Biden acknowledges debate debacle, says he ‘fell asleep on stage’
President Biden admitted Tuesday that he “fell asleep on stage” during his disastrous debate last week and blamed his performance on the fact that he had “traveled around the world a couple of times” in the two weeks leading up to the showdown with former President Donald J. Trump.
“I wasn’t very smart,” Mr. Biden, 81, told donors at a fundraiser in Virginia. “I decided to travel around the world a couple of times, I don’t know how many time zones.”
“It’s not an excuse, it’s an explanation,” he said.
White House officials have blamed Biden’s lack of coherence during the debate on his cold symptoms at the time. White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre echoed that explanation during a briefing for reporters on Tuesday afternoon.
But Mr. Biden gave donors a different reason Tuesday night, citing his decision to travel to France for a few days two weeks before the debate and return to the United States before heading back to Europe for the Group of 7 summit in Italy.
He decided to make that Atlantic trip back and forth, Biden said, blaming himself for not “listening to my staff,” implying they told him not to. He said the decision left him tired during the debate.
Biden’s comments came as the White House struggled to respond to concerns within the Democratic Party about whether the president can mount a successful campaign against Trump in November.
For more than a year, Mr. Biden and his aides have repeatedly denied that the president’s age affects his ability to perform his duties. They have repeatedly criticized journalists who raised the issue that large majorities of voters say they believe Mr. Biden is too old to be president.
But the debate, watched by about 51 million people, raised serious doubts among voters and many Democratic activists. Democratic lawmakers also voiced concerns, with the first sitting member of Congress, Representative Lloyd Doggett of Texas, calling on Mr. Biden to withdraw from the race on Tuesday.
The president and his campaign have refused to even consider that, saying Mr. Biden remains determined to stay in the race and defeat Mr. Trump, whom he calls a threat to America’s democracy.
