President Joe Biden said debate night was a “bad episode” on Friday, in a preview of his first interview since his catastrophic appearance last week.
Speaking with ABC News’s George Stephanopoulos, 81-year-old Biden said his performance, while lackluster, was “no indication of any serious condition.”
“I was exhausted,” Biden said. “I didn’t listen to my instincts in terms of preparing and — and a bad night.”
Biden, who has long faced criticism over his age and fitness for office, is the subject of growing ire from Republicans and Democrats alike for his poor debate performance — in which he repeatedly fumbled his words and appeared to lose his train of thought.
The Biden campaign has offered conflicting excuses for the sitting president’s lackluster showing, including that he was sick, jetlagged, and poorly prepared for the event.
In response to the tumult, some major Democratic donors, including Netflix cofounder Reed Hastings and Disney heiress Abigail Disney, have pledged to withhold funding from the party until Biden drops out of the race.
While some reports indicate Biden has privately acknowledged that he might be unable to save his reelection bid, he has publicly braved the criticism and declared his plan to stay in the race.
“I’m not letting one 90-minute debate wipe out three and a half years of work,” Biden posted on X shortly before the ABC News interview aired. “I’m staying in the race, and I will beat Donald Trump.”
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