Former Biden Campaign Co-chair Pressed On Whether He Regrets Defending Former President's Fitness

Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del., was pressed Tuesday connected whether he regretted criticizing chap Democrats complete their reservations astir erstwhile President Joe Biden pursuing his disastrous 2024 statement performance.

CNN anchor John Berman cited authors Jonathan Allen and Amie Parnes' reporting successful their book astir nan statesmanlike run that Coons knew Biden's statement capacity was bad, but still chose to impeach his Democratic colleagues of "bed-wetting" arsenic they expressed concerns complete nan erstwhile president.

"Now, location are immoderate group who've written connected this, including Jim Geraghty successful nan National Review, who say, if you felt that way, possibly you shouldn't person criticized Democrats for their reservations astir President Biden astatine nan time. Do you wish you had done things otherwise astatine this point?" Berman asked Coons.

"Obviously, if I had immoderate thought that President Biden was going to execute arsenic poorly arsenic he did astatine that debate, I would person been advising him otherwise and advocating differently. That statement capacity was nan first clip I saw thing for illustration that retired of President Biden," Coons responded.

TOP BIDEN ALLY ‘GETTING A LITTLE TIRED OF RELENTLESS FOCUS' ON BIDEN'S AGE, HITS BACK AT QUESTIONS

"He had been and was a beardown and tin president, and he still had beardown nationalist performances, interviews, and conscionable nan adjacent time went to North Carolina and said forcefully astatine a rally, but I was shocked. I was genuinely amazed by that capacity that evening and was wrestling pinch what it meant for our way forward," he told Berman. 

Allen and Parnes wrote that Coons received respective texts from his colleagues that pointed retired nan capacity by Biden was "terrible," and that he was expected to reply for nan president.

An excerpt from nan book read: "Now, jet-lagged, he recovered himself thrust into nan different position of protecting Biden from Democratic senators. He knew, arsenic Biden’s feline successful their chamber, he could springiness nary ground. If he did, it would only provender nan frenzy. He changeable backmost texts accusing his colleagues of bed-wetting, telling them to put their big-kid pants connected and asking what was incorrect pinch them that they would truthful easy spell faithless connected nan president."

Coons, according to nan book, acknowledged that he saw what his colleagues saw, and knew nan president "s--- nan bed" successful nan debate. 

'BIDEN EFFECT' HITS THE SENATE: WAVE OF RETIREMENTS CLEARS PATH FOR YOUNGER DEMS

The Democratic legislator regularly defended Biden erstwhile pressed connected concerns astir nan president's property and fittingness passim nan campaign. 

In an question and reply connected Fox News' "The Story" anterior to nan statement successful early June, Coons dismissed reporting from The Wall Street Journal that cited lawmakers who felt nan erstwhile president was showing signs of decline.

"I deliberation they sewage this incorrect because they didn't usage quotes from those of america who service pinch President Biden, who cognize him, who person had nan opportunity up-close-and-personal successful meetings successful nan White House aliases successful events publically aliases privately, to springiness affirmation that he is sharp, he is engaged, and he is commanding," he said. 

CLICK HERE FOR MORE COVERAGE OF MEDIA AND CULTURE

After nan statement – arsenic Democrats and respective media voices, including The New York Times editorial board, called connected Biden to driblet retired of nan title – Coons said to CNN connected July 1 and demanded anyone who believed calling connected Biden to driblet retired was nan champion measurement guardant needed to "refocus."