Transcript of Biden facing fresh signs of doubt in re-election bid

Jason, down, Democrats left and right, eight congressional Democrats, eight House Democrats. Manu, have already publicly called on Biden to step aside. So, Manu, tell us who came forward today and who might be next.

Yeah, Pat Ryan. He's a democratic congressman from New York, from a swing district, joining seven other House Democrats in saying that it's time for Joe Biden to step aside. Some of those members like Ryan, in difficult races. That's where you're hearing most of the concerns from members who are in those swing districts, swing states, and don't believe that Joe Biden at the top of the ticket can help them in November in aligning themselves in some ways, mostly in private, about, with Michael Bennett, who went public last night. That's the colorado democratic senator who said on CNN that he believes that Joe Biden is on track to lose, that there could be a landslide, that the House and Senate could go republican, and that there's probably, he didn't go as far as calling for a change. But that is what a lot of people privately want to see happen. They want Joe Biden to make up the mind, make up his mind and make, as they say, the right decision. Now, one comment that got a lot of attention today was Nancy Pelosi, the former House speaker. She went on MSNBC earlier today and she suggested that Joe Biden would have to make a decision about whether to run or not, even though Joe Biden has said repeatedly that he is going to run.

That comment prompted some pushback from Biden, from Biden allies like John Fetterman. Was it helpful for Nancy Pelosi today to suggest that the president has not made a final decision on running yet? Well, it's been very clear he made the, he said it. I'm in. It's closed. It's a strange thing for her to say, but, I mean, you have to be concerned about his viability, aren't you?

I am deeply concerned about Joe Biden winning this November because it is an existential threat to the country if Donald Trump wins. So I think that we have to reach a conclusion as soon as possible.

Senator, you think Joe Biden's going to.

Cause concerns from Ohio voters? My job is to listen to them. My job is to go to hearings like this to fight for lower drug prices, to fight for higher workers.

And that last comment comes from Sherrod Brown, the Ohio democratic senator in a difficult race who also went behind closed doors earlier yesterday and expressed his fears that Joe Biden would lose and that Donald Trump would win. Now there, Brown would not say, would not repeat that claim, but indicated that whatever he's saying is the result of what he's hearing back home. But, Jake, that just shows you the level of concerns that are happening right now within the Democratic Party. And one other thing, Hakeem Jeffries, the democratic leader, has told his colleagues he will relay those concerns directly to Joe Biden in the days ahead. Jake.

And Manu, not unexpectedly, the House oversight committee, which is charged with oversight of the executive branch and also, of course, run by Republicans right now, they are talking about this crisis. What are they saying?

Yeah. New subpoenas issued by the House Oversight Committee, which is led by James Comer, issued three subpoenas to White House officials who, in the eyes of the Republicans, are trying to cover up, as they say, Joe Biden's cognitive health. Those three White House officials, Annie, Tom and Ceni, Anthony Bernal and Ashley Williams, they, according to what the Republicans say here in this statement that they put out in issuing this subpoena, they're saying the White House has shielded three key as from testifying about President Biden's mishandling of classified documents. And now we've learned through reporting, these same aides are also seeking to cover up President Biden's declining cognitive state inside the White House. President Biden is clearly unfit for office, yet his staff are trying to hide the truth from the american people. We've reached out to the White House for comment. We know the White House has sharply criticized the tactics of James comer from the beginning of this Congress as they've tried to launch an impeachment inquiry into the president that has not gone the way the Republicans had hoped. But the question will be, will they decide to comply with this subpoena? They are asking for a response by the end of the week about when they could sit down for a deposition.

Jake. And this all comes as a larger effort by this committee to try to target Joe Biden and questions about his mental state. There was a, the tapes that the special counsel, Robert Hur, those that the testimony that the interview that Joe Biden gave to her that has not been turned over to Congress. That committee is still trying to get that, those tapes, Jake, in addition to getting an interview with Joe Biden's physician as well.

Yeah. Manu Raju, thanks so much. Let's discuss this all with the former democratic mayor of New York City, Bill de Blasio, also former presidential candidate. Mayor, what was your reaction not just to President Biden's debate performance, but how the White House and his campaign have responded to it?

