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Biden Vows to Stay in the Race; Top Democrats Join Calls to Oust Biden from Ticket; White House: Positive Signs in Gaza Ceasefire Negotiations. Aired 4-4:30a ET

Aired July 12, 2024 - 04:00   ET

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

[04:00:00]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I believe I'm the best qualified to govern and I think I'm the best qualified to win.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: In a high stakes press conference, President Biden unapologetic in his decision to seek a second term.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The question, did it change any minds among anxious Democrats nervous about his decision to run for reelection?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I did this painful thing tonight because for me, the answer to that is I just don't see that trajectory. I don't see the numbers.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: In Texas, where a Beryl hit as a hurricane on Monday, more than a million people are still without electricity.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All those people without power there in Houston, temperatures back up feeling around 100.

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ANNOUNCER: Live from London, this is CNN NEWSROOM with Max Foster.

FOSTER: Hello, a warm welcome to our viewers joining us around the world. I'm Max Foster. It's Friday, July the 12th, 9 a.m. here in London, 4 a.m. in Washington, where the White House is praising Joe Biden's NATO press conference as a success, even as more Democratic lawmakers call on him to end his campaign.

Mr. Biden answered questions for nearly an hour as he tried to overcome concerns about his cognitive health and political future. And he insisted he is the most qualified person to run for president and to beat Donald Trump. But he made a major gaffe when he misidentified his own vice president.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Look, I wouldn't have picked Vice President Trump to be vice president. But I think she's not qualified to be president. So let's start there.

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FOSTER: The president recovered and explained why he thinks Vice President Kamala Harris is qualified to step in as president, if necessary.

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BIDEN: First of all, the way she's handled the issue of freedom of women's bodies to have control of their bodies. Secondly, her ability to handle almost any issue on the board. This was a hell of a prosecutor.

She was a first rate person. And in the Senate, she was really good. I wouldn't have picked her unless I thought she was qualified to be president from the very beginning. I made no bones about that. She is qualified to be president. That's why I picked her.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOSTER: Reporters asked Mr. Biden about his mental acuity and stamina to serve as president for four more years.

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BIDEN: I've taken three significant and intense neurological exams by a neurosurgeon, a neurologist. In each case, as recently as February. And they say I'm in good shape.

The only thing age does is help you with it. It creates a little bit of wisdom if you pay attention. And so the point I'm making is I think it's important that I if -- if mine if a neurologist tells me he thinks I need another exam.

And by the way, I've, I've laid every bit of the record out every single day. I'm surrounded by good docs. If they think there's a problem, I promise you.

We don't think it's a problem. I think I should have a neurologic exam again. I'll do it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOSTER: More now from CNN's senior White House correspondent Kayla Tausche.

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KAYLA TAUSCHE, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: In a high stakes press conference, President Biden unapologetic in his decision to seek a second term, saying that the gravity of the situation demands he finish the job while acknowledging he has much more work to do to allay the concerns of voters.

BIDEN: I'm just going to keep moving, keep moving. And because, look, I got more work to do. We've got more work to finish.

There's so much -- we made so much progress.

TAUSCHE: Biden was far less defiant than he was in recent days, taking an opportunity to exalt his vice president, suggesting that she could serve as president on day one and that even she could beat Trump, though he said his team hasn't given him data to prove that he couldn't. Biden's team in the wake of this press conference relieved that he had an opportunity to talk about substance and personality and even hit back at his opponent in an opportunity he missed on the debate stage.

But Democrats aren't sold. Some texting tonight saying it was better, but not a home run. And in the coming days, his party will continue assessing his candidacy.

Kayla Tausche, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FOSTER: 17 Democrats in Congress are now calling on Mr. Biden to withdraw from the presidential race. That includes Jim Himes, the ranking member on the House Intelligence Committee, who issued a statement moments after Mr. Biden's news conference ended.

[04:05:03]

Himes spoke with CNN anchor Kaitlan Collins.

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REP. JIM HIMES (D-CT): This is not about one press conference, one debate, you know, one speech. This this is about the presidency of the United States. It's about an apocalyptically powerful individual.

And whether the trajectory to the election and the outcome of the election and beyond in the event that Joe Biden were reelected into a job that requires you to deal with the most hideous stuff on the planet. The president doesn't get to answer any easy questions. I mean, a debate with Donald Trump is a walk in the park compared to what happens at 4 a.m. in the White House.

KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR, THE SOURCE: Well, you heard him get a question from David Sanger about the ability to deal with President Putin, President Xi. And he said, I can deal with them now and I'll be able to deal with them three years from now. Do you not agree with that?

