Joe Biden has vowed to stay in the race for the White House and chalked up his dismal debate performance against Donald Trump to a cold.
The President of the United States is trying to save his campaign with a television interview with ABC.
"I was sick, I felt terrible ... We were trying to figure out what was wrong," the president said in an excerpt from his first televised interview since the debate with Donald Trump.
"They did a test to see if I had some kind of infection, you know, a virus. I didn't. I just had a really bad cold," he added.
Biden gives a tentative answer in the clip, which looks unlikely to placate Democrats.
The Trump campaign issued a lightning-quick response. "Biden sounds great!" Trump's team wrote on the X social network.
Biden's performance in Atlanta sparked panic in his party and calls for him to drop out of the race.
Biden's team vehemently dismissed any suggestion that he might drop out, releasing a busy campaign travel schedule through the end of July just hours before the interview.
Appearing at a campaign rally in Madison, Wisconsin, the president delivered a spirited speech in which he stated unequivocally: "I'm staying in the race. I'm going to beat Donald Trump."
As his supporters cheered him on, he went on the attack against his rival.
"Let's focus on what really matters," Biden said. "We are facing the biggest liar and the biggest threat to our democracy in American history - this is not hyperbole," the president emphasized.
Polls after the debate showed growing support for Trump. Several Democrats in Congress have called for Biden to step down, as have several major newspapers and numerous pro-Democrat political commentators. | BGNES
