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happy sunday. anything going on? [ laughter ] thank you for joining us for this special coverage tonight, i am rachel maddow, i am joined by my beloved colleagues who i cannot wait to talk to tonight about what has happened today. joy reid is here, nicolle wallace is here, jen psaki. you do not see the joy on your screen right now because there is some gremlin with the camera, but we will have her in just a moment, joy is standing by as well. the four of us will be with you throughout the duration of this special coverage tonight. you know, we do special coverage for all sorts of stuff. this is not all sorts of stuff, you will always remember where you were when you heard the news today. what a day in history. president joe biden making american history with an act of profound political and personal sacrifice. 3 1/2 years into his presidency, president joe biden

stepping down from his re- election bid in favor of his vice president, kamala harris. i have been processing this for five hours already and it still gives me chills to say it. in the instant he announced it at 1:46 p.m. this afternoon, everything changed. everything changed. the democratic party instantly ends. it's internal war. this emotional, intense, harrowing fight that has torn the party apart for the past 3 1/2 weeks, that is over in an instant. the expectation among democrats, which was being voiced more and more openly in recent days, the expectation that the democratic party was in for a historic wipeout in november with not just the white house in danger, but the house and senate in danger as well, that expectation evaporates also, in an instant. with president biden voicing a strong and unequivocal endorsement of his vice president, kamala harris, with

vice president harris confirming immediately that she is running, saying we have 107 days until election day, together we will fight and together we will win, with no resulting ambiguity about who will be the democratic party's nominee. and what is the task at hand? for that nominee and for the party? the little scratchy sound you're hearing in the distance? that is every democratic donor in the country writing the biggest check they have ever ridden in american politics. in an instant. the old era is over and the new era is here. it is go time. joe biden defeated donald trump in 2020 and an election in which trump refused to accept the result and tried to stay in power by the use of violent force. trump has since been convicted of 24 felonies and is awaiting

sentencing on those charges, he is facing up to four years in prison. he has been found liable for committing sexual assault, he owes hundreds of millions of dollars in civil penalties for massive fraud at his business, his business has been found criminally guilty of business fraud, and he owes hundreds of millions of dollars in a civil fraud case. he is the subject of a felony indictment in the state of georgia, he is also facing federal criminal charges, he is now 78 years old and gives speeches of such rambling incoherence that even his most ardent super fans start wandering off or checking their phones by the time he starts talking about sharks and showerheads and how beautiful you would think he looks if he were to take his clothes off. he just picked a 39-year-old running mate, who most americans do not know, and who has basically no record in public service. as people are googling donald trump's new unknown running mate, the first thing most of them are learning about him is that he is deeply committed to a nationwide ban on abortion,

nationwide. he is the protigi of an eccentric right-wing tech billionaire who is against women having the right to vote, and who says he is against democracy. the right-wing groups that have championed this guy for trump's running mate are the authors of the project 2025 policy blueprint you have heard so much about. the policy blueprint for what the republicans plan to do if they do succeed in getting trump and now vance back into the white house. a national abortion ban is just the start, try cracking down on birth control and fertility treatment. try banning pornography. try defunding the fbi and the department of homeland security. say goodbye to the department of education and the environmental protection agency and the fda. really? the food and drug administration? because who among us doesn't want to think we are buying aspirin but it turns out to be

rat poison? republicans and trump himself have been uncharacteristically disciplined when it came to commenting on this very difficult, not down, drag out fight within the democratic party over these last few weeks. the concerns about president biden showing his age. republicans were being very reticent, very disciplined about not talking about that, because they were crossing their fingers and hoping that president biden would stay in. expecting that president biden was going to stay in, they were measuring the drapes, looking at the polls and backing about their sure, absolutely guaranteed victory. but trump's upholster last week said, "between 20 and 25 different paths to victory in the electoral map." he said after we got to about 25 different paths to victory, we stopped counting. they have been so sure. president biden perhaps candidly waiting until the supremely self-confident republican side locked in their ticket.

waiting until trump picked the most radical, the most ideologically extreme and even eccentric choice for his running mate. waited until that was locked in, then today, 1:46 p.m., today donald trump's remarkable recent run of political gridlock came to an end with the crash. the old man in the race now is donald trump, 78 years old and only occasionally coherent, with a record as president that is viewed by historians as the worst in the history of the country, a tenured that ended in violence. and he refuses to promise that there won't be more violence to come from his supporters. he is the old man in the race by a mile. driving that legacy from what happened the last time he was in office and now, a national abortion ban, and maybe his own prison sentence, with him to the polls. and as of today, we know that his opponent will not be a man older than him.

