When Joseph R. Biden Jr.’s poll numbers were falling and Democrats were giving up on his candidacy, he decided to sit down for a major TV interview with George Stephanopoulos of ABC News in the hopes of reviving his presidential campaign which seemed to be on the brink of collapse. This interview took place on Feb. 9, 2020, just two days before he finished fifth in the New Hampshire primary. However, he later made a remarkable comeback, winning South Carolina and eventually becoming the President.
Years later, as Mr. Biden is facing pressure to drop out of the race, he and his team are once again turning to George Stephanopoulos for a critical interview. The interview on Friday is seen as a crucial opportunity for the President to address concerns about his mental and physical fitness, especially after a challenging debate performance against former President Donald J. Trump.
The upcoming interview is expected to last between 15 and 25 minutes, with ABC committing to airing it in full without any edits. The decision to choose ABC for the interview was based on the network’s large viewership and reputation as a nonpartisan news outlet.
Mr. Biden has a history of interviews with George Stephanopoulos, including one in August 2021 where he faced criticism following the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan. Now, Mr. Stephanopoulos will have the challenging task of addressing sensitive topics related to Mr. Biden’s age and debate performance.
As preparations for the interview continue, there is anticipation around the level of candidness that Mr. Biden will display and how Mr. Stephanopoulos will handle the questioning. Despite concerns about potential editing of the interview, ABC has confirmed that it will air the interview in its entirety on Friday evening.
The decision to air the interview in prime-time was made in consultation with the Biden team, and ABC’s parent company, the Walt Disney Company, even agreed to interrupt a scheduled rerun of “Jeopardy! Masters” to accommodate the special broadcast.
Katie Rogers contributed reporting.
