President Biden attended a lavish fundraiser at a New Jersey mansion on Saturday, where he reportedly told the audience that his disastrous, gaffe-filled debate with Donald Trump had attracted undecided voters to his camp.
The 81-year-old commander in chief made the questionable declaration at a private event at the home of New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy, whose wife announced that the event raised $3.7 million. NJ.com reported.
Biden acknowledged his lackluster performance in the debate before a small audience and said voters interpreted the debate differently, despite several major newspapers calling on him to give up on reelection.
“Polling during the debate showed that we converted more undecided voters than Trump did, in large part because of his actions on January 6th,” Biden told several dozen people gathered at the party, the news site reported.
“People remember the bad things that happened during his presidency.”
It’s not just independents who claim Biden has won support: He also told an audience in New Jersey that his approval rating among Democratic voters increased after the debate.
This notion runs counter to several polls released over the past two days, including one commissioned by The Washington Post, which found Biden’s approval rating dropped after facing off against Trump.
“It wasn’t a great night, but we’re going to fight harder,” Biden reportedly told the crowd.
First lady Jill Biden tried to calm supporters by saying her husband acknowledged his poor performance as soon as he walked off stage.
“Hey, Jill, I don’t know what happened. I wasn’t feeling very good,” she called to tell him.
The private fundraiser was the second event of the day attended by the Bidens.
Earlier, the couple mingled with major donors at the Hamptons home of hedge fund billionaire Barry Rosenstein and his wife, Lizanne.
Celebrities like Sarah Jessica Parker and Matthew Broderick were in attendance, as well as business leaders like Loews Hotels CEO Jonathan Tisch and his socialite wife Lizzy, who are said to have shelled out $250,000 to attend the party.
During the star-studded event, a plane carrying a streamer with the words “BI-DONE!” soared into the sky.