as of today, we know that his opponent will be a 59-year-old former prosecutor, attorney general, u.s. senator, and vice president to joe biden, who cemented his legacy today with a decision that will go down in history as one of the most selfless, patriotic sacrifices of any sitting president ever. 1:46 p.m. joe biden changed everything today in an instant. we have so much to get to hear tonight. i want some initial reaction from all of you guys. enjoy, you are here, i'm very glad, we didn't have you for a second. enjoy, let me start with you, first of all, where were you when you heard and what was your reaction and what have you learned over the course of the day? >> well, i was actually sitting on my porch with my dog, so nala and i heard it together. nala is on top of the news, she always gets the news very early. when i got a call from my

wonderful executive producer, actually a text and then a call from tina, my wonderful executive producer, so she broke the news to me on the phone, and then of course, my phone immediately exploded with all sorts of people who had thoughts about it. and listen, it is a very historic occasion. the last time this happened, of course, was lyndon b. johnson, who in march of 1968, opted out of running for re-election. that of course resulted in an open convention and a disaster in which his vice president loss, so i think there has been a lot of anxiety among a lot of bass democrats about president biden and the sort of campaign to push them out. but it became clear that that campaign was not going to end. there was an ad that was even set to run on our very own network, on morning joe, as early as tomorrow, increasing and ratcheting up the pressure, donors ratcheting up the pressure. you had nancy pelosi and chuck schumer and the donors, and it was just becoming so intense that it is not surprising at all.

i will tell you that i had my eye on this date, july 21st, because this was the original date where they were supposed to have that virtual delegate vote, that were still tonight having delegate meetings across lots of states, and i have spoken with delegates and one father of a delegate, one in south carolina, one in florida, they are having those meetings. and i can tell you that there is a lot of excitement among delegates, especially delegates who were pretty angry about the treatment of president biden by his own party. and so, the same voters who were really angry yesterday are less so now. and the last thing i will say very quickly, rachel, this election just changed in the way nikki haley said it would. she once said the first person to [ inaudible ] wins, as you said, donald trump is now the aging person in this election, and he is somebody who cognitively is not working at full steam. i just wrote down the five keywords now about this

election. age, which the media should focus about about donald trump. his age now becomes an issue, his cognitive health. it becomes about the supreme court and the dangers of that, it becomes about jobs big time, particularly if it is kamala harris, why think logically should be the nominee, it becomes about felonies, she is a prosecutor. it becomes about the issue of sexual assault. she was a prosecutor who specialized in sexual assault, and obviously, democracy. so, the race has completely changed as of today. >> nicole, where were you when you heard and what was your initial reaction and what have you learned over the course of the day? >> i was running around after my baby, then i got a text from mark elias, and there was -- i mean, president joe biden did one of the most not just selfless, but elegant things. i mean, the way he did it, the letter was elegant, and the endorsement of his vice president, who has had a tremendous 3 1/2 weeks on the

campaign trail, was just pitch perfect. i was watching michael barnacle, who is on morning joe every morning and a close friend of president biden's, and on friday, he said something that just -- just stuck with me all evening friday and all day yesterday, and when i saw it today, i thought, oh, i wonder when he knew it. he said, you have to remember, everybody, he is a good and decent man. and it just made me think, you know, there is nothing that we see that he doesn't see, there is no poll -- you know, by the time speaker pelosi was having these very political conversations about the political landscape, it was clear that -- i think it was clear to a lot of people who knew joe biden well where this might end up. the only thing i can say is that an act of political sacrifice like this is -- must be contagious. and people like jim mattis and mark milley and general kelly who don't want to sacrifice not being political, it is time to

change those calculations. people like sue gordon and gina hospital who don't want to sacrifice their legacies with the intelligence agencies, it is time to make a different decision. an act of political sacrifice -- liz cheney and chris christie should be on the phone with white house if they mean what they say about democracy and the role of law and ask how they can help the pro-democracy coalition. and an active sacrifice like what joe biden did today should put in motion many more high profile acts of sacrifice. >> jen psaki, i will ask you the same question i just asked joy and nicole. where were you, how did you learn, but i also have to ask you, i mean, you have so many friends and colleagues and former colleagues at the white house and in the campaign, i have to ask what people have been telling you over the course of the day about how this decision was arrived at, about what's happening now, about what the expectations are?

>> absolutely. well, first, i was sitting in this studio when i found out, and i think everybody is learning how the machinations of television happen right now, and so, the executive producer for my show, alex, set in my ear, president biden is stepping out. and i said, what? and while i was hearing this, i was about to interview this incredible 22-year-old woman who is appearing in a biden ad about having an abortion when she was much, much younger, and i was thinking, i have to keep it together for this incredible young woman as we are getting confirmation, so that we are able to share the news with our viewers. but that's where i was sitting today. as soon as our show ended, i called everybody i knew to learn more about what was happening. and i was say, what i heard from a lot of people on the campaign and high up at the white house is i think what a lot of democrats are feeling right now. people love joe biden, he is beloved in the party for good reason, because of what he has accomplished as president, which is a tremendous amount.

no one thought he could pull us out of covid or get the infrastructure build on or do other things he has done, but also, he is a very decently good human being. and the chip on his shoulder he has, and anybody who has worked with him knows he has it, also helps them connect deeply with people. so, everyone i talked to -- some felt relief, some felt anger because they loved him and they didn't want him to step back. there was a sadness, a shock, there was such a tiny circle of people who knew about this decision, rachel. obviously, i think there was a lot of momentum from democrats and others, but really, it sounds like just his family, one or two close advisers, steve and mike, a very close longtime advisers, and many, many, many people -- most people i spoke with today i learned of it as the statement came out. so, i think there was a lot of shock and digestion for a lot of democrats, a lot of people who love him out there. in terms of what is going to happen next, this is where it

is quickly moving, i think, as we all have been talking to a lot of people through the course of the last couple of wild and historic hours, and you know, it was a good sign, i think, that not only did the president -- not in the initial statement, but shortly afterwards, which i think is a signal of people who maybe don't think about those questions of what reporters may ask when they wrote the statement, that the endorsement of vice president harris came out about 15 minutes later in a follow-up, but now, the dnc and the democratic party has to run -- they're going to run a process, is my understanding. and the process is going to be -- the goal of it is to make the vice president look strong and be strong at the end of the process. so, that means that's what we are going to see over the next couple of days, we are learning a lot more about what that looks like. >> what kind of a process? i mean, like a competition? >> well, i know, a competition -- this is the thing that is a

little -- i'm going to say it is a little strange and we will see how this works out, but what i mean by that is there has to be a process for the delegates to be able to vote to support -- whether it is the vice president or someone else. now, i will say the party is lining up clearly behind vice president harris, not just the president, but senators, virtually anyone would possibly run against her has endorsed her, but a process would mean it allows delegates to be able to support her or another candidate. now, candidates have to meet a certain threshold. that threshold is about 300 delegates -- only the maximum of 50 from each state. so, any candidate who wants to compete with vice president harris would need to meet that threshold in a short period of time. could others get in? i guess technically, but the whole apparatus, the biden apparatus, the clinton apparatus, and i think largely, even though it is not publicly, the obama apparatus, are all aligning behind harris. but there is a feeling by some,

including reportedly former speaker nancy pelosi and former president obama, that there needs to be an opportunity for delegates to be able to voice their view here, even if the outcome is very, very likely going to be vice president harris, as it should be. that's fascinating. while we have been talking a little bit of news not exactly along these lines, and also not exactly unexpected, but of course, here it is. two sources telling nbc news that senator joe manchin is considering running for president, according to two people who spoke with him. senator joe manchin of course is not a member of the democratic party, he is an independent. he lost a nonprofit called americans together last year. he has long both invited and stoked speculation that he would be a presidential candidate at some point, if he sees this as his moment, again,

not surprising to me, given the history of joe manchin, i don't have any idea what that would do in terms of this process. whether or not the democrats in some organized way tried to create some semblance of a primary rather than just endorsing vice president harris, we shall see. but at this point, it feels to me like the process is potentially nebulous, but thou, is not? but we will see. let's go now to outside president biden's house in rehobeth beach, delaware. nbc news white house correspondent mike is there. mike, i know you have been reporting this story all day long today. tell us how this decision was made today, what we understand about president biden's decision-making process and expectations for what happens now. >> well, rachel, there has been so much reporting over the last week about just how certain it was that president biden would be making this decision, including reporting down to this day that it was going to be announced on sunday he was

not running for president. i have covered president biden and his team long enough to know that there was never that element of certainty, even within the president, as we approached this decision. but it is very clear that over the course of the last 10 days, there had been something of a shift on the part of the president's own thinking. from june 27th and the moments after that debate performance when he knew he had stumbled and potentially stumbled badly, but his first impulse, as it has been so often throughout his career was to try to fight his way through it as he and the first lady had put it, they were not going to let a 90 minute debate performance determined what the future of his presidency would be or over shattered the previous 3 1/2 years of his presidency. but as he was determined to fight and to try to make the argument to fellow democrats that he could and still planned to win this election, that really came into opposition to some of his most respected fellow leaders in the party. there were some real tensions that were flaring up, even

between the biden team and his former running mate, president obama. i received a statement on thursday where they were pointing to him, to schumer, to speaker pelosi as people pushing him out of the race now, who had also pushed him out of the race in 2015. and look what we got then, donald trump. that in retrospect now speaks to the final throws of this decision, because as biden considered the council of a very small group of advisers, but also more importantly, the council of his close family, including the first lady, the conversation began to shift to what is your legacy going to be? what is in the best interest of the country as well? and they ultimately made that decision as a family and president biden himself making that decision that the best course forward at this point was to put his support fully behind vice president harris, that he could not continue to fight this battle within his own party at a time when the party needed to be focused on fighting donald trump. now, it is so striking how small

a universe of that decision- making being shared was. there was someone very close to the family who told me even last night that the signals he was getting was that the president was still fully committed to this going forward and staying in this race. but over the course of the day, that circle of advisers began to expand, who knew of what the president was can doing. that included calls, multiple calls, we understand, with vice president harris, to bring her into this conversation and to talk about the steps ahead. there had been some question about this process, both of the actual bureaucratic process, but also, what would biden simply do? there was no other decision to be made other than to fully endorse his vice president for this office, and that is now the hope and expectation going forward, is that the party will unite behind her. biden, when he made the decision in 2015 not to run, just months after bearing his eldest son, bo, he said you

cannot run for this office unless you can commit fully 100% of yourself to that effort, and ultimately, that was behind the decision the president made today. but just like in 2015, when he said that he was not going to be a candidate, but that would not step aside, you can expect that in the remaining 100+ days of this campaign and in the remaining 180 or so days before he leaves the white house on january 20th, 2025, that he will continue to put, i'm told, is full everything into both injuring a democrat wins in november, and ensuring that his work, the work of 54 years in elected office, is finished right through the finish line, to the very end. >> mike, let me ask you about a couple of things that now seem like legitimately open questions. obviously, the president settled so much of what has been uncertain in democratic politics and in american politics with this dramatic decision today, but there are open questions now. one more technocratic and one quite substantive in terms of

the politics of it. the technocratic question is, if as you put it, president biden is hoping that the party will unite now behind a candidate he has endorsed, but his vice president, kamala harris, is there clarity about what needs to happen technically in terms of the delegates, in terms of ballot access, in terms of fundraising? we have seen filing with the ftc already, noting that kamala harris is now at the top of the ticket for what previously had been their joint ticket. is there clarity within the white house as to how technically this is going to happen, and the other question, very much an open question, is who kamala harris will choose as her running mate? is that discussion open and engaged at the white house at this point? >> well, i will start with the first question, because this is so interesting to me, rachel, where inadvertently some

republicans in the state of ohio, who were trying to -- and the view of the biden team and the democratic national committee, play games with election access by potentially depriving biden from being put on the ballot in the state of ohio, because the convention for the dnc was after ohio's filing deadline. that kicked into gear a process by which we would have this virtual nomination decided well in advance of the ohio deadline to end that uncertainty. and as i understand it, the conversations in the last few days have also focused on what this process would look like to move forward with that plan, to have a virtual nomination, choose the nominee. the biggest uncertainty, though, during these conversations, was what any other democrat raise their hand and choose to run if president biden were to step aside? but even if he were to stay in this race? and that is where we still have some uncertainty about what

there might be in terms of a mini primary, what vice president harris might have to do to show if there are other candidates in this race how she can put itself to the top-of- the-line in the view of those delegates to the convention, to earn their support. and that's why there was a lot made of barack obama, the former presidents statement today where he was effusive in praising his former running mate for making this very difficult decision, but absent from that statement was any discussion of supporting vice president harris in this process. that was very deliberate, as i am told from sources familiar with his thinking, because just as in 2020 when he was supportive in certain ways, but not explicitly endorsing joe biden as a candidate in 2020, he wanted to be in position once the nomination was decided to rally the rest of the party fully behind the nominee, whomever that ended up being. he wants to ensure that you can do just that right now. so, the dnc is still working for this, the chairman of the dnc putting out a statement, saying they will have more to say in the coming days about that process, but i think the

biggest question that will dictate the process moving forward is what anybody raise their hand to do that? now, as it relates to the running mate decision, this is something i have been hearing about for weeks already, in fact. one of the first names that was raised to meet is somebody who we just received a statement from, was the governor of north carolina, roy cooper, who is endorsing vice president harris to be the democratic nominee. he is somebody who has been mentioned to me for several reasons, one, because he is finishing his second term of the governor of north island, an important battleground state, he is somebody who served for 16 years as the attorney general of north carolina, including six years when he served at the same time as the former california attorney general, kamala harris. they have a relationship, it was just with her, in fact, as she campaigned there two days ago. that is one that is at the top of the list for many i have been speaking to pick another name that has been mentioned is senator mark kelly of arizona,

somebody who is new to the senate, somebody who is a veteran, and somebody who can bring a lot of dynamism potentially to this ticket as well. when i have been speaking to people close to vice president harris over the course of the last week, they have been erring on the side of total loyalty to president biden. as i asked one official, are you making preparations to have to step in here, including vetting a potential running mate, and they said they didn't want any daylight to be seen between her continued support for president biden staying in this race and signals that might be perceived as disloyalty by doing just those things. so now, there have been some people close to her who on her behalf were undergoing a process of potentially putting a campaign or the makings of some staff to support her together, but now, she will be fully now engaged in the conversation moving forward about who a running mate would be. there's going to be certainly a lot more names than the two i just mentioned that are brought about to this conversation. there are plenty of governors and senators who would like to be part of that conversation especially.

