text:  The reaction among those closest to the president was to initiate immediate damage control. But even Biden's second in command couldn't escape acknowledging his poor debate performance while clashing with CNN's Anderson Cooper. It was a slow start. That's obvious to everyone. I'm not going to debate that point. Also coming to the president's immediate defense was his wife, First Lady Jill Biden, praising her husband's debate performance at a post-debate rally. Joe, you did such a great job. You answered every question. You knew all the questions.