good to be back with you for another hour right here on msnbc. extreme heat impacting millions of americans. wildfires forcing thousands out of their homes, and a hurricane churning towards texas. all of this comes as millions are hitting the road this holiday weekend. what many are doing to prepare. plus, has president biden done enough to quash the growing pressure among some in his own party to drop out of the 2024 race. we're watching his key rally today in wisconsin. and could the supreme court's immunity ruling make donald trump's promises of

retribution easier to carry out if he wins in november? what some of his former justice department officials are telling nbc news. we begin with the record breaking heat wave taking hold of most of the country. right now, tens of millions of americans are still under heat advisories. scorching temperatures have continued to fuel wildfires. 14,000 people have been forced out of their homes in california because of the raging thompson fire, which officials say they are still fighting to contain. the french fire in mariposa, california, is now just 5% contained after burning through almost 800 acres overnight. joining us now, david noriega, and from atlanta's heartfield international airport, priya sridhar. thank you so much for being here. bring us up to speed on the

wildfires that are continuing to break out there in california, and how is the heat coupled with the landscape making it so hard to contain? >> yeah, yamiche, we saw multiple wildfires break out across california just in the last day. there are a lot of factors contributing to this. there is the extreme heat, the extreme dryness, and after a couple of consecutive wet winter, we have vegetation that provides fuel for fires to start and grow. the other factor we are facing is it's july 4th, a lot of fireworks being blamed for starting some of these fires around the state. the main fires we're paying attention to are the two you mentioned, the french fire in mariposa county is of particular concern because it's close to the town of mariposa itself. a town of about 13 to 1,500 people, and also the gateway to yosemite national park.

tourists drive through on the way to the park. the highway is shut down because of the fire. which as you pointed out is minimally contained, 5% as of this morning according to call fire. slightly better news on the thompson fire, in oroville north of sacramento. that fire appears to have slowed today. some of these evacuation orders are being lifted and cal fire says that fire is a little bit less than half contained at this point. however, because of these conditions that i described, there is a lot of concern that new fires could pop up at any moment. other fires could become more dangerous, and as fires threaten population centers, we could be entering as the historic heat wave continues, a situation where friar fighting resources across the state are stretched thin. . >> of course, thinking about the resources needed to fight the images that we just saw. david, i want to also ask you, this heat in california is expected to stretch all the way into next week. california's death valley could hit 130 degrees, which just

sounds stifling and hard to live through. are people evacuating the areas before it gets to them. what are officials saying there? >> yeah, that death valley expected high actually has the potential to tie or surpass the actual worldwide record if the highest temperature ever recorded. anywhere in the world, ever in history. the concern is also not just in california. it's everywhere in the west, arizona, nevada, major cities like las vegas and phoenix facing potential record-breaking temperatures this weekend and into next week. officials are telling people to stay indoors. they're opening cooling centers. again, the concern here is that it's july 4th weekend. it's unlikely that a lot of people are going to stay indoors over the course of this weekend. they might be distracted. they might forget to keep track of things like staying hydrated, which, again, given this potentially historic heat wave could be a matter of life and death for a lot of people, particularly vulnerable people. >> yeah, it's heartbreaking to think about the vulnerable

populations that could be stuck in all of this. you're there at the airport in atlanta. this weekend is expected to be the peak of the holiday travel period and in a place like atlanta, i can think of no place i would rather be than stuck at the atlanta airport. i know you're there reporting for us, how are things looking? >> yeah, you know, this is the world's busiest airport. another thing they pride themselves on is being the world's most efficient airport. tsa is projecting 28 million people are passing through the airports in the extended travel period for july 4th. the busiest day is projected to be sunday, with 3 million people passing through tsa check points across the country, making it potentially the busiest day ever, surpassing june 23rd, where 2.99 million passengers were screened through the tsa check points, and get this, american airlines is saying that sunday could actually be their busiest day of this entire summer. now, atlanta is the busiest airport this holiday travel

week, but denver and dallas fort worth are right behind it. if you're planning on traveling through the airports, make sure you leave early. now, we got a chance to catch up with one traveler here in atlanta, and let's take a listen to what his travel journey was like today. >> my dad tells me to come two hours before. now i know come two hours before at least. >> reporter: and you know, tsa says they are ready for this extremely large amount of passengers traveling through their check points. if you've been to an airport recently, this probably won't come as a huge surprise to you. 12 of the 15 busiest travel days recorded by the tsa happened from mid may until now. they say they are ready. they actually were taking volunteer tsa agents and moving them to airports across the country in preparation for this holiday travel week where maybe they weren't necessarily equipped for volumes like what we're seeing right now. but as i said before, make sure

