WASHINGTON – President Joe Biden in a Milwaukee radio interview on Wednesday said he “screwed up” during the debate with former President Donald Trump last week — marking some of the first public comments from the president since the event.

“I had a bad night,” Biden told Milwaukee radio host Earl Ingram in a pre-recorded interview set to air Thursday morning. “And the fact of the matter is that I screwed up. I made a mistake. That’s 90 minutes onstage, look at what I’ve done in 3.5 years.”

The comments, made during an interview with Ingram Wednesday, are among the first from the president following a shaky debate performance that highlighted questions about Biden’s age and led some Democrats to call to replace him at the top of the ticket. Biden has said he plans to stay in the race.

About one minute of select clips from Biden’s interview was provided to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Ingram, a longtime Biden supporter, told the Journal Sentinel he spoke with the president for 20 minutes. The full interview will air 8 a.m. Thursday on WAUK-AM(540).

During the interview, Biden also touted his efforts to engage minority communities and noted his work appointing Black judges, according to the short clips.

“I picked a Black woman to be my vice president. I’ve appointed the first Black woman to be a Supreme Court justice,” Biden said. “I’ve appointed more Black judges, more Black women judges, than every other president in American history combined.”

He attacked Trump for recent comments the presumptive Republican nominee made about Black workers.

“I’m sorry to get so worked up,” Biden said. “But he is just — he’s terrible things in the community, and he has about as much interest and concern for Black, minority communities as the man on the moon does.”

Biden is set to visit Madison Friday.

The interview was recorded the same day Biden met with 24 Democratic governors from across the country as he sought to tamp down concerns from within the party about his place at the top of the ticket. Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers was the only Democratic governor to miss the meeting.

“(Evers) didn’t attend the meeting because he’s focused on moving forward and winning Wisconsin,” Evers spokeswoman Britt Cudaback wrote on X. “He supports President Biden – his comments in support of the president over the last week speak for themselves, and he looks forward to campaigning with the President on Friday.”

Several governors after the meeting indicated they remained behind Biden.

“He has had out backs through COVID, through all of the recovery, all of the things that have happened,” Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz told reporters. “The governors have his back.”

“A path to victory in November is the No. 1 priority,” Walz added. “And that’s the No. 1 priority of the president. So that’s what we’re trying to get done.”

Milwaukee is set to host the Republican National Convention starting July 15.

Daniel Bice of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel contributed from Milwaukee.

Simone Biles performed her floor routine at the U.S. Olympic Gymnastics Trials to Taylor Swift, and in the process, she helped Minneapolis come close to matching a hotel record set one year ago, when Swift’s Eras tour came to town.

Minneapolis hotels recorded more than $11.6 million in total guest room revenue last week, June 23-29, according to Meet Minneapolis Convention & Visitors Association. That’s the highest weekly revenue mark of 2024, and the highest since Swifty mania descended on Minneapolis in June 2023, also coinciding with the Twin Cities Pride Festival and resulting in $12 million in hotel revenue.

The figure released Wednesday doesn’t include Sunday, June 30, the final night of the gymnastics competition. But with one day left to tally for June, Minneapolis hotels recorded more than $40.9 million in guest revenue—a monthly figure not hit since October 2018, when the total was $41.5 million, Meet Minneapolis reported.

Hotel occupancy in Minneapolis totaled 87.5% on June 29—the 11th highest of the year. And for the week of June 23-29, hotel occupancy was the third highest since 2020, according to the convention and visitors association. Higher hotel demand weeks included March 3-9, 2024 when the Big Ten Women’s Basketball Tournament was in town at the same time as the American Physical Society March Meeting, and August 27-Sept. 2, 2023 for the Gay Softball World Series and Minnesota State Fair.

Of course, Biles and local hotels weren’t last weekend’s only winners. Tom’s Watch Bar, just a block from Target Center, saw crowds nearly quadruple its average weekend—best since the Timberwolves were in the playoffs, operating partner Amanda Neitzke said. “Overall, I think Minneapolis is on it’s way back,” she said. “We still have a ways to go, but we’re definitely in our comeback era.” So far this year, sales at Tom’s are outpacing 2023, Neitzke said.

During the gymnastics trials, more than 60 local businesses participated in Promenade Du Nord, a Nicollet Mall activation produced by the Minnesota Sports and Events commission, in partnership with market curator Mich Berthiaume. “The energy and buzz downtown was incredible,” said Berthiaume, who teamed up with Minnesota Sports and Events on markets for the 2018 Super Bowl and, earlier this year, for the Big Ten basketball tournaments.

“Minnesota Sports and Events always focuses on our local community,” Berthiaume said. “You might not have had tickets to the gymnastics trials, but you could go downtown and have a complete experience.”

Rebecca Sansone, who owns St. Paul vintage shop The Mustache Cat, jumped at the opportunity to showcase her goods at Promenade Du Nord. “It felt like a win/win from a branding perspective. Building community is important to us and this felt aligned with what the event was doing for Minneapolis.” Sansone said the shoppers she spoke to during the four-day market were a mix of tourists and locals. “We had folks coming down to Nicollet Mall during their lunch break, gymnastics fans in their USA gear, and folks joining us before, during, and after Pride.” Focusing her event merchandise on smaller items that would be easy to pack or carry—coasters, bottle stoppers, magnets—drove a high volume of sales, she said.

Staffing a booth at a market is never easy for a small business, but fashion designer Danielle Everine said it was well worth the effort—for her brand, and for the city. “I met gymnasts, coaches, and fans from all over the world,” Everine said. “When I travel, I always seek out local markets. Promenade Du Nord gave downtown Minneapolis a little je ne sais quoi. I’d love to see a permanent artisan market in Minneapolis.”