but this is now a moment when vice president harris is deferring to president biden, wants to let him have his moment before she begins making her own case for her candidacy moving forward. >> nbc news white house correspondent mike. near president biden's home in rehobeth beach, delaware. historic day, it is good to have you with us, mike. let us know if you get anything new that we need to get on the air during this special coverage, appreciate it. let me underscore what mike just said about the new news from governor roy cooper of north carolina, he is one of the people who has frequently been described as a potential running mate for kamala harris at the top of the ticket for the democrats. he has announced explicitly endorsing kamala harris's candidacy for president. another governor in an important state, governor josh shapiro of pennsylvania out earlier this evening with a ringing endorsement of kamala harris for president. so, we are starting to see the kind of consolidation in the democratic party that i think

you would expect after this unequivocal endorsement from president biden, including from men who may be candidates, maybe on the shortlist as a vice presidential running mate. joy, over to you. >> thank you very much, rachel. very quickly, just a little tv on that score. speaking with the delegate on the state of florida, after meeting today, some of the names that were being circulated were the names that you just mentioned, josh shapiro, as well as roy cooper. the other name that was going around, at least on the floor down there, and people were sort of just gaming it out, was obviously kentucky governor, a popular name that ends up on those lists as well. it is sort of the same list for everybody at this point. i want to quickly bring in out steven horsford, nevada congressman and the chair of the congressional black caucus. thank you so much for being here. and i have to ask you, to the sort of lead question that i think everyone is asking tonight, what was your reaction when he learned that president biden will now not be seeking

re-election? >> well, first, joy, thank you for having me on. look, president joe biden has given so much to our country, and today is no exception. he is a man who has provided so much public service, he has put himself out front time and time again. but today, he is putting the american people first and the future of our country and generations to come, quite frankly. i commend president joe biden, who i was with just last week in my district in north las vegas. i campaigned with him in my district, talking about the economy and housing, taking him to local institutions and our community, and i know that president biden cares deeply about people, and that is why he has selected and i agree with his endorsement of the vice president, kamala harris to become our nominee. because she is the most prepared

, qualified person to win the nomination, to defeat donald trump, and to win this november. and most importantly, to lead our country forward in the next generation. >> i have a question sort of on those two parts. a couple questions here. because the first thing i will say is just in talking with black members, with congressional black caucus members, as well as just with black folk, civilians i have run into around the country as i have been traveling, there is a deep well that i have seen of support for president biden, given his record, cbc, the huge investments in historically black colleges, and just a lot of his policies that they see as really good for the african american community, and then just a lot of resentment about the way that he had been treated by members of his own party, and a sort of anger at the party for the attempts to push them out. and what i'm also then seeing is a residual surge in support

and loyalty for kamala harris, for vice president harris. and a real suspicion that this push to evict president biden from the ticket was also about evicting her from the ticket. now, i know you have spoken with her today, i would like to first get you to tell me, you know, if you can give us any sort of news from that conversation and where she should sort of stands and where she is at, and what did you make of the strong endorsement that did come from president biden for her candidness today. do you think that is enough to head off in the attempts to have someone other than kamala harris be the new nominee? >> well, i did speak to the vice president earlier today, she wanted me to convey to the members of the congressional black caucus and members of the house democratic caucus at large, as well as our constituents, that she intends to earn this nomination and to win this presidency. she was emphatic, and i agree

with her. and i believe that the president, president biden, is strong endorsement of her is because the historic wins that they have accomplished were together, with democrats in congress, working to advance the infrastructure investment act. the first comprehensive gun safety bill in 30 years, lifting 50% of children out of poverty, and acting the most aggressive climate action that any country in any place in the world has enacted. capping insulin costs at $35 a month. these are wins that the vice president, along with vice president biden and democrats in congress achieved for the american people. that is why she is the most prepared, the most qualified to win this nomination, to defeat donald trump, who is a threat to our democracy, and to win and to govern for the next generation.

