understands. there's a price to pay for undercutting both the pacific basin as well as europe and it relates to russia and dealing with ukraine and so we, for example if you want to invest in china, as you know, you know, this area really well and invest in china, you have to get 50% chinese owner you have to make sure that you do by their rules and you can't you don't have the authority that you have to provide all access to all the data and information you have there was a while there is recalled the last administration and other administrations where the access to that market was enticing enough to get companies to come in because they had access to over 1 billion people in a market not

1 billion but a lot of people in the market and they were doing it but that could take that guy curtailed when we started saying we're going to play by the same rules. for example, the idea they don't abide by international rules related to subsidized products by the government funded so guess what? they're not going to be able to export their electric vehicles to the united states without a significant terror others are doing the same thing around the world but it is a concern it is a concern that you have. both china south korea, and north korea, russia ran countries that are not necessarily coordinated in the past look into figure out how they can have impact that impact yes, i do. >> but i'm not prepared to talk about the detail of it in

public and i. think, you'll see that some of our european friends are going to be curtailing their involved investment in russia. i mean, excuse me, in in china as long as china continues to have this indirect six set help to russia in terms of being able to help their economy as well as, as well as help them in as a consequence of that, their ability to fight in in ukraine the other thing that we can talk a lot about is that and i raised it and i didn't hear any i can't. swear that everyone agreed because not everybody got to talk about but we haven't we need to new industrial policy in the west for example we talked about how

both the eu as well as nato has to be able to begin to build around munition capacity has to be able to generate their own capacity to provide for weapons and the ability to came as a surprise to some of us how we had fallen behind in the west in terms of the ability to construct new material, new weaponry, new knew, everything from from vehicles to weapon systems and so one of these came out of this was we're going to be meeting with a number of my colleagues. my european colleagues is what do we do to increase the capacity of the west, particularly in europe? and japan, to be able to generate kind of ability to produce their own weapon systems obsession themselves, but to be able to generate

that. it's the same as what russia is trying to figure out that they went to china and didn't get the weapons, but they then went to north korea but we're, going to be in a position where the west is going to become the industrial base for vb able the ability to have all the defensive weapons that we need that was the discussion as well answered on whether you would be ready to go deal with putin and xi two or three years from them? i'm really deal with them now and three years from now look like i said, i'm dealing with xi right now and direct contact i have no good reason to talk to putin right now there's not much that he is prepared to do in terms of accommodating any change in his behavior? and but

there isn't any world leader. i'm not prepared to deal with but i understand that a generic point is ready to talk i'm not ready to talk to putin unless putin is ready to change his behavior. and the idea but putin's got a problem first of all this war that he is supposedly have won. by the way. i think don't hold me the exact number, but i think russia had 17.3% of, ukraine that they've conquered now at 70.4 i mean, in terms of percentage of territory they've not been very successful called horrible damage loss of life. but they've also lost over 350,000 troops military killed or wounded have over 1 million people particularly young

people with technical, technical capability levy, russia, because they see no future there they've got a problem. but what they do have control of as they are very good at controlling and running the public outcry that relates to how they u.s. mechanisms to communicate with people a lot of like health and because they lie like kelly about what's going on and so the idea that we're going to be able to fundamentally change russian and near term it's not likely, but one thing for certain if we allow russia to succeed and ukraine, they're not stopping in ukraine. i recommend, i know, you know this because you've reported about it read speech after they moved in what it was all about in kyiv it wasn't about anyway, read what his objective is. and anyway,

but i think that i'm prepared to talk to any leader who wants to talk including a food and calm anyone to talk last time i talked to putin, was trying to get him on an arms control agreement related to nuclear weapons in space. that didn't go very far. so my point is, i'm prepared to talk to anybody, but i don't see any inclination. there is an inclination on the part of the chinese to keep in contact with me is there not sure where this all goes? and look what's happening in asia. we have strengthened the asian pacific area more than anybody else has. we just put together with today, we had i brought on i asked nato allies that we bring on a group from the south pacific australia, and new zealand japan australia i already mentioned australia,

and i met twice now i think with the 14 liters, the pacific island nations and, we've slowed, down what's going on there, which slowed down china's reach but there's a lot of work to do. this is a moving target and i don't take lightly some from npr thank you, mr. president. >> that's my colleague with npr. i have two questions earlier, you spoke about the ceasefire plan between israel and hamas we're now looking at ten months of war. and i'm curious if there's anything that you feel personally you wish you would have done differently over the course of the war and then secondly, if i may, i wanted to ask you about your presidential campaign. i remember covering your campaign in 2020 and there was a moment where you refer to yourself is a quote bridge candidacy, a transition to a younger generation of leaders i want to