Well, Jake? I think it is predictable that when there's a challenge and when there's an open question about what to do, you try to project continuity. And that's 100% necessary for all the campaigning that's happening on the ground in the swing states. You gotta keep that operation going. The president's message is pretty much the only one he could give at this point. But I'll tell you, as someone who I myself, on a much more humble level, had to decide whether it was time to end my political career. And that's a very, very tough and emotional and kind of painful decision. I think the president's obviously thinking about all the evidence in front of him, but it's not a decision you make quickly or easily. And so in the meantime, you have to put up the right front just to keep everything going.

What did you think about his debate performance?

Oh, it was deeply problematic, obviously. Now, look, that's something I never would have wished on anyone. And he's a good man and a good president, and I wish if he was sick, they had postponed the debate. But I also think it's important to note that Donald Trump had open field there to change his strategy to moderate, to try and appeal to those suburban women, those moderate voters who really are going to be the key to this election in the swing states. And Donald Trump failed in the debate because he was just as radical, just as extremist. He literally said, oh, everyone wanted Roe v. Wade to be overturned. I can tell you there's millions of american voters, including independents and Republicans, women, who would say, no, we didn't want that overturned. So in many ways, Donald Trump did himself a lot of damage in that debate as well.

So far, eight House Democrats have called on Biden to step aside. Many more obviously feel the same, but haven't said so publicly. Should they? What do you think House Democrats who are worried about Biden staying on the ticket should do?

You know, we're all talking about this election as a referendum on democracy and protecting democracy. It would be kind of ironic if we said to our own party, people are not allowed to speak up and express their concerns. Yeah, I think the president has been an extraordinary president, far beyond, I think, what many people predicted. But at the same time, if there are valid concerns and folks want to surface them, that's healthy. We got to have this discussion. Now the president has an opportunity to answer those concerns by the way he campaigns and the way he governs in the coming days, or he might make a decision to step aside and the obvious choice then would be Kamala Harris. And Kamala Harris would bring a lot to the equation. She could potentially help us reach some of the voters we may be seeing some drift with in the black community or some of those, particularly those suburban women voters, that we really need to be part of our coalition in swing states. So Joe Biden has live options here. But I would emphasize on the emotional level, I think this has sort of been undercounted.

This guy's been a successful president. Imagine what it feels like if you kind of done everything right. And now all these people are saying it's time to go. Well, that's painful. So I think, in fact, if people push too hard, in some ways, there is the problem of a very honorable and proud man kind of bristling at that. So I think in a funny way, we're at the balance point. Some voices are saying what's on a lot of people's minds. Plenty of other people are being very careful and diplomatic. In the end, there's space for the president to make that very, very personal decision.

Very fast moving development says more Democrats are now pressuring President Biden to end his reelection bid. The actor George Clooney dropping his bombshell call for the president to step aside. And that's only intensifying the angst among Democrats in Congress who are publicly sounding the alarm. CNN's Manu Raju is standing by for us up on Capitol Hill. But first, let's go to CNN's Kayla Tauschi. She reports on the president facing these new defections as he hosts the NATO summit.

With world leaders at hand. President Biden eager to get back to business as usual.

Stronger supply chains, stronger economy, stronger military and a stronger nation.

And the White House wants to move on from speculation about the president's political future. But for Democrats, the Domino effect continues. Actor George Clooney penning an op ed in the New York Times calling on Biden to step aside, writing, it's devastating to say it, but the Joe Biden I was with three weeks ago at the fundraiser was not the Joe big effing deal Biden of 2010. He wasn't even the Joe Biden of 2020. Filmmaker Rob Reiner joining Clooney, writing on democracy is facing an existential threat. We need someone younger to fight back. Joe Biden must step aside. And House speaker emeritus Nancy Pelosi, non committal.

It's up to the president to decide if he is going to run. We're all encouraging him to, to make that decision because time is running short.

And Colorado Senator Michael Bennett on CNN became the first Senate Democrat to break with Biden publicly. Bennett calling the state of the race very worrisome.

Donald Trump is on track, I think to win this election and maybe win it by a landslide. And the White House in the time since that disastrous debate, I think has done nothing to really demonstrate that they have a plan to win this election.

