Local reaction to President Biden's debate performance shows unwavering support

WILMINGTON, Del. - Delaware’s junior Senator Chris Coons is offering a strong defense of President Biden’s debate performance Thursday night in Atlanta.

In his Delaware office, Senator Coons recalled the good times on the road with candidate Joe Biden. Thursday night’s debate was not one of them.

FOX 29’s Jeff Cole asked Coons, "What happened last night? The optics, Senator, they have to be horrible for the Democratic Party. He looked like a failing, older man."

Senator Coons said, "If you look at both, look at Donald Trump, just the river of lies, uncorrected, unaddressed, lies he put forward about everything from January 6th to his actual record."

Donald Trump spoke more "forcefully" admits Coons, a strong Biden supporter, whose office walls are lined with his campaign posters. Cole asked Coons, "It’s not good, is it, that you know competent Joe Biden, but the public doesn’t? If they saw a man faltering and struggling, isn’t that a problem for the Democratic Party?"

Coons replied, "What we need is the same Joe Biden who gave a forceful, strong speech on the beaches at Normandy."

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The pair did exchange aggressively in the 90-minute debate. Biden, speaking of his son Beau, who died of cancer, possibly linked to his military service, said, "My son was not a sucker and a loser. You are the sucker and loser!" Trump criticized Biden, suggesting America is becoming "a third world nation."

But Biden struggled early with a raspy voice and a failure to complete thoughts. Cole asked, "What do you say to those who saw a confused, addled, older gentleman, well intended, but couldn’t make cogent points?" 

Coons said, "That’s not the Joe Biden I know that I work with every day."

Coons said early polling he’s seen show Biden’s support holding. But will it last?

Cole asked, "Is there an effort to convince Joe Biden to step away from the nomination?"

Coons said, "No!"

Cole asked, "Should there be, based on what we saw last night?"

Coons answered, "I think the president needs to show people that he had a bad night."