(vo) if you have graves' disease... ...and itchy eyes, the truth may be even more uncomfortable. people with graves' could also get thyroid eye disease, or t-e-d, which may need a different doctor. find a t-e-d eye specialist at isitted.com. good to be with you, i'm jose diaz-balart in for katy tur. let's go right to the white house and the briefing room. >> asked the medical doctor, and he said they had a verbal check-in, that's what he said. but in answering the question, i was talking about the medical exam, i was talking about the physical. >> the last 24 hours about the last year or so, including at least one meeting with the president's physician. could you state what he very clearly yes or no, was that expert here for anything

surrounding the care of the president of the united states. >> let me just say a couple of things. we have had a comprehensive, and i just want to take another step back, comprehensive physical examination. the president has had this. we have given the comprehensive report. we have shared that the past three years. every year that he has had this exam, he sees a neurologist. and just to give you a quote from the report most recently in february, an extremely detailed neuroradiology call exam was reassuring, there were no findings consistent with central neurological disorder, such as a stroke, parkinson's, that came directly in february in that comprehensive report that was provided by the president's doctor to me that i shared with all of you, so anyone who is watching can certainly go to our

web site. >> that didn't answer the question. was this expert's multiple visits to the white house related at all to the president -- >> here's the thing. he has had three physicals. in those three physicals, that's when he has seen a neurological specialist. i have to be super mindful here, and i'll explain this in a second. there are thousands of military personnel who come on to this white house. many of them get care from the white house medical unit. need to be super careful. there are, you know, the medical unit hosts a wide range of specialists from dermatologists to neurologists so i cannot speak to every person because there's actually security reasons to protect their privacy. we respect in protecting people's privacy, so i'm not going to share people's names from here. but the president, i can tell you, has seen a neurologist three times as it's connected to

a physical that he gets every year that we provide. >> very basic direct question -- >> hold on, hold on. wait a second. >> eight times or at least once, in regards to the president specifically. >> hold on a second. >> that's what you should be able to answer by this point. >> no, wait a minute. ed, please. a little respect here. please. so every year around the president's physical examination, he sees a neurologist. that's three times. right. so i am telling you that he has seen a neurologist three times while he has been in this presidency. that's what i'm saying. i'm telling you that he has seen him three times. that's what i'm sharing with you, right. so every time he has a physical, he has had to see a neurologist, so that is answering that question. >> no, it's not. >> no, it is.

i also said to you, ed, i also said to you for security reasons we cannot share names. we cannot share names. >> you can share names of over people he has met with. if someone came here with regards to the president. >> we cannot share names of specialists broadly. from a dermatologist to a neurologist. we cannot share names. there are security reasons. >> it's public. >> i understand that. >> i hear you. >> right there for anyone to see. >> ed, i hear you. i cannot from here confirm any of that, because we have to keep their privacy. i think they would appreciate that too. >> it is public information. >> i hear you. it's listed that he went to a neurologist -- >> guys. guys, hold on a second. there's no reason to go back and forth with me in this aggressive way. >> miffed around here about how

information has been shared with the press corps. >> what are you miffed about? >> everything he asked about. >> and i answer the question you guys ask. >> and come back and clean it up. >> i never answered the question incorrectly. i was asked about a medical exam. i was asked about a physical. that was in the line of question that i answered. i said, no, he did not have a medical exam. i stand by that. as a matter of fact, the president stands by that. he had a verbal check-in. that's something the president has a couple of times a week. a couple of times in week. >> now in regards to dr. kevin kennard. >> i'm telling you right now, i'm not sharing confirming names from here. it is for security reasons. i'm not going to do that, ed. it doesn't matter how hard you push me. it doesn't matter how angry you get with me, i'm not going to confirm a name. it doesn't matter if it's even in the log. i'm not going to do that from here. that is not something i am going to do. what i can share with you is that the president has seen a neurologist for his physical three times. three times.

