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Biden Welcomes NATO Leaders Amid Growing Calls To Quit Race; Dems Remain Divided; Growing Calls For Biden To Quit Race; VP Harris Maintains Loyal Stance As Dems Fret Over Biden; Rep. Sean Casten (D- IL) Discusses About His Opinion On President Joe Biden Staying On The Race. Aired 3-3:30p ET

Aired July 10, 2024 - 15:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

[15:00:00]

JESSICA DEAN, CNN HOST: Voices in the Democratic Party suggest President Biden may need to reconsider his decision to stay in the race for the White House, and among them, one of the most influential power brokers on Capitol Hill, Nancy Pelosi. And one of the top Democratic fundraisers, George Clooney, is being even more clear, writing, we need a new nominee.

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN HOST: And the prosecution arguing its case against actor Alec Baldwin, with the first witness in his manslaughter trial, a Santa Fe officer who was on the scene. Baldwin faces up to 18 months in prison.

And phoning home, two astronauts talking about their much longer-than- expected stay on the ISS, and when they could finally return to Earth.

We're following these major developing stories and many more, all coming in right here to CNN NEWS CENTRAL.

DEAN: Biden's re-election campaign facing further uncertainty as more top Democrats speak out. Already today, two prominent Democrats who recently hosted a Biden fundraiser, Hollywood icons George Clooney and Rob Reiner, are calling for the President to step aside. In a New York Times op-ed, Clooney writes, quote, it's devastating to say it, but the Joe Biden I was with three weeks ago was not - 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."

Shortly after, Reiner posted on social media saying, in part, quote, "We need someone younger to fight back. Joe Biden must step aside."

Now, at the same time, two of Biden's closest political allies on Capitol Hill, former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Congressman Jim Clyburn, are publicly questioning whether the President's decision to stay in the race is final. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. NANCY PELOSI (D-CA): It's up to the President to decide if he is going to run. We're all encouraging him to make that decision. I want him to do whatever he decides to do and that's the way it is.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Is his decision final?

REP. JAMES CLYBURN (D-SC): I don't have any - I have no idea. You have to ask him. I don't know.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DEAN: All right. Let's start with CNN Senior White House Correspondent MJ Lee, who is following President Biden today at the NATO summit here in Washington, D.C.

MJ, with the global leaders here in D.C., with the President and all eyes on Biden, how much is at stake for the President?

MJ LEE, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Jess, this is an unbelievably tenuous moment for President Biden. We are some two weeks removed now from that CNN debate. And the Democratic Party is in a state of utter chaos and panic about the future of President Biden's political future, but also the question of whether he is really the best person to represent them at the top of the ticket heading into November.

And we are seeing how the President really has been under a microscope. Every public appearance that he has made since that debate, every speech, every interview, every public appearance really has been closely scrutinized. And this week, this all happens to be taking place on the global stage. The President right now is behind closed doors meeting with NATO leaders. And earlier, we did see him talking about and touting the ways in which he has helped to strengthen the NATO alliance. That, of course, has been a key pillar of his foreign policy. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: For 75 years, our nations have grown and prospered behind the NATO shield. Today, we're stronger than we've ever been. Since I took office, we've doubled the number of battle groups in NATO's eastern flank and the United States has. Finland and Sweden have joined the alliance. And the number of allies spending at least 2 percent on defense has gone from nine to 23. That's not happened by chance, but by choice.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEE: The President may not have said Donald Trump's name there, but there is no question that that is a rebuttal of sorts to his predecessor, who has at times excoriated certain NATO countries, saying that they are not paying their fees that they are due to pay.

The President's audience right now, we should note, is not just Americans here at home, but really global leaders, global diplomats, many of whom are here right now at this convention center and having and raising some of the same questions that a lot of Americans have been raising since the CNN debate: Is the President healthy? Is he fit to serve the rest of his term, let alone another four years at the White House?

And one thing that I think that is worth noting here is how much foreign policy has really taken up so much of the President's first term in the White House. This is something that advisers over the years have talked about as gotten - as having gotten in the way at times of his ability to focus on issues at home. And we also know that the President, after the debate, blamed his foreign travels and the focus on foreign policy for that disastrous debate.

