President Biden addresses debate performance: "I had a bad night"

Biden admits exhaustion and illness impacted his performance during the Presidential debate with Trump.

In his first TV interview since his widely criticized debate performance, President Joe Biden acknowledged it was a "bad episode" caused by illness and exhaustion. 

Speaking with ABC News' George Stephanopoulos, the 81-year-old politician revealed he was "sick" and "feeling terrible" just before the June 27 debate with former President Donald Trump, which hampered his preparation.

"I was exhausted. I didn't listen to my instincts in terms of preparing," Biden admitted. 

"I had a bad night." He shared that he had requested a COVID test but was told he had "a really bad cold."

When Stephanopoulos asked if Biden sensed the debate was not going well, the President acknowledged the criticism he faced for mumbling, appearing lost in thought, and misspeaking. 

Since the debate, many Democratic politicians and donors have called for him to step down in favor of a younger candidate.

"Yeah, look," Biden said, "the whole way I prepared — no one's fault [but] mine, nobody's fault but mine." He also noted that Trump had "lied 28 times" during the debate.

Immediately after the debate aired, comedian Jon Stewart hosted a live episode of The Daily Show, where he joked that both Biden and Trump should be using "performance-enhancing drugs." 

"If performance-enhancing drugs will improve their lucidity, their ability to solve problems... then suppository away," Stewart quipped.

Biden's full sit-down with Stephanopoulos aired Friday, July 5, at 8 p.m. ET/PT and will also be featured on this week's edition of Stephanopoulos's Sunday morning show.