In the first interview since his cataclysmic debate performance, President Joe Biden doubled down that his poor presentation was not evident of declining mental acuity but rather due to a bad cold and exhaustion due to extensive travel.
ABC's George Stephanopoulos asked the sitting president pointed and difficult questions about his fitness and ability to be honest with himself about the likelihood of beating former President Donald Trump.
Biden, as the White House has done all week, repeatedly insisted the President's policy record should reassure voters and Democratic lawmakers that he is equipped to handle the next four years in office.
From the start of the interview, Biden took responsibility for the debate saying the way it ran was his fault and no one else's.
"I just had a bad night," he said. "It is not acute or a very serious condition. I was exhausted, I didn't listen to my instincts."
Biden said in the days leading up to the debate he was tested for COVID as well as for an infection and virus.
Biden also said Trump's shouting even when his microphone was turned off was distracting.
"I'm not blaming, but I realized that I just wasn't in control," he said.
Biden insisted he's still in good shape, and that his medical team has not recommended he get specific cognitive tests.
He dodged Stephanopoulos' question about being willing to undergo an independent medical evaluation that included neurological and cognitive tests by saying he has a "cognitive test every single day" by running the world and his campaign.
Stephanopoulos asked Biden point-blank if he's sure he has the mental and physical capacity to serve another four years, to which Biden answered yes, because the last thing he wants to do is "not be able to meet that."
Stephanopoulos pushed Biden on recent polling from various news organizations which widely show Biden trailing behind Trump.
"Mr. President, I mean, you won the popular vote in 2020, but it was still deadly close in the Electoral College vote, but you're behind now in the popular vote," Stephanopoulos said.
"I don't buy that," Biden replied.
"Is it worth the risk?" Stephanopoulos asked.
"I don't think anybody's more qualified to be president or win this race than me," Biden said back.
Biden indicated there's virtually nothing, and no one, that can convince him he cannot beat Trump or withdraw from the race.
Biden traveled to Wisconsin, a political battleground state, to rally voters and sit for a television interview that will be closely watched after his debate with Trump prompted some in his party, including major donors, to question whether he can handle a second four-year term.
"We had a little debate last week. Can’t say it was my best performance. But ever since then there’s been a lot of speculation. ‘What’s Joe gonna do? Is he gonna stay in the race? Is he gonna drop out?" Biden said. "Well here’s my answer: I am running and gonna win again."
The president faced a potential new hurdle from within the party ranks, however. Senator Mark Warner, a well-respected moderate Democrat, is inviting Democratic senators to a meeting on Monday to discuss Biden's campaign, a source told Reuters. The Washington Post reported Warner was seeking to ask the group to press Biden to exit the race.
Biden said he was thankful for the support of his vice president, Kamala Harris, who has emerged as a top choice to replace him were he to step aside as the Democratic Party's standard-bearer. One person at the Madison rally held up a sign behind Biden that said, "Pass the torch, Joe."
Biden knocked Trump's intelligence and called him a liar, delivering stinging attacks that were absent when he appeared on the Atlanta debate stage. He referenced a comment in which Trump mistakenly said George Washington's revolutionary army had taken over British airports in 1776. "He is a 'stable genius,'" Biden said.
But he had sharper words for those in his party who have raised doubts about his ability to lead them to victory over Trump in the Nov. 5 election.
"I'm the nominee of this party," Biden said. "They're trying to push me out of the race. Well let me say this as clearly as I can: I'm staying in the race!"
A group of business and civic leaders urged Biden to end his reelection bid in a letter to the White House on Friday, a day after its CEO said members would still back him if he continued to run, the Washington Post reported.
The White House has blamed a cold for Biden's shaky performance and Biden himself cited jet lag from back-to-back trips to Europe.
Trump's campaign and some of his allies have launched a pre-emptive political strike on Harris, moving swiftly to try to discredit her amid talk that she could eventually replace Biden as the Democrats' nominee.
The Biden campaign has shown no signs of changing course, although the Trump team has overtaken it on fundraising.
The campaign announced it would spend $50 million on a media blitz for July, "including strategic investments around key events that draw in large and politically diverse audiences like the 2024 Olympic Games and the Republican National Convention."