DIPLOMACY HERE IN THE SICHUAN PROVINCE OF CHINA. YOU'RE WATCHING ABC NEWS LIVE. GOOD EVENING, EVERYONE. ON THIS MOMENTOUS EVENING, I'M JUJU CHANG. THANKS SO MUCH FOR STREAMING WITH US TONIGHT. ABC NEWS HAS AN EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN. OUR GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS SAT DOWN WITH THE PRESIDENT FOR HIS FIRST TELEVISED INTERVIEW SINCE THAT DEBATE PERFORMANCE AGAINST DONALD TRUMP. PRESIDENT BIDEN SAYS HE IS COMMITTED TO STAYING IN THE RACE AND CONFIDENT THAT HE WILL PREVAIL AND BEAT DONALD TRUMP. THE PRESIDENT WAS DIRECTLY CALLED ON TO ANSWER FOR HIS FALTERING APPEARANCES AND WHETHER HE STILL HAS THE MENTAL AND PHYSICAL FITNESS FOR ANOTHER TERM IN THE WHITE

HOUSE. OUR TEAM IS STANDING BY, OF COURSE, FOR ANALYSIS. BUT FIRST, LET'S GET TO THE INTERVIEW.  >> MR. PRESIDENT, THANK YOU FOR DOING THIS AND FOR HAVING ME.  LET'S START WITH THE DEBATE. YOU AND YOUR TEAM SAID HAVE SAID HAD A BAD NIGHT. BUT YOUR FRIEND, NANCY PELOSI FRAMED THE QUESTION. I THINK IS ON THE MINDS OF MILLIONS OF AMERICANS. WAS A BAD EPISODE WITH A SIGN OF A MORE SERIOUS CONDITION.  IT'S A BAD SIGN. NOT INDICATING ANY SERIOUS CONDITION. I WAS EXHAUSTED. I DIDN'T LOSE INSTINCTS IN TERMS OF APPEARANCE AND BAD NIGHTS. YOU KNOW, YOU SAY YOU WERE EXHAUSTED. AND I KNOW YOU'VE SAID THAT BEFORE AS WELL. BUT YOU CAME AND YOU DID HAVE A

TOUGH MONTH, BUT YOU CAME HOME FROM EUROPE ABOUT 11 OR 12 DAYS BEFORE THE DEBATE. SPENT SIX DAYS IN CAMP DAVID. WHY WASN'T THAT ENOUGH REST TIME, ENOUGH RECOVERY TIME? BECAUSE I WAS SICK. I WAS SHOWN TERRIBLE. MATTER OF FACT, THE DOCS WITH ME ASKING ME, DID A COVID TEST FOR YOU AND THINK THAT WAS WRONG. YOU DID A TEST TO SEE WHETHER OR NOT THAT HAD SOME INFECTION IN OUR VIRUS. I DIDN'T. IT JUST A REALLY BAD COLD. AND DID YOU EVER WATCH THE DEBATE AFTERWARDS? >> I DON'T THINK I DID. >> NO. WELL, I WENT ON. WHAT I WANT TO GET AT IS WHAT WERE YOU EXPERIENCING AS YOU WERE GOING THROUGH THE DEBATE? DID YOU KNOW HOW BADLY IT WAS GOING?

YEAH. LOOK, THE WHOLE WAY I PREPARED. NOBODY'S FAULT. MY NOBODY'S FAULT OF MINE. I. I PREPARED. BUT I USUALLY WOULD DO. SIT DOWN AS I DID. COME BACK AS FOREIGN LEADERS OR NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL FOR EXPRESSIVE DETAIL. AND I REALIZED PARTWAY THROUGH THAT, YOU KNOW, I RECORDED NEW YORK TIMES, HAD ME DOWN AT TEN POINTS BEFORE THE DEBATE. NINE NOW. OR WHATEVER THE RELEVANT FACTS MATTER IS WHEN I LOOKED AT IS THAT HE ALSO 28 TIMES. I COULDN'T. I MEAN, THE WAY THE DEBATE RAN. NOT MY FAULT. NO ONE ELSE IS GOING ON. BUT IT SEEMED LIKE YOU WERE HAVING TROUBLE FROM THE FIRST QUESTIONING. EVEN BEFORE HE SPOKE.

WELL, I JUST HAD A BAD NIGHT. YOU'VE GOT SOME BAD NEWS MONTHS NOW. I CAN'T REMEMBER ANY. I'M SURE YOU DID. I'VE GOT PLENTY. I. I GUESS THE QUESTION THE PROBLEM IS HERE FOR, A LOT OF AMERICANS WATCHING, AS YOU'VE SAID, GOING BACK TO 20, 20. WATCH ME TO PEOPLE WHO ARE CONCERNED ABOUT YOUR AGE. AND, YOU KNOW, 50 MILLION AMERICANS WATCHED THAT DEBATE. IT SEEMED TO CONFIRM FEARS THEY ALREADY HAD. WELL LOOK, AFTER THAT DEBATE, OF THE TEN MAJOR EVENTS IN A ROW TO 2:00 IN THE MORNING AFTER THAT DEBATE, I DID IN NORTH CAROLINA, I DID ADVANCING AND IN GEORGIA DID ADVANCE, I GUESS, TO THE LARGE CROWDS OVERWHELMING

RESPONSE. NO, NO, NO. SLIPPING. AND SO I JUST HAD A BAD NIGHT. I DON'T KNOW WHY. AND HOW QUICKLY DID IT DID IT COME TO YOU THAT YOU WERE HAVING A BAD NIGHT? >> WELL, KING WAS HAVING A BAD NIGHT WHEN I REALIZED THAT EVEN WHEN I WAS ANSWERING A QUESTION AND I TURNED HIS MIKE OFF, HE WAS STILL SHOUTING. AND I LET ME DISTRACT ME. I'M NOT BLAMING ON THAT. BUT I REALIZED THAT I JUST WASN'T IN CONTROL. BUT PART OF THE OTHER CONCERN IS THAT THIS SEEMS TO FIT INTO A PATTERN OF DECLINE THAT HAS BEEN REPORTED ON RECENTLY. NEW YORK TIMES HAD A HEADLINE ON JULY 2ND. BIDEN'S LAPSES ARE SAID TO BE INCREASINGLY COMMON AND WORRISOME.

