and what he's been able to do. we cannot forget how he's been able to deliver for the american people for almost four years. that matters, too, and he has the most historic record, administration, the most in modern politics, and that should matter. he wants to continue to do that work. you know, a lot of his -- what's on his agenda is very much popular with majority of the american people, whether it's continuing to build a strong economic kind of economic policies. he's done that. creating new jobs. he's done that. 15 million jobs. he wants to work on that and continue to do that. and so he wants to continue to deliver, expanding health care, all of these things he believes is important, the majority of americans believe it's important, and his record, he wants to make sure people do not forget about the record he's been able to lay out on behalf of the american people.

>> is there anything that would change his mind? >> look, i cannot lay out something that would change a president's mind. he has been very clear, and he's going to continue to build on the unprecedented record that he has been able to lay out for the american people. that's his focus right now. >> thank you. >> thank you. >> what does the president do outside the hours of 10:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m.? >> you heard him speak to supporters yesterday, outside of 4:00 p.m. you saw the president land in north carolina in the middle of the night at 2:00, what was he doing, he was greeting supporters. hundreds of supporters that showed up to cheer him on after the debate. you saw him speaking at 9:00 at night in new york in front of supporters. so he's been pretty much out

there after the hours of 4:00 p.m., and before 10:00 a.m. for sure, and so that has been something he has consistently done over the past couple of days for sure. for certain. >> let me be clear about this. this is a president that wakes up every morning and puts the american people first. that's what he does. he does that every single day. that is his focus. i am not going to speak to sources out there, unnamed sources out there. that's not what i'm going to speak to. i'm going to speak to what i know. what this president does. and how he is committed to the work of the president, of the commander in chief. and his record clearly lays that out, and speaks to it. and that's what he's going to continue to do. the american people first. the american people first, and delivering for them. >> can you also clarify the question, how is it that the president was still tired 12

days after returning from europe, had a cold but then went to the waffle house, and then the following day staged such a huge comeback that he gave those north carolina remarks. help us understand. >> have you had a cold before? >> of course i've had a cold before. >> come on, jackie. >> that's 12 days after he returned, though. and jet lag yesterday. >> hold on a second, there's a cold, there's a jet lag, you combine that. he continues to work for the american people day in and day out around the clock. things happen. things happen. and the cold thing is something that you all pointed out during his debate. we didn't point that out. you pointed that out when you heard his voice being hoarse. he knew he has to push through, power through. that's what presidents do. if you care about this country, and don't care about yourself, care about how you're going to continue to workday in and day

out, you push through. we all do that. >> all of these democrats who are saying they want to see him, it speaks to that. >> we didn't share that information ahead of time. you all asked what was going on, and then we shared that information. we didn't use that before the debate. you asked, hey, is he under the weather, and question confirmed he was under the weather. he pushed through. that's what the president does. he's going to continue to fight for the american people. he pushed through it. i think anybody who does that, not just the president, should be commended, and he also said, you heard him say this on friday, when you get knocked down, you get back up. that's what you saw. >> is there any discussion if the president were to suspend his campaign, that he would also resign, the vice president resuming his duties. >> absolutely not. . >> does the president have a duty to review data, like polling information that's coming in, donor information,

the fears and concerns or anxieties expressed by democrats, does he have a duty to review what's happening now? >> when you say a duty, can you say more about the duty piece? he's saying that and i'm sharing with you his view. >> and we would invite the president to come here and tell us directly. >> noted, kelly. >> if he's awake. >> that's inappropriate. >> as you heard from your colleague, the president of the w.h.a., that's inappropriate. thank you, kelly. >> my question is information is coming in, an assessment is happening within the party, does he have a duty to review that. has he closed the door on reviewing the data? >> so i'm going to be really mindful because obviously you're asking me about campaign numbers and data that's coming in, and look, what i will note is that this is a president that looks at everything, takes in all the information, it's important to

him to do so. i don't want to get into hypotheticals here. that's not what i'm here to do. what i can say is in this moment, we move forward on building on this unprecedented record that the president has been able to lay out for the american people, and that's going to be our focus. i don't want to get into hypotheticals. i don't want to get ahead into anything else. >> it doesn't sound like closing the door to reviewing this over a period of time. >> what i can say is the president is moving forward. he's moving forward as being president. he's moving forward with his campaign, as his campaign has been very very clear about that. that's what i can speak to, and that's what i can say. that is the president's focus. the president's focus is how does he continue to do that work, and anything else that we're hearing or that's being reported is absolutely false. >> is the president telling people he's evaluating the ratings. >> i saw the reporting, we were not given enough time to get back into the reporting, just a

