Biden blamed it on jet lag after two overseas trips earlier in June. — Reuters pic
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Wednesday, 03 Jul 2024 9:09 AM MYT
VIRGINIA, July 3 — U.S. President Joe Biden on Tuesday acknowledged his performance during last Thursday’s presidential debate wasn’t his best, but blamed it on jet lag after two overseas trips earlier in June. Biden has faced mounting questions about his 2024 reelection bid after last week’s shaky debate performance, with one House of Representatives fellow Democrat on Tuesday publicly calling on him to withdraw from the race. ”I didn’t have my best night, but the fact is that you know, I wasn’t very smart,” Biden said, speaking at the campaign fundraiser without the aid of a teleprompter. “I decided to travel around the world a couple times, going through around 100 time zones ... before ... the debate. Advertisement He then spent six days at Camp David preparing for the June 27 debate. Advertisement A new Reuters/Ipsos poll that closed on Tuesday showed that one in three Democrats think Biden should end his reelection bid following the debate, but no prominent elected Democrat does any better than Biden in a hypothetical matchup against Trump. The two-day poll found that both Trump, 78, and Biden, 81, maintain the support of 40% of registered voters, suggesting that Biden has not lost ground since the debate. Election Day is Nov. 5. —