US president admits 'bad' debate performance, says he 'screwed up'

HAMILTON, Canada

Reflecting on his disappointing performance in last week's debate against former President Donald Trump, US President Joe Biden admitted Thursday that he "screwed up."

In an interview with two radio stations, Biden responded to criticisms of his debate performance, saying: "I had a bad night. The fact of the matter is that, I screwed up. I made a mistake."

"But I learned from my father, when you get knocked down, just get back up," he said, using one of his oft-repeated sayings.

Vowing to win this fall's presidential election against Trump, Biden said: "We're going to win this election. We're going to just beat Donald Trump like we did in 2020. We're going to beat him again but we need all of you to get this done. All of you."

Highlighting his administration's achievements, Biden pointed to economic recovery and health care reforms.

"Look at what I've done in 3 1/2 years, I've led the economy back from the brink of collapse," he said.

Addressing racial justice issues, Biden criticized Trump's rhetoric and said: "It's shameful. He's talking about 'black jobs,' meaning all these things that blacks can do for manual labor, being menial labor."

As the US celebrated its 250th anniversary on Thursday, July 4, Independence Day, Biden underscored the significance of unity and inclusivity.

"We cannot let this guy (Trump) win," he cautioned, expressing concerns over the potential consequences of divisive leadership under Trump.