ATLANTA — The head of the Democratic National Committee is trying to ease the concerns of party operatives and lawmakers rattled by President Joe Biden‘s opening 2024 debate performance.

Chairman Jaime Harrison downplayed the rank-and-file reaction to Biden’s debate Thursday night, conceding it “started off a little slow” but remaining adamant that it “ended strong.” In the early minutes, Democrats openly panicked as a sluggish Biden repeatedly corrected himself and, at one point, struggled to finish his answer on healthcare.