Biden Admits Debate Fatigue: 'I Almost Fell Asleep on Stage'

US President Joe Biden attributed his poor performance in last week's debates with his November election rival, Donald Trump, to fatigue from recent overseas trips, reported AFP. Biden's performance was widely seen as a failure, prompting some in his party to call for the 81-year-old Democrat to step down, although he has shown no intention of leaving the race. Last month, Biden visited France and Italy, and took a week off to prepare just before the debate.

At a meeting with party donors near Washington, Biden admitted it was "not very smart" to travel extensively shortly before facing Trump. He confessed, "I didn't listen to my advisors and almost fell asleep on stage," clarifying that this was an explanation, not an excuse.

Vice President Kamala Harris reiterated her support for Biden amidst calls for him to step down, asserting her pride in running with him in the November election. She confidently stated, "We have already defeated Donald Trump once and we will defeat him again," during an interview with CBS News.

The White House is attempting to mitigate the fallout from Biden's debate performance. Today, the Democratic president is scheduled to meet with governors from his party. Lloyd Doggett, a representative from Texas, became the first US congressman to call for Biden to step down.

After returning from abroad, Biden spent six days at Camp David to prepare for the debates with his advisors, according to AFP. Opinion polls have been discouraging for the president. A CNN poll showed three-quarters of respondents believe the Democratic Party would have a better chance with another candidate. The poll indicated Trump leading Biden 49 percent to 43 percent, unchanged from April. Kamala Harris would lose by a smaller margin, with 45 percent to Trump's 47 percent.

An Ipsos survey for Reuters found a third of Democrats think Biden should withdraw from the race, though no leading party figures would perform better in the November 5 election. The poll showed Biden and Trump each with 40 percent support among registered voters, suggesting Biden hasn't lost ground since the debates.

Interestingly, the poll indicated former US First Lady Michelle Obama would defeat Trump by a wide margin, with Ipsos giving her 50 percent to Trump's 39 percent. Meanwhile, the Republican candidate raised 331 million USD in the second quarter of the year, nearly 50 million USD more than Biden's 264 million USD.