WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. President Joe Biden again called his debate with Republican rival Donald Trump a “terrible episode” and told ABC News on Friday that his instability Performance results from lack of preparation, exhaustion, and illness.
“There was no indication that it was serious,” Biden, 81, told ABC News anchor George Stephanopoulos. “I was exhausted. I didn’t listen to my gut in terms of preparation, and it was a bad one.” night.
“I feel terrible,” Biden said, his voice cracking and even stuttering at times. “Actually, the doctors were with me. I asked them if they had done a COVID-19 test because they wanted to find out what was wrong. They did a test to see if I had a virus. I just had a bad cold.
He added that it was no one else’s fault but his own and that he had not rewatched his debate performance.
Biden’s remarks came during a clip from an interview that comes as Democrats are closely watching whether Biden can be re-elected for another four years or defeat 78-year-old Trump in the November election after a poor performance at the June 27 debate. general.
“I’ve seen enough,” Ron Fournier, a senior adviser at communications agency Truscott Rossman and a former White House correspondent, said of the video on the social media platform X. “It’s hard to imagine this good man defeating Trump and staying in the most demanding job on earth for another four years.”
The full interview will air at 8pm ET (0000 GMT).
