US President Joe Biden says he needs to sleep more, work less after election debate disaster

Embattled US President Joe Biden was checked by a doctor after his disastrous debate performance, and while he maintains he is healthy, he says he needs to work less.

US President Joe Biden has told concerned allies that he needs to sleep more, work fewer hours and avoid events after 8pm to have enough energy to serve in the White House.

In a crisis meeting with Democratic governors, Mr Biden revealed he was checked by his doctor in the wake of his disastrous debate performance against Donald Trump, contradicting his press secretary who said he did not receive medical care.

The 81-year-old maintained he was in good health but outlined the steps he said he would take to reduce fatigue after the political crisis caused by his shaky effort in the prime-time clash against the former president that started at 9pm.

According to The New York Times, when he was asked by one governor about his health, Mr Biden replied: “It’s just my brain.” His campaign chair Jen O’Malley Dillon later said he was “clearly making a joke”.

US President Joe Biden during his disastrous debate against Donald Trump. Picture: Andrew Caballero-Reynolds (AFP)

In a radio interview that aired on Thursday (local time), marking the first time Mr Biden had taken questions about his flailing candidacy as Democratic leaders and donors pushed for him to drop out of the election race, he said last week’s debate was “a bad night”.

“The fact of the matter is that I screwed up. I made a mistake,” he said.

“But I learned from my father: when you get knocked down, just get back up. Get back up. We’re going to win this election.”

While Trump has kept a low profile this week, a video emerged from a round of golf he was enjoying with son Barron, in which he unleashed on Biden as a “broken-down pile of crap”.

“He’s quitting the race,” the Republican said, adding: “That means we have Kamala.”

Trump then blasted Vice President Kamala Harris – the most likely candidate to replace Mr Biden if he abandons his re-election bid – as “so pathetic” and “so f***ing bad”.

Former president Donald Trump at his golf course in Miami. Picture: Megan Briggs (Getty Images via AFP)

The President was on Friday (local time) due to give a major TV interview that was deemed critical to his chances of surviving as his party’s nominee, as congressional Democrats plotted to ramp up the pressure on him after the Independence Day long weekend in the US.

“Everybody wants him to quit,” one member told Politico.

“There’s a sense of despair. I think people don’t understand how we get out of this hole. And we’re hurtling toward losing to Trump.”

Mr Biden sought to reassure the governors in a meeting on Wednesday night (local time) as he told them that he was staying in the race ahead of November’s election.

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre. Picture: Jim Watson (AFP)

Hours earlier, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre claimed his shaky debate performance was due to both a cold and jet lag, almost two weeks after he returned from a trip to Europe.

Pressed over whether he had sought medical care, she said: “He did not get checked out by the doctor.”

But Mr Biden told the governors that he underwent a check-up and was in good health.

Originally published as US President Joe Biden says he needs to sleep more, work less after election debate disaster