you get to the airport early, check your flight status before you come here, and another tip the tsa says is to make sure you thoroughly inspect your carry on bags, especially you don't want to end up at the tsa check point and have things inside of your bags you're not allowed to have. one of the things they mentioned is in the last year, they confiscated 3,000 guns, which is on track to surpass the number of guns they confiscated last year, and that can come with extremely big penalties, a $1,500 fine if the gun is unloaded and $15,000 if the gun is loaded, and the vast majority of the guns they're confiscating, 93% of them are actually loaded guns. just something to keep in mind, especially if you take your carry on luggage to places like a shooting range or the beach because of these hot temperatures that we have been talking about to look through it before you make your way to the airport. >> yeah, all really really good information. i will say, atlanta saying it's

the most efficient airport is something i'm going to challenge, having been stuck in the craziness that is the atlanta airport. that being said, how is the extreme weather impacting travel as you have spoken to. i think about the young man, my dad told me to be here three hours early. what are you hearing? >> yeah, i bet his dead is saying, i told you so right now. things are looking not too bad just yet. 2,500 delays across the country. and one thing that's important to keep in mind is that those hot temperatures, those record breaking triple digit temperatures that we have been talking about in this extended heat wave, that david was just talking about, can cause major flight delays. that hot weather makes the air thinner, it's more difficult for airplane engines to thrust or to take off. and so often times, that can cause delays. travel experts say that's why it can be more efficient to book your travel in the early morning ours his or her later in the evening when the sun isn't out. it's also important to remind

everyone that that's actually when the busiest time to travel through the airports is between 5 and 7:00 a.m. and 4 and 7:00 p.m. is when those tsa lines get pretty long, but i will say that we did speak to the tsa administrator, and they have some pretty ambitious goals. they say they're trying to get everyone through the tsa check points within 30 minutes. if you have pre-check, they will get you through the lines in ten minutes. yamiche. >> that's good to know. i will keep that in mind. thank you so much, david and priya. >> bill, walk us through the heat indexes across the country right now. is there any relief in sight? >> i was wanting to update quickly, i meant to mention with the tropics, i have the maps lined up. stay with us when we go through all of that. as far as the heat goes, we're split right now, the west is

extremely heat and it's so humid on the east coast, mixed in with the high temperature, it's brutal. 125 million people in total, a third of the u.s. population is under the heat warnings. it's a dry heat in the west, look at these temperatures in the east. in the last hour, we reached 106 in raleigh. now it's at 103. if that verifies, that will be the hottest temperature recorded at the raleigh durham international airport. with the heat index it was worse than that. reading, california, they were in the noon hour. it's lunchtime and feels like 109 already. the heat index in d.c. feels like 108. i mean, from about southern new england all the way to florida and the deep south, this is one of the most humid days we have had so far this summer. a dry heat in the west. the problem with that is we have fires burning. everything is drying up quickly. winds flare up in the afternoon. if we get new fires forming, they're going to be spreading rapidly. this is how hot it's expected to get. reading up to 118, vegas, about

113, and all the crazy temperature numbers over the weekend into next week are going to be in the west. tomorrow, about 110, sacramento. 113 in medford. then we go really hot. vegas, the hottest measured, equal that on sunday, beat that on tuesday. as we go through wednesday and thursday, it's not like it's supposed to cool off at all. you think of firefighters fighting these blazes and temperatures like this, and it just day after day, it just gets worse and worse, and you know, the ac repair people out there, trying to fix everyone through the next week, phoenix stays hot, and palm springs. the vegas forecast, a closer up view of it. we have never seen this before. never been this hot three days in a row in recorded history in las vegas, and they may do it like five, six days in a row. >> my goodness, bill karins, with all of that, i'm going to now say a prayer for my ac unit at home. thank you so much. >> yes.