couple of minutes, and we asked the president. the president responded directly when asked about this question because we said that we would, and the president said, no, it is absolutely false. that's coming directly from them. >> what steps would the president be taking or would you as a team plan to try to prevent another episode in public that would be deemed worrisome. >> i would not call it an episode. i would call it, we had a bad night. right? it was not his best night. he had a cold. he was jet lagged. you heard directly from the president about this, and when we get knocked down, when he gets knocked down, he gets right back up, and that's what i would -- that's what i would focus on. the president continuing to be very steady, and continue to go work for the american people. >> it's just a ball of fun with this question. do you think the president feels like these coming days are very critical for him as you wait out all of these events he's going

to be doing. are these events very important for him to show to the american people that he still has the ability to be the nominee. >> i would say this moment is critical regardless of the debate or not. we are living in an important moment right now. everything is at stake. i have to be mindful, because this is all connected to what's happening in november, and i think any leader would say, they always have to prove to themselves, you know, to their constituents, right? it is a day in and day out work. and, yes, the president's going to have engagement, he's going to be out there speaking to the american people. obviously we mentioned wisconsin. he's going to do an interview in wisconsin as well. we talked about pennsylvania. but the president was also out last week. atlanta, north carolina, new york, where he saw supporters, this is a president that has been consistently out there, talking directly to the american people. he understands, as you all asked

me about the economy and what people are hearing, he has to understand they have to hear directly from him, and he has to continue to do that so he can lay out his agenda. he can lay out what he wants to continue to do. it's always going to be part of the calculation, right, to continue to prove to the american people that he can continue to do the work and deliver on behalf of the american people. >> jeff had the staff meeting today. can you give us a rundown of what he tried to get across, and is there a morale issue? >> it's a fair question, and i have a couple of things i want to say, as you said. he wanted to gather the team across the building and acknowledge what the president has said himself, right, that the last few days have been challenging. we have been very very clear in acknowledging that. but we have had an extraordinary record to be proud of, and we know we have more work to do. the president says that all the

time. he conveyed the importance of executing on our mission. he talked about the importance of coming together as a team and also having each other's backs. he also said, which i think was really important, and i think every staff wants to hear that the chief of staff door is open, and is open to hearing directly from them any questions or any concerns. and, you know, i think that's what you do as a leader. >> if there's so many questions about whether president biden can do this job, why are we not seeing the president out there every single day in an unscripted way without teleprompters. >> you're going to see him today. i know you're asking about the teleprompter. you're going to see him tomorrow, fourth of july, he'll have an opportunity to welcome active duty military, and their families and certainly their loved ones here on the south lawn as he does every year, and i think that's going to be important. i think they'll be able to engage with them and thank them

directly, and you'll see him in wisconsin, and you'll continue to see him obviously in the upcoming weeks. look, it is not unusual for a president to use a teleprompter. it is not unusual. that is something that presidents have done in the past. i think what we also have to remember, and i'll keep saying this, i think it's important to not forget, he has the strongest economic recovery in modern history. he has led a historic midterm win when everybody was talking about a red wave, and he has been able to defy that and deliver by being a leader, right? obviously doing the midterms as a democratic leader, and he's going to continue to work to get more lower costs, and i think that matters. i think his record certainly matters and you are going to see him, continue to see him, you know, having interviews. he's going to do abc as you know, george stephanopoulos, one of your colleagues, that's not scripted. and he has done more than 40 interviews that have not been

scripted. interviews do not have a script this year alone. you'll see him out there engaging with the american people. i think that's important. >> now we're almost a week after the debate. why doesn't the president come here right now and answer for himself in this briefing room all of the questions? >> you asked me a couple of things. when is he going to be unscripted. he has been. when he went to visit a diner a couple of days ago at the waffle house, when he met with some of the supporters in atlanta, north carolina, where hundreds of supporters showed up. he certainly had an opportunity to engage on friday. he's going to be taking some questions from colleagues, i think that's going to be important, and we're going to continue to engage with all of you. certainly looking forward to doing that. he'll have a press conference next week.

at nato press conference. a big boy press conference as justin noted yesterday. we'll do that, and he's looking forward to that. >> president biden has been promised to tell the american people the truth. can you be straight with us, the american people, is the president clear eyed about what it takes to stay in the race, and what it would take for him to drop out? >> the president is clear eyed, and he is staying in the race. i don't have anything else beyond that. he is staying in the race. that is what president has promised to do. that is what he wants to continue to work on the successes he's had, the unprecedented record, and that's what the president is focused on, continuing to deliver for the american people. he looks forward to doing that. >> the nato summit is coming up next week. is the president frustrated that the debate over the presidential election could cast a shadow over your goals for the nato summit. has he made any effort to reach