understand what changed two things. >> let's go back to were you talked about what i changed anything is happening with israel and the palestinians and the palestinian movement the answer is, as you recall, from the very beginning, i immediately i went to israel, but i also kind be contact of sisi of egypt i met with the king of jordan. i met with i met with the most of the arab leaders to try to get a consensus going as to what had to be done to deal with getting more aid and food and medicine into in, into the gaza strip and we pushed it really hard. and israel occasionally was less than cooperative number one, the israeli war cabinet, i've been, i've been to dealing with israel since golda meir saw some of the reporters around her coming all the time, heard me say this the last

first time i met with golda meir, i sat across murder desk and her assistant was rabbi's city next to me. that's how far back i go. i know israel well, i support israel, but this for cabinet as one of the most conservative work cabinets in the history of of israel and there's no ultimate answer that a two-state solution and so what was able to be done in terms of the organ of the plan i put together was it would be a process a two-state solution and we get the arab nations to particularly from egypt all the way to saudi arabia to be in a position where they would cooperate in the transition so that they could keep the peace in gaza without, without israeli forces stayed in gaza the question is banned from the beginning, what's the day after in gaza the day after in gaza has to be the end of the day after it has to be no

occupation by israel and 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. but that's why i when i went to israel after immediately after the massacre that occurred, as it had hands of hamas, that is, one thing i said to israelis and a member of the war cabinet and with bibi, don't make the same mistake. american made after bin laden there's no need to occupy anywhere. go after the people who did the job you may recall, i guess so get criticized for it, but i was totally opposed to the occupation and trying to unite afghanistan. once we got, once months, we got bin laden we

should have moved on because it was not in our no one's ever going to unite unite that country. i bend over every inch of that, not every incident the entirety from the poppy fields, all the way to the north i said don't make the same mistake. we made. don't think that's what you should be doing, is doubling down will help you find the bad guys. sinwar company and i always criticism, i wouldn't provide when the weapons they need. i am not providing 2000 pound bombs. they cannot be used in gaza are any populated area causing great human tragedy and damage? but remember what happened when, when you had the attack on israel from with rockets and ballistic missiles? i was able to unite the arab nations as well as, as well as europe and nothing happened nothing got

hurt. they said of incredible lesson to what was going out from the middle east. so there's a lot things that in retrospect, i wish i had been able to convince israelis to do, but the bottom line is we have a chance 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 me move in to make sure that we get as much done as we can. toward a ceasefire a ceasefire, and get those. and by the way, look, look at the numbers and israel i mean, i might numbers are better than israel are here. but then again, there are better than a lot of other people here too. but anyway reach candidacy, in

2020. you referred to yourself as being a bridge candidate for a younger fresher generation of democratic leaders. and i wanted to know what changed, what changed was the gravity of the situation i inherited in terms of the economy, our foreign policy, and domestic division and i think we'll put words in anybody's mouth most presidential stories give me credit for having accomplished more than most any precedent since johnson and maybe before that, to get major piece of legislation passed and what i realized was my long time in the senate had equipped me to have the wisdom and know how to deal with the congress, to get things done we got more majors, as i said, pass it, no one

thought would happen and i want to finish to get that finished if tomorrow if we hadn't circumstance where there's a lineup and i didn't hadn't inherited what i did and we just move things along anyway it's going to change last question haley bull scripts are now josh winegrowers. i'm sorry was the next one. i'll do two more questions. >> thank you, mr. president. many of your colleagues, democrats on the hill are watching tonight as they assess what they want to say about your candidacy. i'm wondering how you're thinking of this right now. it seems like your answer is clear. but they're watching how things go tonight, tomorrow in michigan, next week in texas and nevada. are you thinking that way about whether happen next week or two goes would inform me. i using that way, are you thinking that way

about how the next two weeks go? will that affect? your decision? or you fully determined on running in november as the party's nominee. i'm the determined on running, but i think it's important that i real i allay fears. i've seen let them see me out there let me see for the longest time it was winds not prepared to sit with those unscripted biden is not prepared to an anyway and so when i'm doing as i've been doing, i think we've done over 20 major events from wisconsin to north carolina. anyway to demonstrate that i'm going out the areas where we think we can win we can persuade people to move our way or people already there. you look there. he is we have the most extensive campaign organization of anybody's hadn't on long time we have well over 1,000 volunteers knocking on doors,

making phone calls. making tens of thousands of phone calls we have headquarters. i forget exactly how might they want cited a number, then find out i'm off but we have scores of headquarters and all in all the toss-up states were organized, we're movie and it's awful hard to replace in the near term and so here's the other thing i sending a long time very proud of what i've done in the senate i was chairman of the foreign relations committee for a long time and i was chairman or ranking member and chairman of the judiciary committee is going to be going down to the johnson library on anyway, i'm going to be going around making the case of the things that i think we have to finish and how we can't afford to lose what we've done or backslide on civil rights and liberties women's rights, that

