Jill Biden took offense to one of CNN anchor Jake Tapper's questions during their recent sit-down interview.
She was happy to talk about President Trump's temper and what she termed his "chaos," but when Tapper approached the topic of Biden's string of campaign gaffes, Mrs. Biden shut him down. Tapper recalled that Biden has "lost his cool" a few times over the past several years in politics, but Mrs. Biden laughed and said she "doesn't recall that."
But, Tapper pursued, "your husband has been known to make the occasional gaffe."
Biden's most recent gaffes include misreading the teleprompter to say that he got to the Senate "180 years ago," and that "200 million people" have died from COVID-19. He meant 48 years ago and 200,000 people.
"You can't even go there," Mrs. Biden said of Tapper's assertion. "After Donald Trump, you cannot even say the word gaffe."
Q: "Your husband has been known to make the occasional gaffe"
— The Hill (@thehill) September 27, 2020
Jill Biden: "You can't even go there. After Donald Trump, you cannot even say the word gaffe."
Q: "I can't even say the word gaffe?"
JB: "Nope. Done. It's gone."
Q: "The gaffe issue is over?"
JB: "Over. So over." pic.twitter.com/NV8bAs7TP9
"He's strong and resilient," she insisted. "He has that steadiness, that calm, empathy. Things that people are looking for right now."
She says that Trump's questions about Biden's readiness are just "distractions."
But the issue is not "gone" for many voters. In fact, Tapper's question was pretty fair in many people's eyes, considering the job that Biden is running for. Even his fellow Democrats have questioned whether he has the energy to see this contest through, let alone actually being president.
"I just think Biden is declining," former Democratic presidential candidate Rep. Tim Ryan (OH) said over the summer. "I don't think he has the energy. You see it almost daily."
Ryan added that Biden just doesn't have the "clarity" the Democratic nominee needs as we head into the presidential debates. Trump and Biden will square off on stage Tuesday night in Cleveland, Ohio.
Tuesday night will be a good indication of whether or not Biden really does have a cool head.