>> very quickly, just a really quick follow up on that, you just named the biden/harris accomplishments, that's what any candidate would be running on, presumably, whichever democrat becomes the nominee. so, talk about what that means, earning this nomination. i spoke to davis earlier today, longtime friend of president biden, they have known each other since they were 29 and 27 respectively, and he also knows vice president harris, he said this is complicated. i could quote him, that this is not complicated unless you don't want vice president harris to be the nominee. otherwise, she is the most qualified, she is the vice president, jerry has the second most powerful job in the united states and is the closest thing besides the president to being a president, so what does that mean for her to have to earn a nomination against presumably governors, people who are not in the same position she is, to actually be acting in the guise of a president. >> to be clear, when i heard her talk about learning it and winning it, it is about putting

the american people at the center of this debate and the selection, because they are ultimately going to be the beneficiaries of the policy that we are able to enact. that's why i am so proud to have been working with the vice president for the last months on her economic opportunities tour, to close the racial wealth gap, to center the issue of work, wages, and wealth, which is a center part of the work that we are doing in the congressional black caucus. her reproductive justice focus to protect a woman's freedom to make her own health care decisions about her body, not some government person in washington, d.c. or some bureaucrat. the fact that she understands the threat that donald trump and trump's project 2025 poses , not only to women, but to people of color, to those in the lgbtq+ community, to veterans, to seniors, to young people.

that is why this election is so important, it is about how we are going to move our country forward with kamala harris at the top of our ticket, not backward. how we are going to bring our constituencies together to build coalitions, not to divide us like donald trump wants to. >> nevada congressman steven horsford, he has got his name in the upper left-hand corner, that is a professional in the business of politics, making sure that the branding is always there, and also the chairman of the congressional black caucus, thank you, sir. much appreciated, back to you, rachel. >> news has been pouring in all our, just as you were interviewing the congressman there, we just got word from acta blue, the fundraising platform that has been very effective in supporting the democratic party, remember i said at the beginning, the sound you're hearing is the sound of tens scratching on checks customer "small dollar donors raise over 27 1/2 million dollars on act blue in

the first five hours of vice president, harris's presidential campaign. 27 1/2 million dollars just on act blue, just in the first five hours. actblue says grassroots supporters are energized to support her as a grassroots nominee. we have got much more to come tonight as our special coverage -- oh, i am being told we are not going anywhere. oh. very sudden. we just got word very abruptly from the control room that we have had yet another endorsement of the vice president harris for the presidency, this time from another high profile democrat. it is california governor gavin newsom. while this internal fight was happening in the democratic party, over concerns about president biden showing his age, governor newsom in california is of course one of the high profile democrats who was discussed as a potential nominee if president biden was

going to leave the race. california governor gavin newsom now endorsing kamala harris as the likely nominee of the democratic party. okay, much more to come tonight as our special coverage continues. senator chris murphy is going to be joining us in just a moment. we have got a lot more to come, news is coming in hot and heavy. stay with us. >> [ music ] ♪ trains that use the power of dell ai and intel. ♪ to see hundreds of miles of tracks. ♪ [vroom] [train horn] [buzz] clearing the way, [whoosh] so you arrive exactly where you belong.

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welcome back to our special coverage tonight, as president biden has made a stunning announcement that he will not seek re-election. as president biden threw his support behind his vice president kamala harris. everything in politics sort of broke wide open. in the last few hours, harris has received endorsements from just a torrent of big names of influential democrats, everyone from jim clyburn, a very influential democratic progress men from south carolina, who was so key to president biden

getting the democratic party's nomination for president in 2020. everything from clyburn to north carolina governor roy cooper, pennsylvania governor josh shapiro, both of them have been described as potential running mates for kamala harris. california governor gavin newsom himself seen as a one day presidential contender for the democrats. california governor gavin newsom and colorado governor jared polis have also both endorsed kamala harris this evening for president. just in the last few moments, transportation secretary and democratic star pete buttigieg has endorsed president harris as well. fundraising has also exploded on the democratic side today. again, this announcement from president biden about leaving the race was 1:46 p.m. the group actblue just announced that in the first five hours after the announcement and president biden endorsing vice president harris, in five hours, actblue

announcing they took in 27 1/2 million dollars in donations. the new york times has just written that up, saying that this is the biggest day for democratic donations online in years. the new york times tally at this point is $30 million and counting. quoting one democratic strategist as saying, "this might be the greatest fundraising moment in democratic party history." at this hour, we can also newly report that president biden's decision to not run for re- election was not related to any new medical information, that is according to a senior administration official. but again, news just breaking, essentially constantly at this point, as the country adjust to this new reality. nicole, over to you. >> yes, watching along with us for the last few minutes, senator chris murphy, democrat from connecticut. senator murphy, you have been on with us since this moment, i think, really gripped everyone

in the democratic party, everyone who is committed to the pro-democracy side, which is a much more unwieldy coalition, not always welcome, i know. but i want to come to you about what you tweeted. this extraordinary story about joe biden's superpower, his empathy, and his commitment with standing people at their lowest hours, especially people who have lost loved ones in mass shootings or school shootings. will you tell the story you told about the post uvalde, post-buffalo address? >> actually in 2013, 2012 shooting and sandy hook, joe biden came to connecticut, he was scheduled to spend about a half hour with the families, maybe an hour, he ended up spending three hours. not just with the sandy hook families, but he spent time with the families [ inaudible ] to come to this event as well. he delayed his execute from connecticut by hours and hours as he wanted to spend time with each of those families. this is someone who is an