thank you. up next, president biden with a critical rally today. the big question, can he silence his doubters as calls for him to step aside grow louder and louder. plus, the other 2024 candidate, what the supreme court's immunity decision means for donald trump as he tries to take back the white house. >> and later, a brand new jobs report, what the slowed hiring means for your wallet. we're back in 90 secondings. s. s. . . . . the itch and rash of moderate to severe eczema disrupts my skin, night and day. despite treatment, it's still not under control. but now i have rinvoq. a once-daily pill that reduces the itch and helps clear the rash of eczema —fast. some taking rinvoq felt significant itch relief as early as 2 days—

and some achieved dramatic skin clearance as early as 2 weeks. many saw clear or almost-clear skin. plus, many had clearer skin and less itch, even at 3 years. rinvoq can lower your ability to fight infections, including tb. serious infections and blood clots, some fatal, cancers including lymphoma and skin, heart attack, stroke, and gi tears occurred. people 50 and older with a heart disease risk factor have an increased risk of death. serious allergic reactions can occur. tell your doctor if you are or may become pregnant. disrupt the itch & rash of eczema. talk to your dermatologist about rinvoq. learn how abbvie can help you save. we all need fiber for our digestive health, but less than 10% of us get enough each day. good thing metamucil gummies are an easy way to get prebiotic, plant-based fiber. with the same amount of fiber as 2 cups of broccoli. metamucil gummies. the easy way to get your daily fiber.

today there are two new opportunities for president biden to fight off calls for him to drop out of the race. first, you're looking live in madison, wisconsin, where president biden is about to speak at a rally in the key battleground state. right after he'll be taping a sit-down interview that will air tonight. while today could be pivotal, there's new evidence that winning the confidence of democrats could still be a tall order. a democratic lawmaker in congress who is privately skeptical that biden can stay in the race told nbc news, quote, every appearance he makes between now and the convention is make or break in terms of the democratic support of him continuing on as our nominee. nbc news' mike memoli is reporting from wisconsin there, and also of course we have with us matthew dowd, chief strategist for the bush/cheney, 2004 presidential campaign and senior political contributor.

mike, we can hear everything going on behind you. what can we expect to hear from the president? >> reporter: well, the president will be taking the stage very shortly here, yamiche. we're about to hear from governor tony evers here as one of the few final speakers before the president. it's been really interesting, yamiche, i have to say. listening to some of the comments from other speakers as part of the program who have been fairly honest, at least more honest that democrats feel others tied to the campaign have been in the past week about really just how much of a perilous moment this is for the president. the state party chairman here for the wisconsin democratic party acknowledging right at the beginning of his remarks that it's been a very tough week, as he put it. one person on the debate stage last week needed a lozenning, the other a lie detector and said what is needed now is rolling up our sleeves, not wringing of the hands. that speaks to the challenge of the president who's about to come out on sage here. they need to show to democrats

that he is in the race, that he has the fight to continue and the stamina, frankly to continue in this race as well, and to that point, karine jean-pierre, the white house press secretary got a number of questions from reporters on air force one here on the journey to madison, and she said, listen, the president understands that being a president is a 24/7, 365 day a year kind of job. the president has put the onus on himself of balancing his time to make sure that he has the energy moving forward. this is obviously something that has come up during some of his private conversations with governors and one new comment now coming from the governor of massachusetts, maura healey who says in a statement, she thinks the president needs to have moments of introspection about whether he is the person who can beat donald trump in november. >> matthew, i think mike just took us there. we're going to go there. this massachusetts governor is really openly questioning whether or not biden should continue on here. what do you make of those comments and what does that say about this current situation? >> well, i think her comments

are just reflective of the reality that joe biden sits in, and joe biden sits in it primarily because of miz -- his performance at the debate. i said all along, we need to give joe biden the grace and space to make the decision to look at what he needs to look at to decide what's in the best interest of his party, and more importantly the country in the course of this. i think these events are important in the small eye importance, and for him to sort of reestablish his feet on the ground, but they're only going to impact. these events are not going to impact voters across the country. they're going to impact people who influence the process, big contributors, other people, newspaper editorials in the course of this, and so it's just a small step that won't really affect the broad group of voters that are nervous about this in the course of this. i think the governor of massachusetts' statement is just another, you know, underlining of the fact that the lead of the ticket this year is in straight,

is in dire straits about whether or not he can do what he needs to do to beat trump? >> matthew, do you think every moment between now and the convention, maybe now and the election has a capital i importance on it, it's make or break, because of what happened? >> that's the thing, the problem with the debate wasn't that he had a bad debate. the problem with the debate is he fed the narrative that had long been building for the last few years, that voters had begun to believe that he wasn't youthful enough, competent enough to function in the oval office and be president of the united states. that was the problem with the debate. how you break that is a whole series of things, one of which is this event, but it has to be a thousand things, it has to be the interview tonight. it has to be a whole bunch of things that break that, and then ultimately, if he is the nominee, he stays in the race, it has to be the next debate in this. the problem for joe biden is

