US President Joe Biden blamed travel fatigue for his weak debate last week. He told reporters that he was tired from several trips around the world before the election debates and therefore did not look ‘very smart’. “I didn’t listen to my officials…and then almost fell asleep on stage,” he said.
Eighty-one-year-old Mr. Biden completed his last trip last June fifteenth, which is at least two weeks before June twenty-seventh.
Mr. Biden’s comments came as fears arose within his own party about his mental health ahead of the November election, and a Democratic congressman in Texas called on him to withdraw from the race.
“I am hopeful that he will make the painful and difficult decision to withdraw his candidacy,” Lloyd Doggett said in a statement Tuesday.
President Biden appeared to struggle to respond at times during Thursday’s debate with former President Donald Trump.
“It’s not an excuse, but it’s an explanation,” he said Tuesday evening at a private fundraiser in Virginia.
He regretted his performance and said it was not conducive to his re-election.
Mr. Biden went on two separate trips to Europe in two weeks last month.
He attended a fundraiser with former President Barack Obama on June 15 after returning from an overnight trip to Italy. He returned to Washington DC that same day.
Earlier, White House officials said, the day of the debate. Biden had a cold.
But on Tuesday, the president himself did not talk about any illness. A White House spokesman said he did not take any cold medicine during the debate.
Mr. Mr. to prepare for the debate against Trump. Biden also spent six days at Camp David. It is the president’s vacation home outside of Washington, DC.
Mr. Citing a source close to Biden’s schedule, the New York Times said the president’s day starts at 11 a.m. and finds time to sleep every day.
IMAGE SOURCE,REUTERS
The newspaper also said that he was so tired from traveling that debate preparations were cut short by two days, so that he could rest at his home in Delaware.
Mr. Andrew Bates, a spokesman for Biden, said the president routinely started work before 11 a.m. after exercising at Camp David.
His age for the presidential election has long been a topic of discussion. Several polls have polled voters saying they think he is too old for the job.
Mr. Biden is currently the presumptive candidate of the Democratic Party. Despite the controversial performance, he spoke of continuing to fight.
Although seventy-seven-year-old Lloyd Doggett in his statement Mr. Called on Biden to step down.
“Instead of reassuring voters, the president has failed to stand up for his achievements and expose Trump’s lies,” he said.
He said age made him vulnerable to losing to Trump.
“He has an opportunity to inspire a new generation of leaders and from there nominate a candidate to unite the country through the democratic process.”
After the debate Mr. Biden will give an interview to ABC News on Friday.
IMAGE SOURCE,GETTY IMAGES
Some well-known Democratic lawmakers this week Mr. They expressed concern about Biden’s age and ability. However, none of them called for him to step down like Lloyd Doggett.
Other top Democrats Mr. Admits fears about Biden’s ability to win. But they insisted on leaving the matter to the President to decide on this matter.
“It’s up to Joe Biden to do what he thinks best,” former Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Tuesday.
Congressman Jim Clyburn, one of President Biden’s supporters, said Mr. If Biden steps down, he will support Vice President Kamala Harris.
But he said, “I want Biden-Harris to continue.”
Congressman Jamie Raskin, a Democrat from Maryland, said the controversy created a ‘difficult situation’.
He admitted that the matter was being discussed with utmost sincerity at all levels of the party.
“Whatever the president decides, our party is coming together and we need him at the center of our campaign,” he said.