Biden says he will consider dropping out of the race if a 'medical condition' was diagnosed by doctors

President Joe Biden said he would reconsider his decision to stay in the presidential race if doctors informed him of a medical issue, as he mentioned in an interview with BET News.

“If I had some medical condition that emerged,” Biden said when asked if there was anything that would make him reconsider. “If doctors came to me and said, ‘You got this problem, that problem.’”

Biden’s comments on Tuesday marked the first time he suggested a hypothetical medical condition could force him out of the race. Previously, in an interview with ABC News after a challenging debate, he had defiantly stated that only the “Lord Almighty” could get him to drop out. Last week, he mentioned during a press conference that he would step aside only if aides showed him proof he couldn’t win in November.

Biden has resisted growing calls from Democrats to abandon his reelection bid following the debate last month, which raised fresh questions about his age and mental acuity.

He has repeatedly defended himself since then by pointing to his doctors’ opinions that he remains capable of doing the job. Kevin O’Connor, the White House physician, wrote in February after an annual physical that Biden is a “healthy, active, robust, 81-year-old male who remains fit to successfully execute the duties of the presidency.”

The physical included a neurological evaluation, the White House later confirmed.

In a clip of the BET interview released on Wednesday, Biden again dismissed his debate performance as a one-off, calling it a “serious mistake.” He also implied that he initially planned to be a one-term president but changed his mind after seeing the nation become increasingly divided.

“I said I was going to be a transitional candidate, and I thought I’d be able to move on from this, pass it on to someone else,” he told BET News’ Ed Gordon. “But I didn’t anticipate things getting so, so, so divided. Quite frankly, I think the only thing age brings [is] a little bit of wisdom, and I think I’ve demonstrated that I know how to get things done for the country.”

There remains more to do, Biden added, “and I’m reluctant to walk away from that.”