that anything that doesn't go positively is going to make the job tons harder, so anything that looks like a crack in that series of things that he does, he almost has to go 100% shooting over the course of this election, and not miss a single shot to show that he is competent and that has the energy enough to do the job. that's a tall order. >> yeah, that's a very tall order because most -- no one really shoots 100% of the time. mike, if i could come back to you. the president is facing calls to ramp up his schedule and make more appearances. he told a group of governors, the governor of massachusetts, that he's going to limit events, get more sleep, call it a night at 8:00 p.m. could this july push be backfiring on the president? >> well, i think this is part of the quandary that the biden campaign is in right now. as you see from the comments from karine jean-pierre just a few moments ago as well, anything that the president's

team does that at 81 years old, he needs to balance his time speaks to the fact that maybe an 81-year-old president, somebody who would be 86 by the end of the second term is not something that's in the best interest of the country. and they know that there's even some questions within the president's own team about whether it was a smart idea to have him travel as the president put it around the world twice in the weeks leading up to his debate, it then spend that time in intense debate prep with his team going into this kind of packed schedule. in some ways, the performative aspect, they're trying to prove the doubters wrong about his age have compounded the problem by making the problem even worse. it's a vicious cycle here, and one that the campaign has to deal with going forward. >> yeah, and from what we understand, there's more and more applause so it sounds like maybe we'll be getting the president soon here, if i understand it. >> reporter: yeah, that's absolutely right, as we wait for

tony evers to conclude his remarks, he'll hand the microphone to the woman behind him. this is an organizer in the state, here to kind of speak to what they hope the focus will be moving forward, which is not about the president and his fitness for office but the stakes of what's at stake in this election, our democracy, our freedoms. that's part of what the president is hammering here during his remarks. a big question whether we'll see, as he did last week, acknowledging his own poor performance and vowing to the democrats, this is a room full of activists. we're in madison, wisconsin, very much a dark blue dot in a very purple state, and so this is a crowd that wanting to be for him, and will give him that energy he needs as well. >> very good context to tell us who's in the room when we're hearing all of this applause here. thank you so much, mike memoli, reporting from wisconsin. and matthew dowd, i'll speak with you in a few moments. up next, the fallout from the supreme court's block buster ruling on trump's immunity argument. the new fears for our

institutions in this new american landscape. plus, from across the atlantic, there's a new prime minister, what the uk election means not just for the united kingdom but for the united states. m t bufor the united states choices on booking.com there are so many tina feys i could be. so i hired body doubles to help me out. splurgy tina loves a hotel near rodeo drive. oh tina! wild tina booked a farm stay to ride this horse. glenn close?! with millions of possibilities you can book whoever you want to be. that's my line! booking.com booking.yeah 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. and acres of expertly cleaned floors. go to care.com now to find the care you need this summer. what will you do when the power goes out? power outages can be unpredictable and inconvenient, but with a generac home standby generator, your life goes on uninterrupted. because when your generac detects a power outage, it automatically powers up, giving your family the security and peace of mind they deserve. we don't have to worry about whether we lose power or not.

if the utility company does not come through, our generac does. after the hurricane happened, we just want to be prepared for anything. 8 out of 10 home generators are generac, with thousands of satisfied customers. number one thing to prepare for is extended power outages. don't make it so hard on yourself, have a generac home standby generator. and owning a generator is easier than ever. special financing and low monthly payment options are available, and if you call now, you will also receive a free 5 year warranty valued at over $500. call or go online now to request your free quote.

[ speaking minionese ] valued at over $500. junior. [ laughter ] good job junior. way to go. [ speaking minionese ] historians, editorial boards, legal think tanks, and political analysts are all still grappling with the truly landmark ruling on presidential immunity the supreme court handed down this week. some call the decision an

escalation of the long rise of presidential power that transforms the american presidency poses a risk for democracy, shields law breaking presidents, and undermines and even mocks the rule of law. many say it can be the most consequential supreme court decision in a generation. fear is rising that our institutions, in fact, our entire form of government could truly be changed as a result. with some of the smartest minds that we know, douglas brinkley is a presidential historian. glenn kirschner is a former federal prosecutor and host of the justice matters podcast, and matthew dowd is the former chief strategist for the bush/cheney 2004 presidential campaign, and a senior msnbc political contributor and analyst. thank you all for being here. glenn, i want to go to you first, we have an upkate in the classified documents case. the team is requesting the entire case be paused. they would like judge aileen cannon find that the appointment