HERE'S WHAT THEY WROTE. PEOPLE WHO SPENT TIME WITH PRESIDENT BIDEN OVER THE LAST FEW MONTHS OR SO SAID THE LAPSES APPEAR TO HAVE GROWN MORE FREQUENT, MORE PRONOUNCED. AND AFTER THURSDAY, THURSDAY'S DEBATE MORE WORRISOME BY MANY ACCOUNTS, AS EVIDENCED BY VIDEO FOOTAGE, OBSERVATION AND INTERVIEWS, MR. BIDEN IS NOT THE SAME TODAY AS HE WAS EVEN WHEN TOOK OFFICE THREE AND A HALF YEARS AGO. SIMILAR REPORTING IN THE WASHINGTON POST AND THE WALL STREET JOURNAL ARE. YOU THE SAME MAN TODAY THAT YOU WERE WHEN YOU TOOK OFFICE THREE AND A HALF YEARS AGO IN TERMS STRESSES, YES. I ALSO THIS GUY PUT TOGETHER PEACE PLAN FOR MIDDLE EAST THAT MIGHT BE COMING TO FRUITION.

I WAS ALSO THE GUY TO EXPAND, NOT NO. GOTTEN THROUGH THE ECONOMY. ALL THE INDIVIDUAL THINGS THAT WERE DONE WHERE IDEAS I HAD OR I KNOW I MOVED ON. AND SO, FOR EXAMPLE, YOU KNOW, WELL, THAT WAS TRUE THEN, WHICH FRIGHTENED ME. YOU JUST TODAY JUST ANNOUNCED 200,000 NEW JOBS. WE'RE MOVING IN A DIRECTION THAT NO ONE'S EVER TAKEN ON. I KNOW YOU KNOW THIS FROM THE DAYS AND IN THE GOVERNMENT. I TOOK ON BIG PHARMA. I BEAT THEM, THE ONES THAT I COULD BEAT THEM. I TOOK ON ALL THE THINGS WE SAID AND GOT DONE WHAT WE COULDN'T GET DONE. PART OF IT, WHAT I SAID WHEN I RAN WAS I WANT TO DO THREE THINGS: RESTORE SOME DECENCY TO THE OFFICE.

RESTORE SOME SUPPORT FOR THE MIDDLE CLASS INSTEAD OF TRICKLE ECONOMICS. BUT FROM THE MIDDLE OUT, THE BOTTOM UP, WHERE THE WEALTHY STILL DO, EVERYONE DOES BETTER AND UNITE THE COUNTRY. >> BUT WHAT HAS ALL THAT WORKED OVER THE LAST THREE AND A HALF YEARS COST YOU PHYSICALLY, MENTALLY, EMOTIONALLY? WELL, I JUST THINK IT COST ME A REALLY BAD NIGHT, A BAD RUN. BUT, YOU KNOW, GEORGE, YOU I HAVE I'M OPTIMISTIC ABOUT THIS COUNTRY. I DON'T THINK A COUNTRY LOSING OUR JOB. I DON'T THINK AMERICA'S IN TOUGH SHAPE. I THINK AMERICA IS NOT A COUNTRY BREAKING THROUGH. AND SO MANY INCREDIBLE. THIS NEXT TERM, I'M GOING TO MAKE SURE WE HAVE TO STRAIGHTEN OUT THE TAX SYSTEM. I'M GOING TO MAKE SURE WE'RE

IN A SITUATION WHERE HEALTH FOR ALL PEOPLE. WE'RE IN A POSITION WHERE WE HAVE TO HAVE CHILD CARE AND ELDER CARE FREE UP ALL THESE THINGS. ONE THING I'M PROUDEST OF. DID YOU REMEMBER WHEN MIKE AND I THINK PLAN WAS PUT FORWARD? A LOT OF THE MAINSTREAM ECONOMISTS AND IT'S NOT GOING TO WORK. GUESS WHAT? YOU NOW HAVE 60 NOBEL LAUREATES, 16 OF THEM IN ECONOMICS, SAYING BIDEN'S NEXT TERM WOULD BE INTERESTING, NOT BASED ON WHAT HE WANTS TO DO. ENORMOUS SUCCESS. TRUMP'S PLAN WOULD CAUSE RECESSION. WE'D SEE INCREASED INFLATION. I'VE MADE GREAT PROGRESS, AND THAT'S WHAT I PLAN ON DOING. AND WE CAN DO THIS. I UNDERSTAND THAT. AND I'M NOT DISPUTING THAT. WHAT I'M ASKING YOU IS