HIMES: Look, it's excruciatingly hard to answer that question, right, because, you know, a huge part of politics is loyalty and love and emotion. And nobody understands that better or attracts that better than Joe Biden. You know, a storytelling Irishman, you know, lives in an emotional world.

And, you know, those are critical values for politics. That's why, you know, rallies are so exciting. That's why people tear up when they hear the name Bobby Kennedy or Jack Kennedy or John McCain or whatever.

But the problem is that can go way too far. And when there's an excess of love and loyalty, you get 70 million Americans who will not budge from their support for a felon, from a criminal, from an adjudicated rapist who has promised to turn this country into an authoritarian country. That's what happens when you won't set aside loyalty and love and emotion.

So the stakes are so high that right now the question is, you know, not that, not how loyal are you, but can we avert? Forget about and we can talk more, if you like, about, you know, the event that Joe Biden were reelected. But can you avert a second Trump presidency?

And there is not a single number out there, not one, you know, Cook Report telling us that we may lose the House that says that Joe Biden is going to win. And so the answer to that, which is a fair answer, is that, yes, there's still time. There's four or five months to the election.

So then you need to ask yourself, what's the trajectory look like here? Are things getting better? If you believe that the problem the Democrats have is that we haven't gotten our message across, the message of the bipartisan infrastructure law, the message of capping out-of-pocket expenses in Medicare at $2,000, of capping insulin costs at $35, and standing up for veterans.

If you believe that our problem is that we haven't gotten that message across well. And if you also believe that the president has the biggest megaphone, you have to drop the emotion and the loyalty and love and say, in the next four or five months, is that story going to be told with such precision and poetry and beauty that you will turn around all the numbers that say we are going to lose? And I did this painful thing tonight because, for me, the answer to that is I just don't see that trajectory.

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FOSTER: Joining me now, Leslie Vinjamuri is head of the U.S. and America's program at the Royal Institute of International Affairs. Good morning, Leslie. We are going to talk about policy because, obviously, it was a NATO summit. This is about international security. But it has, unfortunately, been hijacked by everyone's obsession with how fit President Biden is to serve. I mean, it was a very -- we mentioned it was a very long press conference, but there are two key parts that stick out, and that's when he misnamed two key people.

How concerned should we be about that?

LESLIE VINJAMURI, U.S. AND THE AMERICAS PROGRAMME, CHATHAM HOUSE: Well, we've seen that President Biden, for a very long time, has frequently misnamed leaders or individuals or stumbled on words. But, again, if you go to the content of that press conference, which, as you say, was long, it was very deep. It was very rich on foreign policy.

Not only his initial remarks, which, you know, really remarkably drew the story of America's leadership after Russia's invasion of Ukraine, talked about the United States as an indispensable nation, talked about the significance of NATO, reminded the Americans that the only time the Article 5 had ever been invoked was after the 9-11 terror attacks to protect the United States. So he fielded numerous questions with very rich and great depth. So, you know, this is a president, really, when it comes to foreign policy, at his best.

But, of course, at some level, the telling comment was when he said, you know, no matter what I do, it's not going to be enough. And we've seen the polling.

[04:10:00]

Sixty-seven percent of Americans would like to see President Biden step down from that nomination, not run again. So many people in his own party, the polling on the swing states, not looking good. And so despite the depth, the press conference really read as a president who's done a remarkable job, not a perfect job, but a remarkable job over many decades in the Senate, in the presidency and foreign policy, prices coming down, jobs growing, unemployment at its lowest in decades.

But a president that doesn't appear to have the energy and the vigor and that still appears to be slowing down and an uproar that feels like it will be very, very difficult to quell, regardless of how strong a single press conference is.

FOSTER: And from an international perspective, isn't the issue here that this was a very important event, NATO, for people like Zelenskyy, for the new British prime minister, for example, as well to assert himself on the world stage? And they are all -- they can't actually talk about what they wanted to get out of it because everyone wants to ask them. I mean, you know, the British prime minister was the first questions he received were about how was President Biden?

That's the actual material damage that's being done by all of this talk.

VINJAMURI: Yes, it's clear that that President Biden has become the story, not the not the real issues. You know, let's be clear, as we all know, those leaders met and they had very rigorous and very serious discussions. It's when it comes to the public that that just simply is disintegrating.

And that matters. Unfortunately, in an election year with only, you know, a handful of months to go, it matters a huge amount. It does make it very difficult for international leaders.

And NATO allies have been concerned for a very long time about this election, about the looming threat of Donald Trump. Even before the considerations of President Biden's health became so prominent, there has been deep fear in Europe. Endless talk about Trump proofing NATO of Europeans doing more on European security. And that was a focus in this meeting of the NATO leaders.

