Biden blames age for poor debate performance: ‘Not a young man’ – Washington Examiner
President Joe Biden attributed a lackluster debate performance, which raised concerns among Democrats about his fitness to run for reelection, to his age. During a rally in Raleigh, North Carolina, after the debate, Biden acknowledged his decline in debating skills and physical abilities, but emphasized the importance of truth and the risk posed by a potential second presidency of Donald Trump, which he views as a significant threat to democracy. Despite these issues, Biden confidently highlighted his experience and understanding of critical issues.
President Joe Biden blamed his age for a debate performance on Thursday that sparked a Democratic panic he is not fit to lead the ticket against former President Donald Trump.
At a campaign rally in Raleigh, North Carolina, on Friday, his first public event following the debate, Biden told the audience, “I don’t debate as well as I used to,” but insisted any concerns over his age should be balanced against a second Trump presidency, which he described as an existential threat to democracy.
“I know I’m not a young man, to state the obvious. I know. I don’t walk as easily as I used to. I don’t speak as smoothly as I used to,” he told the crowd. “But I know what I do know. I know how to tell the truth.”
Despite spending a week preparing for Thursday’s debate, the first of the 2024 general election cycle, Biden frequently misspoke, had trouble finishing his points, and generally did little to ease voters’ concerns about his age. He will turn 82 shortly after the November election.
Biden allies have spent years defending the president’s mental capacities, but in North Carolina, the president owned his age while insisting he could still carry out his duties as president.
“I know right from wrong. I know how to do this job. I know how to get things done, and I know like millions of Americans know: When you get knocked down, you get back up,” the president said.
Biden spent the bulk of his remarks reiterating claims that Trump “is a genuine threat to this nation” and accusing the former president of lying through the entirety of CNN’s debate. Republicans have leveled the same criticism at Biden in the hours following the event.
“The choice in this election is simple. Donald Trump will destroy democracy. I will defend it,” the president closed.
Biden’s performance on Thursday led a wave of Democratic strategists and past Biden allies to call for his removal as the party’s nominee. However, close Biden confidants maintained Monday morning that the president is committing to seeing the race through to its completion.
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You can watch Biden’s remarks in full below.
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