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Dem Senators Meet With Biden Campaign Staff As Pressure Builds On President To Exit Race; Angry And Stunned Democrats Blame Biden's Closes Advisers For Shielding Public From Full Extent Of President Decline; U.S. Allies Watch As Biden Faces Key Test At NATO News Conference; Biden's Future On Shaky Ground As Critical News Conference Looms. Aired 3-3:30p ET

Aired July 11, 2024 - 15:00   ET

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

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[15:01:02]

JESSICA DEAN, CNN HOST: In just hours, President Biden will face a test the likes of which he hasn't seen since the debate two weeks ago, out on stage facing reporters who can ask him anything they'd like, no teleprompter, no excuses. If he can't show Democrats, he's up to the challenge of being president and worthy of leading the part into the November election.

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN HOST: And as the NATO summit continues in Washington, a CNN exclusive, how the U.S. and Germany foiled a Russian plot to assassinate the CEO of an arms manufacturer who was sending weapons to Ukraine.

Plus, a first since the pandemic, prices falling, a sign that inflation may be easing, a glimmer of hope for an interest rate cut now on the horizon. We're going to speak with one of President Biden's top economic advisors.

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

DEAN: We are now just hours away from President Biden's solo news conference. And we begin this hour with yet another Democrat calling on him to step aside. The latest is Democratic Congressman Brad Schneider. He's the 11th House Democrat to do so. And it comes as we're learning new details about how some Biden advisors are discussing how to persuade him to step aside from the 2024 race.

SANCHEZ: Yes. This new reporting is from The New York Times. The advisor said, quote, "They have to make the case to the President, who remains convinced of the strength of his campaign, that he cannot win against former President Donald J. Trump. They have to persuade him to believe that another candidate like Vice President Kamala Harris could beat Mr. Trump. And they have to assure Mr. Biden that should he step aside, the process to choose another candidate would be orderly and not devolve into chaos in the Democratic Party," end quote.

At the same time, top Biden campaign officials have been meeting today with Senate Democrats on Capitol Hill, trying to ease their concerns. The takeaways from the meeting, though, have been mixed.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. MAGGIE HASSAN (D-NH): We got a really strong presentation from the Biden's campaign team. We focused on the importance of defeating Donald Trump, who, as you know, not only had a bad debate, in which he lied repeatedly, but had a really, really bad presidency.

SEN. RICHARD BLUMENTHAL (D-CT): I still need more data, more analytics that show a path to success. And what's more important than my concerns are the questions that have been raised by the American people that only Joe Biden can allay. Only Joe Biden, personally and aggressively, can address those concerns and take it to Donald Trump.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANCHEZ: Let's get you the latest from Capitol Hill with CNN's Manu Raju.

Manu, we heard more from Sen. Blumenthal in the last hour. He said that some of his concerns were allayed, but some of them were deepened. I think he speaks for a lot of lawmakers.

MANU RAJU, CNN CHIEF CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, he did. In fact, I tried to ask him which of those concerns have deepened. He declined to say, but the real fear among Democrats in both the House and the Senate is the fact that they believe that Biden may lose in November and that, despite the presentation today, that that's still not enough to allay their fears that things are going in the wrong direction. That is what I've heard from members behind - would have been saying behind closed doors, but some of them saying publicly.

And today, Brad Schneider, becoming the 11th House Democrat, 12th Democrat in total in both the House and the Senate, calling on Joe Biden to step aside, worried about what may happen, and saying that it's time to pass the torch to a new leader in the party. Now, there's also the people who called on him who have been concerned about where this is going and the question about whether any of the push by the Biden campaign, these private briefings, could have changed their minds, including Senators Peter Welch and Michael Bennet.

Peter Welch, a Vermont Democrat, who called on Joe Biden to step aside.

[15:05:02]

Michael Bennet has not gone that far, but has said that he believes that Donald Trump is on path to winning this election, potentially in a landslide fashion. I asked both Welch and Bennet in the aftermath of this closed-door meeting, whether they believe that this has changed, that this poll - whatever information that the Biden campaign presented to them has changed their views. They indicated that their minds have not been changed.

