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it is good to be back with you on this second hour of "chris jansing reports." at this hour, a story first reported by nbc news. the biden family, privately discussing what a possible campaign exit would look like stressing it needs to be on his terms. his timing. plus, new reporting that the mood on capitol hill has shifted to when, not if biden drops out. as another eight lawmakers say the president can't win. and donald trump said his big theme was unity, but did the final version of his rnc speech deepen political divides instead

of bridging them? and the global outage triggers havoc and blue screens of death around the world. from grounded flights to hospital outages, even billboards going blank in times square. we've got the latest on what's being called history's largest i.t. outage. our nbc news reporters are following all of the latest developments, and we begin at the white house with nbc's monica alba. what more do we know about the conversations that are happening with joe biden's family? >> well, we know, chris, that there are really conversations happening at every different level. in terms of the people who are closest to him, who know him best, who his opinion is really, of course, very important in terms of what he looks to for who he respects the most when he's making this decision. we know that there are at least some conversations that are going on now about if he decides if he's going to step aside and make that difficult decision that right now we're told he hasn't yet, there could be some

at least acknowledgment of what that could look like for somebody who's been in public office for more than 50 years, and for somebody who really wants to make sure that whatever he says if he does deed do that, would have a message of how best they say, according to our sources, how the path would be laid out to defeat former president trump. and so they feel they may need a little bit of time to determine that, and they want to make sure that he can do that with a little bit of space and distance. that is of course getting a little more difficult as we are seeing all of these democratic defections. the biden campaign for their part and the president himself, they have pledged to go full steam ahead with the president saying that he is going to be back on the campaign trail next week. now, of course, he's still isolating in rehoboth beach from his covid diagnosis. there are larger questions about when this could happen. they are shifting not just to the when but how, and i think that's what's really significant here, chris, and we should point out that it's not just the

family members who are entertaining this possibility. we're told that there are also some senior advisers who are also discussing, they say, because it would be prudent whether this happens, and they want to make sure that they feel like it is given the importance and to make sure it has the dignity, they tell us, that they would would be befitting to president biden, that he is going to bow out of this race if it comes to that. again, everybody stresses in all of these conversations, which you can imagine are very delicate and very fluid that it is up to president biden alone to make that determination. and that he has not done that yet, even if the conversations over the last couple of days have evolved to a place that we're told is a little more reality based, that he is sensing what he is up against, and certainly the dynamics in the party right now, which are on clear display in a moment of true inter-party fighting and division, chris. >> while you have been talking, we have been watching vice president kamala harris, you can

see the woman on the left behind the ice cream counter is supermodel tv personality, tyra banks. you see smize, her famous face when she did the competition, smile with your eyes, that's the name of her not for profit, which is an ice cream store, and of course, monica, tyra banks, ice cream store, lovely addition to washington, d.c., especially if it's for charity, but we would not be showing this if it wasn't for the fact that the vice president is there at a time of course when a group of democrats believe she is the one who should replace joe biden as the top of the ticket. talk about the conversations that are going on if joe biden stepped down, what next? >> reporter: and i would say that if part one what we just discussed, that if he decided to leave the race, how he would make the announcement, and what factors go into it, part two is what does he say about his vice president kamala harris, does he

fully back her, does he endorse her? does he say she should be the party's nominee if he can't be or leave that as a more open question, and we are told that that is of course something that is still being discussed. it is still being evaluated because we are still in that what if land, and that should really be made clear. but what's notable, chris, and what we can tell you in confirming something that was reported by "the new york times" this afternoon just a few moments ago is that vice president harris is planning to hold a call with some major democratic donors later this afternoon, and i'm told by a campaign official that the president's advisers asked her to do that so she is not going rogue here, in effect. she is doing this in a sanctioned effort, we understand. but she may be faced with a lot of those questions from those donors about, okay, well, what next. and if the president should decide to step aside and exit the race, what would that mean for you? do you have a sense for that? can you tell us what the plan

would be, and we'll see if we can get any indication. but she, according to my sources is of course being a very loyal soldier here in all of this. and even if there has been an effort outside of the official campaign of people who support her, who back her, that is not something that is being driven by the official vice president harris apparatus. we know that she has been saying publicly and privately that she still does completely back president biden and wants to go ahead as his running mate. the reality of the race here is something that could shift in a moment if that monumental decision is made by the president, and certainly the vice president, we understand, is aware of that and prepared to serve, should that be something that they are going to ask her to do, and they have made that point repeatedly in the last couple of weeks as well. >> monica alba, thank you for that. we're going to keep our eye on what looks absolutely delicious. the ice cream store, but actually kamala harris, if she has any comments. we will let you know about that.

