Harris admits Biden had ‘slow start’ to debate, tries to calm Democrats’ fears

WASHINGTON (AP) — Vice President Kamala Harris acknowledged that President Joe Biden had a “slow start” to his debate with Donald Trump on Thursday night but insisted he finished “strongly” in a performance that has sparked a brand new wave of concern inside her own party about whether Biden is fit to be their standard-bearer.

“It was a slow start. It’s obvious to everyone. I’m not going to debate it,” Harris said in an interview with CNN after the debate. “I’m talking about the November election. I’m talking about some of the most important choices in our lives together.”

Harris gave interviews to CNN and MSNBC amid growing panic amongst Democrats about Biden’s performance, raising lingering questions on whether the 81-year-old president should resign.

While acknowledging Biden’s uneven performance, Harris highlighted the substance of Trump’s remarks throughout the 90-minute debate, including his refusal to condemn the rioters who stormed the Capitol on January 6, 2021, in addition to his reluctance to firmly commit to accepting the outcomes of the November election.

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She added that the contrast between Biden and Trump ultimately comes down to Biden’s performance in office, not a single debate.

“I understand that you simply are having an hour and a half debate tonight. I’m talking about three and a half years of doing a job that was historic,” Harris said in a tense exchange with CNN anchor Anderson Cooper.

Harris continued: “The Joe Biden I work with every day is someone who, as I said, has operated in a way that has been about getting people in the Oval Office, Republicans and Democrats, to compromise in a way that is unusual these days.”

She ended her MSNBC interview by saying that “only one of the two people on the debate stage, only one of them has the support of their vice president. And let’s not forget that.”

Former Vice President Mike Pence declined to endorse Trump this 12 months. Trump has been pressuring Pence to agree to his plan to reverse his 2020 election defeat to Biden.