Biden blames Trump's 'shouting' for debate debacle despite no evidence it occurred

President Biden said former President Trump distracted him by "shouting" during their debate last week, behavior Biden said only added to his troubles during a disastrous performance.

"How quickly did it come to you that you were having that bad night?" ABC News' George Stephanopoulos asked the president during an interview that aired Friday evening.

"Well, it came to me I was having a bad night when I realized that even when I was answering the question, even though they turned his mic off, he was still shouting. And I let it distract me," Biden said. "But I'm not blaming it on that, but I realized that I just wasn't in control."

The ABC News interview marked Biden's first sit-down interview since his widely panned debate performance, which included the president losing his train of thought, stumbling over his words and delivering responses in a raspy voice, something that the White House later blamed on a cold.

The president's performance during the debate sparked concern and panic within the Democratic Party. Traditional allies and media pundits quickly noted Biden appeared to be showing his age – 81 – during the showdown. The concern soon cascaded into media outlets, such as The New York Times, and elected Democratic officials calling on Biden to step out of the race.