On CNN’s “AC360” on Friday, Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.) said that no one knows why President Joe Biden’s debate performance was so poor and that it’s “speculation” to think it was because of illness or if it could happen again, but that Biden was honest and people saw “the real President Joe Biden” during his speech in Detroit earlier in the day.
Discussing the Detroit speech, Lee said, “I think people are seeing the real President Joe Biden. He didn’t take the debate lightly. He was very clear about the issues and the difficulties of that debate. We know President Biden, and I’ve worked with him for many years, and he’s known for making gaffes. But look at who he is and what he’s accomplished: 15 million jobs, a $35 insulin cap, negotiating prescription drugs, the economy, starting to bring down inflation. And he’s fought every day for ordinary people, working men and women, people of color. So it’s not about what he’s accomplished or what he’s brought about, it’s about the roadmap for the future, and what he’s accomplished is an indicator of what he’s going to do.”
“I’ve spoken to some pretty big donors over the last few days, and they’re all obviously supportive of President Biden, but they have deep concerns,” host Anderson Cooper asked. “It’s clear what went wrong in the debate, but we’re not sure why it went wrong. Jet lag is a factor. The Biden campaign says he had a cold and just wasn’t feeling well. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) has suggested that this was a one-off or a symptom of the situation, and whether it could happen again, if there was another debate a month or two before the election.”
Lee responded, “Nobody knows why. It’s speculation. … It’s important that people understand what happened and it’s important that he was honest, and I believe he was honest.”
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