out to the nato leaders that will be coming to sort of assure them that this isn't going to derail that agenda? >> as you stated, next week, the president is hosting the nato summit in washington, d.c. it's the 75th year anniversary of nato, and let's not forget nato has become stronger and gained two more countries because of this president's leadership. it's all very much important, and doing so is important in stopping, and helping to stop putin's aggression as ukraine continues to fight certainly for their freedom and democracy. look, foreign leaders have seen the president close up. they have. and, you know, close up and personally for the past three years, and i think that's important to know. they know who they are dealing with, and how effective he has been. i talked about how nato has expanded because of his leadership. how nato is stronger because of

his leadership, and i think that's important to note as well. and so, look, you're going to see the president, you know, being a leader in front of these world leaders. you're going to see the president continue to bring these world leaders together. and as it relates to what's happening currently, you heard directly from the president, he understands the criticism. he gets the criticism. he has owned up to it. he also wants to move forward and continue to deliver on really critically important issues that the american people care about. when you think about nato, you think about foreign policy. it is important to continue our world leadership on that, being leaders and strengthening our national security as well, and that is how the president thinks about this day in and day out. >> had a question about the outreach from the white house. does the president intend to make any other comments on the ones he's made today to the

congressional leadership, and then, you know, representative duggett said he reached out to the white house before he made his comments and did not hear back. he said he wanted to speak to president biden personally about his concerns. >> i can't speak to the outreach he made. i have not spoken to the office of affairs. so i can't speak to that. what i can say is the president certainly has looked forward to working with democratic leaders and congressional members over the past, talking about his record, certainly his record when it comes to legislation and getting things done, he couldn't have done it without democrats like that. and appreciates obviously his support and partnership. i can't speak to outreach. it's not something i have spoken to the office about. and look, the president -- >> sorry. >> [ phone ringing ] >> you want to take that.

>> maybe it's duggett. >> you brought me up in the briefing room, i have something to say. i don't have additional calls to read out, but one of the reasons i mentioned it at the top, some of you were trying to confirm and wanted to make sure we got back to all of you about that, and as you know, he's going to meet with democratic governors as i stated at the top. he's going to continue to do engagement. it is important, again, some of these leaders he could not have delivered on this record accomplishment that he's been able to get done without them. and so i'll just leave it there for now. >> i think the question that we're all asking in different ways is has the president and has the white house, have you sort of missed the boat in terms of responding quickly to that. i spoke to someone today who said it was too little too late. >> quickly enough on what specifically? >> in explaining and discussing what happened at the debate and

reassuring donors and other people that he intends to keep running. >> as it relates to donors or political like that, obviously that's something the campaign should respond to. i would remind you that the day after in north carolina, the president spoke to his debate performance. he did. he talked about it. he gave, you know, his thoughts. he also stated that, look, i'm not as young, i'm not a young man. he said that. i'm not as smooth talker as i used to be. i don't walk as easily as i used to, and i don't debate as well as i used to. he said this, and so he owned up to it on friday, the day after the debate. that afternoon. and so we didn't wait. now, as far as engagement, that is something certainly the campaign can speak to more, but the president in front of hundreds of supporters in north carolina talked about his debate

performance. >> i just wanted to clarify one thing. i know you got a lot of questions about this issue yesterday, has the president had any medical exams since his last annual physical in february? >> and we're able to talk to his doctor about that, and that is a no. >> he hasn't had any kind of medical exam? >> no. >> so the white house has said no to releasing the full results of that annual. said no to making dr. o'connor available for questions from us. no to releasing any other information which shed some more light on the president's health. i guess i'm just wondering if now is not the time for full transparency, when is? >> i would say, mj, to your question, what we have release released the past three years has been

transparent, comprehensive. we have been one of the most transparent administrations when it comes to medical records. that is what we have been able to do, and i would add that it is not the norm to bring the doctor to the podium. that is not the norm. and we have owned up. this president directly has owned up to what happened at the debate last thursday. he's talked about it multiple times. and directly to supporters, directly to the american people. and what we want to do is continue to certainly deliver on the, you know, the record accomplishments as we have been able to do. >> i understand that you feel like the white house has been thorough in the medical records that you all have released, but obviously you're getting these questions in large part because of what we saw for 90 minutes on thursday night, and people's responses to what they saw, a

lot of people expressing shock. so why not release more information? what would be the downside? >> look, what i can tell you is that we have been transparent. we'll continue to be transparent. and that's what i can share with all of you at this time? >> and i did want to follow up , you did get numerous questions yesterday about the president's debate performance. you didn't mention travel, the jet lag, the foreign trip, so i think you can understand why it was a little bit puzzling to hear the president mentioning that as his explanation for the first time last night. >> yeah, can you clarify whether whether -- when you took the podium yesterday -- >> that is my dad. that is definitely part of the explanation of what occurred. i did know that. i did know that. but we were so focused -- i was so focused on the cold, and

