ABC News is in turmoil after veteran anchor George Stephanopoulos reportedly declared that “President Joe Biden must go” due to his growing cognitive challenges. The bombshell statement has sent shockwaves through the network, with insiders suggesting that this has sparked private celebrations among supporters of Stephanopoulos’ longtime rival, fellow ABC anchor David Muir.
Stephanopoulos, a former Clinton adviser and current host of *Good Morning America*, raised serious concerns about Biden’s fitness for office after conducting an interview with the president in July. The interview, which followed a widely criticized debate performance by Biden, left Stephanopoulos questioning whether Biden has the mental and physical capacity to serve a second term.
In a move that has only intensified speculation about Biden’s ability to lead, Stephanopoulos bluntly 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?” This kind of direct challenge from a major media figure at a left-leaning network like ABC is almost unheard of and points to the growing discontent even within Biden’s usual media strongholds.
But the controversy didn’t end there. Just weeks after the interview, Stephanopoulos was caught on video in New York City, admitting to a passerby that he doesn’t believe Biden should run for a second term. “I don’t think he can serve four more years,” the ABC anchor is heard saying in the recording. This unfiltered moment has thrust ABC News into a full-blown crisis, with sources describing the situation as a “ticking time bomb” that exploded when Stephanopoulos’ private doubts became public.
The fallout has reportedly exacerbated a long-standing rivalry between Stephanopoulos and Muir. For years, Muir and Stephanopoulos have been in a behind-the-scenes power struggle for prominence at ABC News, and the competition has now escalated with this scandal. According to insiders, Muir had lobbied hard to land the Biden interview, and when it was given to Stephanopoulos instead, the tensions between the two camps intensified.
One insider explained, “David has his supporters and George has his. The rivalry between them is real, and there are private celebrations among David’s team that George’s comments have plunged the network into this embarrassing situation.” Muir, known for his professional demeanor and reputation for sticking to the facts without injecting personal bias, has reportedly distanced himself from the controversy, with some pointing out that he’s maintained a strictly neutral stance on Biden.
In contrast, Stephanopoulos’ comments have been viewed as a breach of journalistic integrity, especially in the eyes of ABC News president Debra O’Connell. Sources say O’Connell was “furious” that someone of Stephanopoulos’ stature would jeopardize the network’s supposed neutrality by making such a public and controversial statement about the sitting president. “This was a full-blown crisis with widespread repercussions,” said one source. “George put the entire network in a tough spot.”
O’Connell’s frustration stems from the fact that Stephanopoulos’ remarks could alienate ABC’s liberal viewership and open the network up to accusations of bias—something it can ill afford in today’s polarized media landscape. While Stephanopoulos later tried to downplay his comments as a joke, the damage had already been done, and questions now loom over how he can continue at ABC without further controversy.
This isn’t the first time tensions between Stephanopoulos and Muir have come to a head. In 2021, rumors swirled that Stephanopoulos threatened to leave ABC for a competing network, leading Disney CEO Bob Iger to step in personally to offer him a lucrative contract extension in a bid to keep him on board. Now, with the current crisis looming large, it remains to be seen how much longer Stephanopoulos can weather the storm.
One thing is clear—George Stephanopoulos’ candid comments about President Biden have set ABC News ablaze, leaving the network scrambling to contain the fallout while reigniting a fierce internal power struggle that threatens to boil over.
