Update: Both Stephanopoulos and ABC News responded to the brouhaha Tuesday evening, with the anchor apologizing and the network distancing themselves from his comment.
'Earlier today I responded to a question from a passerby. I shouldn't have,' he told Puck News in response to the video, initially posted on TMZ.
ABC News issued their own statement on what Stephanopoulos had been caught saying.
'George expressed his own point of view and not the position of ABC News.'
Here's the original story:
If there’s anyone who should know about Joe Biden’s ability to continue his reelection effort and run the country for four more years, it’s ABC’s George Stephanopoulos, who on Friday interviewed the embattled president following his June 27 disaster debate against Donald Trump.
Although Stephanopoulos is a fierce Democrat partisan and only cosplays as a serious journalist, it appears even he can see the writing on the wall. Approached by a pedestrian on 5th Avenue in Manhattan Tuesday, the "Good Morning America" host admitted what we all think: “I don't think he can serve 4 more years.”
Watch:
#GeorgeStephanopoulos just made a STUNNING comment: he told someone on the streets of #NewYork that he doesn't think President #JoeBiden can serve another term! https://t.co/cFMK2Uxx4z pic.twitter.com/pxKkolFcGt
— TMZ (@TMZ) July 9, 2024
Stephanopoulos was not facing the camera when his remarks were recorded, but the celebrity site TMZ and other outlets are reporting that the footage is genuine.
The pedestrian didn't have his phone pointed at George when the ABC News journalist gave his answer -- the phone was pointed at the sidewalk, but it's clearly George's distinctive voice you're hearing.
The interview was hastily scheduled—and even moved up a couple of days—in the Biden campaign’s desperate attempt to deflect from the relentless negative news cycle information following his spacey, incoherent debate performance. Reviews were mixed—meaning he didn’t fall asleep or slip off his chair, but he did little to reassure voters that he retains the faculties to continue as commander-in-chief.
Not the home run they were looking for:
Biden Gets Decimated by Responses to Trainwreck Interview—the Pic That Says It All
Since that debacle, major liberal news outlets, including The New York Times and The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, have called on the president to abandon his reelection effort, as have multiple Democrat lawmakers.
This would seem to be quite the radical departure for Stephanopoulos, who’s as fierce a partisan hack as there is on TV.
Trump, Critics Unload on ABC's Biased 'Angry Man' Stephanopoulos Before Crucial Biden Interview
Nikki Haley Ends ABC's Stephanopoulos With Just 4 Words: 'Believe Me Now, George?'
The pressure on Biden to walk away has been immense, but so far he has steadfastly refused, saying he’s the only one who can beat Trump. This even as the former president now leads him in virtually every post-debate poll—Trump is even up in Wisconsin, a key swing state.
The president addressed the NATO summit in Washington, D.C., Tuesday, a closely-watched event because if Biden appears weak and confused before world leaders, it might put the final nail in his campaign’s coffin. According to one report, he was “relatively free of errors or gaffes,” which is about the highest bar we can realistically set anymore. RedState's Nick Arama wasn't impressed, however:
This video shows yet another Democrat stalwart apparently jumping ship. It’s hard to see how Biden can stumble along like this until the convention—much less to the November election.
Join the conversation as a VIP Member