An advisor to the president said few in Biden's inner circle are concerned enough to Pierce Biden's firm position. Only family could do that and only if there's hard data. The adviser telling CNN of his wife and sister Jill and Valerie won't let him go down in flames. Since the debate, CNN's poll of polls shows Trump leading Biden by five points, the first time this year the candidates are separated by a margin of more than three points. And some donors planning events in Chicago and Florida say they're now up in the air. But for Biden, it's full steam ahead.

For now, every NATO member is committed to doing their part to keep the alliance strong.

Biden aides point to a grueling travel schedule across battleground states in the coming weeks, as well as several high profile fundraisers in Texas and Bennett's home state of Colorado, as well as two in California as proof that President Biden is not going anywhere. But all eyes in the party are in a high stakes press conference that President Biden will be helming solo tomorrow evening.

Wolf, Kayla, I want you to stand by as we bring in CNN's Manu Raju up on Capitol Hill. He's got some breaking news. Manu. Republicans, I take it, are now piling on with the House Oversight Committee, issuing subpoenas related to the president's health. What's going on? Yeah, three White House aides have now been hit with a subpoena from the House Oversight committee, the Republican led committee calling on those aides to come and be deposed behind closed doors and accusing them of what they're saying is, quote, running interference to try to cover up President Biden's cognitive state. Now, the White House fired back and called this all a political stunt, but this is all part of an effort, of course, by the chairman of the committee, James Comer, to target the president. He's tried to go over questions about his ability to run the country. They've pushed for an interview with the president's position as well have not gone that in addition to that. So we'll see, Wolf, how they ultimately decide to respond and what the Republicans do if the White House decides to defy those subpoenas and amidst all of this, Manu, as you know, we've seen more democratic lawmakers express doubts about President Biden.

Update us on that. Yeah, there's an 8th Democrat now who has come out and called publicly for Joe Biden to step aside and no longer be a candidate for president. That Congressman Pat Ryan of New York was someone who represents a swing district. In fact, most of the concerns that have been voiced by members of Congress represent those either swing districts in the House or swing states in the Senate. Concerned that they're seeing from the polling that some of their voters who may come to the democratic side are now going to the republican side in the aftermath of the debate performance and concerns about Joe Biden at the top of the ticket, this all comes as the White House is trying to tamp down those concerns. Biden campaign is as well. Tomorrow afternoon, on the Senate side of the Capitol, there will be a briefing, a key briefing, where members of the campaign will come and try to answer the many concerns that democratic senators are raising behind the scenes, concerned about whether Joe Biden can actually keep the White House and whether he may go down and bring down their chances of keeping control of Congress as well.

And talking to democratic senators today, they're making clear that they need a, the campaign to do more to alleviate those concerns. There should be a change at the top of the ticket. I think that, I've already stated that I support the president, very proud of the work that we've been able to do together. But there is a conversation that's clearly happening right in the public, and part of the process of democracy is you listen, which the president is doing and responding in kind. But, I mean, you have to be concerned about his viability, aren't you?

I am deeply concerned about Joe Biden winning this November because it is an existential threat to the country if Donald Trump wins. So I think that we have to reach a conclusion as soon as possible.

You think Joe Biden is going to.

Cause concerns from Ohio voters? My job is to listen to them. My job is to go to hearings like this, to fight for lower drug prices, to fight for high workers.

And that last comment coming from Sherrod Brown, who is an Ohio Democrat and one of three Democrats who went behind the scenes yesterday in a closed door meeting and said that Joe Biden will lose, believe that Joe Biden was going to lose in November. Another vulnerable Democrat, John Tester, also echoed those concerns behind closed doors. Neither of them would say so publicly. A third member, though, did, Michael Bennett of Colorado, who is not up for reelection this year. But, wolf, I can tell you in talking to democratic senators, they may not want to say it publicly, but privately there are those fears that Joe Biden could bring them down with, bring them down with him at the top of the ticket, Wolf. Manu Raju reporting from Capitol Hill. Kayla Taushi over at the White House. Thanks to both of you.

