'Not honest': CNN host calls out senator for writing off Biden's 'bad night' debate

A tense exchange unfolded Monday on CNN when a Democratic senator tried to dance around President Joe Biden's debate performance against presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump.

CNN host Jake Tapper showcased Biden's lowlights and grilled Delaware Sen. Chris Coons in response to two questionable moments when he squared off against the 45th president.

One showed Biden, 81, with a vacant stare, twisting Medicare with a COVID question. Another had him explain his path to a stronger border with a petering ending of "more border patrol" and "more asylum officers."

The latter was met by the swaggering 78-year-old MAGA leader who scored style points when he shot back: "I really don't think he said at the end of that sentence, and I don't think he knows what he said either."

"How do you explain the performance at the debate and moments like that," asked Tapper.

Coons, who serves as Biden's co-campaign chair responded in the defensive.

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"Well, Jake, you just took what was probably the most difficult moment to watch in the entire 90-minute debate," he said. "But you didn't share what I found the hardest moments to watch, which was when Donald Trump was unleashing a torrent of lies of invective of vengeance... Donald Trump gave no reasons for folks to vote for him and a lot of reasons for folks to vote against him."

Coons contended that Biden's showing was a blip in his sterling reputation as an everyman from Scranton, Pennsylvania.

"The next day, Joe Biden, our president, gave a forceful and clear and engaging speech on a campaign stage at a rally in North Carolina and he's had strong days ever since," he said. "Everybody has a bad night and I think that was a weak debate performance."

Coons then promised more proof of Biden would show in other "unscripted" engagements with voters and the press.

But Tapper forcefully hit back.

"So with all due respect it is not, it is not honest to say that this is just one night," he scolded Coons. "There have been moments like this that people have seen in front of the cameras – and other moments, with cameras not there."

Tapper brought up another Biden trip-up in an event two weeks ago about immigration, with video queued up for Coons that showed Biden experiencing "some sort of glitch" while attempting to introduce DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.

Biden also got into some puzzling gibberish after saying Mayorkas' name.

"I don't know what that was," Tapper said.

Coons said that Biden freezing mid-sentence "doesn't trouble me at all" and suggested the media focus on "more alarming" clips of Trump.

Watch the clip below or at this link.