In the moments after the presidential debate, Democratic surrogates — including U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock, U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett of Texas, and California Gov. Gavin Newsom — used their time in the spin room to shift focus to the president’s policies rather than his performance.
Even Vice President Kamala Harris called Biden’s debate performance a ‘slow start,’ emphasizing that his debate performance shouldn’t overshadow his record in office.
“What we saw tonight was the president making a very clear contrast,” she told CNN, adding: “people can debate on style points but ultimately this election and who is the president has to be about substance.”
On the spin room floor, Democratic surrogates repeatedly avoided questions from the press about whether they thought Biden should step aside and let someone else run. Instead, they emphasized that policy is the most significant factor distinguishing Biden from Trump.
“I think you all are talking about style,” Warnock said. “The people I’m talking to in the state of Georgia, they’re not focused on style. They’re thinking about their families. They’re thinking about whether or not they can afford childcare so they can get to work.”
In contrast, Republican surrogates each addressed reporters individually, calling Biden’s performance embarrassing and expressing concern for his mental health.
“(Democrats) are in a really tough spot,” said U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida. “If you just watched your nominee disintegrate for 90 minutes on stage like the Democrats had to watch, there’s got to be a lot of (concern).”
U.S. Sen. Linsdey Graham of South Carolina, who said he has known Biden for decades, said the Democrat’s performance was concerning.
“We’ve had our political differences,” Graham said. “But this is not good. It’s not good for the country. Now, President Trump, in my view, demonstrated the capability of being present. The vigor that goes with the job and the ability to come up with a strategy to make us safe.”
Newsom balked when asked if he thinks Biden should step aside as the nominee.
“I do not know one Democrat that would do that,” Newsom said.
Warnock said that he is much better under Biden than he was when Trump was in office, saying he forgot “how much Trump lies.”
“(Trump) has spent his whole life thinking about himself and nobody else,” Warnock said. “And nowadays, because he is under such a vast criminal cloud, he is obsessed with himself. He’s not simply running for the White House, he’s running from the jailhouse.”
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