Read previewPresident Joe Biden's aides have defended his debate performance, treating it as an unimportant one-off in a long campaign. According to The New York Times, the president's aides are trying to cast Biden's performance — branded by many as a disaster — as insignificant in the long run. Related storiesIronically, Biden's aides also appeared to blame the president's age when discussing his debate performance with Axios. "But I know what I do know — I know how to tell the truth ... "By framing Biden's performance as a 'blip,' campaign surrogates are trying to reset expectations.

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Persons: —, Joe Biden's, Jen O'Malley Dillon, Biden's, Quentin Fulks, Biden, Trump, Thomas, It's, doesn't Biden, Katherine Tangalakis, Erin Snodgrass, Andrew Payne, Donald Trump, Payne, isn't Organizations: Service, The New York Times, Business, University College London, Interact, White, Q Locations: McDonald's, United States, Raleigh