that's what i kind of leaned into and talked about. yes, his schedule did have something to do with it. the schedule and the cold, and i was aware of that yesterday. >> can i ask one broader question, the president, and i know you'll remember this, back in 2020, referred to his health as a transition candidate and said back then he would be a bring bridge to the next generation of democrat leaders. does he still believe that? >> i think his statement stands. one of the reasons why he picked the vice president, kamala harris, because she is indeed the future of the party, and he's very proud to have partnered with her and continue to partner with her in delivering an unprecedented record for the american people. and i think he's going to continue certainly to do that. they're going to do that as partners. like i said, i just saw them before walking into the briefing room. they stopped by to talk to me and my team, and they're ready to go. they're ready to continue. >> so the transition would happen in eight years. >> i'm not going to get into

speculation from here. but you asked me if his remarks and statements stand, yes, it does. >> if president biden was fatigued during the debate because of overseas travel that was 12 days beforehand like you said he was last night, doesn't that raise questions about his ability to effectively serve a second term until he's 86 years old? >> look, i think there's multiple factors here to consider. there was the travel. the travel led to a cold, and i think that matters as well. and i think we've all been there. we've all been there. it is not unusual. and what the president did is he pushed through. he did. he pushed forward, and he pushed through, and that's what you saw him do. and, look, you know, you heard me say this yesterday, and you heard directly from the president say this multiple times. when you get knocked down, you get back up. joe biden is someone who has faced, you know, tragedies, and

he's taken them on, and when he does that, he gets right back up. and that's how we see that day, that's how we see that night. >> what was his message to congressional leaders today? i mean, is he trying to instill confidence in them that he can run effectively for his reelection bid was that the purpose? >> i'm not going to get into certainly private conversations he had. he shared with me those conversations with strong, and i think that's important to note. i'm not going to go into details, but the president's going to, you know, continue to have those direct conversations with leaders, with supporters, and he believes that's important to do. >> were they united with him in the call? >> they continue to be united, and some of them have spoken to this. they have been very clear. have spoken, have gone on television. spoken to some of you in your reporting and said that very clearly. >> can you share any details on president biden's and vice

president harris's lunch today? do you know if they discussed vice president harris potentially taking over? do you know if that came up today? >> i just stated that the president is not dropping out. that's something that the campaign has shared. i'm just repeating what the campaign has shared. they regularly have lunch. and i'm not going to get into private conversations. >> i would also say that the vice president spoke to cbs just yesterday, and you could see what she said herself, and i think that's important to note as well. >> i just want to also ask, you mentioned that president biden got the cold because of traveling. so his cold is directly tied to him traveling or is it just he got the cold regularly? >> what i can tell you is he traveled, then he got a cold. that's what happened. >> you mentioned a few times that the president is proud of his record. he wants to continue his work

and building on that record. i'm trying to understand how that's relevant to an assessment, a self-reflection by him on whether or not he's physically capable. >> it is an assessment, i think the fact that he's able to work across the aisle. get really big bipartisan legislation done. he's able to get us out of the pandemic, able to get the economy back on its feet. i think that shows leadership, and i think that's important, right? he is making these decisions on behalf of the american people, and he's able to do that because of his experience, because of his wisdom, and i think that's all connected as well. we can't forget that. >> just building on, you know, the question on self-reflection by the president, you mentioned as well he understands the stakes in the election, and the data is showing that he may be

leading the party toward electoral disaster. is there not going to be reflection -- >> look, right now, i got to be really mindful. you're asking about a campaign. you're asking about data connected to the campaign. i want to be really mindful here. and it's also a hypothetical. and so i also want to be really mindful here. what i can say is right now and where the president is, he is continuing to fight for the american people, continuing to build an economy that works for all, continuing to create good paying jobs, expand health care. that is the president's focus. that is the president's focus. anything else related to the campaign, i would refer you to the campaign to speak to that directly. as it relates to the data, i can't be a pundit from here. >> i have two questions. first, former president of

bolivia have accused president of staging a coup last week. does the administration believe any evidence in the case? >> so look, i want to be really mindful here. we have seen the false allegations of u.s. involvement in the events of bolivia on june 26th. i know that's something that has come up a couple of times, and so i want to make sure that it is clear that the u.s. had no involvement in that. we strongly condemn the deployment of army units in bolivia, and we're going to continue, and i said this last week, or the week before, we're going to continue to stand by democracy and the people of bolivia, and that is where we're going to continue to stand. >> the u.s. government resuming the associations today, i wanted

to get, if you can give us like a clearer picture of how far the u.s. government is willing to go. two questions in that. would the u.s. government be willing to alleviate sanctions and is there any plan to step down from power without fear of continued legal prosecution? >> to your question about the dialogue that's happening, we certainly welcome that, and in good faith. we welcome that. we're clear eyed that democratic change will not be easy and requires serious commitment. we remain committed to supporting the will of the people of venezuela in a path toward democratic governance, via competitive and inclusive elections. any specific details about that, i don't have any to share about the diplomatic engagement, but we certainly welcome it in good faith. and that's what we want to see. >> thank you so much.