little button control guns, not girls mean the idea we're seeing around this for comment was so good as well. were sitting around more children our killed by a bullet in any other cause of death united states of america what teller we doing? what are we doing we've got a candidate, st. promised nra, don't worry, i'm not going to do anything i'm not going to do anything he got a supreme court that is what you might call the most conservative court in american history. this is ridiculous so much we can do still i'm determined to get it done it's about freedom by the way and this might well, i'm not going do that, haley, as it has to come up to but the i remember i made a speech on democracy in

philadelphia's independence hall and i'm not being critical just to observe it the bulk of the press will tell you talking about that for the market you did democracy is not an issue democracy is not an issue except the police data showed 60% of the people knew i was right. i thought i was right am i asking you a question you have to answer? obviously? but you think our democracy is under siege based on this court. do you think democracy and he sees based on project 2025 do you think he means what he says when he says he's going to do whatever the civil service eliminate the department of education. makes you i mean we've never been here before and that's the other reason why i didn't you say hand off to another generation i've got to finish this job. i've got to finish this job because there's so much at stake we've had some discussions of the past few days with your press secretary

about the question of health exams and you said you take a cognitive test every day in this job are you open to taking another physical or tests before the election? >> governor whitmer of michigan, for instance, that it wouldn't hurt to take a test well two things one i've taken three significant tense neurological exams, neuro no, sir. and around just in each case has recently should be wary they say, i'm good shape. okay? although i do have a little problem with my left foot because it's not a sensitive because i broke my foot and didn't worry the boot. but when i'm good i'm tested every single day by my neurological capacities. the decisions i make every day. you talked to my staff, all of you talked to my staff? sometimes my staff talks a lot but the fact of the matter is i don't

think you have them telling you that all the major ideas we've undertaken haven't been part initiated by me. i remember the staff. i said i'm going to go to south korea. we're going to get a chip what are you doing? i'm going to get japan and korea back together again after know essentially having hostilities toward one another. since the end of world war ii. i'm going to move and see if we can expand and no the only thing age does is help you with that creates a little bit of wisdom if you pay attention so the point i'm making is i think it's important that i if if mine is in a rally just tells me he thinks i need another exam by the way. i've laid every bit of the record now hadn't done head headed us thing you're asked trump for his okay. i laid it all out.

every single day i'm surrounded by good docs. if they think there's a problem i promise you read it. i don't think it's a problem. i think i should have a neurologic exam again. i'll do it no one's suggesting that to me now. and i'll ask you another question no matter what i did, no one's going to be satisfied. did you have seven docs? did you have to would you have did you do this? how many times you so i am not pose that my doctors tell me they should i should have another neurological exam. i'll do it. but that's right haley bull scripts thank you, mr. president, you said you're making decisions on a day-to-day basis when it comes to support for ukraine, does that mean you have not closed the door on further considering lifting restrictions for us made weapons inside russia. >> and if i may, your invention

is coming up where your delegates are pledged to make you the official nominee. if they have second thoughts, are they free to vote their conscience obviously, they're free to do. >> i get overwhelming support overwhelming support i wonder how i forgot how many votes i want in the primary overwhelming and so tomorrow, if all of a sudden i show up at the convention. everybody says we want somebody else as democratic process stuck can happen when else sure. >> look it'll end this. with this i served in the senate a long time i understand the impetus candidates running for local office and whether they think top of this could help them or not in my state in delaware which was a very at

least a prb it was a red state when i started in terms of where are you now talk red and blue? i i don't recall most of the democratic presidents waiting my state when i was a kennedy the truth of the matter is i understand that self-interested weekend if they think that, you know, run over with biden atop is going to hurt him then they're going to run away. i get it. but so far go and look at the polling data in their states look at in-depth. and by the way i think you'd all acknowledge and you're all experts. i'm not being solicitous about the present here. you experts on this stuff how accurate is anybody think the polls are these days? i can give a series of polls where you have likely voters be versus trump, right? when all the time and what the

unlikely voters vote, he went sometimes so bottom line is all the polling data, right now, which i think is premature because the campaign really hadn't even started i mean, it hadn't started in earnest yet most atomaton start to laughter september after labor day so a lot can happen but i think i'm the best call i know. i believe i'm the best qualified to govern and i think i'm the best qualified to win but there are other people could be trump two. but it's awful. start to start from scratch and we talk about money raised were not due bad. we're going to put $220 million in the bank. we're doing well so with that, you have any want to follow up on ad that you just asked me? >> you earlier explain confidence in your vice

president? yes. if your team came back and showed you data that she would fare better against former president donald trump. would you reconsider your decision to stay in the race? >> no. let's take him back and says, there's no way you can win me thank today? thanks, everybody it's good this concludes there he misspoke answering vice president harris as vice president trump. >> right now, donald trump is using that both for age and memory. how do you combat that from tonight's. >> listen to him. >> tonight friends. thank you, everybody thanks, everyone good

