Biden talks about his poor debate performance in ABC interview

President Joe Biden recently sat down for an interview with ABC News’ George Stephanopoulos, his first since the June 27 debate with Donald Trump. During the interview, Biden addressed concerns about his performance during the debate, attributing it to being exhausted and ill rather than a sign of advanced aging or a deteriorating condition.

Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi had questioned whether Biden’s performance was indicative of a larger issue, to which Biden responded, “It was a bad episode ― no indication of any serious condition. I was exhausted.” He went on to explain that he had been feeling unwell and had asked his medical team to test him for COVID-19, with the test coming back negative.

Despite spending six days preparing for the debate at Camp David in Maryland, Biden admitted he had not watched the debate since it took place. He acknowledged that he had struggled during the debate, stating, “The whole way I prepared ― nobody’s fault but mine ― I prepared what I usually would do, sitting down, as I did, come back with foreign leaders or the National Security Council for explicit detail.”

Biden referenced a New York Times poll that showed he was trailing Trump by 6 percentage points among likely voters, an increase from a 3 point gap before the debate. Among all registered voters, Biden was behind Trump by 9 points, up from 6 points before the debate.

When asked why he had struggled from the beginning of the debate, Biden simply said, “Well, I just had a bad night.”

It’s clear that despite his initial struggles, Biden remains confident in his abilities and is focused on moving forward as he continues to campaign and govern the country.