In a new interview, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton praised President Joe Biden for stepping down as Democratic nominee after a “disastrous” debate performance in June. Speaking to BBC Radio 4’s Today program, the former 2016 Democratic presidential nominee said she did not think Biden should have stepped down earlier than he did. “I was with him a week before that disastrous debate, and I saw no reason why he should have stepped down. But once that debate happened, he could not recover. And he did the right thing. It was a selfless, patriotic act for him to step down and endorse his vice president.” Since taking the position on the top of the ticket, Clinton said Harris has “performed flawlessly” in the race so far, but acknowledged that polling shows her neck-and-neck with her Republican rival. The Clintons were quick to endorse Biden’s vice president, Kamala Harris, shortly after he announced he would suspend his campaign. One day before his fateful decision, CNN reported they were still encouraging donors to back the incumbent president and remained “deferential to Biden’s decision.”