But you're right. It's very difficult to communicate this to the public, to have any broader influence, because every single news article, every single question, every single comment is about President Biden's health.

And, you know, despite, again, a very strong press conference deep on the issues, there is just a real concern about, you know, can the president win? The polling doesn't look good. Can he govern if he does win for four more years?

But right now, you know, the short term, the urgent question for leaders around the world, for people around the world, especially in Europe and especially for Americans, of course, is whether he can actually beat Donald Trump. And that, I think, is a grave concern.

It's very sad, you know, for Americans, for people around the world to listen to a president talk about that he wants to stay in the race because of the gravity of the situation that he faces. He talked about the need to get legislation. Unfortunately, it sort of framed President Biden as, as a man who governed, who's led the country in various roles in an era that no longer exists.

FOSTER: OK, Leslie, as ever, thank you so much for your insights.

Mr. Biden got down to other business on the final day of the NATO summit in Washington, though. He launched what's called the Ukraine compact, a joint effort by the alliance to support Ukraine's long term security.

That includes boosting its future military capabilities and supporting it in case another Russian aggression comes down the line. Mr. Biden said the eventual goal is to have Ukraine join the alliance.

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BIDEN: You heard me say it before. We're building a bridge to NATO for Ukraine, a pathway leading to an eventual membership as they continue to implement important domestic reform. This compact, which is on the stage here, is a central piece of that bridge.

What happens to Ukraine matters, matters to all of Europe. It matters to NATO, quite frankly, it matters to the whole world.

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FOSTER: But one thing that matters to Ukraine is conducting more strikes inside Russia with NATO supplied weapons. President Zelenskyy asked for a free hand to do that and urged NATO to lift the remaining restrictions.

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[04:15:00]

VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT: If we want to win, if we want to prevail, if we want to save our country and to defend it, we need to lift all the limitations. I spoke about it with partners, with U.K. leader, with United States president, with secretary, all of them.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOSTER: Still ahead, Israel's prime minister strikes a note of skepticism about the Gaza ceasefire negotiations. And U.S. President Joe Biden weighs in on the talks. Our details when we return.

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FOSTER: The White House says it's seeing positive signs for a potential Gaza ceasefire and a hostage release deal between Israel and Hamas. However, sources tell CNN there are still tough issues to resolve. U.S. President Joe Biden says he hopes the proposal now being discussed will allow for a two-state solution in the Middle East. He called the Israeli war cabinet the most conservative war cabinet in the country's history. And said he was working with Arab nations on how they could keep the peace in Gaza without Israeli forces staying in the enclave.

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BIDEN: The question has been from the beginning. What's the day after in Gaza?

[04:20:00]

The day after in Gaza has to be -- the end of the day after has to be no occupation by Israel in the Gaza Strip. As well as the ability for us to access, get in and out as rapidly as you can all that's needed there.

I've been disappointed that some of the things that I've put forward have not succeeded as well. Like the port reattached from Cyprus. I was hopeful that would be more successful.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOSTER: Israel says it's sending a delegation to Cairo to continue negotiations for Gaza ceasefire and a hostage release deal. Speaking at a graduation ceremony for new military officers, Prime Minister Netanyahu said this to -- well he had this to say about those latest talks.

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BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER (through translator): I am committed to the plan to free our hostages. But the Hamas assassins continue to adhere to demands that contradict the plan and endanger Israel's security. As Prime Minister of Israel and out of a sense of national responsibility, I am not prepared to accept these demands.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOSTER: While mean well Israel carried out airstrikes in northern Gaza a day after ground forces wrapped up a two-week operation in Shujaya. Emergency teams have so far recovered 60 bodies but officials feared dozens more could still be under the rubble. Gaza civil defense estimates more than 120,000 people now have been displaced in Shujaya with 85 percent of buildings destroyed since October 7th.

Tens of thousands have been fleeing nearby Gaza city since Sunday following the IDF's evacuation orders there.

CNN's Scott McLean is following developments from Istanbul, Turkey. And it doesn't feel as if the ceasefire talks are going in the right direction again.

SCOTT MCLEAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, again is absolutely right Max. Look, there are, we are hearing from diplomatic sources, tough issues still to resolve. It's not entirely clear what those tough issues are but it is Prime Minister Netanyahu that is accusing Hamas, as you heard there in that clip, of making demands that contradict the plan that's on the table.

He also went back to a point that he has been making since the outset of the war that it is military pressure on the ground that will ultimately lead to a ceasefire breakthrough. It is also Prime Minister Netanyahu who has been accused though of moving the goalpost because you remember that it was over the weekend that Hamas said that it was willing to forego one of its demands that any ceasefire it agrees to would be permanent provided that it's at least negotiated during the first phase of a ceasefire deal. But Prime Minister Netanyahu set out a day later his insistence that Israel must be allowed to continue the war after any ceasefire deal that is agreed to.