evening. >> thanks for joining us, saying, i've got overwhelming support and i've got to finish the job. president biden has just wrapped up a press conference which began with eight minutes are prepared remarks followed by more than 50 minutes been unscripted q&a until just now, starting us off tonight. night's cnn chief national affairs correspondent, jeff zeleny, cnn political director david chalian, ashley etienne served as communications director for vice president harris, former republican congressman adam kinzinger cnn's manu raja with the capital and democratic strategist, paul begala, david chalian, let me start with you. did the president put concerns about his candidacy? to rest tonight enough will certainly not. >> i mean, you obviously was up there for nearly an hour and was able to speak on a variety of topics, but he spoke in the way we've come accustomed to hearing joe biden. certainly nothing that resembled what occurred on the debate stage, but obviously still at times rambling at times mixing up words. that last question you heard about at the very top of

the presser, mixing up saying vice president trump instead of vice president harris. but i think anderson, what was most telling for me from this? you ask the question, did he did he assuage concerns he actually himself acknowledged that he is still on a mission of trying to allay concerns as he said, and i thought that was very telling because a week ago in that george stephanopoulos interview, we heard a defined president biden. we heard somebody who said this conversation about whether i'm going to be the nominee or not is over. i have decided. he said that at the wisconsin rally last friday, that was not i my observation was he was in a bit of a different headspace night. he certainly said am keeping on. we are going to keep on moving through this. he said he is going to continue to run this race, but it was a different tone on that stuff

that seemed to open the idea. he said, he doesn't think he's the only one that can beat donald trump he said no nobody yet has presented at him with presented him with evidence that he doesn't have a viable winning path to the presidency. but that still may come. that seems to me that he was sort of opening up some metrics that he's willing to consider perhaps this was not a president who was shutting down the notion and the conversation, or a president and that seemed unaware that his party is still looking for him to grapple with this decision and they don't consider it closed. and i think tonight we saw him in a different headspace about this paul begala, what did you see i saw substantive mastery. >> i mean, my goodness, it was a tour to force on a tour of the world we've talked a lot of course, but nato and ukraine, but bet china about israel, gaza. he seemed to have the substance really at his command the stylistically though, you still had the soft voice, you didn't have the kind of

catastrophic failure he had at the debate, but you also didn't have the same sort of command that he had is an odd girl he he the substance was great, the style not he is already getting static for slipping and saying vice president trump, which, you know, anybody could do that tucker, you just get an a room thanks. thanks. thanks. james carville so ashley, what did you make of the news conference i think david's a bit of a debbie downer so far what i've heard is like a little debbie downer. >> i thought the president was incredibly strong. he was very forceful deep on the substance in terms of foreign policy and domestic policy. i think he definitely bought himself some more time tonight but i'm not sure that the bleeding will stop. what i'm hearing from members on the hill is that there's deep frustration with how the president and his team have handled this situation. i maintain that it was a mistake think for the president not to go up to the caucus meeting

this week or not at the very least, a call into the caucus. this is a family matter you should have addressed it in that way, but today's performance was incredibly strong. it bolsters his point that he had a bad debate night. we've now seen him and a press conference and interview. and at rallies. and he seems byd incredibly strong, but here's the outstanding thing. anderson, the president now has to prove that he can unite this party and not just unite the party, but to inspire the party to get behind him and refocus our efforts on donald trump. and that's the challenge before the president now jeff, you've been reporting all day on this. how does the president's performance night square with the reporting you've been doing anderson, there's no doubt that he has a command of these issues, something that he has dealt with really for decades, but that really wasn't the overall purpose of the press conference. >> just talking to a senior democratic adviser who was in

close touch with many hill democrats tells me this. i don't think anyone from the hill is going to stand down after this. so the big question here tonight is, did this stop the bleeding anyone on the hill wants him to? reigning anyone on the hill who wants him to go is going to stand down exactly. >> we've heard so many democrats have been saying, like wait, didn't see, let's wait and see how he does they have concerns on the campaign? this is unlikely to change the trajectory of that david chalian is correct in terms of us reading the tone not as combative, not as defined actually asked one of his advisers about that. they chalked it up to the setting of nato, that he was at this press conference, we will see, but he definitely was even open to at the very end there a reporter asked if he was open to a letting us delegates to do whatever they choose. and he said he was so we will see going forward here, if he returns that combativeness, but we are in a very different

place than we were at the beginning of the week when he was very defiant on morning joe and he has learned a lot this week, including from former speaker nancy pelosi, those words and the fact that they are likely to speak in the coming days, if not tomorrow that is going to determine the support among democrats for him going forward here. so yes, the press conference i've covered a lot of his press conferences. it was fine but tonight fein is likely not good enough to change this trajectory. anderson manu, what are you hearing tonight from lawmakers yeah. >> there's signs that those calls for him to step aside are not going to go away despite what democrats today was a better performance of course, then the debate from two weeks ago, in fact, just moments ago, right after this press conference ended, jim himes, who is a top democrat on the house, intelligence committee, just put out a statement calling on joe biden to step aside from this race. he writes in a statement, anderson and he says that he praises joe biden.

