Biden blames disastrous debate performance on "jet lag"
The debate between Biden and challenger Trump is a debacle for the Democrats. US President Joe Biden acknowledges that his performance at the latest presidential debate against his challenger Donald Trump was not optimal. The 81-year-old made it clear that he was responsible for jet lag after two overseas trips at the beginning of June. "I didn't have my best evening," Biden said at a campaign event in McLean in the US state of Virginia. He had decided to travel around the world multiple times before the debate and cross over approximately 100 time zones. "I didn't listen to my team and almost fell asleep on stage." This is not an apology, but an explanation.
Biden traveled abroad twice within two weeks in the previous month. He flew overnight from the G7 summit in Bari, Italy, to a fundraiser with former President Barack Obama in Los Angeles on June 15, before returning to Washington the next day. He then spent six days at Camp David to prepare for the debate on June 27. Representatives of the White House attributed Biden's weak performance during the debate to a fever. Biden mentioned nothing about illness during the fundraiser on Tuesday.
Immediately after his performance, Biden drew a positive conclusion: "I think we did well," he said during a visit to a waffle restaurant a day after the TV duel.
Biden's performance in the debate against Trump drew criticism. The US President is facing demands to withdraw his candidacy. According to a recent Reuters/Ipsos survey, one in three Democrats believe Biden should withdraw his candidacy for the November 3 election. In a hypothetical comparison with Trump, no prominent Democratic candidate performs better than Biden.
Despite the controversy, the survey shows both candidates neck and neck in the race for the presidency, with each receiving support from 40% of registered voters. This suggests that Biden has not lost ground since the debate.
- Despite the criticism following his subpar performance in the US presidential debate against Donald Trump, Joe Biden maintained that he believed his team did well.
- Should the US presidential election 2024 approach, the Republicans would likely position Donald Trump as their challenger against Democratic candidate Joe Biden, given the divisive nature of their political rivalry.
- Tensions within the Democratic party escalated as calls for Joe Biden to withdraw his candidacy intensified, stemming from his less-than-impressive display during the debate versus Donald Trump.
