The atmosphere at ABC News has grown even more charged following George Stephanopoulos’ statement that “President Joe Biden must go.” The comment reportedly led to quiet celebrations among the supporters of Stephanopoulos’ main rival at ABC, David Muir.
During the interview, Stephanopoulos asked the president, “Are you sure you’re being honest with yourself when you say you have the mental and physical capacity to serve another four years?”
One week after conducting an exclusive interview with Joe Biden in July, Stephanopoulos was caught off-guard by a street encounter that led to an unplanned remark about the president’s health, which was later reported by TMZ. Stephanopoulos was casually walking down a New York sidewalk, listening to music and checking his phone, when a cameraman stopped him to inquire if he thought Biden should resign.
“I don’t think he can serve four more years,” Stephanopoulos was caught saying.
The backstory to the drama includes a longstanding professional rivalry between the two news anchors. This rivalry intensified after Biden’s advisors selected Stephanopoulos for the first post-debate interview with the president—a choice that came after Biden’s widely criticized debate performance.
David Muir, who anchors ABC World News Tonight and co-anchors the news magazine 20/20, had been eager to secure this pivotal first interview following the debate debacle that caused an uproar among senior Democrats, leading some to call for Biden’s replacement on the 2024 presidential ticket. The decision by Biden and his top advisors to select Stephanopoulos for a critical interview further deepened the rift between him and his ABC colleague, David Muir, shocking Muir’s supporters with the White House’s choice.
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