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Joe Biden is pushing back on widespread criticism of his June 2024 presidential debate performance against President Trump, calling it "not very consequential" — even though he dropped out of the 2024 presidential race just 24 days later.
The former president made the remarks in an interview with People magazine released Wednesday (November 11), ahead of the release of his presidential memoir, Promise Me, America, next Tuesday (November 17).
"Look, I don't know anybody who hasn't made a mistake in a debate," Biden told People. "To me, it was not very consequential. First of all, I thought there'd be another debate, which there wasn't. But notwithstanding the fact that there wasn't another debate, it didn't disturb me because it wasn't consequential."
During the June 27, 2024, CNN presidential debate in Atlanta, Georgia, Biden stumbled over his words, paused for long periods, and appeared to lose track of what he was saying. According to CNN, the performance eventually led Biden to drop out of the race and endorse then-Vice President Kamala Harris just 107 days before Election Day.
Shortly after the debate, Biden told ABC News's George Stephanopoulos that he had been "feeling terrible" on the day of the event, as reported by The Hill. After facing mounting pressure from within his own party, Biden officially withdrew from the race on July 21, 2024.
Earlier in 2026, former first lady Jill Biden reflected on that night in an interview with CBS News ahead of the release of her own memoir, View From the East Wing. "As I watched it, I thought, 'Oh my god, he's having a stroke,'" she said. "And it scared me to death."
Despite the fallout, Biden told People that he still believes he was the right person for the job. "I believe that on an objective basis, I was the best-equipped person to do the job," he said.
Biden also addressed his health in the interview. As Fox News reported, Biden was diagnosed with an aggressive form of prostate cancer four months after leaving office. He said that had he known about the diagnosis sooner, he would have stepped aside before the race. "If I had known that I was feeling lousy because I had cancer, I would have resigned — I would have not gone forward because I don't think an 80-year-old man with cancer should be running for president," he said. "But that wasn't the case."
Biden denied hiding his diagnosis from the public during his presidency. "I didn't do that," he told People. "We let the public know when I found out, when I knew what was going on."
The former president has said his cancer battle will limit his ability to promote Promise Me, America, which covers his years in the White House, the decisions he made, and America's role in the world. The memoir is set for release on Tuesday (November 17).