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 and in this hectic hour of putting a larger cause above immediate desire. that is counterintuitive and countercultural. and there was a piece of fruit that we were told not to take. and thus began history. . giving is hard. taking is fun. democracies only work, if we manage to give just enough that everyone wants to stay in the arena and keep working together. what he has modeled for us and given us is an example of someone lethat it -- respects reality and fate. and who understands that as

flawed and imperfect as we are, we are given a chance to do the right thing. if we can take it, the life of the country rises and becomes better and nobler and more whole. we don't have to do it all the time. i am not asking for everybody to be john lewis. what i think we have to ask, maybe 51% of the time, can't we try to do the right thing? wouldn't that be a good day? >> that is the vision of history and the philosophy unfolding. there may be some more strongly ideological peep all. i am not a democrat and i am not a republican. i have voted for both parties and i watch your show. you figure it out. at hothis point, anyway.

he did vote for hillary clinton. i think we are at a place where we should take a deep breath and recognize the sacrifice. not for nostalgia or cinema. i don't want to cue kettle drums or violins but a real man did a real thing. i am not a great man. joe biden proved he is a great man. great men make tough decisions that other people cannot. that is good enough for one day. >> jon meacham, i value talking with you anytime . particularly tonight. thank you. it is now just after 8:00 emma east coast and 5:00 yemen

vice president harris's home state of california. less than four months until the election, president biden has dropped his reelection bid and endorsed kamala harris. in the hours since he made the announcement, there has been a steady stream or a flood of endorsements for vice president harris. endorsements from democratic organizations, members of congress, governors and attorneys general. several governors who had considered possible contenders should this decision be made, including roy cooper and gavin newsom and josh shapiro. in the last few minutes, bob casey became the latest senator to endorse kamala harris. i don't know that i've ever seen a group of people do that as quickly as we are seeing today coalescing around kamala harris is candidacy.

fundraising group saying it to be the largest single day of fundraising in the history of the party. vice president harris just released her first text. she said i am running to be president. i am honored to have the endorsement and may attempt intention is to earn and win in the nomination as i hit the campaign trail to meet with americans and layout the choice in front of voters. i cannot imagine two more starkly different visions. we can choose the dark path with less freedom and more division or we can pull together and do the work for the people. these are not ordinary times. this is our america and i need you with me. i have to ask, will you pitch

in today to elect me as president and defeat donald trump. together she said i know we can win and save democracy. there may be a process that happens within the party, the coalescence around her as the nominee feels inevitable but also unstoppable. >> two pieces of news. i have been texting with delegates from south carolina and florida. in both cases, party chairs and campaign

people were in that urging full support for kamala harris. one person so that was pretty much it. lots of praise for biden and a lot of losupport harris. the florida delegation said they wanted to show full support. that is the vibe i am seeing from two important states. that i want to bring in lawrence o'donnell. i want to start getting your reaction. i will ask rachel maddow's question. where were you when you heard of him stepping away and what you make of it and his

likes to say i'm going to name my own successor and i would like to be my vice president? >> that was on a boat in massachusetts far from shore. when i got cell phone service, we tried to make the wind blow stronger to get me to to this a landline that i have gotten to to talk about this. eyman, -- i am coming to you knowing less than most of the people in the audience. the first person i heard talk about this public we was john meacham in the last 15 minutes. that was the best possible conversation i could hear between rachel and john meacham. one thing i would add, this

would be, for almost every other politician, the worst day of that politicians life. this is not the worst day of joe biden's life. this is down the list. this is someone whose wife was killed. then his son who survived that incident later died too young. joe biden has had much more difficult things to process and to get through and to get the family including grandchildren through. he has managed to do that. he is now doing everything he h possibly can to get the country through this. there is no model for it.

