72 Hours Inside Biden’s Campaign to Save His Candidacy

from New York Times I'm Michael borro. this is the. daily for the past 3 days Joe Biden has. fought to save his re-election campaign. as panicked Congressional Democrats. returned to Washington and openly. debated whether to call on him to step. aside today my colleagues in Washington. go inside the seven 22 hours that could.

make or break Biden's. nomination it's Thursday July. 11th as the sun rose on Monday morning. President Biden's nomination was already. under out of the race CBS News learned. today at least four more top Democratic. congressmen are urging the president to.

step aside over the weekend despite. Biden's repeated claims that he would. not drop out of the race a handful of. senior house Democrats said that they. thought he needed to end his candidacy. during a conference call that quickly. leaked out Congressman Jerry Nadler told. his colleagues that it's time for a new. nominee ra one of them representative. Adam Smith the top Democrat on the house. armed services committee went public on. CNN then and joined a small but growing.

list of sitting Democratic lawmakers. saying publicly that Biden had to go. where are you on this issue what's your. message to President Biden and to your. fellow Democrats well look I think he. should step aside I think it's clear our. colleagues at the times were privately. talking with Congressional Democrats who. had stayed quiet and they told us that a. resounding number of those Democrats. wanted Biden out one of them estimated. that in all his communication with.

lawmakers and their AIDS it was about 9. to one against. Biden so Monday morning was supposed to. be a reset but it didn't offer much. relief it was a terrible night and I I I. really regret it happened age age wasn't. you know Biden went on a pretty. sympathetic TV show Morning Joe on MSNBC. but the questions were anything but. gentle have you been tested for any age.

related illnesses pre Parkinson's or. anything like that that might explain. sort of having a night like that where. you couldn't finish. sentences and his performance was pretty. wobbly and the folks out there in the. local uh you know race you know close. listeners could hear him shuffling. papers and seeming to read from notes. I'm not going to share people's names. from here uh but the president I can. tell you has seen a neurologist three.

times and at the White House there was. an ugly press conference in which. reporters and Biden's press secretary. argued over the disclosure of visits. from a doctor who specializes in. Parkinson's. disease very basic direct question wait. wait wait hold on hold on wait wait. which sparked a new round of negative. headlines hold on a second there's no. reason to get back and go back and forth. and be in this aggressive way myed. around here about information's been.

shared with the Press Court about him. what do you missed about what do you. miss everything he just asked about what. do you and then every time I come back. and I answer the question that you guys. asked it was not a good day for Joe. [Music]. Biden but this one thing becomes the. exception it's this letter to. Congressional Democrats that the. president sent just as they were. gathering at the capital for the first. time in weeks.

yeah the president sent this letter. specifically to tell them he is not. leaving the race and that they should. stop in effect speculating about it I. spoke to my colleague chief White House. correspondent Peter Baker shortly after. the letter came out on Monday this. letter says to them pay attention to. what I'm saying I'm not getting out I'm. in it to win get over it in effect he. writes quote the question of how to move. forward has been well aired for over a. week now and it's time for it to end we. have one job and that is to beat Donald.

Trump and that's the point right is he's. saying I've heard you and I'm not going. to get out so if you don't stop talking. about me getting out you're going to. make it harder for us to defeat Donald. Trump right he's saying in essence you. can't have this debate anymore because. this debate it undermines my chances. exactly and therefore I want you to shut. up this question is over knock it off. move on on and I think he's daring them.

he's daring his doubters and naysayers. to come after him or to shut up you want. to take me on take me on right that's. the old saying right if you're going to. shoot at the king you better not. miss so all eyes right now are on. Congressional Democrats to see where. they fall this week do the floodgates. open and they end up abandoning him in. large numbers or do they decide to give. up on that notion and that's the big. question right that may determine.

whether Joe Biden at the end of this. week is still the party. nominee is everyone cing the. wagon are. you hey this is Katie Edmonson it is. Tuesday Morning a little after 9:00 a.m. and like a few dozen other reporters I. am standing outside.

