Biden Blames Poor Debate Performance on Jet Lag from World Travel

During a fund-raiser in Virginia, President Biden, 81, candidly admitted that he "fell asleep on the stage" during his recent debate with former President Donald J. Trump. He attributed his lackluster performance to his extensive travel schedule, stating, "I decided to travel around the world a couple times, I don't know how many time zones."

Personal Reflections

President Biden expressed remorse, acknowledging that he "wasn't very smart" to undertake such extensive travel in the lead-up to the debate. He shared with the donors that his decision to travel to France for several days, followed by returning to the United States before heading to Italy for the Group of 7 summit, may have affected his readiness for the debate.

White House's Explanation

Despite White House officials initially attributing Mr. Biden's debate performance to a cold, the President offered a contrasting reason to the donors. Karine Jean-Pierre, the White House press secretary, had reiterated the cold explanation at a briefing for reporters on Tuesday afternoon.