President Biden, in a television interview, recalled his dramatic debate with Donald Trump, his opponent in the US presidential election in November. Speaking to ABC News, Biden said he was sick and tired on the day of the debate. “I felt bad.” He called the performance a bad episode.

He also took responsibility. “The whole way I prepared … nobody was to blame, just me,” Biden said. Asked about the debate, he said he had not looked back.

It was Biden’s first major interview since the debate a week ago. He couldn’t pronounce his words correctly, stuttered and was sometimes difficult to understand. In previous comments, he attributed his poor performance to a bad cold and fatigue.

Here are excerpts from last week’s debate:

Biden’s debate performance has caused consternation within the Democratic Party. Four Democratic members of the House of Representatives have called on him to skip the November presidential election. Some lenders have also expressed concerns.

The 81-year-old Biden’s physical condition has been discussed for some time. Since the debate, the discussion has flared up even more. Biden continues to say he’s doing business as usual. He repeated that at a campaign rally yesterday.

Watch Biden’s speech here:

In the interview, the president also described himself as the candidate best suited to defeat Donald Trump. He pointed to the successes he has achieved since 2021, including with the US economy. “I’m still in good shape,” Biden said.

Biden was asked in the ABC interview if he would be willing to have an independent medical examination that could be shared with voters. He then said that as president he would have to take daily cognitive tests. He also noted that he has a medical team that “wouldn’t hesitate” to say if something was wrong.