ABOUT YOUR PERSONAL SITUATION. DO YOU DISPUTE THAT THERE BEEN MORE LAPSES, ESPECIALLY IN THE LAST SEVERAL MONTHS? CAN I RUN 110TH RIGHT NOW AND I'M STILL IN GOOD SHAPE. ARE YOU MORE FRAIL? NO. >> I KNOW YOU SUPPORT MY SCHEDULE. I KNOW YOU SPOKE WITH YOUR AFTER THE DEBATE. >> WHAT DID HE SAY? HE SAID JUST LOOKED AT ME. HE SAID, YOU'RE EXHAUSTED AS I AM. MEDICAL DOCTORS TRAVEL EVERYWHERE. EVERY PRESIDENT HAS, YOU KNOW, MEDICAL DOCTORS FROM THE BEST IN THE WORLD. TRAVEL ME EVERYWHERE I GO. I HAVE AN ONGOING ASSESSMENT OF WHAT I'M DOING. THEY DON'T HESITATE TO TELL ME THEY THINK THERE'S SOMETHING WRONG. >> I KNOW YOU SAID YOU HAVE AN

ONGOING ASSESSMENT. HAVE YOU HAD A FULL NEUROLOGICAL AND COGNITIVE EVALUATION? I BEEN I GET A FULL NEUROLOGICAL TEST EVERY DAY WITH ME, AND I'VE HAD A FULL PHYSICAL. I HAD NO, I MEAN, I, I'VE BEEN ABLE TO READ MY PHYSICALS. I MEAN, YES, NANCY, I KNOW YOUR DOCTOR SAID HE CONSULTED WITH A NEUROLOGIST. I GUESS I'M YOU A SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT QUESTION. HAVE YOU HAD THE SPECIFIC COGNITIVE TESTS, AND HAVE YOU HAD A NEUROLOGIST, A SPECIALIST DO AN EXAMINATION. NO KNOWLEDGE THAT I HAD. YOU KNOW, INSTEAD, THEY SAID, I'M GOOD. >> WOULD YOU BE WILLING TO UNDERGO AN INDEPENDENT MEDICAL EVALUATION

THAT INCLUDED NEUROLOGICAL AND COGNITIVE COGNITIVE TESTS AND RELEASED THE RESULTS TO THE AMERICAN PEOPLE? >> WELL, I HAVE A COGNITIVE TEST EVERY DAY. EVERY DAY I HAVE THAT TEST.  EVERYTHING WE DO, YOU KNOW, NOT ONLY MY CAMPAIGN. I'M RUNNING THE WORLD AND THAT'S NOT SOUNDS LIKE HYPERBOLE, BUT WE ARE THE ESSENTIAL NATION IN THE WORLD. MADELEINE ALBRIGHT WAS IT EVERY SINGLE DAY, FOR EXAMPLE, THE DAY BEFORE I CAME OUT. I'M ON THE PHONE WITH THE PRIME MINISTER OF. I KNEW I SHOULDN'T BE IN DETAIL, BUT WITH NETANYAHU. I'M ON THE PHONE WITH THE NEW PRIME MINISTER OF ENGLAND. I'M WORKING ON WHAT WE'RE DOING WITH REGARD TO IN EUROPE. WITH REGARD TO EXPANSION AND WHETHER IT'S GOING TO STICK.

I'M TAKING ON. I MEAN, EVERY DAY, THERE'S NO DAY I GO THROUGH. THEY'RE NOT THOSE DECISIONS I HAVE TO MAKE EVERY SINGLE DAY. >> AND YOU HAVE BEEN DOING THAT. IN THE AMERICAN PEOPLE HAVE BEEN WATCHING YOU GET THEIR CONCERNS ABOUT YOUR AGE AND YOUR HEALTH ARE GROWING. SO THAT'S WHY I'M ASKING TO REASSURE THEM. WOULD YOU BE WILLING TO HAVE THE INDEPENDENT MEDICAL EVALUATION WATCH? >> MAYBE THERE'S A LOT OF TIME LEFT IN THIS CAMPAIGN. OVER HUNDRED 25 DAYS. >> SO THE ANSWER IS THE RIGHT ANSWER RIGHT NOW IS NO, YOU DON'T WANT TO DO THAT, RIGHT? >> I'VE ALREADY DONE IT. >> YOU TALKED A LOT ABOUT YOUR SUCCESSES AT THE BEGINNING OF THIS INTERVIEW. AND I DON'T WANT TO DISPUTE THAT.

I DON'T WANT TO DEBATE THAT. BUT AS KNOW, ELECTIONS ARE ABOUT THE FUTURE, NOT THE PAST. THEY'RE ABOUT TOMORROW NIGHT YESTERDAY. AND THE QUESTION ON SO MANY PEOPLE'S MINDS RIGHT NOW IS, CAN YOU SERVE EFFECTIVELY FOR THE NEXT YEARS? >> GEORGE, I'M THE GUY THAT PUT DINNER TOGETHER. THE FUTURE. NO ONE THOUGHT I COULD EXPAND AND BE TO SHOW THAT NO ONE THOUGHT COULD HAPPEN. I'M THE GUY THAT PUT TOGETHER THE SOUTH PACIFIC AMBITION OF IT ALL, CHRIS. I'M THE GUY THAT GOT 50 NATIONS, NOT ONLY IN EUROPE, OUTSIDE OF EUROPE AS WELL. NOW UKRAINE. I'M THE GUY THAT CAN JAPANESE TO EXPAND THEIR BUDGET. AND SO I MEAN THESE AND FOR EXAMPLE WHEN I DECIDED WE USED

