During a campaign event in McLean, Virginia, US President Joe Biden acknowledged that his performance during the presidential debate last Thursday was not his best. He attributed his shaky performance to jet lag from two overseas trips earlier in June. He mentioned that he had traveled to France and Italy during two separate trips in a short span of two weeks before the debate.
Biden admitted that he did not listen to his staff’s advice and the result was his less-than-stellar performance on stage. He mentioned that he traveled through around 100 time zones before the debate and nearly fell asleep during the event. While he accepted responsibility for his performance, he also emphasized that it was not an excuse, but rather an explanation.
White House officials had originally blamed Biden’s slow performance during the debate on a cold. However, Biden did not mention being sick during his fundraising event on Tuesday. Despite the criticism he faced after the debate, a new Reuters/Ipsos poll showed that Biden and his Republican rival Donald Trump maintained equal support among voters, with no prominent elected Democrat doing any better in a hypothetical matchup against Trump.
The poll results indicated that one in three Democrats believed Biden should withdraw from the race, post-debate, but the support for him remained steady at 40 per cent. The upcoming Election Day on Nov 5 will reveal the final verdict of the voters.