Harris defends Biden debate performance in testy interview with Anderson Cooper

Vice President Harris defended President Biden’s debate performance during an occasionally tense CNN interview Thursday, when even Biden’s running mate had to concede he had a “slow start” during his showdown with former President Trump.

“What we saw tonight is the president making a very clear contrast with Donald Trump on all the issues that matter to the American people,” Harris said in an interview with CNN’s Anderson Cooper. “Yes, there was a slow start, but it was a strong finish. And what became very clear through the course of the night is that Joe Biden is fighting on behalf of the American people. On substance on policy on performance, Joe Biden is extraordinarily strong.”

Cooper balked at Harris’s last line in the wake of Biden’s debate performance. The president’s voice was often raspy, which the White House later attributed to a cold, and he at times lost his train of thought or struggled to make his point clearly.

Cooper noted members of Congress said following the debate they were worried about Biden’s performance.

“People can debate on style points, but ultimately this election and who is the president of the United States has to be about substance. And the contrast is clear,” Harris said. 

She cited Trump equivocating over whether he would accept the 2024 election results and his flip-flopping on abortion in the wake of the end of Roe v. Wade.

But again, Cooper pushed back, asking Harris if Biden appeared to be the same candidate on Thursday’s stage that he was during their 2020 Democratic primary debates, or the same person she sees in meetings each day.

“Can you say that you are not concerned at all having watched the president’s performance tonight?” Cooper asked.

“It was a slow start; that’s obvious to everyone. I’m not going to debate that point,” Harris responded. “I’m talking about the choice in November. I’m talking about one of the most important elections in our collective lifetime.”

She argued Biden has been a successful president, able to broker bipartisan deals with lawmakers on infrastructure and other areas and has a track record of more than three years to point to rather than a 90-minute debate.

Biden’s performance has largely been panned by Democrats, some of whom have acknowledged it will stoke conversations about whether he should be replaced atop the Democratic ticket before August’s convention.

“The chatter is very distracting, and it’s going to be very consuming for the campaign,” former Biden press secretary Jen Psaki said on MSNBC. “Should he be replaced? They’re going to be answering that question instead of breaking through on attacking Trump.”