the lyndon johnson case isn't even close. he is trying to find as much stability as the party can find by immediately endorsing, harris. you can see how supportive the party is. not just of kamala harris but also of joe stbiden's judgment and his judgment in choosing her four years ago. it has been validated. as i listened to and read about various imagined scenarios that would come into play, if this were to occur, one of the things that i found absent from the thinking of the people that were suggesting there would be half a dozen prominent highly electable demographics that de

would rush to seek nomination was the fact that no one bothered to check with them. even when governor whitman said i won't do it, people continued to plow along as if she would try and take that nomination. it is not surprising me that we do not have another candidate tonight other than kamala harris who is joe biden's choice and the choice of so many democrats that are rushing to say so. including colleagues that she worked with closely. the people that know her in government and federal government the best.

joe biden is someone who i am sure fierce chaos in a situation like this. he has done everything he possibly could to stabilize the ship as he tries to engineer what he would like to see as the way the party changes captains to that ship. he was actually working as party leader and a highly hl functioning level to make this well, that you are reporting on. >> it was so silly that people were floating michelle obama. i don't know what she has to do to get people to haunderstand s is not going to run for president. i want to talk a bit more about this president.

he occupies a unique space in american history. he was the youngest senator and oldest resident. this is someone who as a longtime politician, dates back to the 70s and took a backseat to the first black president of the united states. he stepped 10 to be second banana. he has had tremendous tragedy on a level that most of us cannot even fathom and has had to live that. there is a lot that is shakespearean. he was the senate judiciary leader when clarence thomas came in and also the president that nominated the first black woman to be on supreme court. he now has done this thing we

have seen speaker pelosi do. pass the torch heand clip the wings. what does that mean? >> it is fascinating. i got to know him in the 90s in the senate. there were giants in the senate in those days. than on bob dole on the republican side. joe biden was one of the solid serious players. he didn't think he was one of the giants. the senate didn't think he was. the difference between senator biden and the rest of those people is senator biden was still growing. he grew to be a true giant in terms of senate history.

the vice presidency first. that was something that wasn't apparent if you knew and worked with him in the prime of his career. he is obviously the guy that never stopped growing. there is one thing i would like to address because i know people ask all the time. this is last minute to decide not to take the nomination. why didn't he make the decision? you have to understand that a presidential campaign is a four year enterprise. minimum three years if you want to rush. he had to make this decision about running again in his first year.

and he seemed strong enough to do it. if he had made the decision not to run, he would have a responsibility to party to tell them that so they could prepare for a primary season, not involving an incumbent. if he had made that announcement, he would have accomplished exactly nothing. he never would've been able to get the vote for anything and never been able to create this record that he created against all odds with the tightest vote count we have ever seen on an agenda that big. the choice would have been, announcing i am not running election but accomplishing zero and having the democrats produce the nominee to run after a period of a democratic

president doing nothing. >> it is excellent information. we love your wisdom. hopefully we did not destroy your trip. thank you my friend. much appreciated. >> i do want to throw this back. there is a process we are seeing of rolling it back. you are seeing it happen. speaker pelosi passed the torch. it is much more wrenching that we are seeing in terms of the white house but i find it fascinating to see them really create that opportunity for it something new. we are one of the countries that has not had a woman president. we are talking about someone who was a senator and would theoretically be the first

woman president. getting lots of fundraising. what you make of this. the way he has opened the door to create this new change? >> you have been right on in terms of talking about the different superlatives that you can attach demographically. being one of the youngest senators ever in the oldest president ever but then you also have have him as vice president to the first african- american president. and helping him go from being loyal and supportive and effective. creating what was a phenomenally successful resident see of the first black president. that he chooses not only a woman but a woman of color to be his running mate.

and deciding today that he is not going to stay in his reelection and instead he is going to endorse her, we are in a situation where this octogenarian white guy is going to be the man that delivers america the first african- american president and first woman president of color. he would've played an instrumental role in breaking most ceilings. you do that, not because you are always putting yourself first but because you are making good decisions. you are trusted. you are an excellent leader and not afraid to bring people with you. the legacy of joe biden, there is more time left in his term.

