Following the Thursday night presidential debate that left Republicans and Democrats alike wondering if President Joe Biden is fit for another term in office, Vice President Kamala Harris faced a room of 100 people in Park City Friday afternoon at a fundraiser for the administration’s reelection campaign.

While reporters were confined to a mud room in the house for all but about 25 minutes of the event while Harris and second gentleman Douglas Emhoff spoke, a worker at the fundraiser said conversations throughout the home were full of mentions of the debate, a sore topic for the Biden campaign.

Following a similar set of talking points as she used Thursday evening at a rally in Las Vegas, Harris addressed Biden’s performance and framed it not as more of a momentary lapse than confirmation the president’s cognitive skills have lapsed, an idea that’s made its way from prominent Republican pundits to the editors of The New York Times.

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“Look, here’s the thing,” Harris said. “The president said that this was not his finest moment in terms of the debate. He is a great and intelligent and profound thinker.” 

She added that he finished the debate much stronger than he started, and she turned the focus to his opponent, former President Donald Trump and what the United States will look like if he is elected. She said supporters should consider what is at risk.

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“The stakes in terms of our democracy, the stakes in terms of our collective right, the promise of America which includes a belief in its ideals and foundational principals. The principles of freedom and liberty, equality,” she said. “All of that remains at stake because, believe you me, if you haven’t seen it there is a full-on intent to assault and attack hard-fought, hard-won fundamental freedoms.”

As she spoke, attendees occasionally offered a “that’s right” and similar assents. Harris broke the election down to a decision between a candidate with a record of success and one who’s interested in taking unchecked power.

“The contrast could not be more stark,” Harris said. “On the one side of the ledger, you’ve got an individual and a former president who unapologetically talks about his admiration for dictators, how he intends to be a dictator on day one, how he intends to weaponize the Department of Justice against local enemies, how he’s proud of what he has done to attack fundamental freedoms, including the freedom of a woman to make decisions about her own body.”

The end of her statement was drowned in a wave of applause.

“On the other side of the ledger, we have in our President Joe Biden someone who from day one has been committed to uplifting the condition of the American people, strengthening our economy, seeking with ambition to achieve our highest ideals.”

She championed the administration’s successes in funding infrastructure improvements, reducing the cost of medication and investing in clean energy.

The problem with the list of accomplishments, she said, is it’s so lengthy it reads like a CVS receipt.

“We know what we stand for, and therefore we know what we are fighting for,” she said. 

For at least some attendees, her words struck the chord they wanted to hear after watching the debate the previous night.

“I came here a little distraught from last night’s performance, but I have to say I have renewed hope,” said Lisa Gray. “She was amazing, and this is our future, and the alternative to me is unspeakable.”

Gray added that the event had been a reminder of the core values she feels Americans are fighting for.

“As women, as people in the audience who are LGBTQ, just the humanity,” she said. “There’s bigger things at stake.”

Alex Shapiro, the executive director of the United Jewish Federation of Utah, said he had been grateful to speak with Harris’ husband, who is not only the country’s first second gentleman but also the first Jewish spouse of any vice president. 

“We had a couple of rabbis here, a legislator and a few other selected folks who spent 45 minutes with him,” Shapiro said. “To that I was grateful, as was the group, with the opportunity to speak personally and directly with them and to ask questions.”

Shapiro said the group “wanted affirmation of the administration’s commitment to educating, talking about this.”

He mentioned how in May of last year, the Biden administration released the nation’s first strategy for battling antisemitism, and he said education about discrimination against Jewish people and beliefs has become especially vital since Oct. 7, 2023, when Palestinian militant group Hamas attacked Israelis on their soil. The attack sparked an ongoing conflict that has killed 35,000 Palestinians and 1,500 Israelis.

As many criticize the casualty rates and the nation of Israel’s response, acts of antisemitism in the United States and Utah have increased. 

“Underneath his big title, he’s a regular member of the Jewish community, and he’s exhausted, as I am and as we are, about this daily challenge,” Shapiro said. 

Shapiro said he was satisfied with the conversation they had had.

“We’re going to win,” Harris said during her speech. “We love our country, and we are prepared to fight.”

A little after 5:30 they left.