--- title: 'I Screwed Up': Biden's Admission After Presidential Debate description: President Joe Biden, 81, has spoken out following his much-criticized performance during the first 2024 presidential debate. canonical: https://time.com/6995116/biden-candid-interview-screwed-up-first-presidential-debate-response/ author: Olivia-Anne Cleary article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2024-07-04T14:43:50.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-10-19T07:44:08.742Z article:section: Politics og:title: 'I Screwed Up': Biden Makes Candid Admission After Debate og:description: President Joe Biden, 81, has spoken out following his much-criticized performance during the first presidential debate. og:url: https://time.com/6995116/biden-candid-interview-screwed-up-first-presidential-debate-response/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt63fa7216caa97f4b/698a586c096a9460fb6b0afd/GettyImages-2159613045.jpg?branch=production&width=1024&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1024 og:image:height: 576 og:image:alt: Donald Trump And Joe Biden Participate In First Presidential Debate og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: 'I Screwed Up': Biden Makes Candid Admission After Debate twitter:description: President Joe Biden, 81, has spoken out following his much-criticized performance during the first presidential debate. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt63fa7216caa97f4b/698a586c096a9460fb6b0afd/GettyImages-2159613045.jpg?branch=production&width=1024&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # 'I Screwed Up': Biden Makes Candid Admission After First Presidential Debate > Sponsored content. 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It explains the politics, personalities and power dynamics behind the headlines, twice a week. #### Where can I get analysis of Washington politics by email? D.C. Brief is TIME's free Washington politics newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3/newsletters?i=e8c0d385-b95b-4645-b614-0e6f5053d027&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3-v1) ## Video: Biden Tells Hill Democrats He ‘Declines’ to Step Aside [Watch (HLS stream): Biden Tells Hill Democrats He ‘Declines’ to Step Aside](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/5fw45oWN.m3u8) (3:20)  _Published 2024-07-08. President Joe Biden, in a letter to congressional Democrats, stood firm against calls for him to drop his candidacy and called for an “end” to the intraparty drama that has torn apart Democrats since his dismal public debate performance._  by [Olivia-Anne Cleary](https://time.com/author/olivia-anne-cleary/)  ## Olivia-Anne Cleary Cleary is an editor at TIME, based in the London bureau. Jul 4, 2024 2:43 PM UTC President Joe Biden, in a letter to congressional Democrats, stood firm against calls for him to drop his candidacy and called for an “end” to the intraparty drama that has torn apart Democrats since his dismal public debate performance.  by [Olivia-Anne Cleary](https://time.com/author/olivia-anne-cleary/)  ## Olivia-Anne Cleary Cleary is an editor at TIME, based in the London bureau. Jul 4, 2024 2:43 PM UTC President Joe Biden, 81, has spoken out following his much-criticized performance during the [first 2024 presidential debate ](https://time.com/6993360/first-presidential-debate-biggest-moments-2024/)on Thursday, June 27\. In a radio interview with Civic Media’s _The Earl Ingram Show,_ [which aired in full on July 4](https://x.com/i/broadcasts/1ZkJzjZQkngJv) following the release of [a snippet preview](https://x.com/CivicMediaUS/status/1808649909937000820?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1808649909937000820%7Ctwgr%5E788f775ef991b3157cf8b49da5941d1df4ada607%7Ctwcon%5Es1%5F&ref%5Furl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.itv.com%2Fnews%2F2024-07-04%2Fbiden-admits-i-screwed-up-debate-as-pressure-mounts-to-quit-presidential-race), the Democratic Party leader reflected on the debate. “I had a bad night, and the fact of the matter is that, you know... I screwed up. I made a mistake,” he said. Pointing to his presidential tenure, Biden added: “That’s 90 minutes on stage. Look at what I’ve done in 3.5 years.” Biden has sparked concern after he was seen stumbling over his words and seemingly losing his train of thought during certain parts of the debate, which took place at CNN’s Atlanta studios and was co-moderated by journalists Jake Tapper and Dana Bash. At one notable point, after Biden finished answering a question about immigration and border security, presumptive Republican nominee [Donald Trump](https://time.com/6972022/donald-trump-transcript-2024-election/) said of his opponent: “[I really don't know what he said at the end of that sentence](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hQEL6ShXE3U). I don't think he knows what he said either.” > [](https://twitter.com/CivicMediaUS/status/1808649909937000820) **Read More:** [_Trump