the national Democratic Club on a very. humid 90° Washington morning because. Democratic. lawmakers are meeting inside trying to. figure out whether President Biden has a. viable path forward to run for. reelection and there have been a number. of efforts to keep this meeting under. lock and key of course that's easier sit. than done when you have 200 plus people. in a. room among the those 200 people are some.

prominent black and Latino house. Democrats who Biden had spent the past. few days aggressively courting ahead of. this meeting and the theory is that if. they spoke up for Biden in this room it. would be harder for everyone else to. speak against. him we're seeing some members stream in. late into the meeting now and we will. all be anxiously waiting to hear what. they determined when they leave. [Music].

an hour Pass 2 hours pass getting texts. from one member says the meeting still. going four or five speakers so far no. consensus a small trickle of lawmakers. left the meeting early deflecting. questions from reporters as they walked. by and then finally there's a stream of. lawmakers the meeting is over do you. have any about the president to Wi no.

com some were tight lipped are a lot of. people expressing concerns about Biden. well let you know when I got something. for this consensus any consensus in the. room for those who did talk there was no. clear consensus congresswoman how was. the meeting this morning meeting's good. some praised the meeting wonderful. meeting are Democrats some did notman. can you just describe the mood in the. room amongst members this morning very. nice very nasty.

later some would paint the mood inside. the meeting as really Bleak but outside. many just stared grimly and silently. ahead as reporters peppered them with. questions are you still supporting the. president some rallied behind President. Biden mean you talk about his age I mean. 80 is a new 60 right I've always. supported the president I still support. the president and your position won't. change never no I I think this a. circular firing squad it's the stupidest. thing I've ever seen when instead of.

taking it to the criminal we're taking. it to the good guy it's. ridiculous Joe Biden is will be and. should be our nominee and if you would. give me space so I can call my staff and. please cease asking me. questions some of the Democrats held the. same views that they had before the. meeting like Congressman Lloyd doit the. first Democrat to come out and ask Biden. to step down as nominee he is a great.

man he's made a great contribution to. the country but he shouldn't leave a. legacy that U endangers us that we. surrender to a. tyrant others just backtracked. representative Jerry Nadler one of the. senior house Democrats who had come out. against Biden on that leaked conference. call started to basically reverse course. he is the person who's going to do it. he's going to be a nomin what changed. your mind then again remember only he. can withraw he's made it very clear that.

he won't and that's the end of. the what was was there more people. saying bid to step down or more people. saying you're riding with B you're rid. in and Congressman James kurn a key. black lawmaker who earlier in the week. seemed open to finding another nominee. rushed past reporters repeating you're. riding with bid is that the we are. riding with Biden you're riding with. Biden.

we. ring n times we riding the consensus for. from everyone in the roomone r in with B. do you support IDE. R but it seemed the only real consensus. was that there was no consensus in fact. one house Democrat coming out of the. meeting was asked if Democrats are all. on the same page and his response was. we're not even in the same book so for. right now we really do not see an answer.

emerging to the question that everyone. wants to know which is Will Democrats. stay United behind. [Music]. Biden a couple of hours later it was. Senate Democrats turn to talk about. Biden's future they convened for a. weekly lunch in and the space just. outside where they gathered was once.

again packed with reporters including. our own this is Annie Carney it's 12:54. on Tuesday I'm standing outside the. Senate lunch Annie Carney Katie Edmonson. and Robert Jimson all right so this is. Robert again we are on the Senate side. this is Katie Edinson it is just before. 2:30 in the capital and we are standing. outside the closed door meeting of. Senate Democrats who are at their weekly.

luncheon there is sort of odd split. screen between their private comments. and their public comments that has been. particularly true here in the Senate and. so we're going to wait to see what they. come out and say after this meeting but. I don't think the expectations are high. that there's going to be any major break. toward trying to get the president to. step down as the party nominee. it a good discussion good discussion was.

there anything good discussion that's. all I have after their luncheon Senate. Democrats trickled out of the room and. were reluctant to really say much of. anything don't talk about caucuses under. any circumstances no I I'm not going to. be a. source you want to know what I ate no. how do you how do you you personally. feel coming out of that we got a ways to. go but you know we're not going to. negotiate out in public so uh it was.

