Ultimately, the interview was as much personal as it was political, a cross-examination that focused more on mindset and the inescapable reality of ageing than any point of policy or governance.
Respectfully but firmly, ABC anchor George Stephanopoulos on Friday repeatedly pressed President Biden on basic questions that Americans have asked themselves over the past eight days, as 51 million people watched a vulnerable Mr. Biden struggle to perform on the debate stage.
“Have you become more weak?”
“Are there any other errors?”
“Have you had a check-up with a neurologist or specialist?”
And while Mr. Biden dismissed all of those concerns one by one — concerns about his health, his electability, his ability to serve four additional years in office — Mr. Stephanopoulos focused on matters of pride, honor and self-esteem swirling just below the surface.
“Are you sure,” the anchor asked, “you are being honest with yourself?”
Mr. Biden, 81, is 18 years older than his interlocutor. The president arrived at the ABC interview on Friday tanned and without a tie, with the top two buttons of his shirt undone, making every effort to look youthful and vibrant. Yet a viewer could not help imagining that Mr. Stephanopoulos, in the role of an adult son, was leading an elderly parent to a conclusion that could be difficult and extremely painful to accept.
It's too early to say whether their 22-minute meeting, recorded in a Wisconsin middle school library on Friday and broadcast in prime time by ABC, will rank among the most important interviews in presidential history. But the stakes were higher than most.
After last week’s debate, Democrats’ confidence in Mr. Biden’s ability to defeat his Republican rival, former President Donald J. Trump, waned. The president’s soft voice, long pauses and vague words — once considered by supporters to be an unsettling but benign fact of his public appearances — had taken on far darker implications.
Mr Biden displayed those traits again on Friday, his voice at times appearing raspy and hesitant. His answers were sometimes disorienting. He was much better than the shaky president who faced Mr Trump last Thursday, but he was also not in fighting form like in the 2020 debates.
When Mr. Stephanopoulos got straight to the point — “You and your team have said you had a bad night” — Mr. Biden flashed his teeth in a smile.
“Sure,” he replied, equal parts polite and nonchalant. Hey, it happens.
But then the anchors started to press on. Nancy Pelosi, a former House speaker and an ally of the president, wondered if Mr. Biden had even more serious health problems. Mr. Biden blamed jet lag, but he had been back from Europe for more than a week. Did he realize on stage how bad his condition was?
The president, who has interacted with Mr. Stephanopoulos for decades, including when the anchor worked in the Clinton White House, tried to respond with some humor. “Sometimes you’ve had some bad interviews,” he joked.
Mr. Stephanopoulos responded, “I've seen a lot.” But, he pointed out, millions of people watched a debate that seemed to confirm fears about the president's age.
When Mr. Biden blamed the press for amplifying Democratic leaders’ concerns, the anchor said he had heard from dozens of supporters who “want you to leave graciously.” And when Mr. Biden tried to deflect attention by listing his administration’s accomplishments, Mr. Stephanopoulos responded, “What has all the work you’ve done over the last three and a half years cost you physically, mentally and emotionally?”
As the interview neared its end, Mr. Stephanopoulos focused back on real politics. He asked, “If you stay in power, and Trump is elected, and everything you’ve been warning about comes true, how will you feel in January?”
“I think as long as I've done my best, and I've done the best job that I can, that's the essence of it,” Mr. Biden said.
At one point, Mr. Stephanopoulos laid out several scenarios for Mr. Biden about how he would react if top Democratic leaders asked him to withdraw. The president smiled and laughed.
“I mean, these hypothetical things, George,” he began.
The anchor interrupted.
“It’s not so hypothetical anymore.”