empath when he wakes up and goes to bed every night, who lives and breathes the experiences of people who have lost those to gun violence. so, after the shooting in uvalde, a lot of his advisers told him this just isn't a moment, congress isn't going to do anything on guns, they haven't in 50 years. joe biden refused to take no for an answer. he decided to take a prime time address the weekend after uvalde, against the advice of many who serve him in the white house, because he wanted to take a chance that this time, maybe something could happen. that address helped build pressure on congress, it helped support the negotiations, and a month later, we passed the most significant anti-gun violence bill in the history of this country. gun violence has plummeted since then by 20%. so, of course, this was a very difficult decision for joe biden, because he has been one of the most impactful, most effective presidents, and there are literally thousands of young men and women who are all alive today because violence

rates have dropped so significantly because of what he did. so, while this country is brimming with enthusiasm for kamala harris who is going to spark a whole new generation of interest and involvement in the democratic party, this is also a day where we are deeply grateful that we had joe biden for these four years, the lives he saved, the ability to bring this country out of a pandemic, to restart our economy, is an exceptional, exceptional leader who has shown this country and how you put america first. x and what does that campaign look like that melds those two things together, because that feels like the other half of the history that joe biden made, to take what we owe him for doing this thing that no politician has ever -- it is a slogan, a lot of them actually believe it, i believe the people i worked for actually believed it, but i never witnessed an actor with someone actually put the country and the party ahead of their own desired to serve the country

and the party. so, what does that campaign look like when the enthusiasm for vice president kamala harris sort of melts appropriately with the sort of respect and what we owe joe biden for what he did today? >> well, the reason you see this extraordinary outpouring of support, obvious low donor donations, the reason why people like me who served with her and have so quickly endorsed her is because she is the most about worlds. she carries into this campaign by the record and it is a good record, the economy is coming, there are safer streets and schools than ever before in the last decade, but she is also a new generation of leader. she will be a historic president, the first woman president at a moment when women's rights are under assault in this country. she is a prosecutor running against a felon, and so, in so many ways, she beats this moment. she is able to carry forward this record. we aren't abandoning what has happened over the last four years, it is extraordinary. kamala harris owns that record of success.

but she is also able to turn the page in a historic way and take the fight to trump in a very unique way. so, i am excited for her candidacy, i have think you have seen the party unified around her as we speak tonight, and we are going to be ready tomorrow to take this fight to donald trump it joe biden steps aside because he put the country first, as he saw the threat to democracy's grave, he saw that kamala harris had a better chance to win, that is an extraordinary thing to do when you are the most powerful person in the world and you had a shot at victory, but kamala harris was a better shot and this country is going to learn a lot about a pretty extraordinary woman over the course of the next few days and weeks. >> a lot of her events over the last three weeks have taken place between 4:00 and 6:00 eastern, so i have watched a lot of them, there is a real fire that she has brought to the campaign trail, while i think everyone else has been focused elsewhere.

particularly on prosecuting the case against project 2025. to your point about a prosecutor against a felon, say more about what that looks like. >> so, i agree with you. i actually think that kamala harris has been better over the last two to four weeks then i have ever seen her before. and that is a test in and of itself, right? the stakes have been high, the spotlight has been on her in a different way in the last month, and she has been better than ever before, which tells you she is going to be ready for this race. i have seen kamala harris at her best. i would not want to be on the receiving end of kamala harris is best, that is what donald trump is going to get. but she has been highlighting project 2025, because it is freaking scary. this is a document that calls for a national abortion bans, that calls for the persecution of lgbtq and transgender kids all across this country, and basically is the playbook for how you turn a democracy into an autocracy.

now, this country is kind of exhausted with democracy, it hasn't been giving them what they need and want. they think that what the biden administration has done is a good start, but the prosecutor in kamala harris is going to be able to effectively take this document that [ inaudible ] as to how they would get rid of our democracy and bring that fight to trump and explain the consequences to the american public. joe biden was doing that, but kamala harris is going to be able to do it in a tremendously effective way. >> senator chris murphy, it is always a pleasure to talk to you, especially on a day like today, thank you for making some time for us. >> thank you. >> rachel? >> joining us now is presidential historian, pulitzer prize-winning biographer, jon meacham. he is also an adviser to president biden, he has worked with him on several important speeches. it is really a pleasure to have you with us tonight, particularly given your relationship with this president, but also because of