he's going to get kamala harris elected president. that will be the legacy in terms of what his country needed. i know we have been on the air for over an hour talking about this, i am stunned. >> i have been thinking about the moments we interact did. one of the things that is so interesting is he was the youngest and then was the oldest president. he spent decades building up to the moment where he became the president.

he is a very down-to-earth style. i would go into the office to talk woabout things and he woul say pull up a chair. i want to go back and be able to tell the press how the weight is on your shoulders. it was after the administration. the country was divided. i feel very comfortable with the weight of the job. i was the chairman of the foreign relations committee. it is a funny story.

what it tells you and what it told me is he was very comfortable with the responsibilities. he had been preparing for decades. he wasn't comfortable with the pomp and circumstance. ultimately he is joe biden from scranton. that is who he is. that always struck me as one of the reasons he could keep that empathy while still sitting behind the desk in making decisions that he made. >> i was going to jump in. we spent nine years covering what looked like donald trump's takeover. it was only able to do it because it had rotted from the inside out. we felt the animosity and terror and disdain from our own audience.

we have watched a lot of the animosity and disdain. what nancy pelosi did, it wasn't just an act of political expediency, it was what needed to be done. we don't know all that happened behind the scenes. the contrast of the party that doesn't rotate around a single figure that rotates around a universal principle or what used to be are preserving the democracyg is extraordinary. voters tune in, those that aren't paying attention like us. there is only one party in the country that can say they will represent the democracy, even if it means a different decision. only one party can tolerate and

has the confidence to go about such a process like persuading or pleading with an incumbent president. one that is still close enough in the polls to make an argument that he should stay in. it is the sign of a healthy party versus one that rotted from the inside. there is an incumbent nominee. almost like a residency. trump is in residence. he essentially pick the bouncer to run with. a guy that will pushoff anyone else and be the protect her. the party rotted from the inside out and imploded. to the degree they would be discomfort and pain and anger caused by what the democratic party did, it is pretty glorious. >> we talked about that.

there has been so much about the fight in the party but also the media coverage. we know people don't want to hear about it or had strong feelings. throughout, even as difficult as it was, it was a good faith fight. a good faith effort to do the right thing. it was a disagreement about how . but not the way things shouldl be done. i endorse. i do have some news that has broken. we have had a bunch more endorsements h for kamala harri governors, there are now six democratic governors that endorsed kamala harris. gavin newsom, josh shapiro, governor of colorado, north carolina,

state of maine, new york, and governor of new york. in the u.s. senate, here is an important one, senator mark kelly. he is particularly important because he is seen as a potential or important part of the future of the party and also potentially a running mate for kamala harris. he said i couldn't be more confident that vice president kamala harris is the right person to defeat donald trump and lead our country into t the future. she has my support and gabby and i will do everything we can to elect a president of the united states. we also have an endorsement from alexandria ocasio-cortez. thing kamala harris will be the next president of the united states. i pledge my full support to ensure her victory in november.

now more than ever, it is crucial that our party and country swiftly unite to defeat donald trump and the threat to american democracy. we also have a new endorsement from brian shots, the senator to from hawaii. just moments ago, and endorsement from elizabeth warren, the senator from the state of massachusetts. we are going to speak with her and just aa moment. we are seeing floodgates open. it is influence and money behind the candidacy of kamala harris. >> joining us now is alex padilla of california. he also endorsed kamala harris earlier this afternoon.

in 2020 you may remember that governor newsom tapped him to fill the seat vacated by vice president harris. you endorsed the vice president quickly.e we have been talking a lot out the things she brings to the race. her background as a prosecutor, the time she served alongside president biden. you know her pretty well. i wanted to ask you, what don't people know? >> good to be with you. this is a no-brainer for me. i came on and my first elected office with city council while she was the d.a.. we would often compare notes on a number of local issues.

