‘Almost fell asleep on stage’: Biden blames pre-debate travel for subpar performance

US President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump faced each other in the presidential debate on Thursday (June 27). The debate, which was supposed to be critical for the upcoming November elections, was eye-opening but for different reasons.

On Tuesday (July 2), at a fundraiser in McLean, Virginia, President Joe Biden provided a justification for his subpar debate performance.

The president said that it “wasn’t very smart” of him to travel in the weeks before his first presidential debate against former President Donald Trump while speaking to supporters with Representative Don Beyer of Virginia.

According to a The Independent reporter, Biden stated, “I decided to travel around the world a couple of times… shortly before the debate… I didn’t listen to my staff… and then I almost fell asleep on stage.”

Biden also apologised for his debate performance but told supporters it was “critical” to defeat Trump in November. Even though Democrats were alarmed by Biden’s behaviour during Thursday’s debate, polls continue to show that both candidates are tied.

The president said, “It’s not an excuse but an explanation,” according to reporter.

Since the debate on Thursday, several Democrats have urged Biden to withdraw from the race.

Congressman Lloyd Doggett of Texas joined a growing number of party members who have questioned Joe Biden’s efforts to win reelection by becoming the first sitting Democrat to call for the president to resign on Tuesday.

According to the president’s campaign, party officials have no intention of replacing the president with a different candidate before November.

In the weeks preceding the debate, Biden did make several trips. The president went to Apulia, Italy, on June 13 to attend the G7 summit. Two days later, he and former President Barack Obama took out to Los Angeles for a star-studded fundraiser.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg was received by Biden at the White House on June 17 to talk about military expenditures and preparations for the alliance’s 75th NATO Summit.

Reuters reported that Biden headed to Camp David on June 21 to begin debate prep six days before he took the stage.

(With inputs from agencies)