Harris dodges the question about Biden's departure, claiming she was honest about his mental capacity

WASHINGTON (TNND) — Vice President Kamala Harris said Tuesday that she had been completely open about President Joe Biden's mental capacity but dodged a question about his decision to drop out of the presidential campaign.

That comment, made during an appearance on NBC News, touched on the president's disastrous performance in the debate against former President Donald Trump in June. Harris said she saw no evidence that Biden showed signs of cognitive decline before or after the debate.

“Joe Biden is by all accounts a highly accomplished, experienced and capable man that everyone would want as president,” Harris said.

“You've never seen anything like what happened to him behind closed doors on debate night?” asked NBC reporter Hallie Jackson.

“It was a bad debate,” Harris replied. “People have bad debates.”

“But that's why you're here and he's not running for the top spot,” Jackson replied.

“Well, you'd have to ask him if that's the only reason for it,” Harris said.

Harris then appeared to get into trouble when asked to explain why she became the Democratic nominee instead of Biden.

“I’m running for president of the United States,” Harris said. “Joe Biden is not that. And my presidency will be about bringing a new generation of leadership to America focused on the work we must do to invest in the ambitions and aspirations of the American people.”

Jackson then pressed Harris, asking if Americans could trust her “even though it might be uncomfortable.”

“It sounds like you're saying you feel like you've never seen anything like this from President Biden,” Jackson said.

“I have worked with Joe Biden for hours over these four years, whether in the Situation Room or in the Oval Office,” Harris said.

“I speak not only with sincerity, but also with a real, first-hand account of watching him do this work,” Harris added. “I don’t hesitate to say that. No, of course not.

Honesty has become a key issue for critics of the Harris campaign. Harris' running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, told Fox News earlier this month that he believes voters don't care about his history of telling falsehoods, such as claiming he was a witness Tiananmen Square massacre in China.

“Look, I speak passionately,” he said. “I will admit when I speak wrong, I will admit when I make a mistake, let’s be clear about that.”

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