TO HAVE 40% COMPUTER CHIP, WE INVENTED THE CHIP CHIP THROUGH YOUR CHIP GENERALLY FROM CELL PHONE TO WEAPONS. AND SO WE USED TO HAVE 40%. WE'RE DOWN TO VIRTUALLY NOTHING. SO I GET IN THE PLANE AGAINST THE ADVICE AND I RUN AND I FLY TO SOUTH KOREA AND CONVINCE THEM TO INVEST IN THE UNITED STATES. BILLIONS OF DOLLARS. NOW WE HAVE TENS OF BILLIONS OF DOLLARS BEING INVESTED IN THE UNITED STATES, MAKING US BACK IN A POSITION WHERE WE'RE GOING TO OWN THAT INDUSTRY. WE HAVE I MEAN, I LISTEN ANYWAY, I'M I WANT TO TAKE TOO MUCH CREDIT. I'M GREAT. BUT I GUESS MY IS ALL THAT TAKES A TOLL. DO YOU HAVE THE MENTAL AND PHYSICAL TO DO IT FOR ANOTHER FOUR YEARS?

I WOULDN'T BE RUNNING IF I DIDN'T THINK I DID. LOOK, I'M RUNNING AGAIN BECAUSE I. I UNDERSTAND BEST WHAT HAS TO BE DONE TO TAKE THIS NATION COMPLETELY. YOU KNOW, WE'RE ON OUR WAY. WE'RE ON OUR WAY. AND THE DECISION MADE BY SUPREME COURT ON IMMUNITY. YOU KNOW, THE NEXT PRESIDENT, UNITED STATES, IT'S NOT JUST ABOUT WHETHER HE OR SHE KNOWS IT'S GOING IT'S -- IT'S NOT ABOUT A CONGLOMERATE OF PEOPLE MAKING DECISIONS. IT'S ABOUT THE CHARACTER OF THE PRESIDENT TO CARE. THE PRESIDENT'S GOING TO DETERMINE WHETHER OR NOT THIS CONSTITUTION IS EMPLOYED TO MAKE WAY. AND WE SHOULD NOTE THAT ABC NEWS OFFERED DONALD TRUMP THE SAME OPPORTUNITY FOR A ONE-ON-ONE INTERVIEW, AND HE DECLINED.

>> WE'LL HAVE MORE OF GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS' EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH PRESIDENT BIDEN IN JUST 60 SECONDS. STAY WITH US. WHENEVER NEWS BREAKS, WE ARE HERE IN ISRAEL, A NATION AT WAR. ENROLLING FOR THIS TORNADO TORE THROUGH THIS TOWN FROM LEWISTON, MAINE, THE SCENE OF A HORRIFIC MASS SHOOTING, FROM THE SCENE OF THAT DEADLY MISSILE STRIKE. ABC NEWS LIVE EVERYWHERE IN ICELAND. LET'S GO BACK ON THE 2024 CAMPAIGN TRAIL HERE AT TEN DOWNING STREET. WHEREVER THE STORY IS, WE'RE GOING TO TAKE YOU THERE. YOU'RE STREAMING ABC NEWS LIVE, ABC NEWS LIVE, YOU'RE STREAMING ABC NEWS LIVE, ABC NEWS LIVE STREAMING EVERYWHERE. THERE IS A PRICE TO BE PAID TIME. A SURVIVOR SHARES THEIR STORY.

I WILL NOT BE SILENCED. DO YOU FEEL THE CHURCH ACCEPTED ABUSE? I WON'T SAY ACCEPTED IT AS SO MUCH, PRETENDED IT DIDN'T EXIST. >> THAT'S YOU READY? KYRA PHILLIPS WITH ABC NEWS. DOES YOUR CHURCH PROTECT SEXUAL PREDATORS AND IMPACT X NIGHTLINE SECRETS OF THE TWO BY TWO CHURCH? >> THERE'S NOTHING PRETTY ABOUT HEARING THE. >> NOW STREAMING ON HULU. WELCOME BACK. LET'S RETURN NOW TO ABC'S GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS HAS EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN. >> LET ME ASK A TOUGHER, MORE PERSONAL QUESTION. ARE YOU SURE YOU'RE BEING HONEST YOURSELF WHEN YOU SAY YOU HAVE THE MENTAL AND PHYSICAL CAPACITY TO SERVE ANOTHER FOUR YEARS?

YES, I AM, BECAUSE GEORGE. THING I WANT TO DO IS NOT MEET THAT. I THINK AS SOME OF THE SENIOR ECONOMIST AND SENIOR FOREIGN POLICY SPECIALIST SAY, IF I STOP NOW IN VIETNAM, HISTORY WAS A PRETTY SUCCESSFUL PRESIDENT. NO ONE THOUGHT I COULD GET THERE. WHAT WE GOT THAT. BUT ARE YOU BEING WAS HONEST WITH YOURSELF AS WELL ABOUT YOUR ABILITY TO DEFEAT DONALD TRUMP RIGHT NOW? YES, YES, YES, YES. >> YOU SAY THAT AND LET ME CHALLENGE YOU. SURE. BECAUSE YOU WERE CLOSE, BUT BEHIND GOING INTO THE DEBATE, YOU'RE FURTHER BEHIND NOW BY ANY MEASURE. IT'S BEEN A TWO-MAN RACE FOR SEVERAL MONTHS. INFLATION HAS COME DOWN IN THOSE LAST FEW MONTHS.

