President Joe Biden claimed that he got “distracted” by former President Donald Trump’s “shouting” during the first 2024 debate.
However, no such thing occurred.
During his first post-debate interview with ABC News’s George Stephanopoulos, Biden said he realized he was having a “bad night” when the moderators turned Trump’s mic off and was “still shouting.”
“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. And I let it distract me," Biden said. "But I'm not blaming it on that, but I realized that I just wasn't in control."
Trump was never heard or seen shouting during the debate. Both candidates agreed to have the mics shut off when they were not answering a question, and at times, footage catches Trump still talking but never did he raise his voice.
Biden blamed his poor debate performance on having a “cold” and jet lag from a few weeks prior. However, Stephanopoulos pointed out that Biden had 12 days to recover from his travels.
The 81-year-old president blamed his disastrous debate performance on several things instead of taking responsibility for his own health.
“It was a bad episode," Biden claimed. "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.”
The interview, which was supposed to reassure Americans he is capable of staying in the race, seemed to backfire.
Just moments before, Biden said he couldn’t remember if he had re-watched the debate when Stephanopoulos asked.
As Biden faces pressure to drop out of the race, including from Democrats, he said that only the “Lord almighty” can convince him to resign.