but thank goodness, those little girls who have been very patient are finally getting their ice cream cones. we have more breaking news on capitol hill. it is now one more democrat calling on president biden to leave the race, the total now, 31. just nine today, right, ali vitali, i think we're at nine with betty mccollum. >> that's exactly right. the minnesota lawmaker that you just mentioned has come forward in her own op-ed, the second of the op-eds that we have seen today, though you were right to mention that we have seen almost double digit numbers of lawmakers coming forward today. i think this is definitely the day that we have seen the most new names added to the list of people who are now asking their nominee and their president to step down as the party's standard bearer, and no longer run for reelection. what i think is notable about congresswoman mccollum's call is that as opposed to what other members are doing, which is saying whatever their personal reasons are, or political reasons are, they don't think

biden should continue, mccollum is laying out her preference of a plan. i want to read for you in part, she says that to give democrats a strong viable path to winning the white house, i'm calling upon president biden to release his delegates and empower vice president harris to step forward and become the democratic nominee for president. she goes a step further and says if harris is the democratic nominee, she will need in mccollum's words a mid western running mate, considering a successful leader who has been a teacher, soldier, football coach, former member of congress and proven winner, minnesota's governor tim walz, waltz is someone who has been an outspoken member of the democratic governor's association, a surrogate for the biden campaign, this is the first time at least that i can remember that we have seen a member not just come out but say all right, here's what i would like the plan to look like, this is of course notable as it comes against the backdrop of the donor call that monica and i were reporting.

as she was on tv, we're furiously texting, it is notable that harris will be appearing on this donor call with a lot of democratic donors who are just as panicked if not more so than the congress people i could be in touch with over the course of the last seven weeks. the fact harris has been a steadfast ally, quickly and privately should not be lost on anyone, but the conversation here on capitol hill, really does seem at this point as they go to a point of asking whether biden will step down, it's rather an if not when posture, that's true of the last 24 hours. as they consider that, the conversation that has turned in many circles to if kamala harris or if someone else would be the best person to be the democratic nominee. there's really been a divergence, i think, of people, whether or not they say we should immediately go to the vice president, many people have warned, and i think rightly so, for a county that counts black

women among its most trusted voting blocs and loyal voting blocs that overlooking and surpassing the first black female vice president would be a grave mistake. i've had many text messages from sources today, warning the party apparatus against that. but then of course there's the other reality, where people are saying, okay, maybe we do a mini primary of sorts, and it has a lot of people nervous, chris, this idea that over this chaotic multiweek period, whoever the democratic nominee is has been hobbled by this circular firing squad of their fellow democrats. the idea that it might go to a more uncertain mini primary or at worst, an open convention. i think that would mean this process has gone completely off the tracks and you know this from talking to congressman landsmen, and i know this from talking with people and reading statements with so zoe loft

grin, the idea that there are not frequent reminders of what happened on january 6th, all of that has democrats very nervous right now, and it's lending to this idea that even as the tide seems to be turning up here, people really want to get this part of the process over with. >> ali vitali, thank you for that. i do just want to note that members of the process, not surprisingly, tried to ask some questions to vice president kamala harris at that what was previously an off the record stop at the new ice cream stop in washington, d.c., but they were escorted out as she did not answer any questions. of course as we mentioned, she has been noted as one possible choice, if joe biden decides that he is going to step down, publicly, and we're told privately as well. she has not sanctioned any of those conversations. in the meantime, on the republican side, donald trump is preparing to hold his first rally after the assassination attempt, and his big speech at the rnc. nbc's vaughn hillyard is at the

republican national convention in milwaukee for us. i think we can say two very different tones in his message to voters last night. does that tell us something about what we're going to hear going forward? >> reporter: right. i mean, we're just 100 days away now, a little over a hundred days from the general election. and i think last night's speech came in two parts, there was the beginning and the end and the middle part. that middle part was much more along the lines of a typical trump rally or speech or podcast, radio interview that he appears on. it was that maga agenda from the largest deportation program in the u.s. in 60 years to a not moderating vision of his own policies, that he has long touted. had referenced cheating in elections, he referenced praise for viktor orban, and i think when you look at the beginning and end, though, it was a much more subdued in tone, in tenor, and solemn donald trump.

