The Nation Decides 2024: Biden Drops Out of Presidential Race

Good evening, and thank you for joining us tonight. I'm Steve Lance. And breaking earlier today, President Biden has dropped out of the presidential race, saying he will finish out the remainder of his term, but says his re-election bid is over, endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris for the Democratic Party nomination today. Biden says it's been the greatest honor of his life serving as president. He says he's standing down for the best interest of the party and the country, calling calls for Biden to drop out as the party nominee had been building over the past weeks. Some Democratic donors, lawmakers, and celebrities started scrutinizing him after his debate against former President Trump. More than three dozen House Democrats and five senators urging the president to drop out. The president has been dealing with a third case of COVID-19 on top of the pressure from the campaign. Biden has vowed to stay in the race despite rumors he might be stepping down. He's won more than 3,800 delegates in the Democratic primary elections to date. The president says he'll speak to the nation later this week to explain his decision in greater detail. Biden wrote on X the best decision he's made was picking Kamala Harris as vice president. The president wrote today, I want to offer my full support and endorsement for Kamala to be the nominee of our party this year. Let's do this. Vice President Kamala Harris says she intends to earn and win the Democratic nomination. She thanked Biden for his leadership as president and his decades of service to the country. Harris called the president's decision a selfless and patriotic act. She wrote his legacy surpasses that of many presidents who have served two terms in office. Harris commended the president for his commitment to his faith and family. The vice president says she's honored to have Biden's endorsement vowing to hit the campaign trail and win in November. And joining us now we have A. Scott Bolden. He's the former chair of the Washington, D.C. Democratic Party and a former New York assistant district attorney. A. Scott, thank you so much for joining. Good evening. Right off the top, you have been following this, obviously. Did you think that we would hear so soon from the president of the United States not to run and seek re-election? Well, I expected a decision like most of us this weekend with the president having COVID and all the three weeks of pressure that's been on the president and the Democrats, something had to give. My mother used to say, well, if you're going to get going, you better get to getting. And that's how I felt about the Democrats and this race. It feels like the race was slipping away from us because we were fighting ourselves versus the GOP and Donald Trump. This is a sad day for America in the sense that we are seeing a countryman and a statesman step down who was given 50 years of public service, an outstanding public servant, regardless of your politics, very well respected. And so I feel energized as a Democrat now because the issue of age and mental acuity is no longer on the ballot as far as Joe Biden is concerned. We're going to get behind Kamala Harris and move forward. And she's the best position to prosecute the case against Donald Trump and the GOP and Project 25, 2025. And so I'm excited about the future and most Democrats are. If there's a floor fight, so be it. But the Democrats have always been a fractured group, no matter what. We come together at the last minute, though, because that's just our nature. Hey, Scott Bolden, as you mentioned, getting behind Kamala Harris for president. You obviously have President Biden endorsing her today. Bill and Hillary Clinton also endorsing. But notable folks that issued statements that have not endorsed her, obviously, former President Barack Obama. You have leader Jeffries, leader Schumer of the Democrats in Congress also not throwing their weight behind Kamala just yet. Talk to us about the factions within the Democrats and how this may actually play out. Well, there are factions who don't who would like to leapfrog Kamala Harris, the same factions that wanted Biden to get out. They really wanted Biden and Harris to get out, right? Whether they're money donors or whether they're House of Representatives, or whether they're senators or Democratic political operatives, that's okay. Because in the end, with those types of endorsements, Kamala Harris makes the most sense for a couple reasons. One, she keeps the 240 million if the delegates get behind her and Biden has endorsed her. So those delegates for Biden, those 1,900, are more than likely going to go to Kamala Harris. And then secondly, what have the Democrats been bleeding? The Democrats have been bleeding the black and brown vote, the gay vote, the young voters, if you will, suburban white women, and this anti-abortion issue, which is the sweet spot for Kamala Harris. She solves all of those issues for the Democratic Party. Those groups will form a coalition and coalesce around her, and then they can move forward. And there's plenty enough time to make up two percentage points or whatever the issue is. She's battle-tested. She's been on the national platform for three or four years. And the other ones who would want to be president, like governors, have their supporters, but I'll be honest with you, they're not battle-tested yet. And so she makes the most sense. And so we need to make smart decisions in times of crisis. This was a heroic and powerful decision made by Biden, and the Democrats got to continue to make smart decisions by getting behind Kamala Harris. So Scott, what are the potential consequences of an open or brokered convention for the Democrats? Well, that puts us further behind the eight ball, and we'll still be fighting with ourselves versus fighting the GOP and Donald Trump. This case that be made, the case prosecuted against Donald Trump is an easy case. This race shouldn't even be close based on what Donald Trump represents, whether it's the chaos, corruption, or criminality of Donald Trump. And that's what we need to focus on. They are the political enemy. We're not the political enemy within ourselves. Now, in the next two to four days, if someone steps up, despite the endorsements that