Biden blames debate performance on travel schedule 11 days before event

President Joe Biden apologized for his shaky debate performance , blaming it on his travel schedule.

Speaking at a fundraiser in McLean, Virginia , Biden told donors that he "wasn't very smart" to debate after traveling, even though he returned from his travels 11 days before the debate.

“I decided to travel around the world a couple of times … shortly before the debate. … I didn’t listen to my staff … and then I almost fell asleep onstage,” he said.

Biden's five-day trip in the middle of June consisted of going to the G7 summit in Italy, traveling nine time zones back to Los Angeles, and then three time zones forward back to Washington, D.C.

“It’s not an excuse but an explanation,” Biden added on Tuesday, stressing that it was “critical” to win the election.

The president spoke for about six minutes before departing. His remarks came at the tail end of one of the roughest days of his 2024 campaign season.

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Biden’s team has been rushing to perform damage control since his stumbling debate last Thursday, but Tuesday saw several cracks in the dam widen.

More negative press coverage, growing calls from other Democrats to quit, and another legal victory for Trump made Tuesday one of the roughest days for Biden in the entire 2024 campaign season.