1 00:00:01,700 --> 00:00:03,733 AMNA NAWAZ: Welcome to the "News Hour," and happy Independence Day. 2 00:00:03,733 --> 00:00:07,833 Well, it's been one week since President Joe Biden's poor performance in the first 3 00:00:07,833 --> 00:00:12,833 debate of the 2024 campaign caused a political shockwave. The president insists he is staying 4 00:00:14,933 --> 00:00:18,900 in the race. But even on this Fourth of July holiday, concerns continue to grow inside the 5 00:00:21,000 --> 00:00:24,433 Democratic Party about whether Mr. Biden is the best person to sit atop the ticket in November. 6 00:00:26,300 --> 00:00:28,400 "News Hour" political correspondent Lisa Desjardins has been talking to 7 00:00:28,400 --> 00:00:31,400 lawmakers and to voters. She joins me now with the latest. 8 00:00:31,400 --> 00:00:32,200 Good to see you, Lisa. 9 00:00:32,200 --> 00:00:33,500 LISA DESJARDINS: Hi. 10 00:00:33,500 --> 00:00:35,666 AMNA NAWAZ: So you have been -- so far, rather, 11 00:00:35,666 --> 00:00:39,300 we have seen two Democratic lawmakers come out publicly, only two so far, to publicly 12 00:00:39,300 --> 00:00:44,266 call for Mr. Biden to step aside. Your reporting shows that many more could be considering that. 13 00:00:45,200 --> 00:00:46,633 Who are we talking about here? 14 00:00:46,633 --> 00:00:48,466 LISA DESJARDINS: Amna, the texts and phone calls 15 00:00:48,466 --> 00:00:52,466 from Democratic lawmakers concerned have not waned in the last week. 16 00:00:52,466 --> 00:00:56,933 And talking to about a dozen or so House members in particular and top staffers in 17 00:00:56,933 --> 00:01:00,633 Congress who are Democrats in the last couple of days, I can report that there 18 00:01:00,633 --> 00:01:05,600 are two movements to write letters asking the president to step aside as the nominee. 19 00:01:05,600 --> 00:01:07,566 These are from two groups that are trying to form, 20 00:01:07,566 --> 00:01:11,400 one, veteran lawmakers generally who are in safe seats, like Lloyd Doggett, 21 00:01:11,400 --> 00:01:15,266 who you interviewed here on this program. The other is from front-line members who are 22 00:01:15,266 --> 00:01:20,266 much more vulnerable, who believe they have much more to risk if Biden is on the ballot. 23 00:01:22,300 --> 00:01:24,533 So, these two groups right now are trying to get text together, trying to move these 24 00:01:24,533 --> 00:01:29,066 letters ahead. Now, would they actually publicly call for the president to do 25 00:01:29,066 --> 00:01:34,066 this? Unclear. They're talking about it. How big are these groups? Also unclear. It's very fluid. 26 00:01:36,166 --> 00:01:39,533 But I can report from having these conversations that we are talking about scores of House 27 00:01:39,533 --> 00:01:44,533 Democrats, not a handful, scores who want the president, privately, they say, to step aside. 28 00:01:46,233 --> 00:01:47,566 AMNA NAWAZ: So those who think they may step forward to say that, 29 00:01:47,566 --> 00:01:49,400 why are they waiting in this moment to do so? 30 00:01:49,400 --> 00:01:51,700 LISA DESJARDINS: Exactly my question. 31 00:01:51,700 --> 00:01:55,633 There are a few reasons. One, wording of the letter is difficult, especially for front-liners. 32 00:01:55,633 --> 00:02:00,100 Some of those front-liners, I'm told, would like letter that says, this is -- he has 33 00:02:00,100 --> 00:02:03,100 been a good president. They would like praise for the president in this letter. 34 00:02:03,100 --> 00:02:06,200 Other front-liners are nervous about signing that kind of letter, 35 00:02:06,200 --> 00:02:10,933 because President Biden may not have won in their district before, may not win again. So, 36 00:02:10,933 --> 00:02:14,633 wording is one issue. Another, of course, is the politics here. 37 00:02:14,633 --> 00:02:19,066 There is a lot of calculation about, how do you influence this president. Some believe 38 00:02:19,066 --> 00:02:24,066 that publicly coming out, asking him to step aside, is exactly the kind of thing that would 39 00:02:26,300 --> 00:02:29,333 have this president feel more embattled, more likely to dig in. There's a discussion about that. 40 00:02:31,466 --> 00:02:33,500 Then there's also the politics for members. Some are worried that, if they come out publicly, 41 00:02:33,500 --> 00:02:36,900 there will be retribution later, should he win. Some are worried that, if they 42 00:02:36,900 --> 00:02:41,900 don't come out publicly now, if he loses, there could be retribution for missing this moment. 