HE'S BECOME A CONVICTED FELON, YET YOU'RE STILL FALLING FURTHER BEHIND. YOU GUYS KEEP SAYING THAT GEORGE MCKINNON FALLING BEHIND ANYBODY. DO YOU THINK POLLING DATA VACUUMS USED TO BE? I DON'T THINK. SO BUT I THINK WHEN YOU LOOK AT ALL THE POLLING DATA RIGHT NOW, IT SHOWS THAT HE'S CERTAINLY AHEAD IN THE POPULAR VOTE, PROBABLY EVEN MORE AHEAD IN THE BATTLEGROUND STATES. AND ONE OF THE OTHER KEY FACTORS IS IT SHOWS THAT IN MANY OF THE BATTLEGROUND STATES, THE DEMOCRATS WHO ARE RUNNING FOR SENATE AND THE HOUSE ARE DOING BETTER THAN YOU ARE. AND THAT'S NOT UNUSUAL IN SOME STATES. I CARE AN AWFUL LOT OF DEMOCRATS. LAST TIME I RAN IN 2020.

LOOK, I REMEMBER THEM TELLING ME THE SAME THING IN 2020. I CAN'T WHEN THE POLLS SHOW I CAN'T WIN NUMBER 2020 FOR 2020, THE RED WAVE IS COMING BEFORE THE VOTE. I ASSUME THAT'S NOT GOING TO HAPPEN.  WE'RE GOING TO WIN. WE DID BETTER IN AN OFF YEAR AND ALMOST ANY INCUMBENT EVER HAS DONE AND SAID IN 2023, ALL THE TOUGH RACE, WE'RE NOT GOING TO WIN. I WIN IN ALL THOSE AREAS AND ALL THOSE DISTRICTS AND WE WON ALL IS TRUE. BUT 2020 WAS A CLOSE RACE AND YOUR APPROVAL RATING HAS DROPPED SIGNIFICANTLY SINCE THEN. I THINK THE LAST POLL I SAW WAS ABOUT 36%. THE NUMBER OF AMERICANS YOU THINK YOU'RE TOO OLD TO SERVE DOUBLED SINCE 2020.

WOULDN'T A CLEAR-EYED POLITICAL CALCULUS TELL YOU THAT IT'S GOING TO BE MUCH TOUGHER TO WIN IN 2024? NOT WHEN YOU'RE RUNNING AGAINST A PATHOLOGICAL. NOT WHEN HE HADN'T BEEN CHALLENGED IN A WAY HE'S NOT TO BE CHALLENGED. NOT WHEN PEOPLE HAVE HAD MONTHS TO CHALLENGE HIM. OH, SURE, I MIGHT HAVE. BUT I WAS ALSO DOING A HELL OF A LOT OF OTHER THINGS, LIKE FOR AROUND THE WORLD, LIKE KEEPING THE OTHER LIKE WORKING ANYWAY, FOR MONTHS. DO YOU REALLY BELIEVE YOU'RE NOT BEHIND NOW? I THINK IT'S ALL POLLSTERS. I TALK TO TELL ME IT'S A TOSS-UP. IT'S A TOSS-UP. AND WHEN I'M BEHIND, THERE'S ONLY ONE POLL. I'M REALLY FAR BEHIND.

CBS POLL AND ABC, I MEAN TO ME AND, A NEW YORK, NEW YORK TIMES, AND NBC BOTH HAVE ABOUT SIX POINTS BEHIND IN THE POPULAR VOTE. THAT'S EXACTLY RIGHT. NEW YORK HAD ME BEHIND BEFORE ANYTHING HAVING TO DO WITH THIS RACE HAD ME BEHIND TEN POINTS. TEN POINTS HAD ME BEHIND. AND IT'S CHANGED SUBSTANTIALLY FROM A NEW YORK TIMES POLL. IF YOU LOOK AT THE REALITY, THOUGH, MR. PRESIDENT. I MEAN, YOU WON THE POPULAR VOTE IN 20, BUT IT IS STILL DEADLY CLOSE IN THE ELECTORAL COLLEGE. YOU'RE ON BOTH. YES, BUT YOU'RE BEHIND NOW IN THE POPULAR VOTE. I DON'T I DON'T BUY THAT. IS IT WORTH THE RISK. I DON'T THINK ANYBODY IS MORE QUALIFIED TO BE PRESIDENT WIN

THIS RACE THAN ME. YOU KNOW THE HEART OF YOUR AGAINST DONALD TRUMP IS THAT HE'S ONLY OUT FOR HIMSELF. HE'S PUTTING HIS PERSONAL INTERESTS AHEAD OF THE NATIONAL INTEREST. HOW YOU RESPOND TO CRITICS WHO SAY THAT BY STAYING IN THE RACE, YOU'RE DOING THE SAME THING. >> I DON'T THINK THOSE CRITICS KNOW WHAT THEY'RE TALKING ABOUT. THEY'RE JUST WRONG. IT'S WRONG. LOOK, TRUMP IS A PATHOLOGICAL LIAR. TRUMP IS. HE IS. YOU NEVER SEEN ANYTHING. TRUMP DIDN'T DO ANYTHING. IT'S NOT SOMEBODY ELSE, NOT HIM. I KNOW YOU CAN'T ANSWER. >> I KNOW I'VE QUESTIONED HIM AND HIS ADVISERS PERSISTENTLY AS ANY JOURNALIST. I KNOW YOU HAVE. >> I'M NOT BEING CRITICAL.

