Vice President Kamala Harris appeared on CNN Thursday night following the first 2024 presidential debate between Joe Biden and Donald Trump.
She sparred with anchor Anderson Cooper over Biden’s performance, which drew criticism for the president’s raspy voice and seemingly confused speech pattern.
This led many analysts to suggest that Democrats are nervous about the debate’s impact on the upcoming election, with whispers of potentially replacing Biden with another candidate.
“Yes, there was a slow start, but it was a strong finish,” Harris acknowledged on CNN.
When Cooper pressed her on the president’s “disappointing” performance, Harris dismissed its significance for the election.
“People can debate on style points, but ultimately this election and who will be the president of the United States is about substance,” she stated before criticizing Trump’s dishonesty.
Cooper argued that Biden failed to effectively counter Trump in the debate, to which Harris responded:
“Anderson, the point has to be performance in terms of what a president does.”
Cooper interjected:
“But that is what’s scary for people watching.”
A visibly frustrated Harris replied:
“I got the point you made about a one-and-a-half-hour debate tonight. I’m talking about three and a half years of performance in work that has been historic.”
She then passionately defended Biden’s record as president, adding:
“I’m not going to spend all night with you talking about the last 90 minutes when I’ve been watching the last three and a half years of performance.”
When asked if she could defend Biden’s debate performance, Harris admitted:
“It was a slow start, that’s obvious to everyone. I’m not going to debate that point. I’m talking about the choice in November.”
After outlining the stakes of the election, Cooper conceded:
“Neither person on that stage tonight made the argument as coherently as you just did.”
Cooper asked Harris what she would say to viewers concerned about Biden’s performance.
“They witnessed the fact that if Donald Trump were elected to be President of the United States this November, he will sign a national abortion ban,” she responded, clearly passionate about the election’s significance.
Later that night, Harris appeared on MSNBC for a shorter and more amicable interview with Rachel Maddow.
The questions focused on the election’s stakes and the abortion debate, without touching on concerns about Biden’s debate performance.
