Amid calls for President Joe Biden to drop out of the 2024 election following a shaky debate performance against GOP challenger Donald Trump, he told Democratic governors that he needs more sleep.
That’s according to report from The New York Times. It said the 81-year-old president told governors gathered for the meeting he needs to get more shut eye and to work fewer hours. He also said that he needs to stop attending events after 8 p.m. (the debate was at 9 p.m.), per two people who were at the meeting and others briefed on his comments.
“The remarks on Wednesday were a stark acknowledgment of fatigue,” said the report. Biden also told them that he received a medical checkup.
Around two dozen of Biden’s “most important supporters” were at the meeting, said the Times. CBS News reported that governors Gavin Newsom of California, J.B. Pritzker of Illinois and Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan were in attendance. All three have been floated as possible replacements for Biden as the Democratic candidate. However, none did better than the president against Trump in a recent poll.
“He described his extensive foreign travel in the weeks before the debate, something that the White House and his allies have in recent days cited as the reason for his halting performance during the debate,” the Times said. “Initially, Mr. Biden’s campaign blamed a cold, putting out word about midway through the debate amid a series of social media posts questioning why Mr. Biden was struggling.”
In a Wednesday press conference, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre reiterated this explanation to reporters, though she received some pushback. Some were skeptical that Biden would still be jet-lagged 12 days after travelling.
“I think, in addition to the two major trips, he was also doing – continued to do his presidential duties. He worked late in doing that, and he also prepared for the debate. And on top of that, there was, obviously, the jet lag, as you just asked – asked about, and also, he had a cold. And you all heard directly – you heard – you heard from him during the debate,” she said. “He had a hoarse voice.”
Biden himself has publicly admitted that the debate did not go well. He told a crowd in North Carolina that he isn’t as smooth as he once was.
During the meeting with governors, Biden was also candid about what he believes needs to be done for him to improve, per the Times’ sources.
“Mr. Biden said that he told his staff he needed to get more sleep, multiple people familiar with what took place in the meeting said. He repeatedly referenced pushing too hard and not listening to his team about his schedule,” said the report.
Newsweek reported that there was backlash online to the report, particularly among conservative political personalities. At the same time, the governors in attendance have spoken in support of Biden, including Gov.
Tim Walz of Minnesota.
Apart from the debate, the Times also reported that “current and former officials have noticed that the president’s lapses over the past few months have become more frequent and more pronounced,” and this week revealed that major Democratic donors are coming up with a plan to pressure him to step aside. Biden’s meeting with the governors was meant to bolster confidence in his ability to lead and to run the country.