YEAH, I'M NOT BEING CRITICAL. BUT LOOK, I MEAN, THE MAN IS A CONGENITAL LIAR. AS I SAID, THEY TURNED OUT NOT TO BE LIKE 27, 28 TIMES. THE TIMES WHATEVER NUMBER OVER 20 TIMES. TALK ABOUT HOW GOOD ITS ECONOMY WAS.  IMPORTANT INFORMATION. HOW THIS IS THE GUY WHO, UNLIKE ONLY OTHER HUMANS WHO'VE LOST MORE JOBS TO BE CREATED.  THIS IS A GUY, THOMAS, WHO PUT BLEACH ON OUR ARMS. DEAL WITH COVID. MANY MORE. MANY PEOPLE DIED. THIS IS A GUY WHO TALKS ABOUT THE WANT TO GET RID OF THE HEALTH CARE PROVISION WE PUT IN PLACE. THIS IS THE GUY WHO WANTS TO GIVE THE POWER BACK TO BIG PHARMA TO CHARGE EXORBITANT PRICES FOR DRUGS. IT'S THE GUY WHO WANTS TO.

EVERY SINGLE THING I'VE DONE, EVERY SHOE, EVERY SINGLE. I UNDERSTAND THAT. AND I UNDERSTAND THAT'S WHY YOU WANT TO STAY IN THE RACE. BUT IF YOU CONVINCED YOURSELF THAT ONLY YOU CAN DEFEAT HIM, I CONVINCED MYSELF OF TWO THINGS. AND MOST QUALIFIED PERSON, BIDEN NOW KNOW HOW TO GET THINGS DONE. IF YOU CAN BE CONVINCED THAT YOU CANNOT DEFEAT DONALD TRUMP, WILL YOU STAND DOWN WITH THE FANS AND WITH THE LORD ALMIGHTY COMES OUT AND TELLS ME THAT I MIGHT DO THAT? WELL, I MEAN, ON A MORE PRACTICAL LEVEL, WASHINGTON POST JUST REPORTED IN THE LAST HOUR THAT SENATOR MARK WARNER IS ASSEMBLING A GROUP OF SENATORS TOGETHER TO TRY TO CONVINCE YOU TO STAND DOWN BECAUSE

THEY DON'T THINK YOU CAN WIN. WELL, MARK IS A GOOD MAN. WE'VE NEVER HAD THAT. HE ALSO TRIED TO GET THE NOMINATION TO MARK'S, NOT WORKING. I HAVE A DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE. I RESPECT. AND IF CHUCK SCHUMER AND HAKEEM JEFFRIES AND NANCY PELOSI COME DOWN AND SAY, WE'RE WORRIED THAT IF YOU STAY IN THE RACE, WE'RE GOING TO LOSE THE HOUSE AND THE SENATE, HOW WILL YOU RESPOND? I GO INTO DETAIL WHEN I'M SPEAKING OF THEM IN DETAIL, INCLUDING JIM CLYBURN, EVERY ONE OF THEM. THEY ALL SAID I SHOULD STAY IN THE RACE. STAY IN THE RACE. NO ONE SAID I SHOULD LOSE. BUT IF THEY DO. >> OH, YES, I CAN DO THAT.

YOU SURE? YEAH, I'M SURE. LOOK, I MEAN, IF THE LAW-ABIDING SEE JOE GET OUT OF THE RACE, AND I'VE GOT THE RACE LAW, THE MONEY'S NOT COMING DOWN. I MEAN THESE HYPOTHETICALS, GEORGE. YES. I MEAN, BUT IT'S NOT THAT HYPOTHETICAL ANYMORE. I GRANT THAT THEY HAVE NOT REQUESTED THE MEETING, BUT IT'S BEEN REPORTED I'VE MET WITH THAT. I'VE MET WITH A LOT OF THESE PEOPLE. I'VE TALKED WITH THEM REGULARLY. I HAD AN HOUR CONVERSATION WITH I CAME. I HAD MORE TIME WITH JIM CLYBURN. I SPENT TIME WITH MANY HOURS OFF AND ON. THE LAST BUT WITH CHUCK SCHUMER, IT'S NOT LIKE I HAD ALL THE GOVERNORS.

ALL THE GOVERNORS. I AGREE THE LORD ALMIGHTY IS NOT GOING TO COME DOWN. BUT IF, IF YOU ARE TOLD RELIABLY FROM YOUR ALLIES, FROM YOUR FRIENDS AND SUPPORTERS IN THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY, IN THE HOUSE AND THE SENATE, THAT THEY'RE CONCERNED YOU'RE GOING TO LOSE THE HOUSE AND THE SENATE IF YOU STAY IN. WHAT WILL YOU DO? I CAN ANSWER THAT QUESTION. IT'S NOT GOING TO HAPPEN. WHAT'S YOUR PLAN TO TURN THE CAMPAIGN AROUND? START TODAY. HOW MANY, HOW MANY PEOPLE DRAW CROWDS LIKE I DON'T, THAT IF I'M ANY MORE ENTHUSIASTIC TODAY. I MEAN, I. I DON'T THINK YOU WANT TO PLAY THE CROWD GAME. DONALD TRUMP CAN DRAW BIG CROWDS. THERE'S NO QUESTION ABOUT THAT. >> DO YOU DRAW A BIG CROWD?