biden's legacy, his record. he says it's because of those traits and in consideration of that legacy, that i hope president biden will step away from the presidential campaign. he goes on to say that the 20 2024 election will define the future of american democracy. and they must put forth the strongest candidate possible we'll, to confront the threat posed by trump's promised maga authoritarianism. so that is in line with what i've been hearing going in to this press conference and read jim himes becomes the 15th member of congress to call for joe biden to step aside 14 before this press conference. but there was an expectation. there'll be more afterwards. and we're gonna give joe biden least the opportunity to make the argument unit they had made. their mind up already privately and their discussion privately has been much more intense than what we have seen publicly in a public discussion of course, has been intense, but there has been so much concern about

biden that but it's not just a poll know, not just his debate performance, but how that has been baked in to the electorate and that it's something that they believe he can't overcome ahead of a critical election. so expect more names significant name's jim himes is someone who has sway within the democratic party has a lot of influence among the house democrats expect many more to come forward, either to go close to the line of saying you should consider stepping aside or saying extended, sort of saying he should step aside altogether. but as joe biden indicated at that press conference, he has no plans to at the moment, he says, watch me on the campaign trail so it could take another couple of weeks for this all to play out. anderson. but as they move closer and closer to the convention, it's gonna get harder and harder to find any new candidate to replace joe biden someone i just wanted to confirm. jim himes, a statement, congressman himes is statement that was released after the press conference, after the press count seconds, there's a posted 8:29 p.m.

eastern anderson. this was ready to come out pretty much when this is done, and he made it very clear. he says he says, accomplishments are amens. his legacy is a great president is secure. he must not risk that legacy urging him to step aside. anderson congressman kinzinger, what did you see tonight? what do you think happens now yeah. >> look, i think it was fine. but, you know, we wouldn't even i mean, we'd be looking at the next, you know, cat video on the internet if it wasn't for what happened at the debate. and so i think everybody was kind of looking at this press conference saying this is going to be the magical thing that changes the discussion. it's not, it's going to have to be if biden decides to stay in this race, it's going to have to be a number of things like this. it's going to have to be a lot of traveling, a lot of activity for people to slowly kind of regain that trust that that debate was a simple fluke. i think here's an important point joe biden said, his delegates were free to do whatever they want. now obviously, they're not going

to, they're going to stay with joe biden, but i want to point out a huge difference between him and donald trump, between the democrats and the republican party. i hear so many democrats complaining about this discussion that's going on and we have to show the kind of unity republican show and we're showing this it's bullcrap, the republicans are not showing unity. it's a cult and everybody that used to speak out against the dear leader in the republican party has been excommunicated or kicked out. so nobody has the ability to even speak out, or they'll be excommunicated. this discussion going on in the democratic party is healthy for our party in america. now if it went on until november, it would be damaging. but in the short term, this is what an american political party is supposed to be like paul begala, just in terms of the clock, which is ticking. >> and as nancy pelosi pointed out the other day what happens tomorrow, what happens this weekend where does this how does it resolve one way or another well, you just used the

two most powerful hopeful words in every democrats vocabulary. nancy pelosi you know, there's that great carrie underwood song, jesus take the wheel i'm for nancy, take the wheel. okay. she's even older than president biden. she handed off her gavel to a younger generation of leadership in the world still turned on his access to party didn't fall apart. in fact, hakeem jeffries, her successor, wasn't even opposed in his bid for democratic leadership in the house she sets an example here the same time, i do know president biden has enormous respect for her and she said something very important this week. she said essentially, i'm i'm reading between the lines. let let's get through this nato summit is terribly important. president biden does a great job astride the global stage. let's get through that and then assess, well, that begins tomorrow morning and the president point of the way he to his speech monday in austin, my hometown at the lbj library lloyd doggett, the congressman from austin, is the first one to call for president biden to give up the nomination. and he has suggested maybe the president goes to lbj library,

commemorates he is going to receive an award and commemorate the 1964 civil rights bill and then maybe he does what johnson did and hand off the gavel. so that's already what some democrats are starting to say ashley etienne, i'm wondering just in the time since we last talked, what else you are hearing from supporters of the president or those who want him, him gone because i mean, there was such anticipation about these remarks and people can interpret them, i guess, with whatever opinion they have and see it through that lens. some will say, look, he was very fluent on a number of foreign policy issues you can also point to him calling zelensky putin and his vice president and trump and the slowness with which he spoke. what i mean, it doesn't seem like this press conference which many people said was going to resolve things one way or another. do you think it did resolve it for anybody?

