President Biden said former President Trump's "shouting" during their debate last week compounded his disastrous performance.
President Biden has blamed former President Trump's "shouting" during their debate last week for his disastrous performance. In an interview with ABC News' George Stephanopoulos, Biden said that Trump's behavior distracted him and made it difficult to control the situation.
"Well, it came to me I was having a bad night when I realized that even when I was answering the question, even though they turned his mic off, he was still shouting," Biden said. "And I let it distract me."
Biden Blames Trump's 'Shouting' for Disastrous Debate Performance
The ABC News interview marked Biden's first sit-down interview since his widely panned debate performance, which included the president losing his train of thought, stumbling over his words, and delivering responses in a raspy voice. The White House later blamed his performance on a cold.
The debate's agreed-upon rules included turning off the microphone of the president or former president when the other was answering a question. At times, Trump was seen and heard speaking when his mic was turned off, but he was not heard or seen shouting at Biden during the first debate of the 2024 presidential election cycle.
Biden Blames Trump's 'Shouting' for Disastrous Debate Performance
Biden's performance during the debate sparked concern and panic within the Democratic Party. Traditional allies and media pundits quickly noted that Biden appeared to be showing his age – 81 – during the showdown. The concern soon cascaded into media outlets, such as The New York Times, and elected Democratic officials calling on Biden to step out of the race.
"The president appeared on Thursday night as the shadow of a great public servant," The New York Times editorial board wrote following the debate. "He struggled to explain what he would accomplish in a second term. He struggled to respond to Mr. Trump’s provocations. He struggled to hold Mr. Trump accountable for his lies, his failures, and his chilling plans."
Biden Blames Trump's 'Shouting' for Disastrous Debate Performance
"More than once, he struggled to make it to the end of a sentence," the editorial board continued. "Mr. Biden has been an admirable president. Under his leadership, the nation has prospered and begun to address a range of long-term challenges, and the wounds ripped open by Mr. Trump have begun to heal. But the greatest public service Mr. Biden can now perform is to announce that he will not continue to run for re-election."
Biden and his administration and campaign have worked to quell concerns about his mental acuity and age since last week, touting his series of campaign events immediately following the debate, as well as upcoming press conferences and continued appearances.
Biden Blames Trump's 'Shouting' for Disastrous Debate Performance
In the ABC News interview, Biden admitted that he performed poorly in the debate and summed it up as a "bad night" and a "bad episode."
"It was a bad episode," Biden said. "No indication of a serious condition. I was exhausted. I didn't listen to my instincts in terms of preparing. It was a bad night."
Biden Blames Trump's 'Shouting' for Disastrous Debate Performance
He said the blame squarely falls on him, not those who prepped him going into debate night.
"The whole way I prepared — nobody's fault. Mine. Nobody's fault but mine," Biden said. "I prepared what I usually would do sitting down, as I did coming back with foreign leaders or the National Security Council, for explicit detail."
Despite calls from both Democrats and Republicans to bow out over concerns of mental acuity and age, Biden has vowed that he will remain in the race.