A 9th House Democrat just calling on President Biden to withdraw from the presidential race. That Democrat, Congressman Earl Blumenauer of Oregon, in a statement, he writes, this is not just about extending his presidency but protecting democracy. While this is a decision for the president and the first lady, I hope they will come to the conclusion that I and others have President Biden should not be the democratic presidential nominee. And just moments ago, the president just facing an onslaught of questions about his health and the future of his campaign. And Biden, this all happened while he was meeting with the new british prime minister, chose not to answer any of them. Let me play the moment for you.

Well, we got a lot to talk about. Thank you all for coming.

A cacophony met with silence. This is a president who wants to put the debate fallout behind him. He's made that loud and clear. But he is now facing new calls to drop out of the race, along with some not so subtle messages from top Democrats tonight to reconsider his candidacy. The biggest name to weigh in is Nancy Pelosi. Listen to this.

Its up to the president to decide if he is going to run. Were all encouraging him to make that decision because time is running short.

And of course, hes already made that decision. Hes made it loud and clear. She knows that to imply that he needs to make a decision, well, its not hard to read between the lines there. And Senator Tim Kaine of Virginia, the Democrats nominee for vice president in 2016, of course, just spoke to reporters and he said this.

I have complete confidence that Joe Biden will do the patriotic thing for the country and he's going to make that decision. He's never disappointed me.

Again.

He's going to make that decision. He's already made that decision. It just appears that a lot of Democrats don't like it. Biden so far is adamant that he is staying in the race, but there is mounting pressure for him to step aside from his party. Just today, Congressman Pat Ryan called on Biden to step down. In his statement, he said, for the good of our country, I'm asking Joe Biden to step aside to deliver on his promise to be a bridge to a new generation of leaders. And other Democrats also publicly expressing their concerns.

I am deeply concerned about Joe Biden winning this November.

Right now, President Biden is behind Trump in all of our polling, and the Senate race is in a dead heat.

Now, Biden is hoping to ease concerns, right? He did the NATO speech. Now, tomorrow he is holding a crucial solo news conference. He has agreed to another primetime interview, and he's sending three of his senior advisors to Capitol Hill to meet with democratic senators tomorrow. The dissent, though, is still there. And one of Biden's biggest backers, a man you can see here, was just with the president about four weeks ago and helped raise $30 million for him, is now calling on the president to step aside. George Clooney, in a New York Times op ed writes, it's devastating to say it, but the Joe Biden I was with three weeks ago at the fundraiser was not the Joe big effing deal Biden of 2010. He wasn't even the Joe Biden of 2020. He was the same man we all witnessed at the debate. Now, I've been speaking to major donors. Many of them are extremely concerned. They're kind of, in a sense, throwing spaghetti at the wall of possible scenarios. I did speak to one major donor, though today who did tell me he is still all in on Biden. The cacophony, though, of voices is out there, and MJ Lee is out front live outside the White House to begin our coverage tonight.

And MJ, I know you've been talking to all of your sources. You've got new reporting right now. What are you learning about what's happening tonight?

Well, Aaron, my colleagues and I have heard from many Democrats throughout the course of the day who are just stunned at how rapidly things appear to be deteriorating for President Biden. One widely shared view had really been that everything was going to come to a head after the conclusion of the NATO summit, which the US is hosting just blocks away from here from the White House. Instead, we have seen this quick succession of really ominous and painful headlines for President Biden as he has been trying to juggle these various engagements with world leaders. You tick through some of them. Nancy Pelosi saying that it's up to the president to decide if he is going to continue running. That really went off like a political earthquake. Earthquake. Senator Tim Kaine saying he is going to ultimately make the right decision. And then, of course, the George Clooney news that you just referenced, that comes at a moment when plenty of donors have told CNN that the money is just a pause right now. And there is the real danger of the money completely drying up for Democrats as people try to figure out what exactly is going to happen for the future of the president and whether he really is going to stay in this race.

And all of this is happening while the Biden White House and the Biden campaign have very much been digging in. Their message has really been, not only is the debate over, but we are done debating the debate. The voters have spoken, and there is no scenario where President Biden is going to drop out. But of course, this huge moment that everyone is looking towards tomorrow, the press conference that the president will be holding with reporters, a lot of Democrats have been looking forward to that moment to see whether he can use that to really prove himself in a big way. But I think it is clear after the events of the last 24 hours, there are many Democrats that are simply wondering, are there going to be more shoes to drop before that press conference tomorrow?

