Biden has faced mounting questions about his 2024 reelection bid
after last week's shaky debate performance, with one House of
Representatives fellow Democrat on Tuesday publicly calling on
him to withdraw from the race.
Speaking at a campaign event in McLean, Virginia, on Tuesday
evening, 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," Biden said, speaking at the campaign
fundraiser 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," he said. "That's no excuse but it is an explanation.”
Biden traveled to France and Italy during two separate trips in
the space of two weeks last month, flying overnight from the
Group of Seven summit in Bari, Italy, to appear at a fundraiser
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 Biden's halting performance
during the debate on a cold. Biden did not mention being sick
during Tuesday's fundraiser.
A new Reuters/Ipsos poll that closed on Tuesday showed that one
in three Democrats think Biden should end his reelection bid
following the debate, but no prominent elected Democrat does any
better than Biden in a hypothetical matchup against Trump.
The two-day poll found that both Trump, 78, and Biden, 81,
maintain the support of 40% of registered voters, suggesting
that Biden has not lost ground since the debate. Election Day is
Nov. 5.
(Reporting by Steve Holland; writing by Andrea Shalal; Editing
by Leslie Adler)
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