Biden suggests to allies he might limit evening events to get more sleep

President Joe Biden suggested to Democratic governors that he might limit evening events after 8 p.m. so he can get more sleep, according to two sources familiar with the exchange.

Biden met with the governors Wednesday evening as he sought to assuage allies’ concerns after a disastrous debate performance left Democrats anxious about his ability to serve and campaign for re-election.

He also joked that while his health was fine, “it’s just my brain," a source told NBC News.

“He was clearly making a joke and then said, ‘All kidding aside,’” Biden campaign chair Jen O’Malley Dillon said Thursday.

The remarks, first reported by The New York Times, are part of a stream of leaks about the contents of the meeting, which was not attended by staff members for the governors, the White House or the campaign. He also said he had seen a doctor after the debate, contradicting an earlier White House claim.

A third source familiar with the governors meeting said that several in the room were surprised that Biden opened the discussion by saying he’s definitely staying in the race, rather than asking the governors what they’re seeing and hearing in their states and for their opinion.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Biden surrogate who was on the call and is viewed as a potential future Democratic presidential candidate, said Biden's 8 p.m. comment was not "literal."

"It was more of a rhetorical framework of just being fit and rested because he was burning at both ends, you know, that last 10 or so days. And I think that was sort of what he was reflecting, is just a more steady focus on being his energetic self," Newsom said.

A fifth person with knowledge of the meeting downplayed Biden’s comments about needing more sleep, adding that