♪ break my heart and start a fire you got me over ♪ ♪ close to you close to you ♪ ♪ whoo whoo close to you close to you ♪ ♪ close to you close to you ♪ ♪ ♪ this is "nightline." >> juju: tonight, george stephanopoulos' exclusive one on

one with president joe biden. >> i don't think anybody's more qualified to be president or win this race than me. >> juju: the president's first tv interview after his controversial debate performance. >> it seemed like you were having trouble from the first question in, even before he spoke. >> well, i just had a bad night. >> juju: firm in his stance that he will not drop out of the race. >> are you being honest with yourself as well about your ability to defeat donald trump right now? >> yes. yes, yes, yes. >> juju: and the renewed calls tonight from some democrats for biden to step aside in the race. >> look. i mean, if the lord almighty said, joe, get out of the race, i'd get out of the race. the lord almighty's not coming down. >> juju: can he convince enough voters he can win the election and lead the country? >> would you be willing to undergo an independent medical evaluation, including cognitive tests, and release the results to the people?

plus sean paul. ♪ more than two decades since he became the first dance hall artist to top the billboard hot 100 with "get busy" now appealing to a whole new generation of listeners. >> proud to be part of the genre. just knowing that it's gone this far. >> juju: dishing on his new tour, collabing with other artists. sfoets ♪ ♪ and raising the temperature of jamaica's deep musical legacy. lava in the sky. italy's mount etna spews and sprays in spectacular fashion. [♪] did you know there's away to cut your dishwashing time by 50%? try dawn powerwash dish spray. it removes 99% of grease and grime in half the time. dawn powerwash has 3 cleaning boosters not found in traditional dish soaps that remove food and grease 5x times faster. and, because it cleans so well... you can replace multiple cleaning products

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♪ >> juju: thanks for joining us. tonight, the abc news exclusive. george stephanopoulos' one on one with president biden. his first televised interview after last week's debate against donald trump. with biden's performance sparking alarm among some democrats, triggering an avalanche of questions about his mental acuity and whether he should withdraw from the race. the future of the 2024 campaign now hanging in the balance. here's a portion of the interview. see for yourself. >> george: mr. president, thank you for doing this. >> thank you for having me. >> george: let's start with the debate.

you and your team have said you had a bad night. >> i did. >> george: but your friend, nancy pelosi, actually framed the question i think is on the minds of millions of americans. was this a bad episode or the sign of a more serious condition? >> it was a bad episode. no indication of any serious condition. i was exhausted. i didn't listen to my instincts in terms of preparing, and i had a bad night. >> george: you say you were exhausted, and i know you've said that before as well. but you came -- and you did have a tough month, but you came home from europe about 11 or 12 days before the debate, spent six days in camp david. why wasn't that enough rest time, enough recovery time? >> because i was sick. i was feeling terrible. matter of fact, the docs with me, i asked if they did a covid test, trying to figure out what was wrong. he did a test to see whether or not i had some infection, you know, a virus. i didn't. he just said a really bad cold. >> george: and did you ever watch the debate afterwards? >> i don't think i did, no.

>> george: well, what i want to get at is, what were you experiencing as you were going through the debate? did you know how badly it was going? >> yeah, look. the whole way i prepared -- nobody's fault, mine. nobody's fault but mine. i -- i prepared -- what i usually would do, sitting down as i did come back with foreign leaders or national security council for explicit detail. and i realized about partway through that, you know, all the -- they quoted "the new york times" had me down 10 points before the debate, 9 now or whatever the hell it is. the fact of the matter is that what i looked at is that he also lied 28 times. i couldn't -- i mean, the way the debate ran, not -- my fault, nobody else's fault, no one else's fault -- >> george: it seemed that you were having trouble from the first question in, even before he spoke. >> well, i just had a bad night.

you've had some bad nights once in a while, i can't remember any, but i'm sure you did. >> george: i've had plenty. i guess the question, the problem is here for a lot of americans watching this, you've said going back to 2020, "watch me." to people who are concerned about your age. and you know, 50 million americans watched that debate. it seemed to confirm fears they already had. >> well, look. after that debate, i did ten major events in a row, including till 2:00 in the morning after that debate. i did events in north carolina. i did events in -- in georgia. did events like this today. large crowds. overwhelming response. no -- no slipping. and so i just had a bad night. i don't know why. >> george: and how quickly did it come to you that you were having that bad night? >> well, it came to me i was having a bad night when i realized that even when i was answering a question, even though they turned his mic off,

