Joe Biden vows to stay in US election, calls debate a ‘bad episode’

“No indication of any serious condition. I was exhausted. I did not listen to my instincts in terms of preparing and – and a bad night,” Biden said.

He also attacked his Republican challenger Trump for making falsehoods during the debate.

“The fact of the matter is what I looked at is that he also lied 28 times,” he said. “I couldn’t – I mean the way the debate ran –not my fault, no one else’s fault – no one else’s fault,” Biden said.

His appearance in Wisconsin and the interview with Stephanopoulos, a former Democratic adviser during the Bill Clinton administration, was broadcast amid calls for Biden to withdraw from the November election, while time presumably remains for Democrats to select another candidate for the November election.

The interview was originally to first air on Stephanopoulos’s Sunday show but moved to a prime-time slot on Friday, a reflection of the pressure the Biden campaign is feeling from some in the Democratic Party to abandon his re-election effort.

The TV network said it had “offered a similar interview opportunity to Trump”, and that the former president and current challenger declined.

A nationwide poll by The New York Times and Siena College Research Institute conducted after the debate showed Trump leading Biden by six percentage points – 49 per cent to 43 per cent – among 1,532 likely voters.

That was a swing of almost three points from the Times poll taken just before the debate, in which Trump led 48 to 44 per cent.

The margin of sampling error for likely voters was plus or minus 2.9 points.

The poll also found that 57 per cent of its likely voters agreed with the statement that “there should be a different Democratic nominee”, while 74 per cent agreed that “Joe Biden is just too old to be an effective president”.

Still, Biden has vowed to stay in the race.

During an Independence Day event at the White House on Thursday, a supporter yelled, “Keep up the fight! We need you!” and Biden responded, “You got me, man. I’m not going anywhere.”

In a fundraising email on Wednesday, Biden also said, “I’m the Democratic Party’s nominee.

“No one is pushing me out. I’m not leaving.”

On Wednesday, a second congressional Democrat publicly called for Biden to withdraw from the presidential race.

Representative Raul Grijalva of Arizona, a progressive, told The New York Times that “this is an opportunity to look elsewhere” for a nominee. He added that if Biden remains atop the ticket, he would support him.

Democratic Party officials have largely remained publicly supportive of Biden or neutral on the issue, though many reports suggest how divided they are privately.

“I believe in this man. I believe in his character. I believe that he has been one of the most transformative presidents in our collective lifetimes,” Newsom said.

“We’re so good at focusing on what’s wrong and not celebrating what’s right.”