US President Biden says he almost fell asleep during debate with Donald Trump, blames jet lag

US President Joe Biden has admitted that he “almost fell asleep” during the disastrous debate with his Republican rival Donald Trump last week and said his feeble performance was due to jet lag from travelling “around the world a couple of times, going through around 100 time zones” before the event.

The 81-year-old’s acknowledgement came amid pressure from Democrats after his poor performance at the debate, as well as growing questions about his cognitive ability to continue in office for four more years if he returns to power following the election in November.

“I didn’t have my best night. I wasn’t very smart. I decided to travel around the world a couple of times, going through around 100 time zones before the debate,” he said while addressing a campaign event on Tuesday in McLean, Virginia.

“Didn’t listen to my staff and came back and nearly fell asleep on stage… That’s no excuse, but it is an explanation.”