Biden told worried Democratic governors he needed more sleep, sources say

President Joe Biden told Democratic governors at a White House meeting Wednesday that he needs more rest and that to get more sleep he wants to stop scheduling events after 8 p.m., according to a person in the room and two others briefed on the discussion.

The meeting with governors was aimed at allaying concerns about the president’s age and mental health.

During the meeting, the 81-year-old president responded to a question from Hawaii Gov. Josh Green about his health by saying he was fine, but added, “it’s just my brain,” according to a person in the room and another familiar with the discussion.

Both people said they took the comment, first reported by The New York Times, as a joke.

In a statement to ABC News, Biden campaign manager Jen O’Malley Dillon, who was in the room during the conversation, said: “He was clearly making a joke and then said ‘joking aside.'”

The White House declined to comment.

As ABC News also reported, Biden told governors that he had undergone a physical after the 9 p.m. debate last week and was in good health, according to two people with direct knowledge of the conversation during the meeting.

After telling reporters Wednesday that the president had not undergone a medical examination since suffering from a common cold at the time of the debate, the White House acknowledged Thursday that President Biden had been seen by his doctor several days later.

According to White House deputy press secretary Andrew Bates, “Several days later, the president was seen to check for his cold and was recovering well.”

Moreover, some Democrats who wanted the president to engage in conversations with governors and lawmakers worry that comments like these from his discussions will not help the party turn the page and could only make the situation worse.

Biden will travel to Wisconsin on Friday for a campaign rally and a crucial first television interview since the debate with ABC’s George Stephanopoulos.

The first excerpts will air on “World News Tonight” and then the interview will air in its entirety in an ABC primetime special Friday night at 8 p.m. ET.

Watch: ABC News anchor George Stephanopoulos’ first exclusive post-debate television interview with President Joe Biden airs in its entirety in an ABC News primetime special on Friday, July 5, at 8 p.m. ET.