>> no i think you're absolutely right. i think those that are dug in or dug in on both sides. i'm hearing that there's two main obviously two main factions within the democratic caucus on both ends of the chamber. and that is you know, there's obviously those who believe that, you know, if the democratic party is going to be fighting for the viability of our democracy. we have to maintain that that democratic process within our own party. we can't disenfranchise voters they've already primary voters have already voted for joe biden, so we should stick with joe biden, but then on the other side, the flip side of that is obviously those who want joe biden to step down, but the question that they can't answer at this point and i've heard that this has been the biggest fights on capitol hill as of late in those in those private meetings is who is the alternative? what is the alternative to joe biden? you can't ask the president to go step down and you don't have a plan b, you don't have a plan to replace him and there's no consensus because even around that plan and that's what i'm actually

hearing from the members within the caucus, and that's creating a lot of frustration animosity within the caucus. and really uncertainty jeff zeleny, understand you some breaking news on the efforts behind the scene to convince president biden to end his campaign. what are you hearing anderson, we are learning tonight that throughout the course of this week as we've seen, the public words from former speaker nancy pelosi, we are learning that she has had a private conversation earlier this week with former president barak okay. >> obama, they have talked about this matter. we do not know exactly the contents of that private conversation, but we do know talking to a variety of democrats in a new story just posted moments ago, isaac dovere and i talked to many democrats who are looking to pelosi and obama to find a way out. of this infighting and crisis that has dominated the democratic party. now, they have intentionally given the

president, has space and his time on this, but we have seen speaker pelosi's very carefully calibrated words, but the new information we're learning that she has had a conversation, perhaps more than one and of them with a barak obama, of course, this is very fraught for former president to brock obama. he has a friendly and loyal relationship with the president biden, but it's also a searing one dating back to 2015 when he urged him not to run for president, then against hillary clinton, that still hangs over all of this. i'm told he does not want to be too he does not want to push too much. but it is clear that many democrats are looking to them to find a way out here. but one democrat who were according in this story this evening, anderson, a very senior democrat. it tells us this. they are waiting and watching for president biden to reach a decision on his own. and we heard speaker pelosi say earlier this week, she wanted people to wait until after the nato summit. was that nato summit is now over. so the

question is, on friday going into the weekend, are there any more conversations private conversations, perhaps with chuck schumer and others? directly to the white house. of course, this decision is still president biden's and his alone along with his family. but the fact that there are others in this orbit talking about this is certainly significant. as many believed time is running short. anderson i mean that's really fascinating reporting. and i think a lot of people, maybe not know the reference that you made to 2015 and then president obama and joe biden and his desire to run back then you think that the echoes of that are still felt in the relationship between former president obama and president biden no question about it. >> it is hung over their relationship really for much of the last decade. and if you'll remember what happened back in this was essentially can you

can you explain? sure. >> go ahead, if you'll remember what happened back in the summer of 2015, that beau biden died of brain cancer. it was a searing tragedy for the family. he was a attorney general of delaware. the bright light, at least a politically speaking of the family. but joe biden was still considering then vice president was still considering whether he would enter the democratic presidential nomination. mission. of course, hillary clinton was already running bernie sanders would later run, but for weeks and weeks and weeks, the bidens agonized over this decision or president obama at the time. but have counseled his vice president to not run for president. he saw how hurt he was, how wounded emotionally he was. so they came to that decision in the fall of 2015, but there's always been some sentiment hanging over the biden family and first lady jill biden, i'm told that they believe president obama was too heavy handed in his guidance there. so that i'm told is infusing this moment right now, president obama does not want to try and a force his hand on

this. this is not his decision. this is president biden's decision. he is the president. he's no longer the vice president. we should be clear about that, but that is one reason i'm told that former president obama is taking a lighter touch on this, trying to hear from a lot of democrats this week, he's been fielding phone calls and things, but he and nancy pelosi have a unique relationship with president biden's. so many democrats hope they can help him find an off-ramp here and sort of reset this democratic race. but again, this is president biden's decision and his alone to make david chalian, what do you make of the reporting from our jeff zeleny and others about the recounting of 2015 is fascinating in fact, i just went back recently and watched president biden and jill biden in the days following the announcement that he wasn't going to get in that race, sit down in a 60 minutes interview where he says he'll never seek public office again. obviously,

we know that change, but what you saw in that interview was jill biden. now the first lady talking about how disappointed she was that joe biden had made the decision not to run that there was all this work that she believed he could it is single-handedly is still accomplish if he were to go and be successful. and that gets back to what jeff was saying about where this decision rests right now, anderson, this i again, i can't stress enough when you have nancy pelosi saying that president biden still has a decision to make, and you had president biden send a letter on monday to all the senate house and house democrats saying the decision is made. this is over that's clearly at odds with each other, and i think we see now that president biden understands that there is going to be more conversation here, especially learning now that nancy pelosi and brock obama have had a conversation about president biden's status as the nominee, specifically. now,

as conversations and nato week is behind us, go directly to president biden from nancy pelosi, from others, not just staff talking to staff, but actually now, having direct conversations in this moment where senior democratic party leaders are going to express to the president not just the views of their caucuses, but, but this moment of decision making for him and he and his family and his closest advisors, many of whom have been with him for decades, are going to enter a new period of assessment. and i think that that is what we need to watch for in the next 72 hours as we go into this week. >> cnn medical analyst, dr. jonathan reiner joins us now, dr. henri heard the president say that he would take another neurological test if his doctors suggested it i mean, first of all, do you think his doctors would suggested but also any patient can request a test if there is if they, want to. i mean, if he wanted to

