President Biden brushed aside criticism of his debate performance Thursday evening and instead shifted the focus to what he claimed were a litany of falsehoods by former President Donald Trump.

“Look folks, what’s gonna happen over the next couple of days, they’re going to be out here fact-checking all of the things he said,” Mr. Biden said at a reception for supporters in Atlanta.

“I can’t think of one thing he said that was true,” Mr. Biden continued.

The president then referred to his political opponent as a “lying, dog-faced pony solider,” a reference to an old John Wayne film that he has used before.

Mr. Biden told the crowd, “Look, we are going to beat this guy. We need to beat this guy.”

The crowd responded with chants of “We need you!”

Mr. Biden did not address concerns about his debate performance, which has touched off a widespread panic within the Democratic Party.

The president appeared listless at times, talking in a raspy, barely-audible voice, frequently lost focus during his remarks, and trailed off in mid-sentence several times.

• Jeff Mordock can be reached at jmordock@washingtontimes.com.