i was in the state senate when she was attorney general. we coordinated the post 2016 election on security issues. there has been a friendship and working relationship. she will continue to take the country by storm. she is thoughtful and substantive. in california you cannot succeed in higher levels of office without being a coalition builder. for people wondering if she has what it takes to unite the party and reach out to other than just base democrats and put the coalition together, she has proven because she has done it time and again in california do it over the next 107 days. the next question and let you

know, or tell everyone how much i appreciate president biden's leadership..just today but throughout his decades of es public service. i had a chance to thank him earlier and if there is one message he rlwould want, he has six months left in office and he's gonna make every day count. >> i have no doubt about that. have you spoken with vice president harris as well? >> i sure have. involve some phone tag but we connected about 40 minutes ago. i was in the virtual waiting room. i said hello friend we have 107 days a lot of work and i told her i am completely on board. will continue to reach out not just to the senate and other members of congress but also

leaders in california and labor leaders across the country. a lot of advocacy organizations that know what is at stake. a lot of energy today. you are seeing it not just with the endorsements and fundraising but a lot of those that have been knocking on the doors and making bephone calls. they saw the republican convention and were reminded if the stakes don't go our way. everybody is digging in and doubling down and then some to make sure we don't just elect her but ride that momentum and energy into a democratic majority in the senate and getting the majority in the house of representatives. the energy is out there so much that it is not a surprise that donald trump is -- whether he will be there for the next debate. he is scared of kamala harris. >> that will be quite a debate.

it is great to hear about the excitement. thank you for joining us. >> kamala harris became the instant front runner for the presidential nomination. likely, the instant front runner for the presidency. the fundraising is already in gear. more than $30 million raised in less than half a day in less than one quarter of the day. q the endorsements are pouring in from democrats at every level. al sharpton is going to join us. a very well-connected man in politics. really looking forward to hear what he has to say and what he has learned over the course of the day. we will also be joined by jamie raskin. we have a lot to get to.

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it is not every night when you need duct tape and a sharpie to keep up with the news. this is from the new mexico senator who endorsed vice president harris and posted this photo of what used to be a biden yard sign. his neighbors have now tweaked it with duct tape and a marker. it now reads 2024 harris and underneath that vice president tbd. the influential and progressive labor union that previously endorsed president biden have now announced their own endorsement of the campaign.

>> i am so glad, al sharpton made here. i wanted to talk to you about what has been going on. i know you are close to the president. your opinion matters. what is your understanding of what happened? >> my understanding, president biden did what was noble. he made a decision that he felt was best for the country. he made a decision that he wanted to see what he was standing for and fighting for. i remember january 2020, the martin luther king holiday. he came in the room as we were

preparing to bring him out and said i am thinking about running for president because trump, what he did was disgraceful. that was the impetus for him getting in the race late. he did not do very well in iowa or new hampshire. i was there in south carolina. we had just had a breakfast meeting. clyburn said i'm going to endorse joe biden and turned it around. i was there for a lot of that. kamala harris is come to funerals for victims and we have done things. today was interesting because i was in brooke when and getting ready for a church service to celebrate the 90th birth day of ed towns.

we met when i was 17 and youth director for shirley chisholm's campaign. when i was pulling up i heard the news about president biden withdrawing. when i got out, jeffries was there. i couldn't help but think about shirley chisholm must be smiling. it was joe biden that helped make a black president but has now opened the door for a black woman to possibly become president and put a black woman on supreme court. they fought for those that were denied and those that were marginalized. also to come at a time where we have seen the right to choose and affirmative-action and voting rights, all harmed immeasurably by the supreme court.

it couldn't be more appropriate to go out with his head held high and someone that was fighting for these things to make sure we return the rights. we are talking about a battle between which way the country would go. are we going to protect the rights in the generations ahead or are we going to go back to the days of pre-1940 and under the fagade of make america great again. it couldn't have happened. >> you and i were sitting next to each other. the vice president and supreme court -- he had that great opening line.

