Top Harris official pressed to explain Biden's speech getting moved to late night, if it was ‘disrespectful’
NBC News' Kristen Welker questioned Quentin Fulks, Vice President Harris' deputy campaign manager, on why President Biden's speech was pushed back on Monday night, as he dismissed criticism that it was "disrespectful" to the president.
"Was that a mistake, what happened?" Welker asked.
Biden, originally scheduled to speak at 10:30 p.m. (ET), started his speech roughly an hour behind schedule and finished his remarks after midnight on the East Coast.
Defending day one, Fulks said, "I don’t think it was a mistake."
He added, "Look, I think that the team here on the ground in Chicago has worked tirelessly to put this convention together. It was night one, and I think any time you're bringing an event like this, and building something with this many people, there are bound to be some things that go a little awry."
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Fulks said that the "team has taken that back," and said night two's programming would be "flawless."
"What does that mean? Will there be adjustments? Because, obviously, we know a couple of speeches got cut. Last night, a video, at least one got cut. Did you have to make adjustments for night two?" Welker followed up.
Fulks said they planned to keep the program running smoothly, adding, "I really don’t think it’s a big deal. Unfortunately, some people had to be cut, but I think tonight again we’re going to see some flawless programming."
Welker also asked Fulks about a comment from a Biden aide who said it was "disrespectful."
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"This is awful," a longtime Biden aide texted Axios. "He literally set up a campaign and handed it over to them. Do they have to cut him out of prime