BUT WHAT DOES HE SAY? WHO'S YEAH, I'M THE GUY SUPPOSEDLY IN TROUBLE. WE RAISED $38 MILLION WITHIN FOUR DAYS. AND AFTER THIS OVER, WE HAVE OVER A MILLION INDIVIDUAL CONTRIBUTORS. INDIVIDUAL CONTRIBUTORS. THAT'S LESS THAN 200 BUCKS. YEAH. I MEAN, I'VE NOT SEEN WHAT YOU'RE YOU'RE PROPOSING. YOU HAVEN'T SEEN THE FALLOFF IN THE POLLS. YOU HAVEN'T SEEN THE REPORTS OF DISCONTENT IN THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY. >> HOUSE DEMOCRATS, SENATE DEMOCRATS. I'VE FROM THE PRESS SO MUCH TO ANALYZE. AND SO FOR MORE INSIGHT ON THIS INTERVIEW, WE'RE JOINED NOW BY CONTRIBUTING POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT RACHAEL BED, WHO'S ALSO AUTHOR OF THE POLITICO PLAYBOOK.

RACHEL, THANKS FOR JOINING US. I WOULD HERE I KNOW THAT EVERY SOURCE YOU HAVE IN WASHINGTON IS GOING THROUGH THE TEA LEAVES AND LOOKING AT IT. IS THERE ANYTHING YOU OR THEY SAW TONIGHT THAT IS MOVING THE NEEDLE ON THIS AND IS EVEN A PERFECT PERFORMANCE GOING TO MOVE THE NEEDLE? YEAH, I WAS HEARING EVEN BEFORE THIS INTERVIEW THAT A PERFECT PERFORMANCE WOULD SORT OF JUST PROLONG THE INEVITABLE. RIGHT NOW, BIDEN FROM THE DEBATE IS SO DAMAGED THAT WILL NOT FORGET WHAT HAPPENED LAST THURSDAY. EVEN IF HE HAS THE BEST INTERVIEW POSSIBLE HERE. AND BECAUSE OF THAT SORT OF LINE OF THINKING, I WOULD SAY THAT WHAT WE SAW TONIGHT IS ACTUALLY ONE OF THE WORST POSSIBLE SCENARIOS FOR DEMOCRATS.

HE DIDN'T DO SO BAD THAT IT'S OBVIOUS. IN A WHOLE BUNCH OF DEMOCRATS ARE GOING TO COME. GO ON RECORD AND SAY IT'S TIME FOR YOU TO STEP ASIDE. >> BUT HE DIDN'T DO SO AMAZINGLY THAT PEOPLE ARE GOING TO FORGET THIS. AND SO THEY'RE IN THIS SORT LIMBO SCENARIO. SO, I MEAN, LOOK, IT WASN'T AS BAD AS LAST THURSDAY, BUT CERTAINLY NOT GREAT. >> AND THAT MEANS MORE DEMOCRATS WILL STILL HAVE CONCERN. AND YOU KNOW THAT ON CAPITOL HILL, WE'RE HEARING ABOUT WHAT SENATOR WARNER IS DOING. WE'RE HEARING THAT HAKEEM JEFFRIES IS MEETING WITH PEOPLE.  >> WHAT DO YOU THINK WILL COME OUT OF THESE MEETINGS? WHAT ARE YOU HEARING? YEAH, I THINK NEXT WEEK IS GOING TO BE A CRAZY WEEK.

JUJU. >> I MEAN, THE LAWMAKERS HAVE BEEN OUT FOR A WEEK NOW FOR CONGRESSIONAL RECESS. THIS MEANS THEY COULD AVOID THE PRESS. THEY CAN AVOID THE CAMERAS AND NOT HAVE TO WEIGH IN. BUT AT SOME POINT, NOT GOING TO BE ABLE TO HIDE ANYMORE. AND A LOT OF PEOPLE HAVE BEEN TALKING ON BACKGROUND. THEY'VE BEEN TALKING OFF THE RECORD, AND THEY'VE BEEN VERY BLUNT, THINKING THAT, YOU KNOW, THE BIDEN CAMPAIGN, THE PRESIDENCY, HIS PRESIDENCY, PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN IS ESSENTIALLY DEAD. AND SO WE'RE GOING TO SEE, I THINK, A LOT MORE LAWMAKERS COME OUT. I THINK, YOU KNOW, HAKEEM JEFFRIES, CHUCK SCHUMER, THEY'RE HEARING FROM A LOT OF CONCERNED MEMBERS.

AND THESE AREN'T JUST RANDOM HERE. I MEAN, MARK WARNER, THE CHAIR OF THE INTELLIGENCE COMMITTEE. HE HELPS JOE BIDEN GET HIS AGENDA THROUGH CONGRESS. AND THERE'S A LOT OF RESPECT, AND THIS IS FRIENDLY FIRE. THIS IS A LOT GOING ON. RACHEL BAY, THANK YOU SO MUCH, YOUR INSIGHTS AS ALWAYS. OF COURSE. NOW LET'S BRING IN OUR ABC SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT SELINA WANG. SELINA, SOME PEOPLE WERE CALLING THIS INTERVIEW A TELEVISED COGNITIVE TEST. HOW DID THE PRESIDENT SCORE? WELL, LOOK, THIS CERTAINLY DID NOT QUELL THE PANIC WITHIN THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY. IN FACT, IT MAY HAVE INCREASED THE SCHISMS HERE. NOW, HAVE THE CAMP OF THOSE WHO THINK THAT THE PRESIDENT WAS JUST FINE