>> people cover politicians like it is static. especially the job of vice president. she was treated with a lack of respect at the beginning of the vice presidency. she has been an immensely talented campaigner. she is electric on the campaign trail. i wonder what your conversations are like. she seems to move seamlessly into this not. pretty soon, i would guess she would be the front runner for president. >> she always took fire with the balance. she has never been rattled. i have known her since she was the d.a. through being elected attorney general to vice president.

each time they said she couldn't win. she kept fighting and never lost her dignity. we spent a couple of days at the essence music festival. she went out there and -- in the superdome and turned it around. that is the kind of person she is. she came to memphis and spoke at the funeral before the eulogy. she has been in the trenches. if donald trump doesn't think it he is underestimating it. he's going to have to come with time to dismiss and all of that will not work. this woman is prepared and someone that is used to fighting. it used to be like boxing

matches. i would say it is the prosecutor against the fallon. who do you choose? >> it writes itself. >> it is great that we get to talk to you today. >> i hope somebody is making t- shirts with that honet. thank you so much. we have had many conversations about democracy. i want to talk to you about vice president harris. you are an historian. you had a statement were you called him one of the handful of truly great presidents in american history and the patriot. i want you to reflect on this moment and the decision to step down.

>> what i thought about was the amazing speech in january. in it he talked about george washington. he talked about how washington resigned his commission as commander in chief of the continental army establishing the principle of civilian control which is a point people often make. he said that president washington also could have been president in perpetuity because of how much he was loved and adored. he also felt it was important to leave the office to establish the principle of civilian succession but also, president biden was telling us that great leaders make space in a room for great leaders. they nurture great leaders. you see this outpouring of love and affection for president

biden and it will be the heart and soul of the party for a long time. you are also seeing this electrifying effect and even outside of the party about him passing the torch. that is the autocratic roadshow that we saw over the last several days in the maga cult. >> i can just tell you, we were talking a bit of dirt before you came on about how much incoming you had from people in the district and friends and colleagues. i know you endorsed vice president harris but also why you are so excited about her? >> she is going to be a fantastic leader and

representative of the cause. the cause of democracy and freedom. she made her career as a prosecutor. and as reverend sharpton was saying would be a prosecutor against a convicted felon. she prosecuted people that committed sex offenses. donald trump committed sex offenses. she prosecuted people that committed financial crime and donald trump committed sex crimes, he is a convicted felon and she is a prosecutor on behalf of democracy, freedom and the common good. they have added jd vance who america has discovered has no convictions at all but donald trump has 34 convictions. maybe he will share some of them. he has convictions to spare. >> there are t-shirts coming. tell me about the incoming reaction you have been getting. >> everybody has been on hold for a few weeks.

everybody wants to give money for the campaign. everybody wants to volunteer a. we have this program with more than 1000 young people in 45 states. people started saying is it too late for our daughter and our son, they are looking for a way to get into the campaign. there trying to figure out a way to make more room. i would use it as an opportunity to announce i have no floor passes and no hotel rooms but i can get you invited to all the great parties. >> i was talking about the process. the dnc will have to have a process to officially make her the nominee. it will be quick and it will happen long before the convention. the outflow of endorsements is overwhelming.

do you see anyone jumping in? >> no one has mentioned it to me . the consensus seems overwhelming. technically, anybody could run and try but president biden, whom we love and respect has said his choice is kamala harris. we know her. she's going to be an extremely powerful candidate. she is going to chase them up and down the country on abortion rights for women in birth control and ivf. and democracy. they don't know what is coming. the entire party will be out there. it is an all hands on deck moment. the last couple of weeks republicans are trying to say democrats are divided and in disarray. we saw that when they tried to pick a republican speaker over more than a week with 15 ballot and they were all engaged in division and character assassination.

we listen to each other. we can have disagreements but we come back together. >> and then reading your beautiful statements. >> i want to bring in latosha brown. >> thank you for being here. >> it is an escalating campaign . now that that is happened, one of the things that stood out is -- . organization said the group that didn't seem to be off the table deciding the decision.