of jack smith is totally unconstitutional based on supreme court justice clarence thomas's concurring opinion in the immunity ruling which basically saying just that. what do you make of this? >> you know, it's not surprising, yamiche, that trump's legal team picked up on the separate concurrence that justice thomas wrote, which was dead and appropriate. you can look back to the early 1900s, and the supreme court has always said it doesn't issue advisory opinions when there is not a case or controversy that they are asked to decide, and yet, justice thomas did just that, giving a shout out to judge cannon saying, hey, you might want to look at whether jack smith was lawfully appointed and if not, the whole shebang, that's a legal term, ought to be thrown out, and the prosecution should not proceed. of course donald trump's lawyers have now briefed up that issue or at least are asking judge cannon to allow them to brief up

that issue, and they're also briefing up or asking to brief up the absolute presidential immunity issue, which we all saw coming a mile away. now, admittedly judge cannon will have to hold some evidentiary hearings to determine whether some of the acts, some of the conduct by donald trump while still president, that was when he basically collected up and let's call it what it was, stole from the federal government classified documents, whether any of that should enjoy any level of presidential immunity, either absolute or presumptive. we knew there would be legal issues that would have to be litigated down in florida. but when you read this 20-plus page filing by donald trump, it not surprisingly reads like yet another extended trump post with all sorts of nonsense thrown in the mix. >> wow, and, doug, as a presidential historian, how

significant do you think the supreme court's ruling is on the very nature of the american presidency, and as we're talking about the whole shebang, do you agree the whole shebang, the democracy, the rule, that it's forever changed here? >> yes, i do believe that our country has dramatically changed. there has been fear of an imperial presidency for a long time. in 1973, at the time of the watergate, a book was written called "the imperial presidency", and he was worried that nixon had too much power. nixon's view of things which he famously said, if the president does it, it must be legal. hence, cut to the 6-3 decision and a very right wing court who's doing everything they can to help donald trump get reelected, and we're looking at the possible specter in january of trump being inaugurated with the republican congress, republican senate and this supreme court, therefore, you'll see trump, number one, use the justice department in a weaponized fashion against his political opponents.

nobody will be off limits. i don't know how far he can go, but it won't be seen as abuse of power anymore if trump targets people. it will be seen as that's what the supreme court said i can do. willy nilly, you'll be able to see donald trump just jack 10% tariffs on any product he felt like doing. the list gets long. >> yeah. >> and it's not what the founders thought about, such a thing. >> thank you so much, we're going to have to leave it there because the president of the united states is there at the podium speaking in this crucial moment. wisconsin, wisconsin, wisconsin. [ applause ] i got to thank somebody, gaylord nelson, i'm back. he first introduced me to wisconsin a long time ago, when i was a kid. i'm only 40 now, but i was a kid. sabrina, thanks for the introduction, and for the volunteering for our campaign.

and a special thanks to one of the best governors i have ever word with in my life, tony evers. [ cheering and applause ] you've got a former governor, jim doyle, mayor of this city. look, we got a guy who has a tough time winning the election, only gets 70% of the vote, congressman mark pokan, and so many local leaders, the chair of the democratic national party, ben winkler. folks did you have a good fourth of july? by the way, if you wonder whether trump has it all together, did you ever hear how he explained the fourth of july when he was president? no, i'm serious, this is true. his explanation of how america won the revolutionary war, i'm

not making this up. he said in his fourth of july speech five years ago, he said, george washington's army won the revolution by taking control of the airports from the british. talk about me misspeaking. airports in the british in 1776. it's true, he is a stable genius. my friends, i'm in wisconsin for one reason because we're going to win wisconsin. [ cheering and applause ] we're going to win it. let me tell you how we're going to do it. you know the reason. we're going to do it because of you all in this room to start with. we're going to stand up for women in america. we're going to restore roe v. wade. the law of the land. we're going to stand up for the right to vote again.

we're going to fight for medicare and social security and child care, elder care. we're going to keep lowering the cost of drugs, and expanding health care for everyone. look, we're going to protect our children from getting weapons of war off our streets, that's what we're going to do. the idea that more children die from gunshot wounds in america is so wrong, it's sick. it really is sick. we're going to keep confronting climate change. most important, we're going to save our democracy. now, you probably heard we had a little debate last week. i can't say it was my best performance. >> i love you, joe. >> since then there's been a lot of speculation, what's joe going

to do, is he going to stay in the race. is he going to drop out. what's he going to do? well, here's my answer. i am running and going to win again. [ cheering and applause ] [ chanting let's go joe ] >> folks, i'm the sitting president of the united states of america, in no small part because of you, that's not a joke, in 2020, you came through for me. i'm the nominee of the democratic party. i'm the nominee of this party because millions of democrats like you just voted for me in primaries all across america. you voted for me to be your