[15:05:04]

And now here we are at another important moment for him here at home, and he is having to spend a stretch of days focused on foreign policy and again on the global stage.

DEAN: All right. MJ Lee for us, thanks so much for that reporting.

Let's go now to congressional correspondent, Lauren Fox, who's on Capitol Hill. Lauren, what are you hearing for Democrats? Now, it is Wednesday, we've had a couple of days of them all together. What are you hearing today as this continues to evolve?

LAUREN FOX, CNN CONGRESSIONAL REPORTER: Yes. If the Biden campaign had hoped to put any concerns to rest, the reality is that Democratic lawmakers are still trying to grapple with how to move ahead. Right now, you have many Democrats who are basically arguing they hope that Biden makes the right decision, despite the fact that two days ago they received a letter from the President explicitly saying that his mind was made up and that he was staying atop the Democratic ticket.

I think, Jessica, that reveals just the fact that they are trying to give him space. They respect Biden. They believe that they have worked closely with him to do things that they believe have helped the American people. They want to show a sign of deference, but at the same time, alarm bells are going off, both in public and in private.

You now have eight Democrats who have publicly said that they hope that Biden gets out of this race, hopes that he steps aside. They also have a large contingent of Democrats who are privately telling their colleagues that they do not believe that Biden can win. Three of those Democrats made their case yesterday to their colleagues.

That includes Michael Bennet, who then came on CNN's air last night and said that he did indeed say that privately at this lunch, and that he believes it publicly, that Biden cannot beat Donald Trump. So, that is something to keep in mind as we move forward here.

But, Jessica, it's just a good reminder that there is sort of this middle ground that Democrats are trying to walk. In fact, here's Senator Joe Manchin when I asked if he thought there was room for Biden to get out at this point.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

FOX: Do you see a world in which the President would change his mind at this point, though? SEN. JOE MANCHIN (I-WV): Well, I've always said this. If you can't change your mind, you can't change anything. Everyone, I see - if they see facts and they feel, you know, that the right decision is the right decision and they want to make that right decision, even though they've made some overtures other than that, I've always believed rational people do the right thing.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOX: And tomorrow, Biden campaign officials will come and meet with Senate Democrats in a special discussion where, of course, Democrats are hoping to get additional clarity from the Biden campaign on what the strategy is going forward. And the Biden campaign, of course, hoping to put any questions about the President's fitness and mental acuity to rest. Jessica?

DEAN: Lauren Fox on Capitol Hill, thank you so much for that.

And now let's go to CNN's Eva McKend who is in Dallas. She is following the vice president, Kamala Harris. What has she been saying today, Eva? A lot of eyes on her as she's in a really delicate position.

EVA MCKEND, CNN NATIONAL POLITICS CORRESPONDENT: You know, Jessica, this was a crucial appearance at the AKA convention during a significant week for the vice president. And seeing her give these remarks this afternoon, seeing her up on that stage, it really allowed her to showcase her utility to this ticket as a black woman that can relate to other black women so core to the constituency of the Democratic Party.

She also used the platform really as a call to action, to lean on this incredible network of hundreds of thousands of black women to get out and support the ticket, mobilize black voters and really just get out the vote. She also announced the creation of the national health and safety standards for maternal care and talked about reproductive rights and how they would be a real - under real threat under another Trump administration. Let's listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KAMALA HARRIS, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: And understand, the former president wants to pass a national abortion ban to outlaw abortion in every single state, but we will not let him. We will not let that happen. We have worked too hard and fought too long to see our daughters grow up in a world with fewer rights than our mothers.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MCKEND: You know, Jess, something else that really stuck out to me that I think is quite significant is she talked about the conservative policy outline, Project 2025. And when she mentioned it, you can hear thousands of women in the crowd echo that, Project 2025. And that tells me that the Democratic messaging on that issue, that it's really resonating.

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And that Democratic voters are afraid of the policy implications of what another Trump presidency might bring. I'll also tell you that I spoke to many of the women in the crowd, and they say they want the status quo. They want the ticket as it is to stay the same. President Biden at the top, Vice President Harris running as his running mate. Jess?

