Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and former House Majority Whip Rep. James Clyburn, D-S.C., defended President Biden during television appearances on Sunday, stating he should continue his campaign despite subdued debate performance.
Pelosi suggested that Biden’s challenges during the debate were primarily caused by former President Trump’s on-stage “lies,” whereas Clyburn attributed Biden’s lacklustre performance to “preparation overload.”
Pelosi stood by Biden during her appearance on CNN’s “State of the Union” on Sunday, stressing that she sees firsthand how the president is deeply engaged with important issues. She firmly rejected any notion that Biden should be replaced on the Democratic ticket, even in light of concerns about his performance during the debate and his capability to serve a second term.
“It was a bad night. Let’s not sugarcoat that. It was a bad night. It was a great presidency,” she said during the interview.
Clyburn, who served as the House assistant Democratic leader until last year, dismissed Biden’s poor debate performance during his interview with Bash. He expressed complete confidence that Biden can defeat Trump in November and effectively lead as the President for another four years.
“I do not believe that Joe Biden has a problem leading for the next four years, because he’s done a great job of leading for the past three years,” he said. “Joe Biden should continue to run on his record.”
In an interview with MSNBC, Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-Texas) pointed the general election as a choice between good and evil and said “there is no better man” than the incumbent president.
“I don’t really care if he was off for 90 minutes and didn’t put on like people wanted him to put on. The reality is that he is 50,000 times better than Trump, and Republicans will not leave Trump, and he has 34 felony convictions, and still got over 50 pending,” Crockett said.
Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.) emphasized on Sunday that President Biden should “absolutely not” drop out of the presidential race.
“Absolutely not,” Warnock stated on NBC’s “Meet the Press” in response to whether Biden should consider dropping out. Drawing from his experience as a pastor, Warnock added, “I can tell you that there have been more than a few Sundays when I wish I had preached a better sermon.”
Biden has not signaled any intention to step aside, but he retains the option to withdraw before the formal nomination at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago in August.
At 81 years old, Biden is the oldest president in American history.
Biden and Trump are scheduled for a second debate on Sept. 10, though it is unclear whether both candidates will follow through.
