US President Joe Biden acknowledged on Tuesday (2) that he “almost fell asleep” in the first debate with former President Donald Trump about the November elections and attributed his behavior to fatigue from the trips he made days before to Italy (for the G7 summit) and France (for the 80th anniversary of the Normandy landings).
“I decided to fly around the world a few times right before the debate, I didn’t listen to my team and I almost fell asleep on stage,” he said at a fundraiser in McLean, Virginia, outside Washington. “It’s not an excuse, it’s an explanation,” he added.
Biden was harshly criticized for his performance in the debate, in which he projected a fragile image, struggling to finish some sentences, and raised doubts among voters and members of the Democratic Party about his ability to continue governing and face Trump at the polls.
The US president made a brief appearance at the event, which lasted about six minutes. He was then escorted out of the venue by his staff. He usually gives longer speeches at these types of donor meetings.
On Monday night (1st), Biden also had a brief meeting with reporters covering the White House to give his opinion on the Supreme Court’s decision to grant partial immunity to former presidents, but he did not answer questions and did not address what happened in the debate.
Also on Tuesday (2), earlier, White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre said that Biden was not taking any medication on the day of the debate and denied that he was suffering from Alzheimer’s or any type of dementia.
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