Biden blamed fatigue for almost dozing off during the Trump debate
President of the United States, Joe Biden, admitted in a conversation with journalists that during the last debate with Donald Trump, he had difficulty maintaining focus and almost dozed off on stage. He stated that the cause was fatigue from intense international travels.
3 July 2024 08:33
During a meeting with donors in McLean, Virginia, near Washington D.C., Biden emphasised that, despite warnings from his aides, his decision to travel right before the debate was his personal choice.
- I wasn’t very smart. I decided to travel around the world a couple of times … shortly before the debate (...) I didn’t listen to my staff and I came back and then I almost fell asleep on stage - said the president, quoted by journalists present at the event, apologising for his poor performance.
- Not an excuse but an explanation - he added.
Biden's two trips to Europe
Earlier, during Tuesday's press briefing, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre explained that Biden was dealing with a cold and a sore throat but denied that the president was taking any cold medications.
In June, Biden made two trips to Europe. The first took place from 4 to 7 June, when the president visited France. Then, from 13 to 15 June, he went to Italy, where he attended the G7 leaders' summit.
Directly after returning from Italy, the president flew to Los Angeles. However, he spent the last week before the debate preparing for the clash with Trump at the presidential retreat in Camp David, Maryland.
Series of gaffes and slip-ups
According to information provided by "The New York Times", the president - like his younger aides - was so exhausted after a series of trips that it was decided to shorten the debate preparations by two days. Biden spent those days at his home in the seaside resort of Rehoboth Beach, Delaware.
"The New York Times" also notes that although the president usually appears mentally sharp, he has recently had more frequent gaffes, slip-ups, or pauses. His stay in Italy was described as "marked by moments of sharpness in important meetings", including on the topic of using Russian assets to support Ukraine, but also moments where Biden seemed to be lost.
