Biden’s wife tries to explain debate debacle

Jill Biden says her husband did not feel good while on stage, but insists that his poor performance should not affect his legacy

The wife of US President Joe Biden has said her husband did not feel well during last week’s debate with Donald Trump, in which the 81-year-old gave what was widely seen as a disastrous performance.

The incumbent appeared frail and confused during the first presidential debate of the 2024 election, frequently mixing up his words and seeming to lose his train of thought.

His performance has caused panic within the Democratic Party, and a number of its major donors have reportedly called for Biden to be replaced on the party’s ticket for the November 5 election.

During a fundraising event at Greenwich Village in New York, however, Jill Biden attempted to ease the concerns of the attendees regarding her husband’s performance during the debate.

“As Joe said earlier today, he’s not a young man. And you know, after last night’s debate, he said, ‘You know, Jill, I don’t know what happened. I didn’t feel that great.’ And I said, ‘Look, Joe, we are not going to let 90 minutes define the four years that you’ve been president,’” the first lady told guests.

In statements to the media, Biden’s team had also tried to explain the president’s failure after the debate by claiming that he had a cold, was over-prepared, and that the CNN moderators had failed to fact-check claims made by Trump.

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Nevertheless, despite his disastrous performance and growing disappointment among his supporters, the Biden family have reportedly urged the president not to end his reelection campaign and have instead tried to put the blame on his staff, CNN has reported, citing senior aides.

According to the outlet, family members were “clearly frustrated” with the team that prepared the president for the debate, and have reportedly been considering sacking some of his top aides and other campaign staff. 

Politico has also reported that Biden’s relatives appeared to avoid acknowledging the aging president’s own shortcomings during the debate. Instead, they have been criticizing members of his team, including senior adviser Anita Dunn, her husband, and the president’s attorney Bob Bauer, who played Trump in rehearsals at Camp David, as well as former chief of staff Ron Klain.