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RAJU: Tell us if you've changed your mind. Have you changed your mind after the meeting?

SEN. PETER WELCH (D-VT): I have not changed my mind, but I really appreciate the White House folks coming over.

RAJU: Did you ...

WELCH: I really appreciate my colleagues having an opportunity to ask questions and an opportunity to engage and ...

RAJU: Do you still think that Biden's going to lose after today?

SEN. MICHAEL BENNET (D-CO): We had a good discussion in there and I've got to get in here to vote.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Was it enough to change your mind?

RAJU: Do you stand by your past comments?

BENNET: I stand by my comments.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

RAJU: And this all comes as senators are saying they're going to be watching tonight's press conference with the President very closely in the hopes that he can stabilize his campaign. But if there is any sort of slip-up or any sort of indication that he does not have what it takes to take on Donald Trump, expect potentially even more Democrats to come forward and call for him to step aside.

And that is going to put enormous pressure on both Chuck Schumer and Hakeem Jeffries, the Democratic leaders who have tried to stay somewhat neutral in all of this. While they have both stated publicly their support for Joe Biden at this moment, they have also not gone as far as a lot of Biden allies have on Capitol Hill or certainly as far as the President himself.

Hakeem Jeffries, in talking to reporters today, said that he is still having discussions with all 213 of his members and trying to decide how they view that this presidential race should take shape and saying that they're going to have further discussions and further meetings before they have direct conversation with the Biden campaign and with the President himself about how they view things should proceed.

So a lot of questions on Capitol Hill right now about the Biden campaign and really fears among members and certainly some suggestion that today's meeting did not alleviate any of those fears, guys.

DEAN: Yes, it certainly doesn't seem like any of this has come to a close. Manu Raju on the Hill for us, thanks so much.

And CNN's Kayla Tausche is following President Biden at the NATO summit here in Washington.

And Kayla, you have some new reporting about how some top Democrats are now beginning to point fingers at Biden's closest advisors. What are you learning? KAYLA TAUSCHE, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Jessica, this has been a dynamic that's been simmering for some time and really spilled out into the open after the debate. My colleagues and I spoke to more than two dozen top officials, aides, strategists within the Democratic Party and the Biden administration. And the common theme is anger and sadness that the President's decline, they say, was kept under wraps by his top aides, shielded from the public for the better part of a year.

Democrats tell CNN that when they tried to raise concerns about the President's aging, that they were - those concerns were dismissed or worse. And we also spoke to several overseas diplomats who noted that President Biden's exhaustion on the world stage was apparent when he attended multilateral summits as recently as the G7 last month.

Now, in response, Andrew Bates, a spokesman for the White House, says Joe Biden has always said that it is fair for reporters to ask about his age and has always confidently shown his values, agenda, intelligence and determination to the American people. Officials who meet with him frequently have spoken to his sharpness and command.

But in our reporting, we also found that several influential Democrats behind the scenes have been privately agitating for a plan B. In one anecdote that was relayed to me, Hollywood power broker Ari Emanuel confronted Ron Klain, Biden's former chief of staff at a private conference last September in Aspen, demanding to know what Democrats' alternative was and how soon it could be put into practice.

Attendees to that conversation told me that Klain appeared exasperated and said, he's the sitting president, what do you want me to do. But so all of this encapsulates a lead-up, a build-up to the crescendo that we've seen this week, where there is frustration across the board and this drumbeat of calls from Democrats for the President to step aside.

Publicly, his campaign is saying there is still a path for him, that he needs to hold the blue wall and specifically, that even though there has been some signs that Democrats have moved into the undecided camp, they believe they can win that back, but they say that they still have a path to 270, at least publicly, but voters want to see what the President has to say himself. Guys?

DEAN: All right. New reporting from Kayla Tausche following the President at the NATO summit. Thanks so much for that.

SANCHEZ: Concerns like that going back to last September, that is substantial.

Let's discuss now with Washington Post Columnist, Josh Rogin, CNN Political Analyst and Washington Bureau Chief for the Boston Globe, Jackie Kucinich and Axios National Political Correspondent, Alex Thomas.

