COVID-19 this afternoon, but I am feeling good and thank everyone for the well wishes,” President Biden said on July 17 on social media platform X.
President Biden is currently navigating a politically challenging period, as some lawmakers and prominent Democrats are urging him to reconsider his candidacy following his debate performance.
According to media reports, top Democrats, including House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, separately asked President Biden to reconsider his reelection bid.
During the interview with BET News, the president acknowledged that he once referred to himself as a “transitional candidate” for president. However, he indicated that the country is so “divided” now that he is unable to withdraw from the race.
“You may remember, Ed, I said I was going to be a transitional candidate, and I thought I would be able to move on from this and pass it on to somebody else,” the president told Mr. Gordon. “But I didn’t anticipate things getting so, so, so divided. And quite frankly, I think the only thing age brings is a little bit of wisdom.”
The president said, as he has in recent speeches, that he thinks he has more work to do.
“I think I’ve demonstrated that I know how to get things done for the country,” he said. “There’s more to do, and I’m reluctant to walk away from that.”
“Look, I view myself as a bridge, not as anything else,” he said during a campaign event in March 2020. “There’s an entire generation of leaders you saw stand behind me. They are the future of this country.”
During the interview with BET News, when asked whether he is willing to be “transitional” and pass the torch to Vice President Kamala Harris at some point, he said, “Only if I was told that there was some medical condition, but that’s not the case.”
“I’m only three years older than Trump,” he added.
The Democratic National Committee this week stated that it plans to hold a virtual vote to nominate President Biden before its convention on Aug. 19. The vote, however, will not take place before Aug. 1.
On July 17, Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), who is favored to win his Senate race in November, urged President Biden to withdraw from the presidential race.
He said that although the decision to drop out of the race ultimately lies with the president, he believes “it is time for him to pass the torch.”
Amid growing concerns, Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.), in a social media post on July 17, asked Democrats to stop criticizing President Biden.
During the BET News interview, President Biden also commented about former President Trump’s choice of JD Vance, 39, as his running mate.
“It tells me that he’s decided that MAGA Republican politics is going to be the future of the Republican Party,” the president said.
“JD is a great guy, a hard-working senator, but a really, really conservative American Republican.”