constructive was there consensus. constructive constructive very. constructive said that was a. constructive I think it was I think. that's all I'm going to say they. rehearsed these lines in there but in. the few things that they did say it was. clear that the Senators weren't going to. go any further toward pushing Biden out. I still stand by the statement take. Senator John tester of Montana for. instance who is locked in a tight.

re-election battle this fall a week ago. he issued a statement saying quote. President Biden has got to prove to the. American people including me that he's. up to the job for another four years do. that mean that you think that he should. drop out have not spoken. presid. statement he refused to budge or in any. way elaborate that position is Jo Biden. the candidate that can beat Trump Joe.

Biden is the Democratic candidate and he. has my support he's said unequivocally. and emphatically that he intends to be. the candidate and I think he will. continue to have my support and the. support of a lot of people in that room. and so what you had were a bunch of. Democratic senators pledging their. loyalty to Biden in this pretty tepid. way they weren't making an affirmative. case for him they we're saying we're.

going to stick with. [Music]. him all right now this week Senate. Democrats uh intend to pick up where we. left off in June and that was really. summed up by the Senate Majority Leader. Chuck Schumer one of really just a. handful of Democrats who could change. this debate he was asked about Biden at. a news conference are you confident that. President Biden has it takes to win in.

November and serve the next four years. as I've said before I'm with Joe Senator. and he affirmed his support for Biden. every time almost as a reflex is there. the ability to throw out the virtual. nomination as I've said before I'm with. Joo yes no don't yell wa in the back. right there over and over do you agree. with her sentiment as I've said before.

I'm with Joe Senator Schumer does. Democrats in a difficult position what. do you. say okay it's Katie Edmonson it's now. Tuesday night approaching 6:00 p.m. here. on Capitol Hill and the state of play is. basically. this 72 or so hours after what seemed. like the bubbling up of what maybe could. become a major Democratic Rebellion it.

feels like President Biden and his. campaign have kind of put it down things. could still change right it's a very. fluid situation it really feels like. there's a lot of acceptance that's set. in of him as the nominee not because the. concerns that Democrats have have been. extinguished there are still a lot of. deep concerns the Democrats privately. are happy to discuss but there just. aren't that many of them who are willing.

to go public with these. fears and a big data point on that is. that the Democratic leaders here on the. Hill are solidly behind him so right now. it feels like the prospect of a. full-fledged Congressional rebellion of. Democrats linking arms and saying Mr. President you need to step down is just. not going to. happen after the the break I speak with.

a democratic congressman who has called. on Biden to step aside and is becoming. increasingly frustrated at colleagues. who agree with him but refuse to. publicly say. so we'll be right. back representative Smith good morning. and thank you for taking some time to. talk with us today we really appreciate.

it well thanks for giving me the chance. Adam Smith represents the ninth. congressional district in Washington. state so I just want to start with a. very simple question did you ever think. that the Democratic party would be in. the situation that it is in right now. well I try not to place limits on my. imagination uh I've seen a lot of things. people make decisions for a lot of. bizarre reasons and you wind up in. places for reasons you wouldn't expect. so I don't know if I would say I never.

imagined it I will certainly say that I. am deeply troubled by. it well let's go there I mean we're. talking to you and the reason why we are. eager to talk to you of all people is. because you were among the first senior. Democrats in Congress a leader of your. party to come out and say that you. thought President Biden should step. aside as the party's nominee and you did. it at a moment when it seemed like his. report in Congress might be crumbling.

and that was on Sunday and a little bit. into Monday as well and obviously a lot. has changed since then which we will get. to but just to start walk us through. Congressman how you got to that point. where you did feel compelled to say that. the Democratic party needs a new nominee. did that start with the debate or did it. go back further yeah actually this goes. back a long way I I could I could give. you the origin story here please first. thing was so Joe Biden ran you know.

