President Biden’s former chief of staff, Ron Klain, said the president will have a “better second debate” as the sitting president continues to deal with the aftermath of his first showdown with Republican opponent Donald Trump.
“Presidential debates are terrible sometimes, but I promise the second debate will be better,” he said. “Morning Joe” on Friday.
Both presidential campaigns have committed to at least one more debate before the November election, with the next one being hosted by ABC on September 10.
Biden’s appearance at the last debate caused confusion within the Democratic Party over the choice of nominee, leading to several lawmakers and party leaders calling for the president to step down.
Klain, who was part of the team that prepared Biden for his week of training at Camp David, blamed Biden’s performance on fatigue and a cold, a response echoed by White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre.
“He was exhausted from his travels around the world and had a cold that affected his voice and limited his ability to speak forcefully during the debate,” Crane explained.
“Last night’s press conference was much more typical of what we’ve seen in debate preparation,” he added, referring to Biden’s Thursday night news conference at the conclusion of the NATO summit.
During the press conference, Biden mistakenly referred to Vice President Harris as “President Trump.”
Klain stood firm in his presidential candidacy, advising Democrats to “stop panicking.” Post to social platform X “I’m not going to lie,” he said just hours before appearing on “Morning Joe,” and also linked to a new NPR poll showing Biden with a 2-point lead over Trump, within the margin of error.
“It’s time for Democrats to stop agonizing and start mobilizing. The Republican Convention is just around the corner. It’s time to come together as a party, get behind our candidates and get ready for the election this fall,” he reiterated on the show.
