President Biden reiterated Friday that he felt terrible before the debate but said it was a “bad episode” and not part of a larger condition, in his first interview since growing calls for him to drop out of the presidential race began. 2024.
“It was a bad episode. No indication of any serious condition. I was exhausted,” Biden told ABC’s George Stephanopoulos in the much-anticipated interview following his debate last week. “I didn’t listen to my instincts in terms of preparation and — and a bad night.”
Stephanopoulos noted that former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), an ally of the president, said this week that it would be fair for voters to ask whether Biden has a condition or whether last week’s poor performance on stage was just “ an episode.” ”
At the start of the president’s debate, during which he spoke in a soft, husky voice and often had difficulty completing sentences, the White House at the time said Biden had a cold. The incumbent this week blamed recent trips abroad for his poor performance, even though he returned from Europe 12 days before the debate.
Stephanopoulos questioned the timing, noting that Biden spent six days at Camp David preparing for the debate, and the president said he thought he had COVID-19.
“Because I was sick, I was feeling terrible. In fact, the doctor was with me, I asked if they did a COVID test because I was trying to figure out what was wrong,” Biden said. “They did an exam to see whether or not I had an infection, you know, a virus. I didn’t do that, I just had a really bad cold.
The White House told reporters on Friday that Biden had a “verbal check-in” with his doctor about his cold during the debate, after telling reporters earlier in the week that he had not had a medical exam. The White House did not mention a COVID-19 test.
When Stephanopoulos asked if he listened to the debate after it aired, Biden responded, “I don’t think so, no.”
The president also argued that former President Trump lied during the debate, saying he lied 28 times.
Stephanopoulos responded that Biden had problems from the first question of the debate and the president responded: “Well, I had a bad night.”
Biden has faced an overwhelming amount of criticism since his poor debate performance, losing support from donors and other Democrats amid calls to step aside from the 2024 race.
Before the interview, Biden held an energetic rally in Wisconsin and declared that he will not drop out of the race, reacting to critics.
This story originally appeared on thehill.com read the full story