people like okay he's he's old okay but. damn you know he did a good job we got. there and I think there was a certain. assumption that he would serve one term. now I've been around this business a. long time I never bought into that. assumption okay people are very. reluctant to step away in my experience. but okay so and then he moves through it. and he's gonna run again and from the. very start I was concerned about that. because of his age so you know two years. ago I had some conversations like really. are we just were're just going to roll. with with with the president and but the.

thing is nobody was interested in. running against him and I had a number. of different conversations with. different people who were having similar. thoughts members of Congress you know. politicos other folks and the general. gist was look Joe's done a good job as. president you know if we get into a food. fight of a primary there's a risk so. it's gonna be fine so nobody decided to. run against him and I said okay um let's. go so so so so you're worried but you. made peace with it yeah yeah I was a. little nervous about it and then the.

debate happened and two friends of mine. texted me 10 minutes into the debate one. said oh my God are you watching this. it's a disaster and I'm like what and. then another friend of mine just said. SOS come on Joe all right and I was like. uh oh so I've watched a lot of debates. throughout the years and I've seen a lot. of bad debates. okay the inability to get a coherent. sentence out the inability to find the.

words was something I had never seen. before in in a debate and I saw how the. country reacted to it I mean Donald. Trump gave the second worst debate. performance in the history of. presidential debates but nobody paid any. attention to it it was really bad and at. that moment I felt like two things one. Joe Biden can is he's not an effective. messenger and the frustration for me as. a Democrat we got a great message okay. I've ran when we as Democrats didn't. have a great message we've got a great.

message this time all right Joe Biden. and the Democrats have delivered during. his time as president and Donald Trump. is an existential threat to the country. a great message and you watch that. debate and if you're a Democrat and. you're just begging him to fight back to. to to say something to get our message. out there and look we've got a lot of. people out there who can very clearly. articulate our message but the voters. they're going to look to that top person. and if that top person can't say it it's. going to hurt in a big way so that's. what crystallized after the debate I.

called the White House the day after the. debate it said what did you say I said. he's got to get out I said it's just. that's just where we're at look I'm I'm. weird I I kind of say what I think I. don't believe in like tiptoeing up the. things either you're GNA say it or. you're not I said look I'm not gonna. make a snap decision here I'll give you. guys some space I'm not saying anything. and I kept talking to the White House. campaign people throughout that and it. became clear that you know that wasn't. going to happen and I felt like I got to. try it's just too important and so of.

the series of options that were in front. of me the only one that made any sense. was for me to do whatever I could in my. power to get as a different nominee I. felt like I had no choice but to pursue. that Avenue so that's what how I wed up. there I'm curious what you heard from. your constituents after the debate. clearly you come to the conclusion Panic. Universal panic okay and these are these. are Democrats I think our listeners.

should understand you represent a very. Democratic District parts of Seattle. everybody was absolutely panicked let me. tell you they didn't have a plan okay it. was just oh my God what are we gonna do. because I can't see how the President. Biden who was on that stage beats Donald. Trump I mean that's basically what they. were saying we can't win and and what. Congress about your colleagues on the. hill your Democratic fellow house. members what were you hearing from them.

after the debate exact same thing with a. couple of exceptions there's a couple of. people who were ah it's all fine but. overwhelmingly yeah 90% of people were. same thing I think that the difference. is and part of the problem is a lot of. members of Congress have personal. relationships with the president or with. people close to him and I think if. anything explains why they had more of. an initial pause that's it they didn't. want to go there that quick they have. too much respect for the man and I. respect that I do but your average.