nominee, and despite that some folks don't seem to care who you voted for, guess what, they're trying to push me out of the race. let me say this as clearly as i can, i'm staying in the race. i'll beat donald trump. i'll beat him again in 2020. by the way, we're going to do it again. 2024. i learned long ago, when you get knocked down, you get back up. [ cheering and applause ] and i'm not letting one 90-minute debate wipe out three and a half years of work. as the governor said, i have led this nation from the depths of the pandemic to the strongest economy in the world, and that's literally true. i and you are not finished yet. you probably also noticed a lot

of discussion about my age. i know i look 40. i keep seeing all of those stories about i'm too old. let me say something. if i was too old, i wasn't too old to create over 15 million new jobs. to make sure 21 million americans are insured under the affordable care act, to beat big pharma, the first one ever to do that, lower the costs to $35. was i too old to relieve student debt for nearly 5 million americans, and grow the economy, too old to put the first black woman on the supreme court of the united states of america? respond to the respect of marriage act, was i too old to sign the most significant gun

safety law in more than 30 years. to pass the biggest climate bill in the history of the world. not here, but in the world. and then my critics say, sure, but he did all of that, but that was in the past. what about now? how about the 200,000 we announced yesterday. so let me ask you, what do you think, do you think i'm too old to restore roe v. wade, the law of the land? do you think i'm too old to ban assault weapons again? to protect social security and medicare? to get child care, elder care for working families that need it in this nation? to make billionaires finally start to pay something beyond 8.2 of a tax rate? what are you asking? you think i'm too old to beat donald trump? i can hardly wait, anyway. folks, let's focus on what really matters. we're running against the

biggest liar and the biggest threat, no, really, the biggest liar and threat to our democracy in american history. that's not hyperbole. over 150 presidential historians voted him the worst president in american history. the worst. as i've said before, he has the morals of an alley cat. he lies about the economy he created, the truth. he's one of only two american presidents who left office with fewer jobs than when he came into office. you know who the other one was, herbert hoover. that's why i call him donald herbert hoover trump, he lies about the pandemic he totally botched. the truth is over a million people went on to die. he told us, what, to inject bleach in our arm. it wasn't serious. he lied about how great he was for veterans in his administration. the truth, he called veterans who gave their lives serving

america, i was just in normandy, on the beaches of normandy, and all through that area, and he said -- i have trouble saying this because my son died as a consequence, who gave their lies, he called them quote suckers and losers. by the way, i'll be damned in i let him talk about my son that way. how do we know he said this. a four star marine general, his own former chief of staff was with him, and he told us that's what he said. he's not the only former trump official warning us about how bad trump is, including the former secretaries of defense, and even his own vice president, they refuse to endorse him. says a lot about who trump is, and it says a lot about what he isn't. by the way, i couldn't ponder, i

guess i shouldn't say that. by the way, i wouldn't be prouder to have your support and the support of our great vice president of the united states, kamala harris. [ cheering and applause ] trump is a convicted felon, found guilty 34 felonies. >> lock him up. >> trying to hide hush money payments to a porn star. another jury found trump sexually assaulted a woman in a public place, and was fined $90 million for defaming her. $90 million. this so called great businessman owes over $400 million in fines after being convicted in new york state of business fraud. already convicted. fined $400 million. donald trump isn't just a

convicted criminal, he's a one man crime wave. but trump's biggest lie of all is he had nothing to do with the insurrection of january 6th. we all saw it with our own eyes. we saw when he sent thousands to attack the capitol. we saw police being attacked. capitol being ransacked, the mob hunting for nancy pelosi. gallows set up to hang mike pence. let me ask you something, after what trump did on january 6th, why would anyone ever let him be near the oval office again. folks, the issue in this election is what kind of america do we want to be. what kind of america do we want to be. do we want to be a company of anger, through friends, and

revenge and retribution or a country of hope, optimism and possibilities as we have always been. i want a country where women have the right to make their own health care decisions. trump wants america where abortion is banned and women are punished. i want an america where health care is a right, not a privilege. trump wants to throw tense of millions of people who couldn't get insurance any other way than obamacare off of obamacare. i want america where the very wealthy begin to pay their fair share. trump wants to give the very wealthy, this is the last time out when he was president, gave him a $2 trillion tax cut, creating the largest deficit any president has in one term. now he has announced he wants another 5 billion, trillion, not

billion, $5 trillion tax cut after already leaving the largest deficit. it's hard to make this up. i want to protect social security and medicare, he wants to cut social security and medicare. so he can cut taxes for the very wealthy. i want to ban assault weapons, and require universal background checks. you all heard him promise the nra, promised the national rifle association, i will do nothing about guns. that's what he said. i will do nothing about guns. and he means it. i want january 6th insurrectionists to serve their full prison terms. trump wants to pardon them. folks, you can't be pro insurrectionist and pro america at the same time. [ cheering and applause ] this is so damn serious.