in his conveying of what took place just five days earlier, getting shot on a campaign rally stage, part of his ear blown off. he paid tribute to corey comperatore, the man at his rally who was shot and killed, and he had his firefighter gear up on stage. in that arena, there were folks that had tears in their eyes and it was a moving moment inside of that convention hall with an understanding of the implications of what took place in this election as well. i want you to kind of hear this donald trump within that arena over the course of those 90 minutes. take a listen. >> as americans, we are bound together by single fate and a shared destiny. we rise together. or we fall apart. we must first rescue our nation from failed and even incompetent leadership. we have totally incompetent

leadership. >> reporter: so on the one hand, you hear donald trump calling for america to unify and come together, yet wasn't posing specific compromises on legislation or policy. you heard him say the criminal charges should be dropped against him, the weaponization of the justice system must end, and so for donald trump, a version of unifying america is a stand down approach towards the what he perceives to be unfair attacks on him. he is going to be heading, along with his new running mate, j.t. vance, to grand rapids, michigan, tomorrow, for an indoor rally tomorrow evening, chris. >> vaughn hillyard, thank you for that. let's get back to that massive global outage, still affecting worldwide airports. nbc's antonia hylton is reporting from newark international airport. how are things looking? a lot of folks behind you there? >> reporter: that's right, chris. this is a lot better than it was a few hours ago when we were

packed like sardines in here, with hundreds of people in this hallway. many of them very visibly and vocally upset. it took hours for people to get up to the counter to just try to understand what was happening with their flights because this was the scene here all morning, people getting into newark airport, trying to use kiosks to print their boarding passes, the key kiosks were down. trying it see how delayed the flights were. the screens weren't proper updating. they couldn't get access to information there. the only information was waiting in a line to get four or five hours to get through. some were able to get through and get on flights. i got to see what that looked like. they are receiving these manual boarding passes with some of their information written in by hand. take a listen to a conversation i had with one of those passengers. >> a lot of these flights were canceled, but then they were able to get me a manual boarding pass. >> reporter: have you ever seen

anything like this before? >> no, no, never. >> reporter: are you confident your flight is taking off today? what kind of information have you received? >> they said all the flights were delayed, and that's pretty much it, so i'm not sure. >> reporter: and to give you the national picture here, right now, just in the u.s., we're at almost 7,000 delays, and over 2,000 cancellations. so the pain has certainly felt way beyond just the new york area here. often when i talk to people today, they tell me that they're just really struck by the fact that this one software failure, this update that then triggered an issue in microsoft products, that really these one to two companies, they could have this level of impact, not just here in the united states, but all across the globe. these are people trying to reach families. these are people who work in the schools and the hospitals, and all the businesses that have

been affected by all of this. you can see it on their faces, how shocked they are by today's developments. chris. >> nightmare, antonia hillson, -- antonia hylton, thank you so much for that. we need to go back to monica alba with an update on the president's condition. he got a positive test for covid. what can you tell us. >> reporter: the president's doctor sent a letter that says his symptoms have improved meaningfully since his covid diagnosis. i'm going to lead from the letter. he has received his fourth dose of paxlovid this morning. he started taking that right away after testing positive. they say that his cogh and hoarseness continue to be the main symptoms he's dealing with. they have improved over the last couple of days. he is doing better compared to how he was doing yesterday, according to the president's doctor, the pulse, blood

pressure, respiratory rate and temperature remain absolutely normal and his oxygen saturation continues to also be excellent. there's no need for additional oxygen or anything like that at this time. that's why they include that information, and his doctors also saying his lungs remain clear. we know of course that covid diagnosis came from what we are all familiar with in terms of a rapid test or a quicker test, and then they followed up and they did a more specific pcr test as we all remember talking about a few years ago, and since then, as this virus has continued to be a part of every day life, and they're saying that it was confirmed that indeed the pcr said he had covid. they are trying to figure out exactly what kind of variant he is suffering from at this time. they say he is doing blood work, and that appears to be normal, and they are saying there's nothing to indicate any kind of anemia or bacterial infection, in addition to the covid diagnosis that we know about. so the president's doctor there

saying, chris, that essentially he's tolerating treatment well, according to dr. kevin o'connor. they are continuing with the paxlovid to finish out and round out that course, and then they're saying that he is still working which we know he has been on calls, on briefings about the global outage that you were just talking about, in addition to other matters, and he is been speaking with senior advisers and campaign aides while he's juggling all of this, while isolating. the doctor says as they have been over the last couple of days, they will continue to keep us posted. for now, the plan is for the president to stay in rehoboth beach where he has been, where he is with the first lady currently, and we understand that likely they will be there over the weekend as they continue to monitor his health and recovery. chris. >> monica alba, thank you for that update. in 90 seconds, we take the pulse of joe biden's support in battleground, pennsylvania, what voters there are saying about the questions surrounding his campaign. >> reporter: what do you make of

