Biden says he ‘nearly fell asleep’ during US presidential debate after world travel

MCLEAN, Virginia - US President Joe Biden on July 2 acknowledged his performance during the June 27 presidential debate was not his best, but blamed it on jet lag after two overseas trips earlier in June.

He has faced mounting questions about his 2024 re-election bid after

last week’s shaky debate performance,

with one House of Representatives fellow Democrat on July 2 publicly calling on him to withdraw from the race.

Speaking at a campaign event in McLean, Virginia, on the evening of July 2, Mr Biden admitted the debate against former president Donald Trump, his Republican rival, did not go well.

“I didn’t have my best night, but the fact is that, you know, I wasn’t very smart,” Mr Biden said, speaking at the campaign fund-raiser without the aid of a teleprompter. “I decided to travel around the world a couple times, going through around 100 time zones... before... the debate.

“Didn’t listen to my staff and came back and nearly fell asleep on stage. That’s no excuse but it is an explanation.”

Mr Biden travelled to France and Italy during two separate trips in the space of two weeks in June, flying overnight from the Group of Seven summit in Bari, Italy, to appear at a fund-raiser with former president Barack Obama in Los Angeles on June 15, before returning to Washington the following day.

He then spent six days at Camp David preparing for the June 27 debate.

White House officials have blamed his halting performance during the debate on a cold. Mr Biden did not mention being sick during the July 2 fund-raiser.

A new Reuters/Ipsos poll that closed on July 2 showed that one in three Democrats think Mr Biden should end his re-election bid following the debate, but no prominent elected Democrat does any better than Mr Biden in a hypothetical match-up against Trump.

The two-day poll found that both Trump, 78, and Mr Biden, 81, maintain the support of 40 per cent of registered voters, suggesting that Mr Biden has not lost ground since the debate. Election Day is on Nov 5.

Democrats raise fresh doubts

Some elected Democrats loyal to Mr Biden raised fresh questions on July 2 about his 2024 re-election bid, a shift after many defended him in the wake of last week’s shaky debate performance.

Whether Mr Biden continues his 2024 bid for president after his halting debate performance against Trump is largely his decision, Democrats and political strategists have said.

But Mr Biden is facing pressure. Some donors have called for him to step aside, and other Democrats are worrying openly that he is not equipped to beat Trump in November.

There are 25 Democratic members of the House of Representatives preparing to call for Mr Biden to step aside, according to one House Democratic aide.

A second House Democratic aide said moderate House Democrats in competitive districts – often called “front-liners” – were considering writing a letter to Mr Biden about their concerns after getting hammered with questions in their districts this week.

“It looks like the dam has broken,” the source said.

US Representative Lloyd Doggett became the first congressional Democrat to call for Mr Biden to withdraw from the presidential race on July 2. He told NBC News in an interview that he hoped other Democratic lawmakers would follow his lead.

Vice-President Kamala Harris, asked in a CBS News interview about her response, said: “Look, Joe Biden is our nominee. We beat Trump once and we’re gonna beat him. Period.”

Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi emphasised Mr Biden’s multiple legislative accomplishments during an interview with MSNBC but said it was legitimate to ask whether his debate performance was a one-night thing or a broader health problem. She said Trump should be given the same scrutiny.

“I think it’s a legitimate question to say, ‘Is this an episode or is this a condition?’ And so when people ask that question, it’s legitimate, of both candidates,” Ms Pelosi said.

After the debate, Ms Pelosi had shown strong support. “Joe Biden’s decision to go forward is a decision that we will all embrace because of the record he has and the performance that will come with it,” she said then.

White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said on July 2 that Mr Biden did not have an “episode,” just a bad night.

Mr Biden’s verbal stumbles and occasionally meandering responses during the debate heightened voter concerns that the 81-year-old might not be fit to serve another four-year term.

“He has to be honest with himself,” Democratic Representative Mike Quigley, a moderate from Illinois, told CNN on July 2. “It’s his decision. I just want him to appreciate at this time just how much it impacts not just his race, but all the other races coming in November.”

US Representative Jim Clyburn told MSNBC he would support Vice-President Harris to be the Democratic nominee if Mr Biden stepped aside.

Representative Jared Golden, a Maine Democrat, predicted in an opinion piece published in the Bangor Daily News on July 2 that Trump would win the election.

The president and his campaign are working to bolster support. Mr Biden will hold a meeting with Democratic governors on July 3 and speak to lawmakers this week, White House officials said.

The meeting, which will be held at the White House but may be largely virtual with governors attending remotely, will give the president a chance to reassure leaders in his party that he is of sound mind.

Mr Biden will also meet leaders from Capitol Hill this week as he seeks to shore up support among party stalwarts and tamp down talk that he should step aside, one official said.

One of the House Democratic aides said members were disappointed about the lack of outreach thus far.

Mr Doggett told NBC News he had asked the White House to speak personally with Mr Biden about his call for him to drop out, but had not heard back from him.

The meetings are part of a broad effort to stabilise the President’s re-election bid after his halting, stumbling display on the Atlanta debate stage.

His team held difficult phone calls on June 30 and July 1 with important campaign funders who questioned whether Mr Biden should stay in the presidential race.

Asked why Mr Biden had not done more media interviews or press conferences after his debate raised questions, Ms Jean-Pierre pointed to his visit to a Waffle House in Atlanta on the evening of the debate and subsequent interactions with supporters.

Asked whether Mr Biden had Alzheimer’s disease, she said no.

Mr Biden is scheduled to do an interview with ABC and plans to hold a news conference at the Nato summit next week. The Democratic Hill aide said a lot was riding on the ABC interview, with lawmakers looking to see that he can handle rapid-fire questions and not just orchestrated campaign appearances.

Meanwhile, Mr Biden’s campaign said it and its Democratic allies raised US$264 million (S$358 million) in the second quarter, including US$127 million in June and a record “grassroots” fund-raising haul on the day of Mr Biden’s debate. REUTERS