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Vice President Kamala Harris claimed that President Joe Biden had a "slow start" and "strong finish," pushing back when asked by CNN's Anderson Cooper about reported "panic" among Democrats regarding his performance in the first presidential debate Thursday (June 27) night.
“It was a slow start, but it was a strong finish,” Harris said. “Joe Biden is extraordinarily strong.“
“People can debate on style points,” she added after being pressed by Cooper about Biden's performance and reported concerns among Democrats. “I got the point that you’re making about a one and a half hour debate tonight — I’m talking about three and a half years of performance and work that has been historic.”
Biden's performance reportedly led to "panic" among Democrats, according to longtime Democratic operative and CNN senior political commentator David Axelrod.
“He seemed a little disoriented. He did get stronger as the debate went on. But by that time, I think the panic had set in,” Axelrod said, adding that "there are going to be discussions about whether he should continue.”
Biden, 81, the oldest president in history, appeared opposite former President Donald Trump on the debate stage for the first time since the 2020 election and did little to quell concerns about his vigor and energy. The president appeared to struggle with his voice, clearing his throat and coughing multiple times, and was often seen open-mouthed and staring when Trump, 78, spoke, occasionally struggling to finish sentences.
“I think we did well,” Biden said when asked about his performance while visiting patrons at a Waffle House after the debate via CNN.
The president was also asked about potential calls for him to drop out of the presidential race and if he had any concerns regarding his debate performance, at which point he attacked Trump.
“No, it’s hard to debate a liar,” Biden said via CNN.
Famed polling expert Nate Silver of FiveThirtyEight predicted former President Trump as a heavy favorite over President Biden ahead of their first debate. Silver unveiled his quadrennial model Wednesday (June 26), which gave Trump a 65.7% chance of victory in the upcoming November 5 presidential election.
The prediction, which is based on 40,000 simulations run through the model, has Trump receiving 287 electoral votes -- with 270 needed to be elected -- though Biden was projected to win the popular vote by one-tenth of a percentage point.
Trump currently has a 0.1% edge over Biden in FiveThirtyEight's estimated average of national polls for the 2024 presidential election.