Claims People Said He ‘Had the Greatest Performance in History of Presidential Debates’_ ](https://time.com/6993947/trump-truth-social-post-greatest-presidential-debate-performance-claim/)Following the debate, there have been loud calls for Biden to step aside. Some are vying for the President to [allow Vice President Kamala Harris to take his place](https://time.com/6993970/why-biden-must-step-aside-for-democrats/) ahead of the 2024 Democratic National Convention, which is set to be held in Chicago from Aug. 19 to Aug. 22\. Within the Democratic Party, some sitting members have also voiced their wish for the [President to withdraw from the 2024 election](https://time.com/6994628/democrats-biden-drop-out/) before the all-important November vote. White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre has hit back at reports Biden is set to withdraw. “[The President is clear-eyed and he is staying in the race](https://time.com/6994944/joe-biden-drop-out-kamala-polls/),” she said, firmly. And Biden himself has made an effort to rally the public following his performance. **Read More:** [_‘I’m in This Race to the End’: Biden Digs His Heels as Calls to Drop Out Grow Louder_](https://time.com/6994944/joe-biden-drop-out-kamala-polls/) On Friday, June 28, the day after the debate, Biden showed his defiant stance during a campaign rally in North Carolina. Acknowledging concerns over his age and debate performance, yet insisting he is up for the job, Biden told a cheering crowd: “[I don’t walk as easy as I used to.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xaaEhPkplRo) I don’t speak as smoothly as I used to. I don’t debate as well as I used to. But I know what I do know. I know how to tell the truth. I know right from wrong. And I know how to do this job. I know how to get things done. And I know, like millions of Americans know, when you get knocked down, you get back up.” ## Transcript [00:00] I have probably heard had a little debate last week. [00:04] Kant's Hare is my best performance. We love. [00:08] But ever since then, there's been a lot of speculation. [00:11] What's Joe gonna do? Is he gonna stay in the race? [00:16] Is he gonna drop out? What's he gonna do? Well, here's my answer. [00:20] I am running and gonna win again. [00:23] By the way, if you wonder whether Trump has it altogether. [00:26] Did you ever hear how he explained 4 July? [00:29] When he was present? No, I'm serious. This is true. [00:32] There's explanation how America won the Revolutionary War? [00:36] I'm not making this up. He said in his fourth of July speech five years ago. [00:41] He said, George Washington's Army [00:44] won the Revolution by taking control of the airports from the British. [00:51] To talk about me, miss Speaking, [00:53] I keep seeing all those stories about I'm being too old. [00:56] Let me say something. I was too old. [01:00] I wasn't too old I wasn't too old to create over 15 million new jobs. [01:05] To make sure 21 million Americans are insured under the Affordable Care Act. [01:11] To be big farmer, the first f ever do that, [01:15] lower the cost in $35 for C. Was there too old to relieve student [01:22] definitely 5 million Americans in gross in [01:25] C. To old to [01:29] put the first Black woman on the Supreme Court of the United States of America. [01:32] Trump is a convicted felon. [01:36] Found guilty, 34 felonies. [01:40] Up. [01:40] Trying to hide Hush money payments to a porn star. [01:44] Another jury found Trump sexually assaulted a woman in a public place, [01:48] and has been fined $90,000,000 for defene her. $90 million. [01:54] I've only been bank up about 20 times, but I don't know. [01:57] This so called great businessman owes over $400,000,000 [02:02] in fines after being convicted in New York State of business fraud, already convicted. [02:08] But Trump's biggest lie of all he had nothing to do with the insurrection of January 6. [02:14] We all saw with our own eyes. [02:16] We saw he sent thousands to attack the Capitol. [02:20] We saw police being attacked, capitol being ransacked. [02:24] The mob hunting for Nancy Pelosi. [02:28] Gallows set up to hang Mike Pence. Let me ask you something. [02:36] After a Trump did on January 6, [02:39] why would anyone ever let him be near the O val office again? [02:44] Ultimately, the American Presidency is about character. [02:48] The character of the president who holds the job. [02:51] Yes. Because with the immunity he's talked the Supreme Court just talked about. [02:56] It gets down to that. Gets down to that. It's about honesty. [03:01] It's about the President's decency. [03:04] Yeah. [03:04] Integrity. Do they respect people? [03:07] Or do they incite violence in hate? [03:10] Can they honor the oath of the Constitution and hold their oath of office? [03:14] Well, I don't think it's an exaggeration yes. [03:16] Trump has failed on every one of these character tests. 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