your historians perspective on these, thank you for making the time to be here. >> thank you. >> let me ask you first for a historians perspective on this moment, that i would like to talk to little bit for a moment if i can't about what your communications have been with the president, what you understood about this process. with a historians eye, we have all been saying this is one of those moments where you will always remember where you were when you heard that this is something that has happened very, very rarely in american history, that it has never happened under these circumstances before, that it feels like a profound and perhaps unique active personal and political sacrifice by a president who did not want to do this, but felt it was the right thing to do for the country. let me ask if those things resonate with you, in terms of what you understand about the american presidency and joe biden's role in it. >> absolutely. very few presidents with the opportunity to seek office, to

continue to dwell at the pinnacle of power, john adams when he was vice president said that the presidency would always be the object of all eyes and the focus of all attention. i, like you, rachel, have never met a politician who did not seek to be the focus of all eyes and all attention, so that is part of the dna of those who are in the arena. only george washington, who set the two term president in the late 18th century, harry truman in 1952 could have under the 22nd amendment have run for one more term. he decided not to in 1952. and of course, president johnson in 1968, though that is a complicated example. i think it is fairly well- established, and our friend michael knows more about this than i do, that is true of many things, but lbj sort of expected that the democrats were going to come calling when the convention came around.

what president biden has done is a remarkable act of giving up something that he spent a lifetime, much of a lifetime seeking. but i think the important thing to remember here is in president biden's biography itself, he thought the story was over after he left the vice presidency. in many ways, i don't think -- i know i am not violating anything to say in many ways, he had passed the torch to his son, bo, who was a very brilliant young politician in delaware. i remember bo was the first person i ever met who was my age or a little younger, who i sat there and thought, he is going to be president. it was that kind of ambience. and so, that is what president biden thought this chapter of his life was going to be about. he was going to be an elder statesman, going to be helping beau as beau tried to serve

the country. and then, as so often with joe biden, history and fate intervened. and beau dies of course in 2015 , the agonizing decision about whether or not to run in 2016, and then -- and i take president biden absolutely at his word, charlottesville happened, and he is watching the television where they are protesting. remember why they were there? they were protesting the removal of the statue of robert e lee, and the torches and the chaos of that moment and the incompetent presidents reaction saying they will find people on both sides brought a question to president biden, which is it can happen here, it has happened here so much, so often. and the forces that we have to contend with of extremism and racism and isolationism,

protectionism, all those forces are part of the american character. they always will be, as long as americans are human beings, and this is part of the human condition, the task of democracy, the task of the rule of law is to manage our appetites and our ambitions in a way that will enable us to get just enough right. and president biden gave 50 years, has given 50 years and still is, trying to get things just right enough with the rest of us, and i think he re- engaged at that point. remember what happened when he was running in 2020? we were at the grip of a global pandemic, we were the rule of law under fundamental assault, and he stepped into the breach. he stood up for democracy over autocracy, he stood up for the rule of law, and i know that history is going to treat him incredibly well, because he deserves it. he has been a consequential president before today. today it makes him a

consequential president who courageously put country above self. >> this will be an exemplary. this will be an exemplar of what it means to be a politician who asked not in his own interest, but in the interest of the country. and we have lots of heroic examples of that from people that led to them becoming president, because they had demonstrated that form of terrorism in some other way, and some other part of their life, whether it was in military service or whether it was some other way they were serving their country, and we admire it so much that we decided a man like that ought to be president, but for a president to do this, sitting in office, having the world in his hands and to say i'm going to give it up because it is the right thing to do for this nation, it just -- it is, john, i mean, it is a story that i don't know any other president besides joe biden who could have written it, but it is a remarkable thing, especially

because you know that he thinks of himself as under and estimated, you know he resents anybody trying to tell him he can't. >> as do we all. [ laughter ] >> yeah, exactly, but him, i think, more than most. i remember speaking with him around the decision to not run in 2016, and you're right, that was a complicated thing and there were a lot of things going on there, but the thing that was foreground was anger, was feeling that he was making his own decision, but the anger about people trying to tell him what he ought to do was palpable. i mean, he was up with that. let me ask you, just in terms of your personal interactions with him, you have written important speeches with them, you have met with him a number of times, you have advised him during the course of his presidency. he is, we think, going to get remarks later this week, he said so in a letter to the country today, presumably explaining more about his decision, presumably elaborating more on his endorsement of president harris. are you involved at all in working with him on that, you

have any expectations for what that will be? >> i think we can all sort of think about what that would begin to look like. if asked, i would be happy to help, i was not part of the decision-making process that led to today, i in no way want to exaggerate my role, i am a peripheral figure. we had become friends, we share -- we share -- our character matters. everyone of us. we will talk about that in the second. i want to say something that went to a point you just made. not only is president biden an exemplar of political grace and courage, i would argue it is a huge important exemplar for all of us as citizens. in this moment