Washington (CNN) — President Joe Biden on Friday downplayed his poor performance in last week’s debate, offering additional excuses for the showing and adding that it was his fault alone.
Washington President Joe Biden on Friday downplayed his poor performance in last week’s debate, offering additional excuses for the showing and adding that it was his fault alone.
The president said in an interview on ABC that he was “sick” and “feeling terrible” before the debate. Asked whether it was a bad episode or a sign of a more serious condition, Biden dismissed those concerns.
“It was a bad episode. No indication of any serious condition. I didn’t listen to my instincts in terms of preparing, and I had a bad night,” he said.
In the interview, Biden also gave more details about how he was feeling at the time of the debate, saying he was fatigued from illness and had even been tested for Covid-19. The White House did not immediately respond to CNN’s inquiry as to whether the president took the test before or after the debate.
He said, “Because I was sick – I was feeling terrible. As a matter of fact, the docs with me I asked if they did a Covid test, they were trying to figure out what’s wrong. They did a test to see whether or not I had some infection, you know, a virus. I didn’t. I just had a really bad cold.”
The conversation was Biden’s first televised interview since his debate performance, a high-stakes moment for his political future as a mounting list of Democrats – lawmakers, donors and voters – express concerns about the viability of his candidacy.
Four Democratic members of Congress have called on Biden to step down. Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey issued a statement Friday asking Biden to “carefully evaluate” whether he is the party’s best choice to defeat Donald Trump. And Virginia Sen. Mark Warner is looking to get Senate Democrats on the same page about the future of Biden’s reelection bid, sources told CNN, putting further pressure on the White House.