he was still shouting. i let it distract me. i'm not blaming it -- i realized that i just wasn't in control. >> george: part of the other concern is that this seems to have fit into a pattern of decline that has been reported on recently. "new york times" had a headline on july 2nd, "biden's lapses are said to be increasingly common and worrisome." here's what they wrote. "people who have spent time with president biden over the last few months or so said the lapses appear to have grown more frequent, more pronounced, and after thursday's debate, more worrisome. by many accounts, as evidenced by video footage, observation, and interviews, mr. biden is not the same today as he was even when he took office 3 1/2 years ago." similar reporting in "the washington post" and the "wall street journal." are you the same man today that you were when you took office 3 1/2 years ago? >> in terms of successes, yes. i also was a guy put together a peace plan for the middle east

that may be coming into fruition. i was also the guy that expanded nato. also the guy that grew the economy. all the individual things that were done were ideas i had or i fulfilled, i moved on. >> juju: of course, that's an excerpt of george's interview with the president. joining me is congressional correspondent rachel scott. good to have you with us. we saw a defiant president doubling down in many ways. how this is playing with all of your sources tonight? >> democrats were on edge when they were watching this in realtime. this is arguably one of the most important interviews that president biden has done in his entirety of his political career. a little bit of a mixed bag tonight. what i'm hearing from democrats is, no, the president didn't do as bad as he did necessarily on that debate stage, but that doesn't mean things are going to take a sharp turn in the right direction for him, that the momentum is going to continue to grow. one thing i heard from one democrat right after that interview ended, they said the word "denial." they said they felt president

was in denial about the polls, about the direction that this race is headed in, and though he cares about the the stakes, he's not coming to grips with what it means to stay in the race and continue on. another thing i heard today is the common denominator, one democrat told me, is this has to do with age, and that is something the president is not going to be able to change. >> juju: you've been reporting extensively on what's going on behind the scenes on capitol hill. we have one prominent senator, mark warner, gathering colleagues to talk about it, and hakeem jeffries is going on what you call a listening tour? >> yeah, he's in listening mode at this point. trust me, he is getting an earful from house democrats. they are not happy. a lot of this has to do with the fact that democrats do have a good chance of taking back the house in november. but they know that having a president at the top of the ticket will affect how well they do and their possibility of actually clinching back the majority. a lot of them have concerns. they've been home, on recess, listening to constituents, not

liking what they're hearing. they're relaying concerns back to jeffreys and asking him to somewhat intervene here. on the other side of this in the senate, this is notable. mark warner is the chair of the senate intelligence committee. he is a serious voice on capitol hill, taken very seriously within the democratic party. the thought that he is coming forward, trying to gauge whether or not there is consensus among senate democrats to ask the president to step aside, is absolutely notable. >> juju: clearly house democrats like mike quigley are saying it's not enough to say i'm going to give it my best, that this is an existential threat, that's not good enough. >> that answer bill get a lot of play and it's one democrats are keeping in mind. they say that the threat is so high here, is it really enough to say at the end of all of this, you gave it your best if you don't defeat donald trump? >> juju: rachel scott, thank you. we know you'll be busy all weekend long for abc, thanks. now the trump campaign already seems to be stepping up attacks on vice president kamala harris, painting her as a

possible challenger. earlier tonight, i talked to abc news chief white house correspondent mary bruce and asked her whether the biden campaign was able to put this horse back into the barn or if it's too late? >> that is the question of the night. the biden team is hoping this interview along with his public appearances and his plans for the next coming days will be enough to right this ship. and of course, the trump campaign, no surprise here, they are relishing this moment and all of the attention and questions about the president's age and mental fitness and acuity. look, the biden campaign is hoping that if they can just stay the course, that this too shall pass. they really do feel very strongly this is being overblown, that the president has been underestimated before that he has shown that he can come back and win. and they think this is just another one of those times. but you what you also heard from the president was the fact that he didn't seem to fully grasp the magnitude of this situation, just the severity of the growing chorus of concern that we have been hearing from democrats. the president dismissing a lot

of that, dismissing the trends that we have seen in the polls. so this moment was a moment the campaign certainly feels the president did well tonight. the question is, will it be enough going forward? >> juju: expand on how the white house is reacting. in many ways a lot of people are saying he didn't push back enough. how are they responding to the interview tonight in that context? >> responding with one word, "strong." they feel the president did what he needed to do, to come out and answer these questions. he admitted, yes, i had a bad night. the issue what is you're hearing from democrats is that they're not worried he had a bad night. they are worried about the president's ability to do this job for another four years and perhaps more importantly than that, his ability to win. and the president didn't really want to hear any of that. when george pushed him and said, what will you do if democratic leaders come to you and say, we really feel that you need to step aside, that we have a better chance of defeating trump without you at the top of the ticket? the president joked only the lord almighty could make him

step aside. the question is really, the president and those democrats that are pushing back, they have the same goal. they want to defeat crudonald trump. they disagree over the best person to do that. >> juju: mary bruce in delaware on this very busy news weekend in the summer, thank you, mary. >> thank you. . >> juju: george's exclusive interview with president joe biden will air in its entirety on abc's "this week" sunday morning. when we return, we switch gears. sean paul getting busy with a tour, new music, and his place as modern-day jamaican dance hall state manz. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪(woman) ♪with purina one true instinct, her true instincts really came alive. from day one, it's the high-protein nutrition she instinctively craves.

