US President Joe Biden on Wednesday tried to explain his last week's shaky debate performance, pinning it on his extensive foreign travels and jet lag. The President, facing pressure to step aside, said he "almost fell asleep on stage" and "was not very smart" enough to handle his schedule.
The 81-year-old, who is seeking a second term in the White House, was seen stumbling, his voice hoarse, and his train of thought interrupted. On a few occasions, Biden was incoherent, falling flat against a much superior performance by Trump. His disastrous performance set off alarm bells among top Democrats about whether the incumbent president could stay atop in the gruelling months ahead of the elections.
"I wasn't very smart. I decided to travel around the world a couple of times...shortly before the debate," Biden said while talking to donors at a fundraiser in a Virginia suburb of Washington DC on Tuesday. "I didn't listen to my staff...and then I almost fell asleep on stage," he said.
Stating that he was sorry, Biden admitted that he did not have a good debate. "It's not an excuse but an explanation," he said.
The president's remarks at the fundraiser lasted just six minutes, which is far shorter than what he speaks on such occasions.
Biden's explanation comes as the White House too acknowledged that Biden did not have a great (debate) night. "Honestly, this is something that the president has addressed himself multiple times since this past Thursday. First of all, I want to say, we understand the concerns. We get it. The president did not have a great night. As you all know and many of you reached out during the debate, the president had a cold. He had a hoarse voice," White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters at her daily news conference.
"You all heard it, that's why you reached out. But I will say this, and the president said this over the past couple of days, certainly right after the debate. He knows how to do the job and he knows how to do the job, not because he says it, because his record proves it. Because for three and a half years, almost four years, the president's record has been unprecedented, delivering for the American people," she said.
However, reports claim that Democratic leaders are saying they want him to step aside for the good of the party and the country. "There are 25 Democratic members of the House of Representatives preparing to call for Biden to step aside," Reuters quoted a House Democratic aide. Another aide said moderate House Democrats in competitive districts - often called "frontliners" - were considering writing a letter to Biden about their concerns. It looks like the dam has broken," the source said.
Democratic Rep. Lloyd Doggett of Texas too was vocal about the need for Biden to step down. "I represent the heart of a congressional district once represented by Lyndon Johnson. Under very different circumstances, he made the painful decision to withdraw. President Biden should do the same,” Doggett said in his statement Tuesday.
"There’s a large and increasing group of House Democrats concerned about the president’s candidacy, representing a broad swath of the caucus," another House Democratic lawmaker told CNN on condition of anonymity. "We are deeply concerned about his trajectory and his ability to win. We want to give him space to make a decision [to step aside], but we will be increasingly vocal about our concerns if he doesn’t."
Meanwhile, former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi told MSNBC that it was legitimate to ask whether his debate performance was a one-night thing or a broader health problem. "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," Pelosi said, while stressing Biden's accomplishments.
However, Pelosi said she supports Biden's decision. "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 added.