take a test, you could very easily take a test and wouldn't take very long right? this is not up to his doctors. it's up it's up to the patient look, i think he looked like a different person compared to the debate two weeks ago. but the bar was set pretty low and he does seemed to easily surpass that and i was happy to see that the fluidity of his speech was better. and who was able to he had some type of a great grasp both of details but we don't have a plausible explanation for what happened to the president two weeks ago. the notion chun that he had had jetlag a couple of weeks before, maybe had a cold, doesn't really ring ring, true. and i think we're not just looking at whether he can continue on as candidate for president were also really need to assess whether there is any physical or cognitive problem that would prevent him from finishing another four years? here is an office and i think the public really does need

that to be reassured about that. and he should undergo a cognitive test to put this issued arrest, the president should simply say of course, i'm going to do it. i'll do it for you this week. will release all the results and then there's nothing else to talk about. >> all right thanks, dr. reiner. and to our panel, we joined by democratic congressman. oh, actually will continue talking pulpal gala. it just in terms of i'm wondering what you think of jeff zeleny is reporting the efforts behind the scenes, a conversation with by nancy pelosi with but with former president obama yeah, i did not know that nancy pelosi and president obama have spoken, but i did check in with someone very close to president obama today who said that the president obama views his role as a confidant and sounding board for president biden as a very important one the source told me it, look there, the president bomber and president biden are in regular touch and that the relationship is

intensely personal and private. and neither talks about it much. there is just right there is this overhang about 2015, but there's also an ongoing relationship. and it is close and that's that's all they didn't tell me what they've talked about, but the source did say that they are in that prison, obama and president biden have been in touch throughout his presidency. and it's a warmer relationship perhaps than you might have thought based on a 2015 issue? >> manu raju you talked to people on capitol hill all the time on the record. >> off the record. how many today? we're saying that they were going to be watching this press conference and that would be a determining factor. and how many were just saying? they that would be one data point in among many others. because again, to points that have already been made tonight, there is still no explanation about what happened i mean, such a round-robin about what happened at that debate. i

mean, a bad night is the line that they've been using seeing and the jetlag, even though he had returned more than a week before that. >> well, look, i ever been getting text from members of congress to the course of this press conference and the aftermath. and virtually everyone that i've heard from. so that really nothing is going to change here. the fact that many members of congress, and perhaps it's hard to quantify because people are saying different things behind the scenes and they're saying publicly someone little bit more nuance and the lives. but there are still a sigma inefficient number of democrats who do want to change at the top of the ticket. and have already made their minds up, regardless of what happened. at this press conference tonight and allow them will be looking at what nancy pelosi says and what brock obama says and what chuck schumer, and hakeem jeffries, a democratic leaders have been pretty neutral on all of this. they have not really not forcefully embraced joe biden, although they have come out in support of him, but they have also left themselves some

room. i came jeffries, the democratic leader earlier today, indicated that he was still having conversations with his 213 democratic colleagues to try to figure out the next step in the process, even though the president made very clear tonight and before that, he is still running, that is not a given fat among the ions of many democrats who will plan to put their names out publicly soon. i'm told there tonight into tomorrow, into the weekend to try to make the case that joe biden should step aside. so this press conference, while it might have done, we've done a better job than the debate denied is not going to go far enough to quell those concerns of democrats are looking at what they consider very scary polling in there are states, in their districts. the present discounted that polling tonight, but i can tell you, anderson, a lot of democrats here are not discounting pulling the bait, are seeing that could send them home. and our back here in washington next year anderson i want to thank everybody on the panel

and all the reporting behind it. i want to bring in tennessee democratic congressman steve cohen, congressman. did the president do enough to convince the american people to convince democrats that he should stay in the race. >> i think he convinced a lot of people he should stay in the race. i haven't heard anybody speaks so much and so well and so knowledge somebody about foreign policy since maybe i don't know back in the deed rusk. i mean, he knew he knows his stuff and he's on one of the main jobs the president is foreign policy. and there's nobody can be better. and while we're seeing president biden talk about foreign policy and all these leaders and these issues. trump is down at mar-a-lago with orbon and authoritarian, egotistical sycophant of pet putin, the mirror image of trump. and they're down there. god knows what they're plotting. but they're plotting something is not good for america. and that should be part of the news is what is, what is joe? joe biden know, and what does donald trump to donald trump didn't know anything except people respects power and respects

