2 days ago
President Joe Biden blamed his globetrotting up of Thursday's disastrous statement for his mediocre performance.
The 81-year-old president made nan concession during a fundraiser successful nan ritzy D.C. suburb of McLean, Virginia Tuesday night.
He told nan crowd he 'wasn't very smart' for 'traveling astir nan world a mates times' earlier his showdown pinch presumptive Republican nominee, erstwhile President Donald Trump.
'I decided to recreation astir nan world a mates of times … soon earlier nan statement …I didn’t perceive to my unit … and past I almost fell dormant connected stage,' nan president said
He added, 'It's not an excuse but an explanation.'
President Joe Biden said astatine a fundraiser Tuesday nighttime that his mediocre statement capacity was owed to his back-to-back European trips that came much than a week earlier he was onstage Thursday successful Atlanta. He's photographed at nan D.C. Emergency Operations Center earlier
President Joe Biden endured a disastrous statement capacity against Donald Trump successful Atlanta past week. It has upended nan president race
Biden had an full week holed up astatine Camp David to prep for nan statement aft spending nan Juneteenth vacation astatine Rehoboth Beach.
Before that he did back-to-back trips to France to people nan D-Day day and past to Italy for nan G7.
The New York Times reported Tuesday that Biden was truthful drained from nan jetsetting that advisers trim statement prep short by 2 days - successful bid to fresh successful nan formation trip.
And past while astatine nan statesmanlike retreat, statement prep didn't commencement earlier 11 a.m. and Biden was fixed clip each time successful nan day to return a nap.
The fundraiser was scheduled aft property caput Karine Jean-Pierre was forced to springiness her ain expanation astir nan president's mediocre statement capacity from nan White House podium.
The tense exchanges show really nan rumor of a declining president will overshadow nan remainder of this year's election, arsenic tense Democrats begin openly calling for Biden to measurement aside.
'We're not taking distant from what you each saw aliases what nan American group saw,' said Karine Jean-Pierre.
White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre was forced to reply questions astir whether Biden was abnormal aliases had dementia
'We understand it was a bad night. It is not uncommon for incumbents to person a bad nighttime connected their first debate, and we are going to proceed to do nan activity that we person been doing connected behalf of nan American people.'
Her answers were greeted pinch incredulity successful nan White House briefing room arsenic she explained that nan president was simply suffering from a acold and had nary plans to measurement aside.
And she was peppered pinch follow-up questions, asking whether he had taken acold medicine earlier nan statement (no, she said) aliases whether location was thing moreover much superior incorrect pinch him.
At 1 constituent she was asked whether he was 'disabled.'
Another newsman asked: 'I deliberation nan American group request to get a yes aliases nary reply connected this: Does President Biden, astatine 81 years old, person Alzheimer's, immoderate shape of dementia aliases degenerative unwellness that caused these sorts of lapses?'
Jean-Pierre answered: 'It's a no. And I dream you're asking nan different feline nan aforesaid nonstop question.'
The problem for nan White House and nan Biden run is that Trump emerged arsenic nan clear victor of nan debate.
Biden looked each 1 of 81 years, arsenic his answers crushed to a halt aliases rambled into bizarre non sequiturs.
He was incapable to situation Trump's exaggerations and falsehoods, and astatine nan extremity of nan 90 minutes was helped disconnected shape by his wife.
Biden gave a reside Tuesday aft receiving an operational briefing connected utmost upwind astatine nan Federal Emergency Management Agency's emergency operations halfway successful Washington, DC
The mediocre capacity has dominated news headlines ever since, triggering panic among Democratic donors who fearfulness his run is sleepwalking into disaster.
Questions successful nan briefing room astir what benignant of style Biden will beryllium successful astatine nan extremity of a 2nd word and astir dementia will not help.
Jean-Pierre did her champion to tie a statement nether nan debate. She painted a image of a engaged president getting connected pinch nan job, walking to Wisconsin later successful nan week, sitting down for an question and reply pinch ABC News' George Stephanopoulos, and hosting a solo property convention adjacent week erstwhile NATO leaders are successful town.
She besides confirmed he was holding a virtual gathering pinch Democratic governors, but would not reply questions astir whether it was designed to connection reassurances.
'We want to move nan page connected this, and we want to move nan page for nan American group arsenic well, because we cognize that they request to spot him retired there,' she said.
Whether it will beryllium capable to quell increasing interest among donors and strategists is different matter.
Several told DailyMail.com they were amazed that nan president had gone to crushed during nan weekend, alternatively than launching a fightback immediately.
On Tuesday, backstage chatter exploded into nan unfastened arsenic nan first elected Democrats went nationalist pinch calls for Biden to driblet retired of nan race.
Rep. Lloyd Doggett of Texas became the first Democratic member of Congress to telephone for Biden to measurement down.
'My determination to make these beardown reservations nationalist is not done lightly nor does it successful immoderate measurement diminish my respect for each that President Biden has achieved,' he said.
'Recognizing that, dissimilar Trump, President Biden's first committedness has ever been to our country, not himself, I americium hopeful that he will make nan achy and difficult determination to withdraw. I respectfully telephone connected him to do so.'
