President Joe Biden’s first interview since his disastrous debate appearance a week ago had both supporters and critics venting heated opinions on social media.
It remains to be seen what the long term impact of this interview may be, but in the short term it appears people are fairly dug-in. Critics remained convinced of Biden’s unfitness for office, supporters called out interviewer George Stephanopoulos — and wavering Democrats — and no one seemed particularly satisfied by it.
With the interview, aired as a primetime ABC special, Biden hoped t0 change the national conversation that since the debate has been dominated by calls for him to drop out of the race.
Whether he succeeds or not, Biden defiantly vowed to stay in the race, telling Stephanopoulos at one point he drop out “if the Lord Almighty came down,” but “the Lord Almighty’s not coming down.” Read more about it here.
Biden has his supporters of course, like Pennsylvania Senator John Fetterman, who himself faced calls to drop out after suffering a stroke during his 2022 campaign. He resisted those calls and ended up winning, and now is calling out fellow Democrats demanding Biden drop out as cowards.
“Pod Save America” cohost John Favreau, himself a former Obama aide, hasn’t weighed in yet on his feelings about the debate, but he strongly disagreed with Fetterman’s tone, at least.
Former MSNBC host Mehdi Hasan was utterly unimpressed by Biden’s performance in the interview and accused his defenders of lying.
Washington Post columnist Karen Attiah meanwhile dinged Biden for what she effectively described as an unsatisfying tryhard effort.
The Atlantic writer David A. Graham had harsh words for the president in a column published after the interview, titled “Joe Biden Doesn’t Understand the Post-Debate Reality”
CBS News reporter Kathryn Watson meanwhile declared that the interview is likely to change anything.
Commentator Dan Riffle meanwhile had this to say:
Maria Shriver, who has no shortage of experience in politics, didn’t take a position exactly, but she appears not to have much confidence in Biden after the interview.
Meanwhile, Stephanopoulos also came under fire from Biden defenders, including the Palmer report, which dismissed him as “tabloid trash.”
USA Today columnist Rex Huppke also dinged Stephanopoulos for, as he put it, focusing on “hypothetical” concerns.
Notice News CEO Andrew Springer came to Stephanopoulos’ defense, calling him “perhaps the best journalist on US television.”
But Biden and the Democratic Party gained at least one unlikely defender, former Trump aide Anthony Scaramucci, who declared he’s voting for Biden or whoever may end up being the Democratic nominee.
Commentator Charlotte Clymer called out how major media figures have reacted to the interview, accusing them of acting in bad faith purely to force Biden out of the race
Commentator Aaron Rupar agreed with Clymer’s view of the media, and said he sees it as evidence Biden will have a “very tough time beating Trump” because of it.
But Podcaster Molly Jong-Fast at least provided some humor from it all: