President Obama on Wednesday said despite his “bad night” at the debate and Mitt Romney’s subsequent spike in the polls, the fundamentals of the presidential race are still in his favor.
“Well it's not the first time I've had a bad night,” Obama will said according to a transcript from a pre-recorded interview set to air Wednesday night on ABC’s "World News with Diane Sawyer." “But I think what's important is the, the fundamentals of what this race is about haven't changed. You know, Governor Romney went to a lotta trouble to try to hide what his positions are.”
Obama said he intended to “move on” from last week’s debate. The candidate’s will meet again next Tuesday.
“You know, one thing, you know maybe this is because I played a lotta sports when I was a kid, and still do,” Obama continued. “If you have a bad game, you just move on. You look forward to the next one. And it makes you that much more determined. The difference between this and sports is that the stakes are so high.”
“Tonight we heard from President Obama that he believed he had a ‘bad night’ during the first debate, but in reality, he’s had a bad four years and the American people suffered because of it," Romney spokeswoman Amanda said in an e-mail.
"There is a clear choice in this election between two very different visions for our nation’s future. Governor Romney is offering real reforms for a real recovery, while President Obama will ensure four more years like the last four years. On Election Day, voters will stand with Mitt Romney and endorse his plan for a stronger middle class, which will create 12 million new jobs and deliver rising incomes for hardworking American families,” she added
The interview was the second Obama gave on Wednesday in which he conceded he had lost the debate to Romney. Earlier in the day, Obama said in a phone interview with the "Tom Joyner Morning Show” that he had been “too polite” in dealing with the GOP challenger.
The first debate between Obama and Romney has significantly shifted momentum in the race.
According to Gallup, 72 percent of viewers said Romney won the debate, compared to only 20 percent who said Obama. It was the biggest margin of victory Gallup has ever recorded.
Most polls released in the immediate aftermath showed Romney making significant gains, and he surpassed the president in the Real Clear Politics average of national polls for the first time this year on Tuesday.
Still, the race remains tight. Obama and Romney are tied at 48 percent among likely voters, according to Gallup’s daily tracking survey.
--This report was first posted at 5:51 p.m. and last updated at 8:34 p.m.
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