Joe Biden has blamed his poor performance in last week’s presidential debate on jet lag after two overseas trips - despite spending six days at Camp David preparing for the showdown.
Speaking at a campaign event in McLean, Virginia, on Tuesday night, the US President admitted the debate against Republican rival Donald Trump did not go well.
“I didn’t have my best night, but the fact is that you know, I wasn’t very smart,” Mr 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.
“Didn’t listen to my staff and came back and nearly fell asleep on stage,” he said. “That’s no excuse but it is an explanation.”
Mr Biden traveled to France and Italy during two separate trips in the space of two weeks last month, flying overnight from the Group of Seven summit in Bari, Italy, to appear at a fundraiser with former President Barack Obama in Los Angeles on June 15 before returning to Washington the following day.
He then spent six days at Camp David preparing for the June 27 debate.
White House officials have blamed Mr Biden’s halting performance during the debate on a cold. Mr Biden did not mention being sick during Tuesday’s fundraiser.
Mr Biden has faced mounting questions about his 2024 reelection bid after last week’s shaky debate performance.
Texas Congressman Lloyd Doggett on Tuesday became the first sitting Democrat to call for Mr Biden to withdraw from the race.
In a statement, he praised Mr Biden but said he “has the opportunity to encourage a new generation of leaders from whom a nominee can be chosen to unite our country through an open, democratic process.”
“Recognising that, unlike Trump, President Biden’s first commitment has always been to our country, not himself, I am hopeful that he will make the painful and difficult decision to withdraw. I respectfully call on him to do so,” Mr Doggett said.
The White House announced Tuesday that President Biden will meet with congressional leaders and Democratic governors, sit for a network TV interview and hold a press conference in the coming days, a blitz designed to push back against growing pressure for him to step aside.
"We really want to turn the page on this," White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said of the intensifying calls for Mr Biden to bow out of the race.
She added that the president had no intention of stepping aside, characterising his debate failings as simply evidence of "a bad night" when he had a cold.
A new Reuters/Ipsos poll showed that one in three Democrats think Mr Biden should end his reelection bid following the debate. But no prominent elected Democrat does any better than Mr Biden in a hypothetical matchup against Mr Trump.
The two-day poll found that both Mr Trump, 78, and Mr Biden, 81, maintain the support of 40% of registered voters, suggesting that the current president has not lost ground since the debate.