you can't love your country only when you win. look, you have been standing a long time. let me close with this. ultimately the american presidency is about character, the character of the president who holds the job. because with the immunity, the supreme court just talked about, it gets down to that. it gets down to that. it's about honesty, it's about the president's decency, integrity, do they respect people or do they incite violence and hate. can they honor the oath of the constitution and uphold their oath of office? well, i don't think it's an exaggeration, trump has failed on every one of these character tests, every one. and what's worse, the supreme court has just ruled that there's virtually no limits on the power of the presidency. i know it sounds bizarre, but that's how they ruled. a frightening decision. according to an extreme majority of the supreme court, the

president is now above the law. we just celebrated the fourth of july, saying we will not be ruled by a king. and this supreme court he appointed approved this new law. it's setting a dangerous precedent, especially if donald trump returned to the presidency. just think about it. the second term, this next term, whomever is the president, is going to appoint at least two nominees, a second trump term with no limits, supreme court justice sotomayor warned us about that in her dissent in that case. she noted, that based on the majority decision, trump can take out his opponents, physically take them out, take bribes, lead a coup and be immune to ever being held accountable for it if he did it while he was president, according to the supreme court. i mean, where the hell are we?

so he really could become a dictator that he promised to be on day one. for over two centuries, america has been a free democratic nation. and i'll be damned in 2024, the 250th anniversary as a nation, i'll let donald trump take this away. folks, this is not hyperbole. this race is about our freedom. it's about our democracy. it's about the very soul of america. are we prepared to fight for that? i know i am, and i will. [ cheering and applause ] folks i have never been more optimistic about america's future because the american people are good, decent, honorable, just remember who in god's name we are, we're the united states of america.

[ cheering and applause ] i mean, think about it. think about it in literal terms, and there's nothing beyond our capacity when he stand together. so let's stand together, win this election, and exile donald trump politically. god bless you all, and may god protect our troops. thank you. ♪♪ thank you. ♪♪ ♪ well i won't back down ♪ ♪ no i won't back down ♪ >> and that was, folks, a defiant president biden, he was saying that he is not getting out of this race. i want to recap what he said. he said, let me be clear, as i can, i am staying in the race. i will beat donald trump. he said i'm running and i'm going to win again. he did acknowledge that poor debate performance saying i can't say it was my best performance, but he said when you get knocked down, you get back up. he said you and i are not finished, he's of course talking to that crowd in madison,

wisconsin, a crowd of people who were cheering for him saying let's go joe, talking about the idea that they don't want to see him get back in the race, which remind folks, this was a crowd of people in madison, wisconsin, this was a county he dominated in 2020, but this was a crowd that was very receptive to the idea that the president was going to stay in this race. he talked about his accomplishments, saying he wasn't too old to have done things like relieve student debt, create new jobs and appoint the first black woman to the supreme court. he also pointedly went after former president donald trump saying he could be a dictator, talking of course about that landmark supreme court immunity ruling, saying trump is someone who's the biggest liar and threat to democracy. president biden saying he would not let him take down the democracy after 200 years. a defiant president biden after so many questions hang after him. after had rally, he's going to sit down for an interview that will be another pivotal moment in our day here. back with me is presidential his

-- historian, douglas brinkley, white house correspondent mike memoli and aaron gilchrist. what we heard from the president was very clear. how does this go with the pressure for the president to drop out of the race? ♪♪ >> reporter: i want to go back to when i was covering president biden during the 2020 campaign. he hit some speed bumps throughout the course of the long crowded democratic primary race and every time when he faced some setbacks and there were questions about whether he could win the nomination, what we often saw from then candidate biden was to raise the stakes of the election, to talk about the threat that four more years from donald trump would four more years of donald trump would pose. at the time he was trying to play into the idea that he was the most electable of the democratic candidates. when he was facing setbacks, he would raise the stakes of the election by making it about trump.

