President Biden acknowledged Tuesday that he “fell asleep on stage” during his disastrous debate last week, blaming his performance on having traveled “around the world a few times” in the two weeks leading up to his face-off with former President Donald J. Trump.
“I wasn’t very smart,” Mr. Biden, 81, told donors at a fundraiser in Virginia. “I decided to travel around the world a few times, I don’t know how many time zones.”
“It’s not an excuse, it’s an explanation,” he said.
White House officials have blamed Mr. Biden’s disjointed debate performance on his having a cold at the time. Karine Jean-Pierre, the White House press secretary, echoed that explanation in a briefing for reporters on Tuesday afternoon.
But Mr. Biden offered a different reason to donors on Tuesday night. He referred to his decision to travel to France for several days two weeks before the debate and return to the United States before returning to Europe for the Group of 7 summit in Italy.
He decided to make that transatlantic round trip, Mr. Biden said, blaming himself for not “listening to my team,” which he implied had told him not to do so. He said the decision left him tired during the debate.
Mr Biden’s comments came as the White House struggled to respond to a chorus of anxiety within the Democratic Party about whether the president would be able to mount a winning campaign against Mr Trump in November.
For more than a year, Mr. Biden and his aides have repeatedly denied that the president’s age has affected his ability to perform his duties. They have repeatedly criticized journalists who have raised the issue that large majorities of voters say they believe Mr. Biden is too old to be president.
But the debate, which was watched by about 51 million people, raised serious doubts among voters and many Democratic activists. Party lawmakers have also expressed concerns, with Representative Lloyd Doggett of Texas on Tuesday becoming the first Democrat in Congress to call for Mr Biden to drop out of the race.
The president and his campaign have refused to even consider doing so. They say Mr. Biden remains determined to stay in the race and defeat Mr. Trump, who he says is a threat to democracy in America.
