Kamala Harris dropped out of the Democrat race for president today and rival Joe Biden looked visably stunned.

After an event in Mason City, Iowa today, members of the media peppered Biden for a reaction to the breaking news.

Huddling with an aide, a shocked Biden seemed to be gathering his response in real time.

After taking a barrage of questions, Biden threw up his hands as if he didn’t know what to say, stepped forward and answered, “My reaction is she is a first-rate intellect, a first-rate candidate, and um, uh, a real competitor.

“I have mixed emotions about it,” he added.

Biden wouldn’t answer if he would still consider Harris for vice president.

Politico reports:

Harris told aides of her intentions in an all-staff call. A person familiar with the call said she sounded distraught. While Harris had qualified for the December debate in her home state, she was running dangerously low on cash — lacking the resources to air TV ads in Iowa — and her staff was gripped by long-running internal turmoil.

“A Harris campaign aide said the expected impeachment trial in January further complicated the situation,” according to the news site.