Top Harris official pressed to explain Biden's speech getting moved to late night, if it was ‘disrespectful’
Quentin Fulks promised that the DNC's programming for night two would be 'flawless'
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}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.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}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."
Harris Deputy Campaign manager Quentin Fulks was pressed by NBC's Kristen Welker on Tuesday about why President Biden's speech was pushed. (Screenshot/NBC)
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}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."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Welker also asked Fulks about a comment from a Biden aide who said it was "disrespectful."
President Joe Biden speaks during the Democratic National Convention Monday, Aug. 19, 2024, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)
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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 time?"
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Welker asked him to respond to those who thought it was disrespectful.
"I hate acknowledging things like that, I don’t think anybody was making any attempt to cut the president out. I think what we saw in the room last night here in Chicago, during this convention, was nothing but love and respect for President Biden," Fulks responded.
In a statement to Fox News, convention officials attributed the delay to the energy of the audience throughout the night.
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"Because of the raucous applause interrupting speaker after speaker, we ultimately skipped elements of our program to ensure we could get to President Biden as quickly as possible so that he could speak directly to the American people," convention officials said in a statement obtained by Axios. "We are proud of the electric atmosphere in our convention hall and proud that our convention is showcasing the broad and diverse coalition behind the Harris-Walz ticket throughout the week on and off stage."
Fox News' Danielle Wallace contributed to this report.