Warnock compares Biden debate to bad ‘sermon’ and rejects calls for president to resign

Georgia Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-GA) on Sunday defended President Joe Biden after his substandard debate performance last week, saying it reminded him of times when he wished he had given a "better sermon" to his church congregation.

"I'll tell you as a pastor, for me, it's church time. And I can tell you that there have been more than a few Sundays when I wish I had preached a better sermon. But after the sermon was over, it was my job to embody the message, to show up for the people that I serve," Warnock told NBC's Meet the Press on Sunday, adding Biden should "absolutely not" listen to calls from some allies to drop out of the 2024 presidential race.

When asked by host Kristen Welker whether Biden should take a cognitive test, noting his most recent physical exam glossed over that measure of his health, Warnock deflected to former President Donald Trump 's comments during the debate, accusing him of "lying every 90 seconds."

"That's not a talent we need leading the free world," Warnock said of Trump, adding he was "not a doctor" in response to her question about the cognitive exam.

Despite Welker citing numerous calls from Democratic allies for Biden to consider whether he should stay in the race following the poor debate performance, Warnock defended Biden's record on lowering prescription drug costs and his efforts to mitigate the burdens of student debt, despite continued setbacks for the president 's loan relief agenda being setback in court battles.

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"Joe Biden has demonstrated, not over 90 minutes but over the last four years, the character and the mettle of the man that he is. And he has demonstrated this both in his public service and in his personal life," Warnock said, adding that Biden should "absolutely not" step aside.

"His is a life of public service, baptized in sorrow, and it is why you feel his sense of care when you're with it," Warnock added.