Democratic voter across the country it. was Panic so what were you weighing at. that point was this a moment at all of. soul searching for you as you weighed. what to do with these feelings you know. you've concluded something has to be. done your constituents are clearly. concluding something has to be done a. lot of your colleagues think it sounds. like that something has to be done but. doing something on the order of what it. sounds like you're thinking of doing in. this moment is not simple it's not easy. it's not.

polite I have always had what I like to. refer to as a problemsolving mentality. and I looked at it and said okay what. are our options here if he's our nominee. what's going to happen not going to be. good is there an option to not have him. be our nominee he is the presumptive. nominee we haven't nominated him yet and. by the way for all these people saying. yes but 14 million people voted for him. let's put those 14 million people in a. booth with the ballot in their hand have. them watch that 90minut debate and then.

let's ask them how they're voting okay. they have that option so it's a. different situation and I believe that. the delegates to our convention have an. obligation to pick the person who's. going to put them in the best position. to win particularly in this situation so. I went right to it very quickly in your. mind did you feel that more and more. lawmakers were about to come forward at. that moment I mean you said just a few. moments ago that you know something like. 90% of the colleagues that you've.

interacted with are just as worried as. you are about Biden not being able to. win did it feel like momentum was. tilting in that direction as an observer. I thought that was a very strong. possibility yeah there was a lot of. momentum there but it's a big thing to. come out and say what I said and you. know what we've seen really is a whole. lot of people who are trying to stradle. without going one way or the other um. you know people talk about how I think. there's only seven us who have come out. and said he should be removed but. there's a a lot of other people have. said I have.

concerns okay wonderful um you know I. didn't elect you to have concerns I. elected you to make decisions all right. and there's a decision to be made here. but what people are trying to do I think. there's still a large block of people. who are like I just hope he does the. right thing and does that annoy you is. that frustrating for you well the idea. that we are going to slow walk into. fascism because we don't want to hurt. somebody that we respects feelings I.

cannot even begin to tell you how angry. that makes me let me just try to. translate what I think you're just. saying here you think that your. colleagues are sparing President Biden's. feelings they don't want to hurt his. feelings by calling on him to step down. and as a result they are putting. themselves on a path to having him lose. the election and Trump win I think that. is a factor let me also say there is a. reasonable argument on the other side of.

this I disagree with it okay the. reasonable argument is there's nothing. we can do he he's gone wrong okay there. is no way we can get him out of there so. it doesn't make sense to criticize him. in any way but I would suggest for the. people who think that that you have to. come up with a better argument than the. two that have been trotted out thus far. number one is he had a bad night nothing. to see here everything's fine. that just doesn't pass the the laugh.

test for for most Americans number two. is look he's the only guy running so I'm. with him and I'm not answering any more. of your questions you saw that yesterday. I'm with Joe we're riding with Biden. well what do you think about his health. do you think he make through four years. we're riding with Biden I'm with Joe. that's not gonna fly either so it sounds. like what you're saying is that for many. of your. colleagues the decision has come down to. the president doesn't doesn't want to. drop out of the race and therefore.

what's the point in sticking our necks. out and asking him to do it he doesn't. want to do it exactly and the other. argument is that speaking out as you. have hurts President Biden while he's. not willing to get out of the race so. again what's the point and since that. Biden letter came out what we've ended. up seeing over the past couple of days. is that a lot of your colleagues have. gone quiet the air in the room has. shifted and the winds seem to turning to. fall in line don't Rebel and and for.

some Democrats what's been striking. about that Dynamic and about this moment. is that it feels based on everything. you've said based on what our colleagues. are reporting about the depth of concern. among Democrats it feels to some. Democrats like their own party is now. engaged in the kind of conduct that. they've long accused Republicans of. engaging in in the Trump era which is. saying one thing in private about their. party's leader that they don't approve.

of him and then going out in public and. saying something different which is uh. uh he has my support I'm loyal does that. anal does that analogy ring to you and. does it worry you a let me just say and. I say this strongly and with full belief. there is no comparison between what. Donald Trump is and what Joe Biden is no. no comparison whatsoever I'm asking I'm. asking about the party I know what. you're asking and I'm gonna get there. this first point needs needs to be made. okay Joe Biden is a good man who has.

served his country incredibly well for. going on 60 years now Donald Trump is a. criminal who tried to overthrow this. country's government and overturn a. legitimate election he is convicted he. he is a horrific human being all right. so any effort to compare the two I find. objectionable okay however to your. average. voter yeah it looks similar in a way. that I think undermines our ability to.