[15:10:06]

Jackie, let's start with you. I'm curious to get your perspective on some of this new reporting, not just what we heard from Kayla, but also The New York Times pointing to advisors figuring out how to approach Joe Biden on the question of potentially stepping aside from the top of the ticket. And further, the Biden campaign apparently testing Kamala Harris' numbers against Donald Trump. What do you think?

JACKIE KUCINICH, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: I think that last name is what this is all about. This is about defeating former President Trump. And that is why you're hearing Democrats coming out. That's why you are hearing all the hand-wringing behind the scenes from anonymous sources.

I've talked to several people over the last couple of days who are Democrats, who are truly worried about how this is being handled and how they are going to go forward. But the matter of fact is, this is Joe Biden's decision, always has been.

And what you're hearing from members like Nancy Pelosi, for example, saying, oh, it's his decision. He's actually already said what his decision is, and it's just not the answer that some of these Democrats want to hear at this point. And I think that brings us to today, this press conference.

For some Democrats, that ship has sailed, but from others, they're really, they told us, they're really watching to see how he performs today when you have more of a freewheeling question and answer, there's no teleprompter, and what he says, and throughout this entire event.

DEAN: And Josh, I want to ask you about the NATO press conference in the sense that Speaker Pelosi told Punchbowl News, Jake Sherman, that she hoped we could get through NATO, those were her words, Before deciding on whether Biden will stay the Democratic nominee, and there's been some kind of talk and bubbling up about, we're just going to hold off until he gets through NATO, much like if a president is traveling abroad, you - they don't want to criticize him while he's abroad. Have you heard that? Do you get any sense that after this NATO summit concludes, regardless of what happens tonight, that there might be additional fallout?

JOSH ROGIN, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: Well, I'm sure that the fallout will continue to grow, but if this is holding off, then that's not really a great example of holding off because there's a ton of public criticism, and it's all the NATO leaders are talking about, and it's all the people in the administration are talking about, all the media is talking about.

So how - if you're President Zelenskyy, how are you supposed to direct the attention on Ukraine's desperate need for air defenses when everyone in the press conference is just going to want to know if Biden thinks that he still has the wits about him to run for president? And that's sort of the dynamic. I mean, yes, the story's only getting bigger, but it's overshadowed the NATO summit, it's crowded out the NATO summit, and it's forced a lot of these countries and their leaders, frankly, to sort of contemplate for the first time, really, what a second Trump administration would mean for them and how they can prepare it. And that's the other result of the fact that this is the story that's dominating everything right now.

SANCHEZ: Alex, I'm curious about how you see the disparity between what we heard from the White House publicly them essentially saying that this decision has already been made, aides that say they don't even want to have a conversation about the debate or the fallout from it, and then this reporting about the campaign quietly testing Kamala Harris and the ongoing chatter on Capitol Hill. Isn't that a concession from the campaign that this is not a closed case, as the White House is insisting?

ALEX THOMAS, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: Well, arguably, I mean, I do know that some people in the campaign do think that Kamala Harris could be a stronger general election candidate, but there's also an argument you made that they're pulling it to show that she isn't as competitive as Joe Biden. Because I can tell you that the campaign has long believed, especially the inner circle of the White House, that Joe Biden is the most electable person against Donald Trump. The belief is so strong, it almost has a religiosity to it. I sort of call it a commandment in Biden world.

And you would have to show Joe Biden and his inner circle really compelling, absolute evidence that he is not the strongest person to take on Donald Trump to convince him to get out of this race. You have to think about Joe Biden in 2016, didn't get in the race, ended up feeling guilty when he saw Donald Trump win. If he gets out of the race now and Donald Trump wins again, he is sort of running from that feeling. And so that is part of what is going on here.

And I actually am not sure the fact that they're pulling Kamala Harris. I think there are some people that are doing it to show that she's stronger, but I actually don't know if that's the complete motivation here.

SANCHEZ: Sure.

DEAN: And Jackie, there is this New York Times reporting that says that some Biden advisors are discussing how to convince the President to step aside. We had Meghan Hays, who formerly worked in the White House for many years here. And she was talking about how there's advisors and then there's the inner circle that Biden really listens to.

