Joe Biden. Image: YouTube

Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden has suffered yet another embarrassing television performance. Biden spoke via videoconference with Steve Irvin, an anchor at network affiliate ABC15 in Phoenix, AZ yesterday.

Already, links to the full interview are returning "404: page not found" notices. ABC15's YouTube page does not feature the interview on its home page, which is odd, given the exclusive nature of a local station interviewing a presidential candidate 15 weeks prior to the election. At the time of writing, the "raw interview" is still available on ABC15's page if you search for it.

Here it is, just under ten minutes long:

The interview starts simply enough with a question about reopening schools. Biden claims to support reopening, then explains a number of caveats that sound an awful lot like chaos. This, despite not a single instance of a case showing transmission of COVID-19 from student to teacher.

Defunding police came up next. Biden claims to be against defunding police, and says that President Trump's budget cuts funding to police by "almost half a billion dollars, I think it's four hun--$47 million dollars". (sic)

Biden claims his plan increases funding for police by $300 million, but those funds are for "community policing".

"And look, yeah, you know, we, we, we, we, we have to, this ha--this has to call to action to finally confront and end the racial injustices are prevalent in this country and far, and far, and far too long."

Sounds like getting arrested for drug use is a pretty good path to a new and better life in Biden's America. Pell grants and housing? What a country!

"I'm gonna invest in shifting our criminal focus from incarceration to prevention, ending cash bail, ensuring that one who is incarcerated for drug use alone shouldn't go in to be incarcerated, they should be going into mandatory rehabilitation. Drug courts. And we should--and much more--they should be eligible when they, when they get out for for reentry into society, from everything from Pell grants to housing. I'm gonna fight to end--you know, look. There's an awful lot. There's an awful lot's going on. We have to expand Obamacare, for example."

To pay for his plans, Biden says capital gains should be taxed at the same rate as income. Trump's tax cuts? Gone. Corporate tax rate from 21% to 28%. Sanctions for tax avoidance (read: IRS crackdown).

As for coronavirus in Arizona, Biden took a fumbling, bumbling swipe at the current governor, Republican Doug Ducey.

"And so I imagine, I don't know, I'm not saying I know what the governor's thinking, but he's not thinking very clearly if he continues to think he can have wide open, wide open, the, the, the state. And what do you have, you have, uh, 145,277 positive cases and two hundred, uh, two-two thousand seven hundred ninety-five deaths in Arizona."

"Two-two thousand"? Biden's innumeracy is truly an opening for Trump if Biden's handlers ever allow him to debate the president. We saw evidence in the interview of how short the candidate's leash is. The conclusion of the interview was abrupt and awkward as Biden lost his cool and was cut off while ranting about Trump.

"And wearing a mask. Wearing a mask is now a political statement? This is more patriotic. Why do you wear the mask? So you don't make somebody else sick." Then Irvin tries to get a question in. "I want to ask--" But Biden interrups, ejaculating, "Sick! What's with this guy?!" The screen displaying Biden suddenly cuts to black with only the name of Biden's production director, "ARI KRUPKIN", visible. A woman's disembodied voice cuts in: "Steve, that's our time." A confused Irvin says, "OK. Alright, I appreciate your time, thanks so much to Mr. Vice President as well."

Awkward!

Clearly, Biden is watched like a hawk by his campaign team. In recent days, he has delivered prepared statements, only to refuse any questions. The tactic is not surprising. Under pressure, Biden becomes defensive and even physical, a trend that began many months ago.

Back to the basement, or sally forth? It's an ongoing, growing conundrum for Team Biden.