the conversations of people saying he should exit the race? >> i would vote for him on a ventilator. -cologuard®? -cologuard. cologuard! -screen for colon cancer. -at home, like you want. -you the man! cologuard is for people 45+ at average risk, not high risk. false positive and negative results may occur. ask your provider for cologuard. ♪ i did it my way ♪ even if you're not on summer vacation. join millions of families who've trusted us and find care in your area for kids, seniors, pets, and homes. all from background-checked caregivers, rated and reviewed by people like you. that's hours and hours of goofing around. hundreds of 'lovely afternoons'. mile after mile of w-a-l-ks.

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coverage of democratic divisions, there's a clear path to victory if they listen to what the voters on the ground are truly paying attention to. nbc's julie tsirkin is reporting from the battleground state of pennsylvania. i know you spoke to a lot of voters there. what are they telling you? >> a lot of voters, chris, and senator bob casey who's a vulnerable democrat, one of the only vulnerable democratic senators still sticking with president biden. he made that clear to me yesterday. more importantly, perhaps, is what casey is hearing from his constituents. i spoke to a number of them. of course many of them democrats from rural county about three hours from here to here in the suburbs of philadelphia, where casey, just behind me will be holding an event with suburban women. the mood is glim. it's bleak. it's somber. some women, some men tell me they have seek over what happened the past few weeks. democrats at odds with how to move forward. one thing is consistent, they are worried, they are thinking every day about whether president biden should stay at

the top of the ticket, and most importantly, as some of your reporters have rightly pointed out, what happens if and when he leaves the race. take a listen to a little bit of that from several voters that we spoke to. >> i love president biden. i'd be voting for him either way, but i just think it might be the time. this is just an opportunity, and i know he wants to do what's best for the country. >> reporter: do you think that president biden should be at the top of the ticket, should stay in this race after that debate performance? >> the reason being, what is the alternative. so our economy is the best it's ever been since the 60s. >> do you support joe biden at the top of the ticket? >> yes. >> reporter: what do you make of the conversation of people saying he should exit the race? >> i would vote for him on a ventilator. i guess i support his policies. >> reporter: so you heard there, chris, just a range of opinions

here. that last one woman telling us she would support biden even on a ventilator. none of them said 100% joe biden should be the democratic nominee. they think about three months and change out from the election, it really is too late to perhaps change course but that first voter you heard me talk to is here in the philadelphia suburbs, her name is jean, long time democrat. she has been helping the party organize. she didn't decide until yesterday that she was moving on from biden. she's hoping to change casey's mind. we'll talk to her after and see what she says. >> that will be interesting. that is a key area in a key state. julie tsirkin, thank you so much. we're also getting some brand new information on vice president kamala harris that she is now scheduled to hold a call with major democratic donors in about 35 minutes. 3:00 today. and that she's doing it at the request of the biden campaign. nbc's yamiche alcindor is reporting from grand rapids began. also with us, mig michael

hardaway, and democratic strategist and senior adviser to the lincoln project, joe trippy, who has worked on campaigns for howard dean. what can you tell us about this call? >> reporter: vice president kamala harris is finding herself in this position where she's publicly and privately supporting the president while being ready to take over the ticket should he step down. part of what she's doing for the biden campaign is reaching out to donors today in the 3:00 p.m. call. she was asked, campaign sources tell us, and the team here at nbc news that she was asked specifically by the president's senior advisers to do this call. i want to read part of an invitation to that donor call. it says, we continue to find ourselves in a rapidly evolving environment, the invitation says, with the stakes as high as they are this cycle, we have to remain focused on the critical work that needs to be done to protect our democracy. to that end, we are hosting a 30 minute briefing today at