yesterday, at the fundraiser, he said that he didn't listen to his staff, so what kind of advice did he get? because it gives the impression that his staff is asking him to, you know, slow down or maybe cancel some trips or have a lighter schedule. >> i didn't get into the president specifically about what he meant by that, so i want to be really mindful. i don't want to get into that. i think what the president was trying to say is that he had a schedule that was rigorous, you know, the travel that he had to do crossing multiple obviously, you know, going from italy all the way to the west coast and i think, as you know, that can have a toll on anyone, whether you're 20 or 80, that can have a toll on you, and so i think that's what he was alluding to, speaking to. i don't want to go beyond that

because i haven't spoken to him on the other component of when he was speaking about his staff. as it relates to certainly the travel, it was rigorous. he had rigorous travel. we talk about it sometimes. i think i mentioned this to some of your colleagues, that he has a, especially when he travels abroad, it's a rigorous travel. we get tired looking at him doing his meetings and traveling. and so i think that's what he was speaking to. i don't think it has a toll on regardless of what age you are, it has a toll on you, that type of travel. >> thank you. there's no question is that international travel can be rigorous. the confusion is he's suffering from the effects of that nearly two weeks later. can you articulate a little bit about, like, do you guys usually have accommodations for him after he does a trip that he's going to have jet lag for that long a period of time? >> when you say two weeks later, what do you mean? >> the debate, he arrives back in the united states 12 or 13

days before the debate. so his explanation for a poor debate performance is jet lag. >> so what i want to say is it's the jet lag and also the cold, right, it is the two things. and that occurred, does you all heard it in the debate. it's not something we shared ahead of time. you heard it in his voice, and we confirmed it. that's important to note as well. it is the jet lag and the cold. i want to be really clear here. this is not an excuse. this is not an excuse. you all asked for an explanation, and we're giving an explanation. it is not an excuse. i don't want that to be the leading piece of this. the only reason we're sharing this, it was asked of me here, and the president wants to give an explanation. we understand it wasn't a great

night. we understand what supporters saw, what the american people saw and you all saw. we wanted to give an explanation, i don't want to get inhis or are you giving this excuse, not an excuse, we're giving you what our explanation was. we want to continue to make sure that we do everything that we can to deliver for the american people. that's what we're going to continue to do that. >> i wanted to ask just about the schedule again. because a lot of high level democrats, i think, were concerned with the debate performance, but they have also been just as or more concerned about the response since then, that he hasn't done more. he spoke for four minutes in public on monday evening on the supreme court decision, and he spoke for about ten minutes in public yesterday with the emergency weather situation. >> and he's going to speak today. he's going to go to wisconsin. he's going to go to pennsylvania. >> this truly is an emergency situation. it's taking almost a week for him to address it. when there's natural disaster,

other things happening, he wants to get in front of the camera and speak to it. in this case, it seems to be multiple days before it happened. >> he did address it. he addressed it on friday in north carolina in front of hundreds of supporters. he addressed it, and he talked about an issue you all asked me about all the time, his age. he took it head on. literally head on. he didn't run away from it. he didn't hide from it. he said, i am not a young man obviously, i'm not as good a debater as i used to to be, i don't talk as smooth. he said it himself to hundreds of supporters in north carolina. so i would disagree that he didn't take this head on. he did. he did. he talked about it in front of supporters. >> he's had one instance with that and he's called six people by your count. >> by weight, that matters. >> engaging with the american people and standing in front of them and being honest about that. and talking about age.

again, something that you all ask me about all the time, he took that right on. now, he is talking and engaging with leaders, something that he is doing, he's having good conversations with them. he's going to meet with democratic governors, governors who he believes have been really strong partners him in delivering on some of these historic accomplishments. i would, you know, disagree on him not taking this head on. being in north carolina and taking that head on, obviously that's not the speech that he was going to give on thursday, right? before the debate. so he understood when he got to north carolina, he needed to address it, and he decided to do it in front of supporters, and he talked about it. >> i'm going to go to the back. >> i want to go back to the nato meeting, if i could. the polling shows the president

losing more ground in the american eyes over immigration, the economy and foreign policy. so does that, with everything else, diminish the position of the president as the notable leaders are coming in. >> i don't think so. and i noted this a moment ago with one of your colleagues. they have seen the president personally, up close for the past three years. they have talked about his leadership. they have commended his leadership. they have been proud to see him as the president of the united states after what they experienced in the last administration. some of them have been quoted about what the president has been able to do during his past three years. german chancellor scholz, i think that joe biden is someone who's very clear, who knows exactly what he is doing and who is one of the most experienced politicians in the world, especially when it comes to international politics. the prime minister of israel,