[15:15:00]

And that's a very small number of people, not necessarily senior advisors who he respects, but maybe won't take that advice from - on this particular issue. Help people understand, give them context about who he is listening to right now and if there is anyone besides maybe his very closest circle that could convince him to step aside and what the message might be.

KUCINICH: And I think their circle is either even - on a decision like this, I think the circle is even smaller than we're talking about. It's beyond, you know, someone like an Anita Dunn. It's Jill Biden and his sister, Valerie. Those are probably the two people that are closest to him, particularly Jill Biden. She is the - I think, one of the only person or people that could talk him into this.

But I really do think this has to be Joe Biden's decision. I don't think he's going to be talked into this. He's very dug in and this will have to come from him. And it's - that's what we've seen from Joe Biden in the past. He doesn't do anything unless he believes that it's coming from him.

So yes, this will be a family discussion should this happen, but it would - I think it would have to come from the President himself in order to go forward.

SANCHEZ: Josh, you spoke previously about how this press conference now sort of overshadows what I think the President and NATO allies wanted to put out there. And it was this commitment to Ukraine, especially in light of Donald Trump and his apprehension at investing more in the alliance and even saying that some of the members, that Russia could do whatever the hell they want with them if they don't meet their financial obligations.

But I'm also wondering how you think this sort of indecision among Democrats is perceived around the world by adversaries, by Vladimir Putin, by President Xi of China. It doesn't imbue enormous confidence in the United States right now, does it?

ROGIN: Well, that's exactly right, Boris. I mean, just think about it. This was supposed to be the crowning achievement of Joe Biden's first term foreign policy. He scheduled this the week before the GOP convention on purpose because he wanted it to stand as his argument. As part of his reelection, he couldn't have predicted that he would be in the political crisis that he's in at that time.

And, you know, I've been talking to a ton of diplomats this week in Washington and they all say the same thing. They say, it doesn't matter who wins. It's clear to us that America's dysfunction is here to stay and getting worse, and we have to plan accordingly.

So not every country is the same. Some adversaries like the idea of Trump, some don't. Most allies think it complicates their efforts to work with the United States, but not all of them. But the bottom line is that the world is losing faith in America's ability to lead because it's losing faith in America's ability to function. And there's very little this week that Democrats or Republicans could say that would convincingly refute that sad fact.

DEAN: And Alex, you talked a little bit about the psychology at play here, especially from President Biden's perspective. We know that he prides himself on his foreign policy chops. And this is, you know, admittedly a big accomplishment, bringing NATO back together, strengthening it. And yet this whole achievement is being undercut by all of this. How frustrated do you think that makes him, the team around him - this was - as Josh was just laying out, supposed to be such a defining moment for him. And now, more broadly, his legacy appears to be at risk in some ways. THOMAS: Yes. Joe Biden - whenever you ask Joe Biden about his case for a second term, he invariably turns to foreign policy. The fact is that in some ways, he still really likes the role he had as chair of the Foreign Relations Committee in the Senate. You can tell his enthusiasm for the topic versus talking about inflation or greedflation or shrinkflation or whicheverflation that he wants to talk about that day.

And that, you know, there is something sort of tragic about this, that what was supposed to be a crowning achievement, at least in his mind, of his first term, which was the expansion of NATO, consolidating the alliance and standing up against Russia and the invasion of Ukraine, you know, is coming at a time in which a lot of his own people are not even sure that he can - he should run for a second term anymore and, you know, whether or not he can even complete the term if he does run and win.

DEAN: All right. Everyone, thank you very much for your time. We sure do appreciate it.

Still ahead, we are talking to a former lawmaker and presidential candidate who says Biden's decision not to drop out is weakening one of Democrats' biggest campaign strategies. Plus, a live look inside the New Mexico courthouse where prosecutors are trying to prove Alec Baldwin was responsible for a deadly movie set shooting. One he says was not his fault.

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SANCHEZ: Plus, a CNN exclusive as U.S. and German officials team up to stop Russia from assassinating the head of a German weapons company. Those stories and much more coming up on CNN NEWS CENTRAL.