3:00 p.m. to discuss urgent emerging needs. we will be joined by vice president kamala harris and hear from leaders working on the front lines with voters. this is coming at a time where donations to the biden/harris campaign have dried up. i have been talking to grass roots groups who say they are terrified in this moment because they have voter outreach efforts that usually get millions and millions of dollars at this time that aren't getting any money. one source even told me there's a group in ohio thinking about shutting down its operations for voters registration. they're worried that the money isn't going to be there. this call shows that the vice president is continuing to step in, continuing to try to bolster this ticket. we're also still navigating, whether or not she's going to be at the top of the ticket. >> i have to go to you, joe trippy with the latest bit of reporting. we know, our reporting has shown that the democrats were already talking about the campaign was already talking about, taking it about at 50%, now that's down to 25%. there are a lot of supporters of

joe biden who basketball that will come back if it gets settled, he's staying in the race. it's not like they're going to go over to donald trump. how worrying do you find the money question right now. >> no, the money question, no doubt about it, is very worrying, but i agree with those that say, look, if joe biden definitively declares he's in the race to stay at the end of the weekend or whenever he makes his decision. i know there's a lot of talk about him sitting with his family right now. if he makes the decision, it's the uncertainty you saw in those interviews just now with those women in pennsylvania. and it's the uncertainty, i think, that is the problem, and if it's joe biden, the democrats put their oar in the water and fight. if it's kamala harris, they'll put their oar in the water and fight. frankly, the polls haven't changed that much. joe biden is still in position.

yes, it's gotten worse, but he's still in position to win this if it's over soon, this discussion, and if -- and when that happens, i think democrats will unify one way or the other. >> yamiche, you spoke to a member of the congressional black caucus about the ongoing concerns about this candidacy, what did they tell you? >> reporter: frankly, congressional black caucus is seen as a key group that's allied with president biden. they have really been a front line for him as people question whether or not he should step down. but there's really -- those members are starting to grow weary. i talked to emanuel cleaver, a long time democratic congressman from missouri. i want to read you part of what he told me. he's still supporting president biden. he said to me, i do think there are efforts afoot to facilitate some kind of transition in the campaign. there are people trying to make sure that in the event, not the eventuality, but in the event that the president chooses another path, other than running

for reelection, a plan will be in place to make up lost ground. he also said we need to have a plan to shut up and not talk about the debate and deal with winning with president biden and whoever comes next. that's interesting language from him. he's saying that he's backing president biden but he's also saying this has to come to an end, all of these questions swirling have to come to an end. for a few days we have been saying no member of the congressional black caucus has come out. a texas congressman came out, first congressional black caucus member to say president biden should step aside. i have been told talking to sources there are scratches in that support among the congressional black caucus. it really is a space to watch, and it really is showing sort of the level of angst and anger that democrats are starting to feel as this continues to go on, chris. >> yamiche alcindor, thank you for your reporting. so, michael, look, i think the thing that's consistent here, whether you listen to the voters, you listen to joe, you

hear what yamiche is reporting from the congressional black caucus, there is people that say this has to come to an end. who is that incumbent, hakeem jeff ris, chuck schumer, nancy pelosi, who is going to make this come to an end? do you have to give joe biden his space and time, which is what our reporting shows they're demanding? >> here's the thing. if i'm hakeem jeffries and chuck schumer, i have to keep respecting him. you have about 86% of the house democratic caucus that still supports the president. you have about 91% of the senate democratic caucus that still support the president. and those gentlemen are representing their caucuses and they continue to support the president for that reason. while members trickle out, today with the number of house democrats who have come out against him, we have to keep perspective in that that's 14%

of the caucus. you still have 86% supporting him. if i'm joe biden, i'm staying in for that reason. i also, if i'm joe biden, understand that from a money perspective, those donors will come back, and i still have the most important donors which are the national finance committee members that fund my campaign. as long as he has their support, he's okay. >> the reverend al sharpton said he told the president it was time for a serious calculation of the situation. i want to play exactly what he said. >> i'm not pushing for him to step aside. i'm pushing for us to have a very unemotional, clear perspective on how we salvage the progress that has within made in the last three and a half years, and move forward because we have real danger, which was demonstrated last night by donald trump. >> whatever joe biden decides and we know he has covid, right, what makes sense to you in terms

of a strategy, do you gather all the key players, and say i'm not changing my mind if he decides to stay in. if he's getting out, is it incumbent on him, saying here's the plan forward, what is joe biden's move in this, do you think? >> i think that's it, it's his decision. everyone on the planet can go to him and make the case. i think in the end, joe biden is going to look at the facts, look at the polling, at the voices that are asking him to step aside. and those who are urging him to stay. in the end, joe biden, i still believe that woman on the street in pennsylvania said it. i still believe he'll do what he believes is best for the country, that's a big difference from donald trump. if the whole party went to donald trump and said you have to get out, you have been convicted of 34 felonies, you got to do what's best for the country and the party, he would tell them to go to hell,