Kamala Harris has and believes that they've got support within the party, then so be it, and she has to earn that nomination. And I think with the help of Biden and Clinton and others, including those who have not endorsed her yet, that being Schumer and Hakeem Jeffries, and even Barack Obama. Barack Obama is not expected to endorse anybody because he doesn't want to tip the scale. I don't really understand that political philosophy, but that's his philosophy, at least historically. But you have put it to a vote, and it's up to the delegates. And I just think in the end, Kamala makes the most sense and really gives the GOP the most headaches because Donald Trump can be very offensive to the women vote. He's not clear on his abortion issue. He wants to give it to the states, but he owns the abortion, getting the federal ban struck down. He's going to have to deal with Kamala Harris very differently. They really wanted, the Republicans really wanted Biden to stay in, just like a year ago, the Democrats wanted Trump to stay in. Look at how the tables have turned in regard to political fortunes and stuff. But that fight, if it's going to be won, I hope we don't. But if it does, it'll be resolved at the convention. And then we got to get back to our core values and running against Donald Trump. That's all that matters in 2024. The rest of this is just noise and nonsense. Scott, to your point, Kamala Harris is certainly battle tested. This is not a simple process where you just throw somebody in there. There's a lot of opposition research. There's October surprises. There's all certain kinds of things. So what are the downsides of vetting a potential new candidate? Well, the downside is it takes time. They have to not only be vetted, but there's a background check. They haven't been battle tested at the national level. And more importantly, how do they put together? And Scott, we appreciate you joining us. And right now, reactions are still pouring in, including from former President Obama and former Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi. Joining us now live from the White House is NTD's White House correspondent, Iris Dow. Iris, what can you tell us about the reactions that we're seeing thus far? Good evening to you, Steve. So right now, reactions are pouring in and this move is significant as this is the first time in modern U.S. history that a presumptive nominee of a major political party dropped out this late in the race. We know that over five decades ago, President Lyndon B. Johnson also dropped out, but he did it months earlier in the campaign than President Biden just did today. And now we're just a little over 100 days away from the November election and less than a month away from the Democratic National Convention when President Biden was supposed to be nominated. And this is shocking because also Biden has been saying for the past 25 days after the first debate that he's not going anywhere. And actually just earlier today, his campaign sent out an email calling on Democrats to unite around Biden. And now things have drastically changed. Now, Vice President Kamala Harris has responded by saying, quote, she is honored to have the president's endorsement and her intention is to earn and win this nomination. That's her acknowledging that she will now have to fight to unite the Democratic Party. She's not automatically a nominee just yet. And meanwhile, some prominent Democrats are also speaking out, praising President Biden for the work he's done over the past three to four years, but also some are stopping short of endorsing Kamala Harris. Former President Barack Obama made a lengthy statement after Biden's announcement that he said, quote, our party will be able to create a process from which an outstanding nominee emerges. He did not mention Kamala Harris. And former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi also called Biden a, quote, patriotic American who has always put our countries first, also did not mention the current vice president. And that's the same case with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, who also praised Biden for, quote, saving our country. And also several potential names to be on a Democratic ticket, including California Governor Gavin Newsom, Michigan Governor Gretchen Wimmer, also praising Biden while stopping short of endorsing Kamala Harris. Meanwhile, all of them are doing this in addition to the DNC chair Jamie Harrison, who said the DNC is, quote, seeking a candidate who's able to defeat Trump, but also without mentioning the current vice president. But of course, there are those who are standing with President Biden and also aligned with him in endorsing the vice president. Those include 25 House Democrats and so far 14 Senate Democrats have done so, and they include prominent progressives like Senator Elizabeth Warren, Congressman Jamie Raskin, and Congresswoman Elaine Omar. And former President Bill Clinton and Hillary Clinton are also throwing their support behind Kamala Harris. And meanwhile, we'll also have heard now that third party candidate RFK Jr. is calling on Democrats to, quote, hold an open process to select a replacement for Biden. He wrote in a statement that, quote, instead of anointing a candidate handpicked by DNC elites, the party should use mutual polling to identify the candidate who can best beat Donald Trump, adding that, quote, if they had done this to begin with, I would not have to leave the Democratic Party. So a lot is still unfolding as we wait, of course, for President Biden to address the nation later next week. We don't know when exactly he will return to the White House. And just yet, we got a note from his doctor this morning saying his COVID symptoms have improved a lot. But so far, we have heard not very much about, you know, who's coming next and how the process will unfold, especially given we're now so short, there's such a short time route right now for us before the DNC. Back to you. And to these White House correspondent, Iris Tao, live from the White House. We'll be checking back in with you shortly. Thank you, Iris. And coming up, we'll hear more from our guests about what's next for the presidential race and how Trump and other Republicans are responding. Plus, how are everyday Americans reacting to the news? Don't go away. We'll be right back.