周二晚上，在弗吉尼亚州麦克林的一场竞选筹款活动上，根据一小群获准参加活动的记者的笔记，美国总统乔·拜登(Joe Biden)首次将他上周在辩论中的糟糕表现归因于他在6月份进行的大量国外旅行。
“我决定环游世界几次，”拜登说，他指的是最近的国外旅行，包括他为2000年奥运会对法国的访问诺曼底登陆80周年.
“我没有听我的工作人员的话，”他继续说，并补充说他“回来后几乎在舞台上睡着了。”
拜登星期二说，他对自己在辩论中的表现感到抱歉，但强调赢得选举是“至关重要的”
“这不是借口，而是一种解释，”他继续说，并补充说，自辩论之夜以来，民主党全国委员会和拜登竞选团队已经筹集了数百万美元。
“我对此感觉很好，”他说。
拜登上周四在辩论中的表现引发了政治观察人士对他的年龄和心智敏锐度的重新关注，包括一些民主党人，他们已经开始讨论他作为党内提名人的能力。
辩论结束后的第二天，总统在北卡罗莱纳州的一次集会上首次谈到了他糟糕的辩论表现。
“伙计们，我知道我不是一个年轻人了，这是显而易见的，”他告诉人群。
“我不像以前那样辩论了，但我知道我所知道的。我知道如何说出真相，”他在热情的竞选人群的大声欢呼中说道。
上周六，他在新泽西州州长菲尔·墨菲家中的一次筹款活动上也谈到了这一点。
“我度过了一个不愉快的夜晚，但我会更加努力地战斗，”拜登告诉活动的参与者。
周一晚上早些时候，拜登竞选团队举行了一次通话500多名地区和国家财政主席-他们为竞选和民主党筹集资金-在此期间，高级竞选顾问为拜登的健康辩护，并保证他可以继续他的2024年竞选。
竞选顾问还指出，上周末全国各地举行了数百场支持拜登的竞选活动。参加电话会议的人告诉ABC新闻，他们还吹捧了辩论以来的筹款，竞选活动和民主党筹集了3300万美元。
Biden blames international travel for poor debate performance, says he nearly 'fell asleep on stage'
At a campaign fundraiser in McLean, Virginia, on Tuesday evening, President Joe Biden -- for the first time -- attributed his poor debate performance last week to the amount of foreign travel he did in June, according to notes from a small group of reporters permitted in the event.
"I decided to travel around the world a couple of times," Biden said, referring to recent trips abroad, including his visit to France for the80th anniversary of D-Day.
"I didn't listen to my staff,” he continued, adding he "came back and nearly fell asleep on stage."
Biden said Tuesday he was sorry for his debate performance but stressed that winning the election was "critical."
"It's not an excuse but an explanation,” he continued, adding that the DNC and Biden campaign have raised millions of dollars since debate night.
"I feel good about it," he said.
Biden's debate performance last Thursday triggered renewed concern over his age and mental acuity among political observers, including some Democrats who have begun to have discussions about his ability to carry on as their party's nominee.
The president first addressed his poor debate performance at a North Carolina rally the day after the debate.
"Folks, I know I'm not a young man, to state the obvious," he told the crowd.
"I don't debate as well as I used to, but I know what I do know. I know how to tell the truth," he said to loud cheers from an enthusiastic campaign crowd.
Last Saturday, he also touched on it at a fundraiser at the home of New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy.
"I didn't have a great night, but I'm going to be fighting harder," Biden told attendees of the event.
Earlier on Monday evening, the Biden campaignheld a callwith more than 500 regional and national finance chairs – who raise money for the campaign and the Democratic Party – during which senior campaign advisers defended Biden's health and gave assurances he could carry on with his 2024 campaign.
The campaign advisers also noted that a few hundred campaign events in support of Biden took place around the country this past weekend. They also touted the fundraising haul since the debate, people who were on the call told ABC News, with the campaign and the Democratic Party raking in $33 million.
