By Jerald Jimenez
02 Jul 2024, 12:01 PM EDT
Former White House press secretary Jen Psaki argued that Joe Biden’s performance during the first presidential debate with Donald Trump was not due to inadequate preparation. Her statement comes in response to claims that the president was “overworked.”
Speaking on her MSNBC show, the former spokeswoman called criticism of political adviser Ron Klain and senior adviser Anita Dunn “absurd” for allegedly “messing things up” during the week-long rehearsal at Camp David: “It was a bad debate. I have no doubt that they were tough, strategic and direct (believe me, I’ve seen them in action),” Psaki said.
However, Psaki reiterated that “Biden was wrong,” though she argued that if anger is directed at the preparations, then the right things are not being talked about. Rather than focusing on debate preparation, Psaki suggested that more important issues should be discussed about what happens next.
His comments came as sources told Politico that Klain, Dunn and her husband and Biden lawyer Bob Bauer could be fired over the president’s disastrous performance. Members of the president’s family reportedly said the trio overworked the Democratic incumbent in the days leading up to the election. They also suggested that his advisers’ recommendations prevented the president from taking the lead, leaving him vulnerable to harsh criticism over his age and lack of ability.
Despite Biden’s controversial performance and doubts about the continuity of his campaign, some prominent figures in the Democratic Party, such as Barack Obama, Hillary and Bill Clinton, have downplayed criticism of Biden, describing his performance in the debate as a “bad night.”
Meanwhile, Democratic Congresswoman and former Speaker of the House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi expressed her support for Joe Biden’s candidacy in an interview with CNN, and focused on the “lies” told by Donald Trump.
With information from New York Post / Politico