VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — As President Joe Biden's presidential re-election campaign faces political turmoil following his widely panned debate performance last week, Virginia U.S. Tim Kaine is sticking with him.
13News Now's Mike Gooding spoke with Kaine, a Democrat, while the senator was visiting Virginia Beach for a campaign event, hours before Biden's appearance on ABC News Friday night for the first interview since the debate.
Kaine himself was the vice presidential running mate of Hillary Clinton in the 2016 election, ultimately losing to Republican Donald Trump despite their campaign winning the popular vote.
"I don't think you can judge him on one debate nor judge him on one interview," Kaine told 13News Now. "So, say this interview [with ABC News] just goes fantastic, I think the way he's really going to convince people is being out on the trail doing what Joe Biden does best. He's not the politician that is the best at giving a speech before a hundred thousand people."
The Democratic senator's remarks come as Biden faces mounting pressure to drop out of the 2024 presidential election, a race shaping up to be a grueling rematch against former Republican President Donald Trump.
During the June 27 CNN presidential debate, Biden, 81, spoke with a raspy voice and appeared to lose his train of thought, prompting widespread concerns that the president is too old to serve another four years as president.
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Kaine said despite the debate not going well, the president's strong suit is interacting with everyday people and demonstrating empathy.
"And that is the kind of thing that I hope that the campaign will have him in more settings where he's able to do that," Kaine said.
Gooding asked Kaine, "as a guy who's been on the national ticket and knows what it takes," if he thinks Biden's age makes the job and campaigning more difficult.
"Donald Trump and Joe Biden are both a lot older than people are who generally are running for this office," Kaine said. "And it's grueling. There's a physical stamina thing, but at the end of the day, the real test of a president is their judgment, and that includes the judgment of those that they choose to be around them."
When Gooding asked if he was 100% behind Biden, Kaine replied: "If Joe Biden says, 'I can do this,' then I believe him, because he's never given me a reason not to believe him. And if Joe Biden concludes he can't, I think he is the kind of patriotic person who will take that George Washington move and say, 'It's time for someone else.'"
Since the CNN debate, Biden has vowed to continue his presidential campaign and many Democratic officials have reiterated their support for his re-election. However, according to an AP report, Biden acknowledged that his time is limited to reassure voters and his party that he's up for the job.
Biden's interview with ABC Anchor George Stephanopoulos will give him a chance to do that, even as cracks have begun to form within the Democratic Party ahead of the August national convention, where he will be formally nominated to represent his party in the general election.
A first look will air on "World News Tonight with David Muir" on Friday and the entire interview will air as a primetime special at 8/7c on ABC.