Washington, July 2 (EFE).- United States President Joe Biden said Tuesday he almost fell asleep in the debate against Donald Trump and attributed his fatigue to the trips he had made days before to Italy for the G7 summit and to France for the 80th anniversary of the Normandy landings.
“I decided to go around the world a couple of times shortly before the debate, I didn’t listen to my team and then I almost fell asleep on stage,” he said during a fundraising event in McLean, Virginia, just outside Washington. “It’s not an excuse, but an explanation.”
Biden has been harshly criticized for his performance in the debate in which he projected an aged image, with a hoarse voice and difficulty concluding some of his sentences. This increased doubts among voters and members of the Democratic Party about his ability to continue governing and confront Trump in the November elections.
The president had a brief participation in the event that lasted about six minutes in which he also said that although he regretted his performance in the debate it was “crucial” to winning the elections.
He was then escorted by his team out of the facility. The president usually gives longer speeches at these types of events where he meets donors from his party.
On Monday night, Biden also had a short meeting with journalists covering the White House to give his opinion on the Supreme Court’s decision to grant partial immunity to former presidents, but did not answer questions and did not address the issue of what happened in the debate.
After his performance Thursday, sources close to Biden’s team said the president’s hoarseness was due to a cold he had experienced for several days.
White House spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre said Tuesday that Biden was not taking medication during the day of the debate and denied that the president suffered from Alzheimer’s or any type of dementia.
Jean-Pierre said Biden can continue to carry out his work despite his age, which at 81 makes him the oldest president in the history of the country. EFE
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