A defiant President Joe Biden again admitted to having a “bad, bad night” while debating Donald Trump last month but grilled NBC News anchor Lester Holt on why he focuses on that instead of his Republican rival’s documented lies.
“Why don’t you guys ever talk about the 28 lies he told? Where are you on this?” Biden said, leaning forward in his chair in the televised interview Monday. “Why in the press haven’t you talked about that? 28 times it’s confirmed he lied that debate,” Biden continued. “I had a bad, bad night. I wasn’t feeling well at all … I screwed up.”
The NBC News sit-down marked the president’s first on-camera interview since Saturday’s attempted assassination of Trump.
The tense exchange followed Holt’s question about whether or not Biden had seen the debate in full and if he and Democratic leadership are “on the same page” in terms of his continued presidential campaign. After Biden admitted he’s seen “pieces” of the debate since it aired live, Holt pressed, “Are you seeing what they saw?”
“I had to see it,” Biden insisted. “I was there. I had to see it. I was there. By the way, seriously, you won’t answer the question, but why isn’t the press talking about all the lies he told? I haven’t seen anything about that.”
Holt answered that NBC and others have “reported many of the issues that came out of the debate,” an assertion that Biden shut down. “No, you haven’t,” the president insisted.
“We’ll provide you with them,” Holt hit back.
Biden also emphasized that the person he’s relied on the most throughout debates about his own campaign run is himself — not former President Barack Obama or any other advisers — and that he is fully capable of leading the nation for four more years.
“Look, I’ve been doing this a long time. The idea that I’m the old guy — I am,” he said. “I’m old. But I’m only three years older than Trump, number one. And number two, my mental acuity has been pretty damn good. I’ve gotten more done than any president has in a long, long time in three and a half years. So I’m willing to be judged on that.”
The president has “done 22 major events” since the June 27 debate, he told Holt. “There’s thousands of people, overwhelming crowds. A lot’s happening. I’m on the horse.”
He ended the interview again confronting Holt — and the media at large — about their emphasis on his age and debate performance over what he’s accomplished as president.
“Mr. President, it’s always good to talk to you. Good to see you. Thank you for making some time for us,” Holt said, signing off.
“Sometimes come and talk to me about what we should be talking about,” Biden responded. “The issues.”
Read the full transcript of Biden’s NBC News interview via the network here.
