US President Joe Biden has acknowledged his performance during last Thursday's presidential debate was not his best but blamed it on jet lag after two overseas trips earlier in June.
Speaking at a campaign event in McLean, Virginia, Mr Biden admitted the debate against former president Donald Trump, his Republican rival, did not go well. "I decided to travel around the world a couple times, going through around 100 time zones before the debate. Mr Biden travelled to France and Italy during two separate trips in the space of two weeks last month, flying overnight from the G7 summit in Bari, Italy, to appear at a fundraiser with former president Barack Obama in Los Angeles on 15 June, before returning to Washington the following day.White House officials have blamed Mr Biden's halting performance during the debate on a cold. Mr Biden did not mention being sick during the fundraiser.