President Biden’s interview with ABC News on Friday is a make-or-break moment for the Democrat’s fledgling campaign after his disastrous debate performance on Thursday night.

By the time it airs, Mr. Biden will have avoided the media for more than a week after questions emerged from fellow partisans about his fitness for the job. 

The president has been widely criticized by Democrats, members of the media, and members of the public for refusing to sit for interviews or take questions at press conferences. When he does do so, he’ll sit with a more friendly outlet like MSNBC or take few questions from reporters. Often those reporters are chosen by the White House press office before the press conference even begins. 

At many times during White House press briefings, reporters ask press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre to simply bring the president out to answer a few questions. No such impromptu questioning has ever taken place. 

Just on Monday, the co-chairman of Mr. Biden’s campaign, Senator Coons, told CNN that he wanted Mr. Biden to do such events. “That is what I am urging and recommending,” the senator said after CNN’s Jake Tapper asked why the president seems to be sequestered in the White House. 

Democrats, for the most part, have avoided passing judgment on Mr. Biden’s fitness as the Democratic nominee for president. Just two members of the House, Congressman Lloyd Doggett and Congressman Raúl Grijalva, have called for Mr. Biden to step aside for another candidate. 

The Friday interview could change that. 

ABC News’ George Stephanopulous was always scheduled to interview the commander-in-chief during the day on Friday, though the changing of the air date could aid the president if he stumbles as much as he did during the debate. The interview will now air during prime time on Friday night at 8 pm ET, with a preview scheduled to be played during the network’s 6:30 pm ET show, World Tonight. 

The schedule change could very much help Mr. Biden. A Sunday evening primetime interview would result in possibly tens of millions of viewers, leading into days of discussions at the beginning of next week. A Friday air date gives the White House a better opportunity to bury the story to a much greater degree by playing it during a little-watched time slot on Friday evening. The holiday weekend following Independence Day could exacerbate the reduced viewership. 

The performance has many Democrats waiting with bated breath, though some have already said Mr. Biden’s public appearances from here until the convention in August could force them to call for a new nominee. The process for doing so could be messy, which is why many elected Democrats are weighing whether it’s worth it take the risk with Mr. Biden or call for what would essentially be a European-style, five-week race to lead the party. 

One House member, Congressman Seth Moulton, takes a position that is shared by many Democrats in Congress. While stopping short of explicitly calling on the president to hand the reins to someone else, Mr. Moulton says the president has so far failed to demonstrate the necessary viability as the nominee. 

“I deeply respect President Biden and all the great things he has done for America, but I have grave concerns about his ability to defeat Donald Trump,” the Massachusetts lawmaker says. “Winning will require prosecuting the case in the media, in town halls, and at campaign stops all over the country. President Biden needs to demonstrate that he can do that. The unfortunate reality is that the status quo will likely deliver us President Trump.”

Democratic leaders have offered lukewarm endorsements, at best. The House Democratic leader, Hakeem Jeffries, participated in a call with his colleagues Wednesday night, but said little as he listened to lawmakers’ concerns. The day after the debate, Mr. Jeffries was asked by reporters to respond to Mr. Biden’s performance. 

He simply said: “We’re going to win the House in November.”

Speaker Pelosi openly speculated that Mr. Biden may have a “condition,” rejecting the White House’s assertion that the debate was nothing more than one bad night. Congressman Jim Clyburn, the South Carolina kingmaker who was instrumental in making Mr. Biden the nominee in 2020, is already saying that he would support Vice President Harris to be the nominee.