THAT THIS IS HOW PRESIDENT BIDEN NORMALLY IS. AND THEN THE OTHER CAMP, WHO BELIEVE THAT THIS REALLY THE CHALLENGES OF HIS CANDIDACY, THAT HE DIDN'T DO ENOUGH, TURN THIS AROUND. I'VE BEEN SPEAKING WITH SOME DONORS AND ALLIES HERE WHO SAY THAT THIS DIDN'T REALLY CHANGE THE STATUS QUO. YES, IT WAS FAR BETTER THAN HE DID ON THAT DISASTROUS DEBATE, BUT HE DIDN'T DO ENOUGH TO STEM THE DAMAGE HERE. AND YOU, OF COURSE, HAVE LAWMAKERS, DONORS, AND ALLIES WHO ARE REALLY WAITING OUT ON THE SIDELINES, WATCHING TO SEE HOW HE DOES IN THESE RALLIES, IN THIS CRITICAL INTERVIEW, TO DECIDE IF THEY WANT TO CONTINUE SUPPORTING THE PRESIDENT OR IF THEY WANT TO JOIN THE GROWING CHORUS OF THOSE WHO ARE

PUBLICLY CALLING HIM TO STEP ASIDE. AND HOW UNITED IS THE SUPPORT INSIDE THE WHITE HOUSE? WHAT ARE YOU HEARING FROM YOUR SOURCES ABOUT HOW THE PRESIDENT'S INTERVIEW WENT TONIGHT? YEAH, I WAS JUST TALKING TO THE WHITE HOUSE, AND THEY'RE CALLING THIS A SOLID INTERVIEW. AND THEY BELIEVE THAT WE NEED TO FOCUS LESS ON THE PRESIDENT'S DELIVERY AND WHAT HE SAYS, WHAT HE'S DONE. THE PRESIDENT, OF COURSE, HAS SAID SO HIMSELF, THAT 90 MINUTES SHOULDN'T ERASE ALL THE WORK THAT HE'S DONE IN THE LAST THREE AND A HALF YEARS. THEY TOUT THAT HE SPOKE ABOUT ALL THE JOBS THAT HE'S CREATED, THE WORK HE'S DONE AROUND CHIPS ON UNITING DATA, ON PUSHING BACK TO UKRAINE. SO IN THEIR VIEW, THIS IS JUST JOE BIDEN.

JOE BIDEN, HE WAS SOLID. HE WAS NEVER A SPECTACULAR SPEAKER TO BEGIN WITH. AND YOU CERTAINLY DIDN'T GET THAT TODAY EITHER. AND ONE OF BIDEN'S BIGGEST SURROGATES, CALIFORNIA GOVERNOR GAVIN NEWSOM, IS OUT CAMPAIGNING. THE PRESIDENT TODAY CALLING THIS AN IMPORTANT WEEKEND, SAYING NONE OF US ARE NAIVE. WHAT BIDEN IS IN HIS VISORS LOOKING FORWARD, DETERMINING WHETHER THE CAMPAIGN CAN RECOVER FROM ALL THIS. YEAH, JUJU, I MEAN, LOOK, POLLING IS ONE THING AND THE NUMBERS HAVE BEEN GETTING WORSE. YOU HAVE BOTH THE WALL STREET JOURNAL AND NEW YORK TIMES POLLING SHOWING THAT TRUMP IS WIDENING HIS LEAD. BIDEN'S NOW AT LEAST 6%.

SIX-POINT LEAD. THIS IS THE SPREAD, AND IT IS GROWING. BUT OF COURSE, FOR THE INNER CIRCLE OF THE ADVISERS TO THE PRESIDENT, THEY ARE STILL STRONG, ONLY STANDING BEHIND HIM. THEY STILL BELIEVE THAT HE IS THE BEST CHANCE FOR THE PARTY TO DEFEAT DONALD TRUMP IN OTHER PARTS OF THE WHITE HOUSE, ADMINISTRATION, AND OTHER DONORS AND ALLY CIRCLES. HOWEVER, THEY BELIEVE THAT THIS INNER CIRCLE IS TOO TIGHTLY AROUND THIS PRESIDENT AND THAT THEY AREN'T ALL THE CRITICISM FROM THE OUTSIDE AND THAT THEY'RE BEING TOO DISMISSIVE OF IT. BUT REALLY DO DO LIKE YOU SAID, THIS IS REALLY A MAKE-OR-BREAK MOMENT FOR THE PRESIDENT, AND HE NEEDS TO CONTINUE TO PERFORM IN THESE COMING DAYS, AS I'VE BEEN HEARING FROM ALLIES.

IT'S NOT JUST ONE INTERVIEW, ONE GOOD RALLY. IT'S A SUCCESSIVE STRING OF DAYS WHERE THE PRESIDENT NEEDS TO SHOW THAT HE HAS THE STAMINA AND MENTAL ACUITY. >> SELINA WANG ON ANOTHER BUSY SUMMER WEEKEND. THANKS FOR YOUR REPORTING AND INSIGHTS. AND THANK YOU FOR JOINING US FOR THIS ABC NEWS EXCLUSIVE WITH PRESIDENT BIDEN. ABC NEWS LIVE IS HERE FOR YOU ALL NIGHT. THE LATEST NEWS, CONTEXT, AND ANALYSIS OF THE PRESIDENT'S INTERVIEW WITH OUR OWN GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS. OF COURSE, COVERAGE CONTINUES STRAIGHT AHEAD HERE ON ABC NEWS LIVE. SO BE SURE TO STAY WITH US.

President Biden sits down for interview with George Stephanopoulos l ABC News exclusive

President Biden sits down for interview with George Stephanopoulos l ABC News exclusive