DEAN: All right. Eva McKend, for us in Dallas with the Vice President, thank you so much for that reporting. Boris?

SANCHEZ: Joining us now to discuss is Democratic Congressman Sean CASTEN of Illinois. Congressman, thank you so much for sharing part of your afternoon with us.

Do you think that this matter is decided? Do you think the door may still be open in your eyes to President Biden stepping aside from the top of the Democratic ticket?

REP. SEAN CASTEN (D-IL): You know, I can tell you there's a rich conversation going on within our Democratic family right now. But what we're completely unified on is understanding the stakes of this election. The - Joe Biden has had an extremely effective presidency. We know that in the alternative, we have a convicted felon, an adjudicated rapist who brags about taking away Roe v. Wade, who, because of the Supreme Court, has been empowered to be a despot on day one. And we want to make sure as a Democratic family what we do next, whatever that is, is ensuring that we win in November.

And when I say Democratic family, I'm not talking just about those of us who have the privilege to work in this building. I'm talking about, you know, my own constituents back home as well. We understand the stakes.

SANCHEZ: So given the stakes, do you think that President Biden gives your party the best opportunity to win in November?

CASTEN: Well, I'll tell you, there's a healthy debate within our caucus about whether that family conversation is best had in public or in private. And my personal view is that Joe Biden has earned the respect to have that conversation privately. So I'm not making any public statements about where my own opinions lie on that, but have certainly expressed that to our leadership and to our broader Democratic family.

SANCHEZ: Understood. I think it's still a fair question whether you think that the party, in terms of lawmakers on Capitol Hill and specifically the leadership, could have enough sway toward seeking a second thought from President Biden, because from the White House perspective, this is already decided. They don't actually even want to talk about it. It seems like lawmakers have questioned the wisdom of that decision.

CASTEN: Well, look, I mean, I think you heard you heard Speaker Emerita Pelosi say that this is Biden's decision to make. And I would emphasize again that, you know, four years ago, this building was under attack. We were in the middle of a massively deep downturn in our economy. There were body bags in Central Park. And over the past four years, we've not only recovered from COVID faster than any other country, we've expanded NATO. We've built the U.S. is standing on the world stage. We've had lower inflation in other countries as a result of that.

And if all of that doesn't grant President Biden the ability to make that decision on his own, then I don't want to be a Democrat. And so I think we're respectful of this process and want to make sure that that goes through. But again, keeping an eye on the fact that our job is to preserve this beautiful 250 year old experiment democracy we have and we need - that has to be the top priority.

SANCHEZ: Understood. So what is it that you as a group are watching for to determine that President Biden is the best candidate moving forward? What is it specifically that you would like to see that you think would quell that healthy debate that you say is ongoing?

CASTEN: How do we make sure that everybody is comfortable that come next November, we're not going to have to have the same conversations that I had in July 4th parades last weekend where people - people were not coming up to me and saying, I want you to take a position at the Democratic Convention in Chicago. People were coming up to me and saying, can I trust that democracy is going to survive in this moment? How did we get to a point where Nixon was forced to resign before the Supreme Court found him guilty and yet this Supreme Court has said that a president is above the law.

Folks are really scared about that and what has to happen is we have to be comfortable as a party, as a country, that we can take democracy for granted again. Not that we ever could, but that's what we have to feel comfortable about, that we know we're going to have a happy outcome. And I wish it wasn't partisan to say that, right? Because next week, we're also going to see the Republicans nominate said adjudicated rapist without a shred of self-reflectance or concern. And I - there's a lot of weight on us as Democrats right now, because it's awfully lonely to be the only party that's defending democracy, defending the rule of law.

[15:15:06]

SANCHEZ: I understand that you don't want to weigh in on whether you think President Biden should run or not, at least publicly. But I am wondering where you stand on the question of whether that debate was a single bad night or a symptom of something recurring, because I think that's a question a lot of Democrats have. I'm also wondering if you think the White House and the campaign can do more to fully answer that question.

CASTEN: Well, I've, you know, I said publicly after the debate, and it's been reported and I'll repeat it here, that I think the White House can do a lot more to answer that question by making Biden more publicly available.

