"Almost fell asleep"

Biden puts weak debate down to jet lag

At a campaign event, incumbent US President Joe Biden explained his poor form during the debate with his rival Donald Trump.(Bild: APA/2024 Getty Images)

The incumbent US President did not shine at all in the debate with his Republican opponent, Donald Trump. The hoarse head of state stuttered and spoke very indistinctly - now Biden commented on his poor performance: "I didn't have my best evening." Jet lag after two trips abroad at the beginning of June was to blame. He almost fell asleep on stage, the 81-year-old admitted. 

Biden's advanced age of 81 is often cited by his political opponents as an argument as to why he is not fit enough for office. However, Trump is only three years and seven months younger than his opponent. However, his weak performance in last week's debate made this difference seem far greater.

Biden: "Didn't listen to my staff"
Biden responded to the criticism on Tuesday at a campaign event in McLean in the US state of Virginia, saying that he had decided to travel around the world several times before the debate, crossing around 100 time zones in the process. "I didn't listen to my staff and almost fell asleep on stage". This is not an excuse, but an explanation.

The British newspaper "The Times" has compiled five "disastrous" moments in the debate:

President traveled to France and Italy within two weeks
Biden traveled to France and Italy twice in two weeks last month. He flew overnight from the G7 summit in Bari, Italy, to a fundraiser with former President Barack Obama in Los Angeles on June 15 before returning to Washington the next day. He then spent six days at Camp David to prepare for the debate on June 27. Representatives of the US Office of the President had attributed Biden's poor performance during the debate to a cold. Biden made no mention of illness during Tuesday's fundraiser.

Biden's performance in the debate against Trump had attracted criticism. The US president is facing calls to withdraw his candidacy. According to a recent Reuters/Ipsos poll, one in three Democrats believe that Biden should end his candidacy for re-election after the debate. In a hypothetical comparison with Trump, however, no prominent Democratic candidate performs better than Biden.

Both candidates are tied in polls
Despite the controversy, the poll sees both candidates tied in the race for the presidential election on November 5. Both Trump and Biden have the support of 40 percent of registered voters, indicating that Biden has not lost ground since the debate.