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[15:24:26]

In just a few hours, President Biden will hold his 15th solo news conference since taking office. That's a historically low number compared to his predecessors, but no question, it could be the most crucial of his political career as Democrats and, most importantly, voters consider whether they'll continue supporting him.

The calls for him to step down keep building exactly two weeks after his disastrous debate performance. One Democratic senator said the news conference could be, quote, potentially a turning point for the President.

[15:25:00]

Let's discuss with former Ohio congressman and former Democratic presidential candidate, Tim Ryan.

Sir, thanks so much for sharing part of your afternoon with us.

You were among the first in your party to urge the President to drop his re-election bid. Is there anything that he can do now that he can show tonight at this press conference that would change your mind?

TIM RYAN, (D) FORMER OHIO CONGRESSMAN: I don't think so. We saw what we saw a couple weeks ago. It was reinforced during the Stephanopoulos interview. We've seen the radio interviews and all kind of the controversy around that. I just don't think he's up to the task of, you know, taking on Vladimir Putin, making sure that we are strong against competitors like China, doing the kind of things we have to do during this campaign, but also for the next four years to get America back where it needs to be.

I just don't think he's able to do that at this point. He didn't do anything wrong. He - as David Axelrod likes to say, he's competing against Father Time, not Donald Trump. So I don't think there's - no one to blame, no one did anything wrong, but it is time for us to move on.

SANCHEZ: What do you think it would take to convince him of that, because it does not seem like the President has wavered at all.

RYAN: Well, I think a lot of people have talked about his love of country and really recognizing how dramatically changed this country could be with another four years of Donald Trump, where he controls the House and the Senate, what the federal benches look like around the country with a Clarence Thomas on every federal bench, with a Clarence Thomas-like figure running every U.S. attorney office across the country, the instability for our business community as we approach the next four years.

I think he understands how bad that would be under Donald Trump and so he needs to recognize that. And I think also recognize on a personal level how damaging it could be to his legacy. I mean, he is the President who's reshored jobs to the country for the first time in decades. Guys like me, Sherrod Brown, others have been complaining about for 30 or 40 years. We're finally reshoring chip manufacturing, building electric vehicles, building batteries, really starting to reindustrialize the country.

That's his legacy and that would get blown, quite frankly, if he blows this race to Donald Trump, if he stays in and doesn't do what everyone mostly thinks that he needs to do. And I would like him to understand too, this country is dying for a new message, for some hope, for some reconciliation, for a new view, an elevated view of what we can be as Americans and tapping into the new technologies, the innovations, the new ways to solve really old problems. The country's dying for that and he just can't give that to us.

We need a generational change that would give us a significant advantage to beat Donald Trump and to take America to the next level. People are dying for that and we got to give them that message.

SANCHEZ: According to this new reporting from The New York Times, the President before the debate had mentioned to an ally that he did not believe that Vice President Kamala Harris could defeat Donald Trump if she were at the top of the ticket. We've heard from some - including Sen. Chris Coons, who's a staunch Biden ally from Delaware. He said after the debate that Biden remains the only Democrat who can beat Donald Trump. What do you make of that dynamic? Do you believe that Biden is staying in the race because he doesn't think anyone else can win?

RYAN: God, I hope not. I really hope that's not the case in the very inner circle that he has or that that's his view because that is irresponsible as can be. I mean, I don't want to get into critiquing the President again, but he could not beat anything Donald Trump said during that debate. Donald Trump reshaped what happened during his term with the economy. He reshaped COVID. He reshaped climate. He reshaped everything with zero pushback.

And we need a fierce campaigner out there, someone like who I think Kamala Harris would be great. I think she would prosecute Donald Trump on so many issues. The choice issue, the criminality, the irresponsibility, and she's someone who can articulate that high- minded vision that I talked about. And so to think that you're the only person, you know, that's what Donald Trump said. All - just me. That's not how this country works.

We have 330 or 40 million people in this country. So much talent, the Democratic Party has never seen this much talent in our party in a long, long time. You know, our governors, talented young senators, the vice president. We've got a ton of talent here. And to think you're the only one that could do it, I think speaks to the administration being out of touch with what's happening within the Democratic Party and what's happening in the country.

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And to think you're the only one who could do it, I think shows ...