Biden blames international travel for poor debate performance, says he nearly ‘fell asleep on stage’

At a campaign fundraiser in McLean, Virginia, on Tuesday evening, President Joe Biden — for the first time — attributed his poor debate performance last week to the amount of foreign travel he did in June, according to pool notes.

“I decided to travel around the world a couple of times,” he said, referring to recent trips, including his visit to France for the 80th anniversary of D-Day.

“I didn’t listen to my staff,” he continued, adding he nearly “fell asleep on stage.”

Biden also apologized, saying he was sorry for the performance but stressed that it was “critical” to win the election.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.