bibi netanyahu, he come on a visit to israel during wartime, a historic first, i found him very clear and very focused. these are leaders that he has had extensive engagement with over the past three years. they have seen him up close and personal. the president looks very much forward to hosting nato next week. >> let me ask you about the supreme court quickly. the comments the president made on monday, does the president respect the authority of the supreme court? >> here's what i will say. the president has spoken often, very powerfully about the events of january 6th. he has, and his views on what happened on that day. and what you heard from the president monday night, he wasn't supposed to speak, he came back, he saw -- he felt so strongly about the decision from the supreme court that he came back early and wanted to speak

directly to the american people, and that's what he remembers. it was that significant. he believed as president of the united states to speak directly to the american people, and he said, this is a dangerous precedent. it is. it's a dangerous precedent. he said and laid out that the supreme court that has continued to take away long established freedoms and norms including a woman's right to choose, and now threatening the fundamental american principle that no one is above the law. and so this is why the president came back, and that's why he spoke out about. and he fears for our democracy. he knows we must do everything that we can to fight. >> authentic disagree with the ruling, does he respect the authority? >> he respects the authority of the supreme court. like you said in your question, he disagrees with the ruling. absolutely. it is unprecedented. it is dangerous. that's why the president wanted to make sure that the american people heard directly from him. go ahead.

>> i wanted to follow up about the lines you were just reading on foreign leaders. it seems like this perception has changed after the debate. >> you mean the quotes that i was laying out for all of you from chancellor. >> yes. exactly. >> and the prime minister. >> because talking to diplomats in d.c. >> diplomats or leaders of country. >> diplomats work for the leaders. >> i wanted to make sure. >> i was talking about the leaders! i hear you but i'm talking about the leaders on the record. >> after the debate, a lot of countries are worried about the future of the u.s., and that it is a scary, embarrassing time for the country and the u.s. leadership is at stake. so are they right to be worried? >> look, there's a lot at stake. there's a lot at stake right now. there is, and i think that's why the president fights day in and day out on behalf of the american people.

i got to be careful because you're kind of -- they're worried about, i'm assuming, the election and what's going to happen. i don't want to speak to that, but what i can say more broadly, there is a lot at stake, and we see that. we see that with roe being overturned, the dobbs decision. we see that with what happened on january 6th. our democracy and freedoms are at stake, and not only do diplomats and leaders care about that, americans at home care about that. that is something they worry about and that's something the president is going to continue to fight for. i can't get into hypotheticals, what will happen, there's obviously an election going on, but there is, indeed, a lot at stake, and we talk about this all the time. democracy, freedoms, a woman's right to choose. that is important. that is important to fight for, and what republicans are trying to do. extreme republicans in congress are trying to do, put three national bans on abortion. that's what the type of legislation that they want to

push forward. so we disagree with that, we're going to stay with the majority of americans. go ahead, paris. >> two questions, one is on nato. so next week's summit, does president schedule any important, with the bilaterals, especially including turkish president erdogan, and second question is we know china has been causing a lot of conflicts in the south china sea. yesterday, we saw chinese also detain a taiwanese fish boat, what is white house reaction to the comments. >> on the fish boat, we are closely monitoring the incident. we're going to continue to do that. as far as bilateral meetings, i don't have anything to read out at this time. i believe nsc is going to do a call on friday to talk through what next week is going to look like with the nato summit being

here in d.c. i would say stay tuned, look out for that. and we'll have more to share, and obviously when there is a bilateral meeting, we certainly share that with all of you, just don't have anything to preview at this time. >> has u.s. reached out to japan office of work over those incidents? >> well, i don't have any calls obviously to speak to at this time, but we encourage both sides to maintain open lines of communication so they can get to a resolution here. >> i just wanted to get to your answer a few moments ago. you talked about there being a lot at stake. >> i'm trying to be mindful. >> i'm trying to phrase the question in a way you can answer. >> i appreciate that. thank you. i think millions and millions of americans would agree with that assessment that there's a lot at stake. >> i agree. that's what i said. not just diplomats, also

americans here. >> right. and the president and you and others in the administration didn't have a good night at the debate. within his reaction to his own performance, does he think he let people down? >> look, this is certainly a president that i will say, and if you know joe biden as a senator and vice president, he's very sensitive to how people feel, right, and he's very aware of that. i think he has that iq that is certainly incredibly important as a president to be able to feel people's pains, feel people's concern, and be able to listen to them directly, and you see that. you see him do that, anytime you see him engage with every day people, americans, and i think that's what makes this president so unique. and i think also because he's dealt with so much tragedy, and