deliver that message that I just. delivered I mean how does that leave you. feeling it it makes me frustrated and. angry and frankly motivated you know I'm. not giving up you know until he is the. official nominee I think we've got to. look at this from a realistic standpoint. well let me just ask you feels like. there were a few possibilities for what. happens now one is that Biden Remains. the nominee and he loses and that's what. polling data suggest at the moment could.

happen Trump's lead's growing and in. that scenario your colleagues have kind. of put themselves on on what could be. described as a kind of slow death march. toward the election and they're handing. the election to someone they say is a. threat to to democracy the other. possibility is that you're totally wrong. and that Biden stays on the ticket he. wins the race you were among a handful. of doubters who triy to take him out and. you were just wrong and wrong like in a. in an epic historic way I want you to. just sit with both possibilities for a.

minute sure and let me just tell you one. thing I'm not wrong okay I'm not not. wrong at all it's not debatable at this. point that we can do better than Joe. Biden for a candidate in the fall what. is possible is that he could still win. I'm not gonna say he can't win what I am. saying and what I challenge any sentient. being to disagree with me on is we would. have a better chance of winning a much. better chance of winning if we had a. different candidate at the top of the.

ticket that's my argument how vocal do. you intend to be how far are you going. to keep sticking your neck out in a. world where the rest of the party is. looking at you with a little bit of a. stink eye and and it's a little bit of a. lonely anomaly like a Cassandra standing. there you know shouting into the wind. sure first of all literally hundreds of. people have thanked me for for doing. what I did all across board people you. know just across board so I you know I. don't have a problem in terms of a.

couple people looking at me a gas a lot. of people looking at me say thank God. somebody said something okay second of. all as I said earlier until he is the. official nominee of this party I'm of. the opinion that he shouldn't be and I'm. going to keep doing that once he becomes. the official nominee of the party I'll. tell you what I'm gonna do what I'm. gonna do is I'm gonna say vote for Joe. Biden okay he needs to win this election. so you will fall in line at that point. it's not falling in line okay there are. five people on the ballot all right and. I'm going to support somebody for.

president and not going to be Donald. Trump it's not going to be whatever. crazy stuff RFK Jr's talking about not. gonna be Cornell West it's gonna be Joe. Biden do you think that this debate over. the president's candidacy is now over. not. [Music]. quite I'm the guy who keeps looking back. going okay yeah I know they're down. three touchdowns since mid fourth. quarter but maybe if they throw a bomb. and they fumbled the kickoff. you know so it ain't over till it's over.

as they say and like I said it ain't. over until he's officially. nominated well Congressman thank you. very much for your time we appreciate it. thanks thanks for giv me the. [Music]. chance after we spoke with Congressman. Smith an eighth member of the House. Democratic caucus representative Pat. Ryan of New York asked Biden to end his.

campaign soon after Peter wilch of. Vermont became the first US senator to. ask Biden to. quit meanwhile in an interview on. Wednesday an unexpected voice said that. he hoped Biden would remain in the race. former president Trump. [Music].

we'll be right. back here's what else you need to not. day the leaders of NATO have agreed that. Ukraine should have an irreversible path. to membership in the military Alliance. and plan to enshrine that commitment in. a document to be released this week. during a NATO Summit in. Washington the plan is motivated in part. by fears of a trump Victory this all. Trump openly admires Russian President.

Vladimir Putin who ordered the invasion. of Ukraine is skeptical of US military. aid to Ukraine and has repeatedly. questioned the point of NATO as a result. NATO leaders are trying in their words. to Trump proof both NATO and Ukraine's. ability to join it. [Music]. today's episode was produced by Lindsay.

Garrison Jessica Chung and Diana win it. was edited by pagee cowt contains. original music by Sophia landman and Dan. Powell and was engineered by Alyssa. Moxley our theme music is by Jim runberg. and Ben lansberg of. wonderly special thanks to Katie Rogers. Luke Broadwater Carl Hull Julie Davis. and the rest of our colleagues on the. Congressional. team that's it for the daily I'm Michael.

Boro see you tomorrow.