You also heard from President Biden there who was asked about the situation in Gaza. He gave a long meandering answer. But when it comes to negotiations specifically, he said this. Listen.

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BIDEN: But the bottom line is we have a chance now. It's time to end this war. Doesn't mean walk away from going after Sinwar and Hamas.

And if you notice, you know better than most, there is a growing dissatisfaction in -- on the West Bank from the Palestinians about Hamas. Hamas is not popular now. And so there's a lot of moving parts. I just have to keep moving to make sure that we get as much done as we can toward a ceasefire. A ceasefire.

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MCLEAN: So for the record, there's not a whole lot of polling data out of the West Bank. But based on the data that we do have, that statement about Hamas being less popular, Max, is not true. In fact, half of people polled or surveyed in the West Bank said that they would vote for Hamas today if given the chance.

That's double what it was prior to the war. And three quarters of the people said that they supported the October 7th attack on Israel. That's even more than the number of people in Gaza who gave the same answer.

FOSTER: Because through these attacks in Gaza where previously the Israelis had said they'd pushed out Hamas.

MCLEAN: Yes, so we're talking about Gaza City. This is an area which since the weekend there have been evacuation orders for large swaths of it.

And so that affects an estimated quarter of a million people. And even today, almost a week later, there are still tens of thousands of people on the move in some pretty deplorable conditions.

But CNN has managed to speak to people who are in that area. Some people said that, look, they don't want to move at all because they would rather die with dignity in their own homes than deal with the deplorable conditions that they have heard of elsewhere in the territory. And these are people who haven't had any fresh food in six months or so.

[04:25:00]

Other people are so afraid to use the evacuation corridor that they're actually going back to Shujaya, that area that you mentioned earlier, Max, where some 85 percent of it is destroyed and there are still airstrikes ongoing there.

And then people who are making the journey are complaining about how far they are having to walk in really brutal conditions. One woman said that, you know, with her family, with her children, they were walking, sleeping outside for three days with no water. You can imagine how difficult it is for people and how exhausted they are from having to move so many times since the outset of the war.

And of course, you know, adding insult to injury to all of this, the WHO says that there are one quarter of the people in Gaza are facing starvation and one third are facing acute malnutrition.

FOSTER: OK, Scott, in Istanbul. Thank you for that.

Israeli military has acknowledged it failed to protect civilians in a southern Israel kibbutz during the October 7th mass attack. The IDF inquiry found the military struggle to assess and respond to the Hamas siege on the kibbutz Be'eri with forces spread thin that day. The head of the Israeli army said this led to troops waiting outside the gates, quote, while the massacre continued inside. He said that cannot be allowed to happen again. The kibbutz Be'eri was one of the hardest hit. Hamas militants killed 101 of its residents, including children, and abducted 30 people. A spokesperson for the kibbutz said the findings helped members understand the events of that day, but some important questions remain unanswered.

Andrey Kozlov was nearing the end of his shift as a security guard at the Nova Music Festival when Hamas fighters attacked. The Russian Israeli citizen was soon captured and taken to Gaza as a hostage. In an interview with CNN, Kozlov detailed his months of captivity, the psychological torture he endured, the threats he faced. And finally, after his rescue, the emotional reunion with his mother.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) BIANNA GOLODRYGA, CNN ANCHOR AND SENIOR GLOBAL AFFAIRS ANALYST: We all saw the video of when you were reunited with your mother at the hospital. As a mother, it brought tears to my eyes to see how you fell down on your knees hugging her. Do you know how difficult I would imagine you do those eight months were for them?

ANDREY KOZLOV, RUSSIAN-ISRAELI CITIZEN RESCUED FROM HAMAS CAPTIVITY: I was so afraid not to see them.

GOLODRYGA You thought you'd never see them again?

KOZLOV: I was afraid. I imagined how like my mother and father and brother, I will not hear the words, I love you, anymore.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FOSTER: You can see the full interview with rescued hostage Andrey Kozlov today on Amanpour at 1 p.m. Eastern, that's 6 p.m. in London, 8 p.m. in Tel Aviv. It will also air on "ANDERSON COOPER 360," 8 p.m. Eastern, that's 5 p.m. on the U.S. West Coast.

Donald Trump is responding to the overwhelming evidence of his ties to Project 2025. We'll see what's in the conservative playbook and who's behind it.

The remnants of Hurricane Beryl are flooding parts of the Northeastern US. When we come back, areas in the storm's wake grapple with the fallout. Stay with us.