knows what that feels like. and, you know, i have not asked him specifically that question. but he understands the concerns, what people saw, and that's why he's spoken to it multiple times. he has spoken to his age multiple times, not just this past friday, and he gets it. he gets it. we get it. and so what we're going to do is continue to look forward, continue to work on behalf of the american people and there is a record here. there is a record here that we can speak to. there's a record here that matters to the majority of americans. we were able to turn some things around, whether it's the pandemic, the economy, expanding health care, all of those things matter to the american people. and so that's going to be certainly our focus, but, you know, the president gets it, guys, he does. he gets what people saw, and how

people felt. i really can't. i got to continue taking questions from the back, and i'm already being pulled. go ahead, phil. >> i wanted to ask you about some of the things that the president said last week. >> last week. >> yes. >> okay. obviously with 13 u.s. service members died at abbey gate, and then this year, three u.s. service members died in drone attack in jordan. and yet the president said, quote, he's the only president this century, this decade, that doesn't have any troops dying in the world like he did, end quote. i get having a bad night, but how could a president get that so wrong. >> i appreciate the question. i was asked about this in the gaggle on friday, i believe, and i said this, and i'll reiterate this now, and again, i appreciate the opportunity to. look, the president cares deeply

about our service members, he does, and their families, their immense sacrifices they have made, and he takes on his responsibility as the commander in chief, and that is something that certainly he will continue to do. i mentioned moments ago that tomorrow on july 4th, he's going to have military families here to thank personally. he attended the dignified transfer of the 13, brave service members who lost their lives in afghanistan on august 26 and the three who lost their lives in jordan earlier this year. i was there with the president, and you can see how much, how important he understood it was to be there for that moment, to be there for the families, and so just want to be clear about that. he has so much gratitude, and we know as a country, we could never repay them for their courage.

but to your question the president was making a comparison between how many service members have died under his leadership versus in previous years. that's what the comparison that he was making, and he is doing that because he cares so deeply, cares so deeply about them and their families and wants to keep troops safe, and that's what he certainly wants to continue to do. let's not forget that for some time, he carried a card in his pocket about how many were wounded in iraq and afghanistan. that was a reminder to him, you know, the times that we live in. >> this president said this century, this decade, maybe on a different front, what was the president trying to say when he beat medicare. >> he meant to say he beat big pharma. that's what he meant to say. >> you have more interaction

with the president than most folks. you know him better than most anyone else. can you say -- do you believe that the president is as sharp today as he was when he took this job? have you seen any slowdowns? >> what i can say is this is a president who is strong and resolute in delivering for the american people. when i'm sitting in front of him, going through the day or talking about what he's doing next, he is someone that engages with us. he wants to know. he pushes us, prods us, wanting to figure out the bigger picture of what we're trying to explain to him or granule details. >> so he's as sharp as ever. >> he is as sharp as ever as i have known him to be in my engagement, my experience with him. i know when i walk to the oval office or see him on air force one, i have to be on top of my game. i do. and that's just kind of my

engagement with him and how it's been for the past couple of years. i know i have to wrap it up. i know. go ahead, emily. >> i wanted to ask, how is the president's health today? does he still have his cold or is he feeling better, and to clarify on the medical exam because you said he hasn't had one since his last physical. he was on the way to the debate. the doctor was with him, he had a cold, he's 81. does he not get checked out by the doctor? >> he did not get checked out by the doctor. it's a cold, guys. it's a cold. and i know that it affects everybody differently. we have all had colds. and, no, he was not checked by the doctor. what was your other questio. >> how is his health today? >> he looked great, and he was with the vice president. they both looked great. i know i was asked yesterday if he still had a cold. i think he still has a lingering cold but he's ready to go. he's ready to go. i have to wrap it up. go ahead. >> sources have told abc that

the president recognizes how difficult his political predicament is? how has his mood been of late? is he down, frustrated? >> i mentioned multiple times at this point that i got to see him, my team and i got to see him and the vice president. he's great. he's like in a great mood. ready to get things going. he's going to do the medal of honor later today. he's going to meet with democratic governors, and that's kind of what you want to see, right, from your leader. >> any frustrations with you all? >> what i can say is that he wants to move forward. that's what he wants to do. he wants to move forward, acknowledge, right, acknowledge what happened, be very clear eyed about it. and very forthcoming and honest about what you all saw, but he knows he's the president of the united states. he has to continue to work and deliver on behalf of the american people. that's what he has to continue to do. and that's what how he's going to move forward. all right, everybody.