I think we've all been with him in small settings, in large settings, in scripted settings and unscripted settings, and at least for me personally, that debate was painful to watch, but also not the person that I had been, you know, spending time with at the White House picnic two weeks before. But they need to prove that this was just a temporarily pulled muscle and not something that needs to take him out of the relay.

SANCHEZ: How far do you think this press conference that - at NATO toward the end of the week will go in changing the narrative around the President?

CASTEN: Speaking only for the legislative branch, I think a lot of this is around conversations that's going to happen with me and my colleagues and not with other foreign leaders.

SANCHEZ: But specifically, the availability that you're describing from the White House to make the President more accessible, do you think that that could change the dynamic? Because we've seen him talk to reporters, we've seen him or at least in a one on one interview setting and on MSNBC, we've seen him at rallies, we've seen him at specific events, but we haven't seen him give like an open sort of press conference. I assume that's what you mean when you say that you want to see him be made more available by the White House.

CASTEN: Yes, we'd like to see him more available in unscripted moments. But I, you know, I keep coming back and maybe it's just because I'm standing here in the Capitol. The January 6th, we came so close to losing everything and we came so close to losing everything - we didn't lose everything in part because the Democrats controlled the House and when we were deciding what are we going to do to reopen the floor, Nancy Pelosi was in charge of that decision.

I have no idea where Kevin McCarthy was in that moment. And we need to be focused in the House on making sure that we win the House and we want to have a partner in the White House to do that. But we need to make sure that we keep the House as the bulwark to democracy and then make sure that we're working with the White House to coordinate, to make sure that the American people understand as we do the deep and existential stakes of this election.

SANCHEZ: It sounds like it's an ongoing conversation. Congressman Sean Casten, we appreciate your time. We hope you'll return to continue that discussion.

CASTEN: Thank you, Boris.

SANCHEZ: Thanks so much.

So it's day two of the NATO summit here in D.C. What does President Biden need to do to reassure world leaders about the alliance's future? We'll discuss.

Plus, Alec Baldwin's manslaughter trial is now underway. These are live pictures from the courtroom as the actor tries to prove that a deadly onset shooting was not his fault.

And their visit to space hasn't gone quite according to plan. We're going to hear from the astronauts whose return to Earth has been delayed by close to a month now. Those stories and much more coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:22:53]

DEAN: Right now, President Biden is meeting with world leaders during the second day of the 75th NATO summit right here in Washington, D.C. While the President works to show strength in the military alliance, he's also facing a critical test of his own personal strength as more Democrats continue to cast doubt on his ability to defeat Trump in November. CNN Chief National Security Correspondent Alex Marquardt is joining us now live with more details.

And Alex, I'm curious how the discussion about Biden is affecting the summit with all of these world leaders in one place.

ALEX MARQUARDT, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Well, Jessica, in speaking with participants, foreign diplomats, leaders who have come here, they certainly say that it is somewhat distracting from the very important goals of this summit. This was already a crucial and historic summit, the 75th anniversary with a lot of work to be done on Ukraine and other subjects. But this discussion about Biden is taking away from some of that.

At the same time, there is a lot of concern among people here about Biden's condition and his ability to lead this military alliance. And so, of course, they, like so many Democrats and Americans, want to see up close essentially how he's doing in the wake of the CNN debate. So we saw President Biden speaking last night in a speech. He opened the NATO summit. I heard from a number of people who thought that he'd done quite well. Of course, that was a scripted event. We are now towards the end of the first working session where those - some of those NATO leaders will get to see him up close in a more unscripted way.

So they really are taking stock of him and his political fate because that will have a major impact on the NATO alliance, who the next president is. We heard President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, excuse me, talking directly to that point, saying everyone is waiting to see what will happen in November, the Russians included, he said, because President Biden and former President Trump, of course, have very different views of NATO.

For President Biden, NATO is a cornerstone of American foreign policy. For President Trump, he has spoken about it with some disdain.

So the diplomats here are quite concerned about the political fate of President Joe Biden.

[15:25:00]

But at the same time, they're very focused on accomplishing the goals that need to get done during this summit, reinforcing support for Ukraine, confronting China, along with a whole list of things. And celebrating frankly, Jessica, the 75th anniversary of this alliance. Jess? DEAN: All right. Alex Marquardt for us in Washington, D.C., thanks so much for that.

