Internet agrees as George Stephanopoulos says Joe Biden 'can't serve 4 more years' after ABC interview

WASHINGTON, DC: On Tuesday, July 9, ABC News anchor George Stephanopoulos expressed doubts about President Biden serving a second term.

This statement comes just days after he conducted a highly scrutinized interview with President Biden, following the President's challenging debate with Donald Trump last month.

George Stephanopoulos believes Joe Biden can't 'serve four more years'

At 63, Stephanopoulos was captured by TMZ responding to a passerby's inquiry in midtown Manhattan about Biden's political prospects.

The anonymous interrogator questioned the moderator of 'This Week' and co-host of 'Good Morning America,' "Do you think Biden should step down?"

“You’ve talked to him more than anybody else has lately,” interrogator added.

“I don’t think he can serve four more years,” After a pause, the soft-spoken Stephanopoulos replied. “You don’t think he can serve four more years?” The questioner repeated before adding: “All right, that’s an answer.”

Hours after the video made headlines, Stephanopoulos expressed regret for his candid response. “Earlier today I responded to a question from a passerby. I shouldn’t have,” The news anchor stated to Puck News, the New York Post reported.

ABC News told the media, “George expressed his own point of view and not the position of ABC News.”

Approximately 8.5 million viewers tuned in to watch at least a portion of Stephanopoulos' 22-minute interview with the 81-year-old Biden, which aired on July 5 and rebroadcast on 'This Week' the following Sunday, July 7.

President Joe Biden defends his cognitive fitness for presidency

During the sit-down, Biden did not alleviate concerns about his cognitive fitness for the presidency following the June 27 CNN debate against Trump in Atlanta.

He attributed his performance to exhaustion and a severe cold, lamenting that he allowed Trump's cross-talk to distract him. He even questioned whether he had seen footage of his own faltering.

Biden insisted that his frequent mistakes were indicative of a "bad episode" rather than ongoing decline, yet he refused to undergo a cognitive exam to substantiate this claim.

“Look, I have a cognitive test every single day,” Biden said to Stephanopoulos, a former Clinton administration White House communications director who has been employed by ABC News in a variety of roles since 1997.

“Every day, I’ve had tests. Everything I do. You know, not only am I campaigning, I’m running the world. And that’s not — it sounds like hyperbole, but we are the central nation of the world,” he added.

On Monday, July 8, President Biden reaffirmed his commitment to stay in the race through a letter to congressional Democrats, a call-in to MSNBC's 'Morning Joe,' and a conference call with prominent donors.

To date, seven House Democrats have publicly urged the president to step down in favor of a new candidate, presumably Vice President Kamala Harris.

Internet reacts to George Stephanopoulos' statement

As soon as the news went viral on social media, users started reacting to it. One asked, "Is there anyone on earth that honestly believes he can serve 4 more years."

Another user backs George Stephanopoulos, "He’s not wrong."

A third commentator added, "Thanks for stating the obvious, George."

"He can't serve the next several months. It is crimiinal," a person wrote.

While several internet users agreed with Stephanopoulos' assertion, many others even attacked him.

A user stated, "When you’ve lost George…"

"Georgie Porgie will say what ever Obama tells him. He has proven that through the Clinton and then Obama years," said another.

 

This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.