how are you processing and how is the organization processing the news. that president biden will not be the nominee and he has endorsed vice president harris? >> i have gotten phone calls nonstop all day. i wanted to lift up the integrity and courage that president biden had. we get caught up in what personalities because tromp on the other side. we are not voting for that ticket. if anybody knows that, it is vice president harris. i have had so many people call and say how do i sign up? the time is great. there is excitement. it was energy and excitement. i am very excited of the phone

calls i have gotten of groups on the ground doing the work that were excited about the possibility to continue supporting the policy that millions of people voted for but also the support of vice president harris as the nominee. the second thing, the best thing is to hunker down and do the work. we don't need any confusion. it is a unifying moment. it is the best time. this is the year of the woman. abortion, reproductive rights and justice, that is on the ticket. young people need to be invigorated. the things young people are concerned about is what kamala harris does well.

they are super excited about the possibility of the energy and many people have said, here it is. vice president harris is a prosecutor. it is a historic moment. >> we are seeing that the post- dobbs world is different. when vice president harris ran for president, we were in a different world. people are taking for granted roe v wade would be law of the world forever. in terms of organizing, we now have women running against rick scott. you have gloria johnson who was one of the tennessee three running against marsha black. you have referendum in multiple states. does having a woman nominee for president fundamentally change

the way organizing looks? across racial divides a party divides. you even had a group that was supportive of nikki haley support kamala harris. >> absolutely. we are seeing the realignment of the landscape. they often times are looking at politics of the past. then you look at trump and vance, they are symbolic to the past. you have this racist trope and are leading with an idea of white nationalists. that is supposed to be the symbol of america. it is the new america. it is the coalition of black people and white people. when you talk about women and

men in the lgbtq+ community. she is the candidate that represents the swath of america and can bring the coalition together. because she has been working in the administration and talk about policy supporting poor people and working-class people and middle-class people, she has that advantage. if there is any time we need a woman to be the ticket it is now. the ticket is openly anti- women's rights. >> i have heard from -- they are on fire right now. should be the first person from hbc you to be a president. there never usually off the table.

very excited because she is in the community too. latosha brown, it will be an interesting year to be an organizer. >> fair in my phone. if you know any, you will hear from them. >> they are not assist -- side group. there has been some news breaking. one of the things we started talking about was the process and what needs to happen in order for the torch to pass from president biden to vice president harris says the next nominee. a lot has happened just since we have been on the air. now it is three state parties. north carolina, south carolina and tennessee where those parties are officially pledging

their delegates to vice president harris. north carolina, south carolina and tennessee they are pledging to kamala harris. we know there was a phone call of all the state shares that happened this evening. we are going to be speaking with the tennessee chair. both to talk about that but also the decision that all delegates are now being moved to harris. there is also interest in reporting, the finance chair of the victory fund which is the big one. the joint committee. the national finance chair tells nbc, after a day of talking with democrats, i believe there will be enough pledges for kamala harris to be the nominee by the end of business on wednesday of this week. we are also getting new reporting saying the plan is to

expect a virtual rollcall within the next two weeks. >> we are going to take the quickest of breaks. elizabeth warren will join us on the other side as will the leader of the tennessee democratic party. it is a busy night. stay with us. stay with us. missing out on the things you love because of asthma? get back to better breathing with fasenra, an add-on treatment for eosinophilic asthma that is taken once every 8 weeks. fasenra is not for sudden breathing problems or other eosinophilic conditions. allergic reactions may occur. don't stop your asthma treatments without talking with your doctor. tell your doctor if your asthma worsens. headache and sore throat may occur. tell your doctor if you have a parasitic infection. step back out there with fasenra. ask your doctor if it's right for you. (♪♪) it's time to feed the dogs real food, not highly processed pellets. the farmer's dog is fresh food made with whole meat and veggies. it's not dry food.

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