wouldn't be a quick call. with biden, i'm secure in my belief, he will make the decision and do what's right for the country. i don't think he's going to wait very much longer past the weekend. if he comes out of there and declares no, dammit i'm in, i believe that the party will unify behind him. and the same, if he came out and said, look, it's time to pass the torch to a new generation of leadership, i've gotten the message, i think that, too, will unify the party. so we'll see which way it goes. in the end, it's not up to the speaker. i mean, to jeffries or schumer or nancy pelosi. they can all make their case to them. you know, but in the end, it's joe biden's decision, and the good thing about the democratic party is we have a leader who will look at the facts and make a decision, not based on what's

better for him, but what's best for the party and the country. >> michael, a little different take from former house speaker kevin mccarthy, here's what he said about the dynamics between congressional leaders and joe biden. >> you've got to understand what's going on behind the scenes. schumer and hakeem, the minority leader, are very weak, and they haven't done anything. they just stay quiet, kind of afraid of the debate, but nancy pelosi and barack obama have been pulling the strings behind the scenes. when adam schiff came out yesterday, that was nancy pelosi. >> is that a fair assessment about behind the scenes maneuvers and in any case, do you think if there's some truth to that these are hurting the party overall? >> who was that guy? i think, you know, kevin mccarthy is in no place to give advice on how anyone should lead, and certainly for the good of the party, as joe just laid out, mr. schumer and mr.

jeffries, and mr. biden, ms. pelosi are all doing the same thing, which is trying to figure out what's best for the party. i do think that actually, at this particular moment, hakeem jeffries and chuck schumer are doing exactly what they should be doing, which is listening to members and communicating those thoughts. ultimately, 14 million democrats voted for joe biden in the primary to make him our candidate. and as we look forward, he's still doing the battleground states, still a few points behind trump nationwide, but he's still close enough and can win this fight. that's what we should be focused on. >> michael hardaway, joe trippy, great to speak with both of you gentlemen. thank you so much, have a good weekend. >> the rnc closes with claims of divine intervention for donald trump. first, wrestling legend hulk hogan makes the convention crowd go crazy. >> what happened last week when they took a shot at my hero.

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going anywhere, "the washington post" is reporting that speaker nancy pelosi, amid serious doubts he can win in november. that's according to three democratic officials familiar with her private discussions. i want to bring in democratic congressman from virginia, gerry connolly, a member of the house oversight and reform committee. congressman, thank you for joining the program. what are you hearing from your colleagues right now in this debate? >> i hear a lot of anxiety and consternation about the political reality on the ground. the fallout from the debate and even subsequent occurrences both in the media and with the public have not reassured anxious colleagues that we that can pre

successfully in november. and so i hear a lot of anxiety, not panic, anxiety. and it's anxiety looking at data. you had some, you know, persons on the street, interviews in pennsylvania, but i can tell you that the rank and file democrats, many of us are supposed to in our respective districts and states are telling something quite different. they are coming to the conclusion that it would be very difficult to win in november, and they are terrified about trump. >> so when the biden campaign chief comes on "morning joe" today, as she did, and she says we have paths to victory, not just one, but multiple paths to victory, is there nothing you're seeing that suggests that?

>> i would say that that's wishful thinking, and i hope she's right. i would like to believe in wishful thinking too. but the data in front of us suggests otherwise. "the new york times" is publishing polling data. we are behind trump in every one of the battleground states but one. we're tied. that's a path to victory that's a new kind of path to victory for most of us who are prak tishs. >> do you believe it would be in the best interest of the country for president biden to step aside? >> i'm not going to join the chorus of calling for the president to step aside. i worked for president biden and i revere the man. i want to make sure that whatever happens here, that we preserve his dignity, he's earned it, and i don't believe a lot of public calls for him to

step aside helps in that cause, right, preserving his dignity. and so, whatever i may have to say about his future is something i'm going to share privately with the white house and the campaign. however, that doesn't mean i'm not going to voice along with so many of my colleagues my deep concern that the longer this drags on and the more we see deterioration and we have to be clear eyed about that, can't be a lot of happy talk, i join with those who are really concerned about the prospect of donald trump returning to the white house. we saw the real donald trump last night. a 93-minute screed that he promised would be rewritten and call everyone to unity, and that didn't last very long, did it, when he just couldn't help himself and reverted to form,