authoritarianism. he likes putin he likes or bond. he likes people with perry likes the fact boy up in north korea. that's what we likes. and we need a president who knows foreign policy and is for america congressman your democratic colleagues, jim himes, ranking member of the house intelligence committee wait until just after the press conference and released a statement after the press conference that said president biden should step aside. do you think that will carry weight within, among other members of congress i don't know that it will. >> i mean, we all have our own constituencies. i think the connecticut constituency is a lot more. here's is a lot more white and a lot more liberal, a lot more elitist my district is black and its people who are at the grassroots who have gotten their children who've got child tax credits because of president biden women know that he's got their back on choice

and they're giving opportunities for people in the middle-class as it comes from middle down to get a chance to have the american dream and to be in the middle class. and that's the bulk of the democratic party is people. the middle-class who've been overlooked for years, who trump doesn't care about at all. all he cares about its the richest who he gave the big tax break to and he's gonna do it again. but joe biden cares about regular working folks and they're not being heard in there for joe biden cnn's jeff zeleny has reported tonight just moments ago, the former president barak obama and former speaker nancy pelosi, have talked about president biden's candidacy. >> neither is reportedly sure what to do. do you think they have any influence over the president i'm sure he respects nancy pelosi and i'm sure respects president obama. >> but as you all discussed, president obama did not choose him to be the candidate in 2016. if he had possibly joe biden would have won. i don't know. he has beaten trump once and nobody else has done that i

think joe biden's going to run and joe biden knows he can win. he knows he could be president. he knows he's got a great record. it has been said this is the finest presidency, a success since johnson. and he did in a bipartisan fashion, everybody wants people to be bipartisan well, joe biden won by partisan. he got enough republicans to pass the infrastructure after bill, he passed the chips act. he passed the rescue bill. he's he's done so many bills that the pact act for veterans burn pits he's had success even on a gun bill at what a great bill. but it was something and he's shown he can master that. he is a master of the legislative process and he's liked on capitol hill and he's going to run he's got to be the nominee. he's got the votes. and we all need to get off of our fantasy games and understand. we need to get behind joe biden and all this dissidents is only helping donald trump and his last person in the world you want anywhere. he made a mistake. he said vice president had rather trumpy vice president any day

than whomever haven't been president congressman cohen thank you so much for your time. appreciate it, anderson. good to see you. it's been awhile spoken? yes it is. it's always good to have you on the program. i appreciate it. having spoken to a lawmaker, want to get a sense from voters of how tonight went in their eyes, snyder, gary tuchman has been talking to a group of seniors in kalamazoo michigan, gary, what have you been hearing well, i understand we are in the battleground, state of michigan and the western part of the state. >> this is the portage senior center where seniors between the ages of 51, 50 could come for exercise and fund these, ladies, we have seven ladies are all of them like joe biden? none of them are voting for donald trump, but we want to see they feel about the problems that biden has been having. and how he thought his knew how they thought his news conference just went. now out of all seven of you, how many of you think it was better than you expected this news conference? i mean, it was better than you expected. it would be 12345. how many of you think it was worse than you

expected? it would be how many of you think it was the same so overall it's a fairly positive review. i know what i was we were watching it together. they all just got out of exercise class. that's where the dress like i told you, i would tell everybody that what we are watching out together when he confused the names of trump and harris and talking about vice presidential kind of gaps but it got better, right? is that what you do? is that what you think now for one to three for all of you think that biden should be staying in the race? you told me you think that he should pass the torch. the two of you weren't decided. my question for you. you weren't decided before this happened if he should stay in the race, how do you feel now after watching this news conference relieved i think he should stay in your opinion, changed from not sure. he should stay? yes. >> and how about you how do you feel you weren't sure how do you feel now saying, i think he's the logical choice. >> okay. now, you thought he should pass the torch. how do you feel right? >> i still believe you should pass the torch.

>> and why do you say that? >> i think he conveyed more defensiveness versus confidence and i think we are really craving to be able to be confident about the candidate that we carry into the november election. >> how did you feel about this news conference just now to give you more confidence in joe ahead i have all the confidence that i did yesterday. so i just competent yesterday yeah, because everybody has a bad day and i could see that he was sick, but for some reason, they decided to do what they were going to do, even though he was sick and i think that might've been a bad choice. and you just saw him when he when he's tired those, sorts of things but at the heart of it, he's a strong guy. >> what do you think today we agree with that yes, i would agree with that. >> i think what came across was that what he is joe biden is very caring about people he's

very knowledgeable and experienced and he's not just out for himself that he really cares about the country. >> and there's no chance that you would be more confident with the kamala harris or your governor here, whitmer are in the state of michigan right? >> yeah. i think joe biden did an excellent job during this news. >> but was there any part of you before this that said i'm not so sure that i can still support him and i want another democrat i always been confident i? >> mean. if you're going to be watching the republican national convention starts monday no hands going up. democratic national convention five weeks after that okay. not all these people are democrats. some are independents, but they all like joe biden and it's fair to say that none of you are going to be switching to donald trump? thank you all for joining us. anderson back to you gary tuchman. >> thanks so much. glad they got the workout in. i did not. so i think her head the news continues. that's it for us. the source with kaitlan collins