President Biden used a private fundraiser on Tuesday evening to blame his disastrous debate performance on the amount of international traveling he did in June.
He said this despite the fact that he had been in the U.S. for nearly two weeks ahead of the debate and despite earlier claims by his aides and even Democrats during the debate that claimed he had a cold.
“I decided to travel around the world a couple of times,” Mr. Biden said at a campaign fundraiser in McLean, Virginia. “I wasn’t very smart.”
Mr. Biden said he ignored the advice of his staff who said doing the debate was a bad idea, though he did not say why they opposed it.
“I didn’t listen to my staff,” adding that he “came back and nearly fell asleep on stage.”
“It’s not an excuse but an explanation,” Mr. Biden said, noting that the Democratic National Committee and the Biden campaign have raised millions of dollars since the debate.
“I feel good about it,” the president said, trying to brush off his performance.
Mr. Biden left for France on June 4 to participate in a ceremony honoring the 80th anniversary of D-Day. He departed France on June 9, returning to Washington.
On June 12, Mr. Biden again left for Europe to participate in the G7 summit in Italy. He arrived back in the U.S. on June 15 to participate in a campaign fundraiser in Los Angeles.
He then spent roughly a week ahead of the debate staying at Camp David, the presidential retreat in Maryland. That means Mr. Biden was in the United States for at least 12 days ahead of the June 27 debate.
His unsteady and at times incoherent debate answers renewed concern over Mr. Biden’s age and mental acuity among political observers, including some Democrats who have distanced themselves from the president.
Some Democrats have called on Mr. Biden to step aside as the party’s nominee.
On Tuesday afternoon White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre blamed a cold for the president’s poor performance. During the debate, numerous party organs and Biden allies linked his hoarse voice and meandering answers to a cold.
However the White House pool reports on Tuesday’s fundraiser do not mention Mr. Biden even saying he had had a cold.
• Jeff Mordock can be reached at jmordock@washingtontimes.com.
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