and gave us the american carnage speech all over again. and that is a dark dystopian view of america that most of us do not see, and don't share. and don't want to. so we've got to have the most powerful ticket we can to ensure that that individual gets no closer to the oval office than he is right now. >> let me ask you also about what's going on with the investigation into the assassination attempt on donald trump. secret service director kimberly cheatle is now set to testify before your committee, the house oversight committee on monday. some of your republican colleagues say her explanations about what happened have been horrible, insufficient, those are the words that they use. what is the question you want to ask her, and do you agree with those assessments? >> i'm going to withhold judgment about those assessments until we actually have her before us, and give her an

opportunity to testify and explain. but, you know, the obvious question is how could a 20-year-old intent on causing a tragic action get so close to the stage with the former president and future president, you know, within hundreds of yards, and successfully get off several rounds of shots that nick the president and killed an individual and wounded two others. how is that possible within this sort of circle of security. how did that get by you, and tell us all about that. and so i think that's the key to whatever we decide to do with respect to the future of the director of the secret service.

but that's more important than her future, right. we want to make sure that this kind of thing can never happen again. how do we do that. first, let's understand how did it happen, and then we have to have a discussion about how do we make sure that never happens again. >> congressman gerry connolly, thank you so much. >> my pleasure. we did see a few fusion of faith and politics relating to that in part at the rnc in the wake of the assassination attempt. during his speech last night, the former president mentioned god at least 11 times, and claims his appearance on the stage was an act of providence. >> i'm not supposed to be here tonight. i stand before you in this arena only by the grace of almighty god. there was blood pouring everywhere, and yet in a certain way, i felt very safe because i had god on my side. i felt that. we live in a world of miracles,

none of us knows god's plan. if the events of last saturday make anything clear, it is that every single moment we have on earth is a gift from god. >> i want to bring in sarah matthews, a former trump white house deputy press secretary issue, good to talk to you again. evangelical voters have been a crucial voting bloc for donald trump, as you well know. in 2020, he got the support of 84% of evangelicals, that was up from 77% in 2016. this is according to pew research. i wonder with that as the backdrop what you heard certainly in the beginning of that speech last night when he talked at length about what had happened to him with the assassination attempt. >> look, i think for viewers who tuned in and watched the first 15, 20 minutes of the speech, they saw a different tone from trump, they heard him recount

the experience of the attempted assassination. it was gripping to hear him retell it on air. the way he spoke about god being on his side. that certainly resonates with those evangelical voters, but for viewers who stayed tuned in and watched the remainder of the speech, i think that they saw that the unity message seemed to fade and that although we were promised that trump ripped up the old speech and wrote a new one, i would love to see what the old speech looked like because i think the new one wasn't that much different. it seemed it just be one of his trump rally speeches, just slightly on decaf. he wasn't maybe as energetic as he usually would be during his typical rally setting. i think that it just showed us that while the experience, i think, that he dealt with last weekend dealing with a near death experience, certainly that will affect someone, but do i think it is going to fundamentally change donald trump moving forward, no.

i think that he is someone who is set in their ways. he's a 78-year-old man, and i think that the latter half of that speech proved that he's going to be the same trump, using divisive rhetoric and his entire campaign is going to be focused on himself. >> yeah, and at least in the small number of voters we talked to who watched the speech, it doesn't seem to have changed many minds among them either. speaking about his speech. but nbc news is reporting, sarah, that in the past few days, donald trump has repeatedly referenced the fact that, and nobody will be surprised by this, he now feels much safer being indoors. we know how much he loved those big rallies, he liked being outside. do you think, a, that the campaign will scale back some of those things, and do you think that it's a disadvantage for donald trump who loves those big crowds? >> yeah, certainly if you're using indoors venues, you might not be able to draw as big of a crowd, and fit in as many people and cram them in as you would if

you're outdoors, but i do think it's smart for them to take this into conversation. obviously what happened last weekend was tragic. it should have never happened, and there should be accountability there from the secret service on how this could even happen. and so i do think it's smart for them to take all precautions moving forward, and make sure that his safety and the safety of the rally goers is what matters most. it makes sense why they're making that decision. i can imagine that donald trump won't be as thrilled if he's not able to have his big crowds moving forward because of this. >> sarah matthews, thank you so much, appreciate you coming on the show. still ahead, new reporting that president biden feels angry and betrayed by top democrats calling for him to exit the race. i'll talk to one of those democrats, congresswoman zoe

