 Let us not decide the outcome of who's going to be president of the United States based on a 90-minute debate. ABC News political contributor Steve Roberts. It wasn't just that he was coughing, and it wasn't just that he was raspy. When he did talk, he rambled and was unable to articulate, in many cases, even basic ideas. Nearly an hour into the debate, a Biden aide offered up an explanation for his hoarseness. He has a cold.