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♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ >> juju: welcome back. that's sean paul's classic, "temperature." the grammy winner is out with new music. thone for dance hall hits and many collaborations, he credits the infectious roots of native music in helping forge new alliances. here's another look at his conversation with abc's morgan norwood. >> sean paul, thank you so much for being here. when we instantly hear those songs, it's just something that comes out of you. you've got to hit a little move.

>> yeah. >> what is your secret to longevity with your music? it's really stood the test of time. >> dance hall music is really spicy, you know? it's infectious. basically. but honestly, i love the music and the culture and just being in it is awesome for me. and i think when you love what you do, you can go a long way. >> it's been 21 years since the classic "get busy" first topped the radio charts. i want to take a listen to that song. let's go down memory lane for a second, is that okay? ♪ turn it on nonstop just get shaking it ♪ >> such a timeless song. i remember where i was when that video dropped. when that song first came out. and it's now taking on a new audience right now. sean paul, i don't know if you know this, it is trending all over tiktok. >> yeah, i seen it. >> are you surprised that gen-z is picking up on this as well? >> as i said before, a very

infectious music that i'm proud to be a part of, the genre. and just loving that it's going this far. it's about feeling yourself, feeling the vibe, at least my version of it. very danceable, very party music. >> your version of it. i wonder if the lyrics have changed for you in terms of meaning over time? >> swa, somewhat. i have a couple of songs that are way more meaningful. "call on me" is the essence of that. i had an album a few years ago, "tough love." ♪ calling calling calling calling on me i'll be there for you ♪ >> you know, it's about family, it's about life. i've written songs recently like that, you know. i have two young kids, 7 and 4 years old. so some of the times people are like, "yo, that song was deep." i'm talking to my son and my daughter, you know what i mean? yeah. >> you've also had undeniable influence on so many young

artists. we hear it in the samples of songs that come out today. what is your message to the newer artists that are out there? >> what can i say? i mean, remember that -- i think we're the only animals on earth that create. so, you know, it's a special thing. so treat it -- yeah, it's fun. yeah, we need to wild out and rave with it. but also treat it with honor, as well, you know? >> yeah. >> yeah. >> why is honor so important when we're talking about the genre of dance hall? >> some great people came before me and put down stones for me to step on. bob marley, people like jimmy cliff, third world, abandon, sugegy, all these people that they put footsteps before me. so, you know, you have to honor that that came before you, it's what makes you be here.

>> finally, what can fans look forward to? i know you're on tour as well. ♪ ♪ any new music? >> yeah, we on tour right now for the most of the summer here in the states, also in europe and in canada. but in the meantime, i was putting on music. there's a song out there with j. lo, the remix of "can't get enough" is the name of her song. ♪ i wanna celebrate it can't nothing take me out my song ♪ >> also songs with kabaka, him and jimmy morgan is on that song, it's called "energy." ♪ ♪ and then i'm putting on songs with jada kingdom coming soon. becky g.'s also in the mix. >> cooking that up? >> yeah. so this summer, i'll be releasing as well as doing the shows. we're looking forward to doing the shows and seeing everybody

come out. >> we can't wait to experience it all. >> sure. >> sean paul, thank you so much for being with us. >> thank you, appreciate it. >> juju: our thanks to morgan. when we return, nature's pyrotechnics lighting up the sky. type 2 diabetes? discover the ozempic® tri-zone. ♪ ♪ i got the power of 3. i lowered my a1c, cv risk, and lost some weight. in studies, the majority of people reached an a1c under 7 and maintained it. i'm under 7. ozempic® lowers the risk of major cardiovascular events such as stroke, heart attack, or death in adults also with known heart disease. i'm lowering my risk. adults lost up to 14 pounds. i lost some weight. ozempic® isn't for people with type 1 diabetes. don't share needles or pens, or reuse needles. don't take ozempic® if you or your family ever had medullary thyroid cancer, or have multiple endocrine neoplasia syndrome type 2, or if allergic to it. stop ozempic® and get medical help right away if you get a lump or swelling in your neck, severe stomach pain, or an allergic reaction.

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♪ >> juju: finally tonight, if you thought last night's fourth of july fireworks were something, take a look at this. a fountain of lava surging and spray spraying out of sicily's mount etna, spectacular force spewing orange and red fragments 15,000 feet into the sky. residents of nearby towns forced to sweep ash from their yards and walkways. motorcycles were forbidden. boat traffic on the nearby ionian sea was forbidden. watch full episodes on hulu. see you back here same time monday.