Joe Biden comes out swinging after disastrous debate against Donald Trump
- The US president acknowledged his age and poor showing but vowed to ‘get back up’, saying Trump had set a ‘record for most lies’
A fired-up Joe Biden came out swinging Friday as he sought to make up for a disastrous debate performance against Donald Trump, insisting he was the right man to win November’s US presidential election.
Biden’s appearance at a campaign rally in the battleground state of North Carolina came amid rumblings in his alarmed Democratic Party about replacing the 81-year-old as their nominee.
“I don’t walk as easy as I used to. I don’t speak as smoothly as I used to. I don’t debate as well as I used to,” Biden admitted to supporters in unusually confessional remarks.
“But I know how to tell the truth. I know how to do this job,” he said to huge cheers, vowing “when you get knocked down, you get back up”.
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US presidential debate: Biden and Trump spar over economy, war in Ukraine
Biden’s team was in damage-control mode after Thursday’s debate when he repeatedly hesitated, tripped over words and lost his train of thought – exacerbating fears about his ability to serve another term.