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one of joe biden's closest allies, senator chris coons is addressing growing calls for the president to drop out of the race. here it is. >> i think our president is weighing what he should weigh, which is who is the best candidate to win in november, and to carry forward the democratic party's values and priorities in this campaign. i am confident he is hearing what he needs to hear from colleagues, from the public. >> chris coons in a tweet shortly after that interview clarified, he is with joe biden 100%, and that the president has told him he's in it to win it. i want to bring in democratic congresswoman zoe lofgren of california, among 32 congressional democrats now calling for president biden to exit the race. i really appreciate you coming on the program. i know that you made this decision public. just a very short time ago. why come out publicly now? >> well, i think from the data it's pretty clear, as i said in the letter, that the president

is on tack to not prevailing in the election, and i think it's telling that members of the january 6th committee, myself, adam schiff, jamie raskin, have all suggested that he step aside and that we get another candidate who can beat donald trump. donald trump is a threat to america and the world. he can not be elected. he must not be elected, and so we've asked the president to look at that. obviously this is his decision. but it's not about him, and it's not about me. it's about america. >> did nancy pelosi play a role in you voicing this opinion? what are your conversations like? >> well, i never discuss my conversations with nancy, but this came from me, not from her or from anyone else. >> so when people try to connect your close relationship with her to the move we saw, well, of course first from adam schiff,

and now you, you're saying this is not something that's orchestrated behind the scenes? >> that is correct. i mean, she is someone i've known for many years, and she is highly respected in the congress, but she is not directing anyone to do anything. obviously i try and give her an and other leaders a heads-up if i'm going to do something, but, no, this is from me. >> nbc news is reporting, congresswoman, that joe biden feels angry, he feels hurt that top democrats have called on him to exit the race. if he is going to stay in, as he has said repeatedly, as hi campaign manager said just this morning on this msnbc, on "morning joe," is there a danger in allowing the calls for him to step aside to continue. in your mind, is there a time when it just has to stop, one way or another? >> clearly. i mean, we are coming up to our convention. we're coming up to deadlines.

we need a decision. as i mentioned in my letter to him, if he ends up being the democratic nominee, i'll do everything i can to try and get him elected. i just fear that those efforts may fall short, and that will result in really dreadful outcomes for the american people. >> i just spoke to your colleague, gerry connolly, and he told me he would not join the chorus of democrats who are calling for joe biden to drop out because he wants to allow him to preserve his dignity, and first of all, what do you say to that, but also to the idea that it's not just hurting biden personally, it's hurting his chances if he stays in, and it is hurting democrats overall, this chaos, this disunity? >> well, this is not chaos, and i certainly respect gerry is a good guy, and each one of us has to make a decision on what to say, and how to say it.

but my concern is defeating donald trump. he cannot be the next president. and i have concern that mr. biden will fall short. i know that he wants to beat donald trump. the problem is all the data is pointing in the other direction. i hope he makes the best decision he can for the future of our country. this is not, as i mentioned in my letter, i am a big fan of what president biden has accomplished. i respect his lifetime of public service. he's inspired people around the country and around the world. this isn't about him. this is about america's future. >> let me ask you, finally, what happens next, then? what if joe biden does decide to step aside? would you like to see kamala harris at the top of the ticket? do you believe the best way forward is what some people have called a mini primary? what happens next and how quickly could it happen?

>> well, i think should he make that decision, there will have to be quick steps. i don't think we can do a coronation, but obviously the vice president would be the leading candidate. i think kind of a mini primary, maybe a vetting hosted by former presidents, including obama and clinton would be helpful and help focus the attention and whoever emerges including kamala harris would be a stronger candidate than if we tried to exclude a transparent public process. >> there are a lot of people who suggested that the flood gates were going to open now. we certainly have seen a lot of people doing what you're doing now. do you expect even more members coming across the weekend to add to the 32 congressional democrats who have already called for joe biden to step down? >> i think there will be additional members in the coming days.

>> congresswoman zoe lofgren, i want to thank you so much. i know these are not easy decisions. they are not easy discussions, but we appreciate that you came on the program. thank you. that's going to do it for us this hour. our coverage continues with jose diaz-balart who's hosting "katy tur reports" next. aty tur reports" next. good afternoon, 3:00 p.m. eastern, noon pacific, i'm jose diaz-balart in for katy tur. we have been following weeks of pressure from democrats, for president biden to drop out of the 2024 race, and his defiance against that pressure. but today, nbc news is reporting that the president's family is now discussing an exit strategy. two people familiar with the discussions tell nbc news that members of president biden's family have talked about how he would want to end his reelection bid on his own timing and with a carefully calculated plan