President Biden speaks to supporters Friday during a campaign rally in Madison, Wis.
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MADISON, Wis. — President Biden campaigned in the swing state of Wisconsin today, working to move on from a bad debate performance that has dominated headlines for more than a week.
Biden gave a defiant speech at a rally, where he shook dozens of hands and spoke to the speculation swirling about whether he will drop out the race. “Here’s my answer: I am running, and I am going to win again,” he said.
While in the state, Biden is sitting down for an interview with ABC News anchor George Stephanopoulos.
A television network interview doesn’t always attract huge headlines. But compared with other recent presidents, Biden has done relatively few one-on-one interviews.
And with a growing number of Democrats openly questioning whether Biden, 81, is up to the task of beating former President Donald Trump in November, this unscripted interview is another high-profile test of his cognitive abilities.
Depending on how it goes, the interview could quiet calls for Biden to step aside, or make them grow louder.
“I think it’s really important to a lot of donors, to a lot of elected officials who you’ve been hearing from in the media,” Rep. Nikema Williams, D-Ga., told NPR.
But it’s unclear how widely the interview will resonate among voters. Polls have long shown that voters have concerns about Biden’s age, but whether the debate — let alone the interview — will move the needle is still an open question.
“What I’m hearing from voters on the ground is — well, a lot of them might not even know that this interview is happening on Friday,” Williams said.
President Biden’s motorcade arrives at a campaign rally at Sherman Middle School in Madison, Wis. on July 5.
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Biden has been trying to calm his party
In recent days, Biden has stepped up calls to leaders in his party. On Wednesday, he met with Democratic governors.
The message from governors afterward: Biden is the nominee, and Trump is a threat who must be stopped. But they didn’t get into hypotheticals about whether Biden is still the best person to take on Trump.
Publicly, Biden, the White House and the campaign have said that he’s not thinking about dropping out. “He’s staying in the race. He’s not going anywhere,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters traveling with Biden to Madison on Air Force One.
But Hawaii Gov. Josh Green — who backs Biden and was part of the Wednesday meeting — told All Things Considered’s Ailsa Chang that the president is still weighing his decision.