Biden blamed excessive travel in the lead up to the debate for his poor performance. (Image: Getty)

       Joe Biden bizarrely claimed he almost fell asleep during his disastrous Presidential debate against Donald Trump last week, as he blamed his heavy travel schedule for the poor performance.

       Speaking to donors at a fundraiser in Virginia, the 81-year-old sought to allay concerns about his lethargic and confused showing in the Thursday face-off whilst admitting his busy schedule may have drained him before the event.

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       “I wasn’t very smart. I decided to travel around the world a couple of times … shortly before the debate," he said, "I didn’t listen to my staff … and then I almost fell asleep on stage."

       The president had been at Camp David where he reportedly spent a week preparing for the crunch debate. He's then said to have headed to Atlanta, Georgia, on June 27, the morning of the event.

       Before his prep at Camp David, the President had been in Italy, joining other world leaders at the G7 summit on June 14.

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       Biden has batted away calls to drop out of the race following the face off. (Image: Getty)

       “It’s not an excuse but an explanation,” Biden told guests at the campaign stop on Tuesday.

       He apologized for his floundering performance but said it was “critical” that he keeps Trump out of the White House.

       The speech was brief, with Biden only speaking to donors for about six minutes, The Sun reports.

       Biden sparked concern from supporters and donors as he struggled on the debate stage against Trump in the CNN debate.

       The Democrat appeared at times to lose his train of thought, prompting the Republican to claim at one point he couldn't understand what Biden was saying.

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       US election: Biden delivers closing statement in CNN presidential debate

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       Biden gave a much punchier performance at a rally in North Carolina the following day, acknowledging that he couldn't debate as well as he used to, but insisting he will fight on and beat Trump.

       However, it appeared to do little to allay fears among voters, with a CBS News/YouGov poll released on Sunday indicating that 72 percent of registered voters believe he does not have the mental and cognitive health to serve another term - a marked increase from the 65 percent answered the same way in an earlier poll.

       Forty-nine percent of respondents said the same of Trump.

       Concerns had been growing for months about Biden's fitness for another four years in the Oval Office, and his floundering performance in Georgia finally prompted Democratic colleagues to openly question his candidacy as Trump pulls ahead in the polls.

       Speaking to NBC News, one Democratic politician said it is "time to talk about an open convention and a new Democratic nominee".

       Meanwhile, a party strategist who has worked on presidential campaigns said the debate "is a nail in the political coffin" and that Biden "is reaffirming everything voters already perceived".

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       Biden's party could look to oust the presumptive Presidential nominee before he is officially nominated at the Democratic National Convention on August 19, but the DNC would face a number of practical challenges replacing him.

       Delegates would have to select another candidate despite there being noone lined up to step in, and Biden campaign manager Julie Chavez Rodriguez said this weekend only Vice President Kamala Harris would be able to spend the vast campaign warchest the president has amassed.

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       Federal Election Commision rules stipulate the $91.2 million the Biden-Harris ticket has collected as of May 31 can't be transferred to any other candidate, meaning Biden sceptics may not have the leverage to try and oust him.

       Polls have suggested Harris herself is one of the most unpopular VPs in history, and other candidates would likely question her chances against Trump if Biden were to make way.

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