Washington [US], July 18: In an interview broadcast on July 17, US President Joe Biden said that if doctors told him he had a "medical condition", he would consider withdrawing from the presidential race, according to ABC News.
This is President Biden's latest explanation of what could have caused him to withdraw amid growing calls from Democrats for him to do so after he was judged to have performed poorly in the debate with former US President Donald Trump on the evening of June 27.
"If there was a medical condition that came up...if doctors came to me and said, 'You have this problem, you have that problem.' But I made a terrible mistake in that whole debate," Mr. Biden said in the interview.
The new interview was conducted before the White House announced that Mr Biden had tested positive for Covid-19, with mild symptoms.
In an interview with ABC News on July 5, President Biden emphasized that only "God Almighty" could make him leave the race. On July 16, Mr. Biden assessed US Vice President Kamala Harris as not only a "great vice president" but so great that "she could become the president of the United States."
Meanwhile, ABC News reported on July 17 that Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer told President Biden in a meeting on July 13 that it would be better for the country and the Democratic Party if Mr. Biden stopped running for election.
House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries also expressed similar views directly to Mr. Biden, according to ABC News citing a source familiar with the matter.
Also on July 17, Congressman Adam Schiff became the 20th Democratic congressman to publicly call on President Biden to withdraw from the race, according to Reuters.
Democrats are worried about President Biden's ability to defeat Trump in the November 5 election and serve another four years after he was criticized for his poor performance in the debate on June 27.
Source: Thanh Nien Newspaper
