Joseph R. Biden’s running mate, Sen. Kamala D. Harris, and his campaign senior adviser have rejected calls from a slew of media personalities to cancel future presidential debates after Tuesday night’s explosive first face-off against President Trump.
CNN’s Jake Tapper asked Mrs. Harris, “Very simple question, after what went down this evening, do you think Joe Biden should participate in a second or third debate?”
The California senator responded, “Joe Biden’s never going to refuse to talk to the American people and have any opportunity that he can to speak directly to American families and speak about the issues, speak the truth, and address the facts of where we are now, but also address the hopes and dreams of the American family and where we could be, and Joe’s got a plan for dealing with those hopes and aspirations as well.”
“I do believe the American people benefited from a clear contrast from what they’ve got right now, but also what they can get,” she added.
Biden campaign senior adviser Symone Sanders echoed that sentiment, saying the Democratic nominee’s ability to look into the camera and speak directly to the American people is too valuable to give up.
During an interview with MSNBC’s Brian Williams, Ms. Sanders was asked to describe the scene backstage after the debate, which is being described as nothing short of a debacle.
Mr. Williams asked, “Did no one on the payroll say, ’I don’t know why we’re gonna do this again. All the norms were blown up tonight. Why bother with rules or moderators or time limits? Why are we doing any more of these?’ No one expressed that view?”
“Brian,” Ms. Sanders answered, “when Vice President Biden came off the debate stage tonight, we went back and then told him he did an excellent job. He broke through, speaking directly to the American people. And all Donald Trump did was sow chaos, and he lied.”
“Look, we’re going to come back and do this again in Miami,” she continued. “When you are running to be president of the United States and when you’re running to represent the people, you have to be accountable to them. And Joe Biden is going to show up, and he’s going to answer the people’s questions in Miami. He’s going to take questions from voters across the state of Florida about the most pressing issues facing them. Now, Donald Trump, we all know what he’s going to do. I hope he’s not going to belittle and berate voters in Florida, but you know what? You never know, Brian. But Joe Biden will be there to show you exactly what you can get post-November 3rd if folks go to the polls and elect him as the next president of the United States.”
• Jessica Chasmar can be reached at jchasmar@washingtontimes.com.
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