Amid growing calls for his withdrawal from the 2024 presidential race, President Joe Biden has defended his recent poor debate performance, attributing it to exhaustion and cold, rather than a serious health condition.
What Happened: In his first interview since the debate, Biden told ABC News’ George Stephanopoulos on Friday, that he felt terrible before the event.
“It was a bad episode. No indication of any serious condition. I was exhausted.”
Stephanopoulos questioned the timing, noting that Biden had spent six days at Camp David preparing for the debate. Biden revealed that he thought he had COVID-19.
“Because I was sick, I was feeling terrible. A matter of fact, the doc was with me — I asked if they did a COVID test because I was trying to figure out what’s wrong,” Biden said. However, the test came back negative.
The president also refuted claims that he had listened back to the debate and accused former President Donald Trump of lying 28 times during the event.
Why It Matters: During the debate, Biden’s soft and raspy voice and his struggle to complete sentences raised concerns about his health. The White House initially attributed his performance to a cold, later blaming it on recent foreign travel.
Biden’s poor performance in the debate has led to increased speculation about his 2024 re-election bid. A recent poll revealed a decline in voters’ confidence in Biden‘s mental and physical fitness. Despite this, Biden remains committed to the presidential race, even as calls for him to step down have grown.
His performance has been attributed to a series of missteps by his top advisors, including a lack of rest and poor preparation. Biden himself has previously attributed his lackluster performance to jet lag from his recent overseas trips.
“I didn’t have my best night, but the fact is that you know, I wasn’t very smart. I decided to travel around the world a couple times, going through around 100 time zones … before … the debate,” he said last week.
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Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of Benzinga Neuro and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.
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