And let's turn now to CNN Political Commentator and former defense secretary under President Trump, Mark Esper. He also serves on the board or as a strategic advisor for a handful of aerospace and defense-related companies. Secretary, great to have you here with us.

A lot to talk about with this summit here in Washington. Ukraine and its future really at the centerpiece of this week's NATO summit. First, do you expect Ukraine will ultimately become a member of NATO? And if so, how do you think that plays out?

MARK ESPER, CNN GLOBAL AFFAIRS ANALYST: Well, good afternoon, Jessica.

Look, I hope Ukraine ultimately becomes a member, but my crystal ball doesn't go that far. With that said, I think it's important that we signal strongly a willingness to bring them in. I was hoping for something stronger than what we would likely see out of this conference with regard to that decision, but it is important that we bring as many members in that can qualify to serve. Certainly, Ukraine being under NATO's umbrella would protect it in the future, much like it has the last - many years for the Baltics, Romania, Poland and other front-line states.

DEAN: And last week, I want to ask you about this, too, U.S. officials learned that Russian-backed actors were considering carrying out sabotage attacks against U.S. military personnel and facilities across Europe. It appears that this would be an escalatory move by Russia. How do you read this and how would you expect the U.S. to respond? We know they've made some changes in security, but how would you expect them to respond if this did in fact happen?

ESPER: Yes, it certainly would be escalatory in my mind. We haven't seen something like that in a while. Of course, we know for years now, and including this year in particular, Russia continues to want to influence our elections, and not just ours, but others in Europe. And so that's a - another fact that we continue to deal with on a daily basis.

But look, I think first would be making sure we understand the nature of that threat, how it was conducted. If so, there was some suggesting that they might use a third party to bomb or commit arson at one of our bases. But look, I think we have to stand up to them and push back pretty hard.

And at all times, I haven't necessarily seen that from this administration. I hope they will do more in terms of responding to any Russian bad behavior and seeking to deter it in the future.

DEAN: And so if we zoom out for a second in the context around all - having all of these global leaders here with NATO, protecting democracies across the world, and we are seeing Russia with these strikes on Ukraine, on that children's hospital in the last couple of days where so many children had to be evacuated and moved after that was hit. We're seeing China with these military exercises, with Belarus right on the border, of Poland, of course, a NATO member. They really seem to be trying to make a message as NATO is happening or is gathered here in Washington this week.

ESPER: Yes, they certainly are, Jessica. And I - you mentioned the strike on a hospital. What could be a more chilling message than Putin showing the willingness to do awful, terrible things to a civilian population? You mentioned China, but of course, we have to mention Iran and North Korea. Putin was just in Asia a week or so ago visiting North Korea and Vietnam. And certainly in the case of North Korea, bargaining for additional arms and ammunition to his country.

We know that China is providing dual use and other capabilities and items to enable Russia's war machine. And, of course, Iran is providing missiles and drones. So you see this blowing - this growing block coming together of an axis, if you will, that is determined to push back against the Western democracies, first and foremost of that being the United States of America.

DEAN: And so with that backdrop, our colleague, Jim Sciutto, is reporting that NATO officials and U.S. allies have doubts that Joe Biden can get reelected and that they are bracing for a possibility of an - what they consider to be enormous change in the U.S. role in NATO. If Trump is reelected, will he reduce the U.S. role in NATO? He has said he's made a lot of passing comments about it, said that if other - if countries in Europe aren't paying their fair share, that Russia can - Putin can do whatever they want to them, things like that. How do you think that these domestic politics could potentially affect the global stage?

ESPER: Well, they're affecting everybody, Jessica. Whenever I travel abroad, whether it's Europe or Asia, the first question always asked is, you know, what's the status of the race, what will Trump do, how does he look upon our country, this alliance, whatever the case may be.

And those fears have only grown exponentially here in the last few weeks. And, you know, we wake up this morning, we see new polls saying that states that were in a lean Democratic bucket are now toss-ups and ones that were likely Democratic are now leans and they see these.

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They see the momentum.