we heard him use the strongest terms he's used today in terms of what donald trump and a second trump would mean for this country, ending this speech saying we need to exile donald trump from this country, talking about the immunity from the supreme court. as we hear the president come out one last time and tell the crowd, i won't forget this. that speaks to the emotion of this as well. the other thing i found fascinating was not just what president biden had to say about donald trump, his opponent in the general election, but what he signalled about his frustration of what we're hearing within the democratic party. you heard the president talk about how voters across the country in democratic primaries all across this country made him the nominee of the democratic party and that he was not going to step away from this process. also worth noting, though, that he made a point of praising his vice president and talking about the important role she is playing in the party. this is, once again, an important opportunity for the

president. he did have an occasional misstep or two verbally, as we are going to focus on them intently going forward. the question is for democrats, who is standing in the way of the party defeating donald trump? is it a wounded candidacy in joe biden, who made it clear he's going to continue to fight, or those creating an unnecessary view of his supporters' panic that is what is hurting the campaign at this point. >> you bring up the fact he did talk about supporting the vice president. he said he enjoyed and liked the fact he was getting the support of the vice president. i know sources have told me that she's continuing to fiercely defend him, even as loyal allies say even if he does step down, don't overlook her. aaron, what do you make of the president's defiant tone here and the strong words we heard from him where he said he is not getting out of this race.

>> this is the sort of energy many in the campaign are saying president biden can muster and display for people. we saw him obviously energetic, fist bumping at one point as he talked about when you get knocked down, you get back up. i thought it was notable he said very clearly, as mike noted, he is the nominee because people voted for him in the primaries. and then he made reference to people trying to push him out. we've heard a handful of people by name who have called for president biden to drop out of the race. and some others who have on background and without giving their names have said they'd like to see that too. i want you to hear a little bit of what the president had to say in response to the people trying to push him out, as he said. >> there's been a lot of speculation. what's joe going to do? is he going to stay in the race? is he going to drop out? what's he going to do? well, here's my answer. i am running and going to win again! well, guess what. they're trying to push me out of

the race. well, let me say this as clearly as i can. i'm staying in the race. i'll beat donald trump. >> and every conversation that i've had with members of the biden/harris campaign staff, they echo that sentiment, that he is staying in the race, that the fundraising has continued and there's been some strength there. we can expect him to see roll on. >> my sources have been saying the same thing. doug, you're a presidential historian. put this into context. was this a step in the right direction for president biden here? doug? >> yeah. this has been day eight since the debacle of his debate performance, and every day he needs to do things to rehabilitate his stature not only within the democratic party but within the republic in general. he comes out slow on these things, and he was trying to say, look, i make mistakes, but on july 4 back in 2019, donald

trump, you know, talked about aircraft, airplanes in 1776 that didn't exist. that's a true story. it was a great goof or teleprompter bad moment for trump back then. but he mentioned gaylord nelson out of the gate, a former long ago senator. what about name dropping the people running for office in congressional races and the like in wisconsin right now? but it was an important state to go to. hillary clinton, when she lost to trump, never went to wisconsin. he's there. he's pretty much tied in the polls. and i think his voice starts growing at the end and he gets into his basic stump speech. and it reminds us that there's still gas in his tank. don't count him out. and he raises his voice to show his determined stature. so, it's a step in the right direction, and now stephanopoulos to come and they'll have to be all the way through the nato meetings next

week, these moments to reassure people that the president has still got the energy he needs. >> well, definitely the president there just being very, very defiant again and saying, i am going to stay in the race, and i am going to win again. so, thank you so much to all of you for joining us. that does it for me. "deadline: white house" starts right now after a quick break. ts right now after a quick break. try new align yogurt coated probiotic fruit bites. with a delicious apple and blueberry-flavored fruit center and yogurt coating, each bite is infused with added probiotics, to help promote a healthy digestive system every day. plus, they're packaged in individually-wrapped pouches, for daily digestive support on the go. look for new align yogurt coated probiotic fruit bites online and in the digestive care aisle of your local retailer. brand power, helping you buy better. (woman) i'm so excited. i'm finally here in the city. what. (man) ahhhhh! (woman) no, no, no, no, no! (vo) you break it. we take it. trade in any phone, in any condition

and get a new iphone 15 with tons of storage, on us. only on verizon.

only purple's gel flex grid passes the raw egg test. no other mattress cradles your body and simultaneously supports your spine. memory foam doesn't come close. get your best sleep guaranteed. save up to $800 during our 4th of july sale. visit purple.com or a store near you

♪♪