Joe Biden admitted to being sick after fears over raspy voice during presidential debate - saying he has a " sore throat ".
Biden, 81, headed to Waffle House in Atlanta after the CNN showdown with Donald Trump, where he spoke to reporters and defended his performance. It comes after worries over Biden's voice, which sounded unusually weak and raspy. Despite concern, Biden said he "did well" and adding it was "hard to debate a liar - The New York Times pointed out he lied 26 times" in a barbed comment at Trump's numerous rambles.
Biden did admit to being sick, saying, "I have a sore throat". A recent report from a source familiar with the situation says that Joe Biden has caught a cold that's affecting his vocals at the debate. The tweet suggesting an illness came from Senior White House Correspondent Jacqui Heinrich.
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By the time the first debate break rolled around, former President Donald Trump had dominated the airtime with approximately 23 minutes and six seconds of talk time, as per CNN, who played host to the heavyweight verbal spar. In contrast, President Joe Biden clocked in a more concise 18 minutes and 26 seconds.
The Biden campaign is insisting that the president "started slow but finished strong" as it tries to claim victory in the debate.
In a memo, Biden advisers argued that the Trump's performance reminded independent voters "why they dislike him," while suggesting that Biden improved as the night wore on.
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Vice President Kamala Harris made similar suggestions in TV appearances after the debate.
Biden's voice was particularly raspy in the debate's early going, and he repeatedly cleared his throat throughout the night. But the president was also hard to understand in his closing statement, undermining suggestions that he made much improvement.
Trump's supporters, by contrast, were giddy, arguing that Biden looked befuddled and confused and that their candidate was the clear winner.