43 00:02:43,366 --> 00:02:45,433 AMNA NAWAZ: How does all of this compare to what you're 44 00:02:45,433 --> 00:02:47,833 hearing from voters who are watching all this unfold? What are they telling you? 45 00:02:47,833 --> 00:02:50,066 LISA DESJARDINS: There is a complete disconnect here, Amna. 46 00:02:50,066 --> 00:02:53,933 Talking to dozens of voters through our project to reach out to voters, 47 00:02:53,933 --> 00:02:58,100 as well as voters in Maine, where I just came back from vacation, family members, and voters 48 00:02:58,100 --> 00:03:03,066 here in Virginia this morning at a Fourth of July parade, Democratic voters are not just concerned. 49 00:03:04,833 --> 00:03:07,500 It's beyond that. Let's take a listen. 50 00:03:07,500 --> 00:03:10,866 ELLIS JOHNSTON, Minnesota Democratic Voter: I am feeling panicked. Certainly, 51 00:03:10,866 --> 00:03:15,866 like, laying in my bed at night, like, overcome with fear. I do not think that Joe Biden is the 52 00:03:20,333 --> 00:03:25,333 best person to be running in this election. I don't know who that person is, but I don't 53 00:03:30,066 --> 00:03:35,066 feel confident in Joe Biden's ability to win this election. And that makes me very afraid. 54 00:03:37,100 --> 00:03:39,400 LISA DESJARDINS: Now, are there Democrats that still support him, still want him there? 55 00:03:39,400 --> 00:03:42,233 Of course there are. But this is the vast majority of the response I'm getting, 56 00:03:42,233 --> 00:03:47,033 including a text just in the last hour or so from Darren, an undecided voter in Milwaukee, 57 00:03:47,033 --> 00:03:52,033 who voted for Biden in 2020. He says he has lost whatever desperate hope he had, 58 00:03:52,033 --> 00:03:55,833 and it's well past time for Democrats to face reality about Biden. 59 00:03:55,833 --> 00:03:58,433 AMNA NAWAZ: Lisa, as you well know, there's been a sense of the White House and the campaign have 60 00:03:58,433 --> 00:04:02,233 kind of circled the wagons around the president since the debate. He won't sit for his first 61 00:04:02,233 --> 00:04:06,566 major interview until tomorrow, more than a week after the debate. How is that playing? 62 00:04:06,566 --> 00:04:09,866 LISA DESJARDINS: This has been a difficult week for the White House, but they have again and 63 00:04:09,866 --> 00:04:14,233 again, said, no, he's not stepping aside, and they have been getting their supporters out, 64 00:04:14,233 --> 00:04:18,466 as we saw last night, when governors from across the country came to the White House. 65 00:04:18,466 --> 00:04:22,633 Three of them came up to the microphone to say that they still support the president 66 00:04:22,633 --> 00:04:26,900 and that their meeting reinforced that view. And then we had another today, 67 00:04:26,900 --> 00:04:31,900 this from a very popular Democratic governor among progressives, Gavin Newsom of California. 68 00:04:33,833 --> 00:04:36,266 GOV. GAVIN NEWSOM (D-CA): There was no one that walked out of that and said, 69 00:04:36,266 --> 00:04:41,266 we have got you back, Mr. President. No one. Not one. And so,again, for all the hand-wringing, 70 00:04:42,933 --> 00:04:47,166 all the navel-gazing, time to step up and step in. 71 00:04:47,166 --> 00:04:50,433 LISA DESJARDINS: That is again a disconnect from what I'm hearing from Democrats here 72 00:04:50,433 --> 00:04:54,666 in Washington, who actually are angry, especially House Democrats, for two reasons. 73 00:04:54,666 --> 00:04:56,733 One, the campaign came after them in the last week, 74 00:04:56,733 --> 00:05:01,500 calling them bed-wetters. They say that ignores the reality. They think there is 75 00:05:01,500 --> 00:05:04,700 a real political problem here for Biden that they're ignoring and potentially a 76 00:05:04,700 --> 00:05:08,100 governing one. They are concerned about what he will be like in three years. 77 00:05:08,100 --> 00:05:11,866 So where does this leave all of this? A lot of those House Democrats who are figuring 78 00:05:11,866 --> 00:05:15,933 out how they express concern and do they are waiting for a big interview tomorrow, 79 00:05:15,933 --> 00:05:20,100 President Biden speaking to ABC. Time is of the essence, 80 00:05:20,100 --> 00:05:23,900 and this may be the most important interview of his political career. 81 00:05:23,900 --> 00:05:27,600 AMNA NAWAZ: All right, Lisa Desjardins with the latest on this ongoing story. 82 00:05:27,600 --> 00:05:28,533 Lisa, thank you. 83 00:05:28,533 --> 00:05:29,133 LISA DESJARDINS: You're welcome.