thanks, everyone. >> happy birthday, america. the proposal, hamas. >> i don't have anything for you if it just happened. >> certainly reach out to us and we'll get you an answer. thank you, guys. >> good to be with you. i'm al ali vitali, and that was karine jean-pierre, answering questions about the current state of the biden presidency, trying to talk about the biden campaign. saying that he is absolutely not in karine jean-pierre's words, stepping down. and if he was reflecting on his health, instead she pivoted to talking about his record. she pointed to the fact that the reason he gave the performance that he did at the debate was because of jet lag and a cold. at one point, karine jean-pierre saying anyone who pushes through

like that, should be commended, clearly trying to say in her words, he's owned up to it and wants to move forward. the white house very much trying to do just that and turn the page. i want to talk about all of this. there's so many threats, let's bring in white house correspondent in mike memoli, john allen, and of course katie rogers, white house correspondent at "the new york times." mike, i want to go to you and get your initial reaction to that because, you know, the question that i heard, for example, asking about his naps, she didn't answer around that. there was a moment where someone in the press briefing room made a quip about assuming if the president is awake. that's not the kind of thing you hear in these white house briefings. it's very tense in there. >> this is where we are at this moment, ali, that the white house press secretary is being asked if the president takes an afternoon nap. she said she wouldn't discuss this. obviously these are the kind quest and distractions leading

democrats to for the most part privately. we are seeing public indications. we did get the most forceful comments from president biden about his political future that we have seen so far. he called in, along with vice president kamala harris, to what was an all staff call that was happening with biden's campaign team in wilmington, delaware. the president stating. let me say this as clearly as i possibly can. i am running. no one is pushing me out of this race. he said i'm in this race to the end because when democrats unite, we always win. the vice president also joining in saying that we are not going to back down. we are going to follow the president's lead. i know all of us are ready to fight for him. the president i'm told by some of those who participated in the call really did sound like the president biden a lot of them signed up to work for, and some of them worked for for longer than just this campaign going

back. he sounded like he a lot of fight in them. these are signals democrats have been wanting to see. you also know, karine jean-pierre talked about the outreach the president has been making, including congressional leadership in the last 24 hours. there was a strong performance from the president on friday after the weak performance thursday night, in raleigh, north carolina. that was a good first step, but part of why there is this really environment of discontent among democrats, it took so long, almost 72 hours of radio silence from the president. the white house is now starting to dig out with some of those initial calls and a big meeting tonight with democratic governors, including many in person at the white house. >> we are hearing about the calls from capitol hill as those offices are confirming it. katy, you had reporting just today that a key biden ally, he was on the phone with the president and the president said to him, he knows he may not be able to salvage his candidacy if he can't convince the public in the coming days that he is up to

the job, does this presser and the comments that he's made to white house staff and campaign staff that mike was talking about do that, and does it do it enough? it might be too little, too late according to what i have heard from some democrats? >> so i think the white house is being clear that the president is running, and that ally and others since have told me, of course he's running, of course he wants to stay in the race. the difference, the nuance here that is important to understand, he knows his presidency is on the line. he has a few days to try to change this narrative, and he understands that the outcome will be different for him should he not do that. >> john, i think one of the groups that biden could start to do that with is the democratic governors that he's meeting with later today. in your conversations around democratic politics, what do they need to see? >> they'd like to be able to

unsee what they saw last thursday. short of that they would like to be able to see joe biden going out there and countering the narrative that he created, you know, with that claim about having defeated medicare with some of the pauses that he had with the look on his face. they wanted to at least effectively bury that in other information that is more positive, and i think, you know, after he watched an hour long roughly long hour press conference with karine jean-pierre, they want to see something reassuring of the explanation of having lagging jet lag. he was back in the united states for 12 days before the debate. those are not the kinds of things that cause what we saw. i don't think democrats are very reassured right now, unless they want to be. after watching the press conference, trump voters and the trump campaign are probably a little bit reassured by it. the talking points i don't think

are particularly helpful to joe biden. >> and they're starting to circulate them even more. in the last few seconds, paper this they were sending, more talking points to capitol hill, chiefs of staff there. mike, one of the things that struck me in the briefing were the questions around the medical exam, the president was 81. he had a cold, didn't he talk to a doctor. does this ignite more calls for transparent around biden's health and age in the white house, at a pivotal point where people are calling that into question. >> some democratic allies are reaching out to me while we were watching that. there was too much discussion of the cold, this is the concern that i think this episode has ignited, something that hadn't necessarily been discussed before. yes, president biden can do the job now. we're asking the country to elect him to another four-year term. how is he going to continue in this job. what we know did dr. kevin o'connor, the president's chief

physician has done yearly physicals. he has released and is quite proud of this, detailed and longer summaries of the physicals than we have typically seen from previous administrations, but i think that was a very interesting moment. she was asked about whether he had been checked by a doctor prior to taking the stage, and she indicated he had not. whether there's a need for a new physical. whether an 81-year-old president should have more than an annual approximately if, whether another one should be put out soon. that's on our list of questions to be asking this white house about whether to press them on this, and whether there will be an additional medical exam, a full medical exam provided at this point in the campaign. >> i think all of us have an ever expanding list of questions at this point. mike, john, katie, thank you for breaking it down. the lloyd doggett is joining us right here on msnbc. on msnbc. that's why i love my swiffer wetjet.

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