Ron Klain, the former chief of staff to President Biden, said the president will have a “better second debate” as the incumbent continues to deal with the fallout from his first faceoff with Republican opponent Donald Trump.
“Sometimes presidents have bad debates. And I promise you he’ll have a better second debate,” he said Friday on “Morning Joe.”
Both presidential campaigns have committed to at least one more debate ahead of the election in November. The next debate will be Sept. 10 and hosted by ABC.
Biden’s last debate appearance launched the Democratic Party into chaos over its nominee pick, leading several legislators and party stalwarts to call for the president to step aside.
Klain, who was part of the team that prepared Biden for his weeklong practice session at Camp David, attributed the performance to exhaustion and a cold — a similar tact taken by White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre.
“He was tired from all the back-and-forth travel around the world and was suffering from a cold that really constrained his voice and constrained his ability to be forceful in the debate,” Klain explained.
“The press conference last night was much more typical, as what we saw in the debate preparations,” he added, referencing Biden’s press conference Thursday night at the close of the NATO summit.
During the press conference, Biden mistakenly referred to Vice President Harris, “Vice President Trump.”
Klain has stood by the president’s candidacy and advised fellow Democrats “to end the freak out” in a post made to social platform X hours before his “Morning Joe” appearance. He also linked a new NPR poll, showing Biden ahead by 2 points, within the margin of error, against Trump.
“It’s time for Democrats to stop agonizing and start mobilizing. We’re on the verge of the Republican convention. It’s a time for us to come together as a party, unite behind our nominee and proceed to, you know, get ready for the fall election,” he reiterated on the program.