MJ, thank you very much from the White House. And right now, Bart Dame joins me. He's one of the all important democratic super delegates, crucial in that party, who could ultimately decide the democratic ticket if Biden drops out. Keshia Lance Bottoms is a senior advisor to the Biden Harris campaign. And Paul Bagala is the former White House counselor to President Clinton, of course, advised so many presidential campaigns. So thanks to all mayor bottoms, I just want to start with you because you hear MJ is reporting the Democrats in the White House. They've been stunned by the rapid unraveling that they have seen just in these past hours. Today you've got the 9th Democrat in Congress calling on Biden to step aside. Understand, nine out of 200, but it just, it just continues to drip, drip. What's your reaction?

Yeah, it's, it's a astonishing, quite frankly, we've sat back for three and a half years and we watched the republican party implode. And for us to be on this suicide mission at this point in time is very disappointing. What I love about the Democratic Party is that we get to express our opinions and we aren't subjected to ridicule. We aren't threatened with balance. We aren't ostracized. But what I would ask everyone when we do this in the way that it's happening now, what happens in November when Joe Biden is still our nominee? Do we throw up our hands and say, oh, my bad, we still want you to go and vote for the president and help us save democracy? What's the end game here? And so what I would say that until Joe Biden tells us differently, he is still our nominee. If we want to defeat Donald Trump in November, we have to rally around our nominee and do everything that we can do to make sure that he and Kamala Harris win in November. And this infighting doesn't get us any closer to victory.

So, Bart, and just to be clear, MJ is saying Democrats she's been speaking to, broadly speaking, not necessarily in the White House, have these concerns about unraveling. So, Bart, when you hear what, what mayor bottoms is saying, where do you stand? Do you think Biden should step aside at this point?

I have great respect for mayor bottoms. I was able to hear her speak at one of our meetings, which is very impressive. I have a different take, though, and a different kind of responsibility. When 51, 52 million people watched that debate and a lot of us were dumbfounded by what we saw, I started getting phone calls, text messages, emails. I get stopped on the street, or since I'm in Hawaii, stopped on the beach, and people say, what can we do to save the situation? And I'm hearing a lot of people who want to at least discuss and a lot of people who are leaning towards trying to get Joe Biden to step aside and bring in another candidate who we think might have a stronger chance against Donald Trump in November.

So, Paul, what happens here? I mean, just speaking to some major donors in the past couple days, I have been amazed at sort of how none of them know what to do. Yes, it's clear the money is freezing up, but in a sense that the possibilities out there, it is like throwing spaghetti against a wall. What about this? What about this? What about this? What happens here, Paul?

Well, I'm hearing the same thing, Aaron, from, from grassroots Democrats as well as donors and a lot of elected officials. Here's my view. I've been thinking a lot about that Kerry Underwood country song, Jesus, take the wheel. My song would be, Nancy, take the wheel. Okay. She has been the best speaker in american history. And I think what she was saying this morning when she said the president has an important decision to make, we back him completely, is she's telling us, not only, by the way, as the best legislative leader of american history, but as a mother of five, I've raised four kids. I know there's a time at which permission becomes more powerful than pressure. Right? So instead of piling on getting nasty with the president or the president nasty with his Democrats who are concerned, I think the thing to do here is to listen to speaker emeritus Pelosi and pull back a little bit. I think Senator Kain, in the comment, you reported earlier is doing that. Stepping back. The president is the leader of the free world. And right now Vladimir Putin is bombing a children's hospital in Kiev. And Donald Trump is attacking Liz Cheney.

He's not criticizing Vladimir Putin, the war criminal. He's attacking his fellow Republicans, Mitch McConnell and Mike Pence and Liz Cheney. So there's an opportunity cost here. So I think what, what Speaker America Pelosi might be saying is let's just pull back here and give President Biden time to finish this summit and then do the right thing, because I think a lot of Democrats think that he can't win.