White House pressed on whether Biden is helping Harris with Trump debate prep

The White House did not answer directly when asked an unusual question — whether Vice President Kamala Harris is getting debate advice from President Joe Biden .

"The president was the last person to face Donald Trump on the debate stage," a reporter said during Tuesday's news briefing. "Vice President Harris will be doing so in a week. Has President Biden shared any pointers or advice with the VP?"

Press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Harris and Biden are close without getting into specifics.

"They were together yesterday. They were shoulder to shoulder," she said. "The president said this: The best choice he has ever made is to pick the vice president as his running mate."

But it might be awkward for Biden to give Harris any advice on the debate. During this year's first presidential debate on June 27, Biden's disastrous performance ultimately ended his campaign and thrust Harris to the top of the Democratic ticket.

"He is certainly very proud of the vice president and has seen her as a critical partner over the last three-and-a-half years," Jean-Pierre added. "They talk regularly. They talk very much regularly. You saw them [together] yesterday, and they certainly stay in touch. I just don't have anything beyond that to share."

Harris is scheduled to debate Trump on Sept. 10 in Philadelphia, but their campaigns are still sparring over the particulars, specifically over whether microphones will be cut off between answers.

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Microphones were cut off after each candidate's response during the first debate at the behest of the Biden campaign, but Harris is now pushing to have them on for the duration of the second one.

Biden did well enough in his two 2020 debates against Trump to win the election, though he is now no longer a candidate. Harris last debated against former Vice President Mike Pence, during which she blasted him repeatedly with her signature "I'm speaking" line.