and it is in the reporting that we share a comprehensive reporting. as a matter of fact, it's more than what the last guy shared, and it is in line with what george w. bush did. it's in line with what obama did. and so it is comprehensive. it is out there. i just read a quote from it. but i am not -- i am not going to divulge somebody's name or confirm someone. i'm not going to do that. that is out of privacy for that person. i'm not going to do that. it doesn't matter how hard you push me, how angry you get from here. i'm not going to do that. it's inappropriate, and it's not acceptable. so i'm not going to do it. >> not about the name. >> if you can't confirm the name, can you confirm whether or not the president has seen this parkinson's specialist? and you mentioned three times, but the visitor logs show a duration of eight visits. i think that is the crux of the question i asked. >> but i also said there are thousands of military personnel

that come to the white house, and they are under the care of the medical unit. they are. >> can you confirm that the parkinson's visits were for the president or not? >> what i can tell you is that the president has seen a neurologist three times, and i read to you what the neurologist has said, and i read to you the last line. i can say it again. no findings which would be consistent with any central neurological disorders such as stroke, multiple sclerosis, parkinson or ascending lateral ske row sis. that is from february. i said to you, it's happened three times. each time there is a physical that occurs, and we put a comprehensive report. that is when he has been able to see a specialist. that's what i can share.

>> another question on this. has the president -- you mentioned parkinson's multiple sclerosis. one is fluid build up in the brain. it's something we have never heard in the medical reports. >> if it's not in the medical report, obviously it's not something that the president is dealing with. >> has he been evaluated? >> going back to parkinson's for a little bit. has the president been treated for parkinson's, no, is he being treated for parkinson's, no, he is not. is he taking medication for parkinson's, no, those are the things i can give you full blown answers on. i'm not going to confirm a specialist, any specialist that comes to the white house out of privacy. >> will the president go to the hill today? i know you saw the letter. is he intending to have this conversation face to face? >> look, the president,

obviously this is someone who is a senator for 36 years, president of the senate, as he was vice president for eight years, and he respects, truly respects the members of congress, and has always and will always do that, especially as a former senator. and i will say, and you've heard us say this before or most recently, this is a president who's won the primary, right, by 14 million votes, 87% of those votes certainly. and, look, i don't have any engagements to read out, you know, outside of that. but i will say that the president was in pennsylvania. i just mentioned at the top, he got to see senator fedderman, senator casey. he also got to see congresswoman dean. he spent some time with them. they traveled across pennsylvania, and i will say, when the president gets knocked down, he gets back up. this is quintessential joe biden, and there are a long list of other congressional members who have shown their support for this president. i don't have anything else to

read out. you saw the letter, the letter was, i think, pretty clear on where the president stands, and i'll just leave it there. >> you've noted that there are thousands within the walter reed system who may be treated by a specialist at the white house. this neurologist had a meeting with the president's visit. you are refusing to say he was consulting on the president's help. what was that meeting about? >> i will say that dr. o'connor leads the medical unit. he's literally the -- he leads the medical unit. oh, because we will not confirm or speak to names you're providing me, out of a security reason, out of protecting someone's privacy. we're just not going to do that. but they are. the reason that i mentioned that is because there are a thousand military members that do, indeed, use the white house medical unit. they do. they get care from them. >> we're talking about the president of the united states. >> guys, i'm trying to answer

the question so you can connect the dot, there are multiple neurologists that come, not neurologists, but specialists that come through here. there are more than a thousand medical military personnel here. >> you certainly can clear this up just by saying what he was doing here, if it was connected to the president, yes or no. >> i am not going to confirm a particular neurologist, anybody, it doesn't matter if they're a dermatologist or a neurologist. i'm just not going to do that. i shared with all of you that the president has met, has been with the neurologist three times as it relates to his physical. three times. so you know. i'm just not -- guys, i'm just not going to do that out of security reasons, out of privacy. it is not something that i'm going to do, a measure of privacy, we have to be able to give people from here. >> the president said -- come on. >> the president has seen no reason to evaluate him for

parkinson's since his physical in february. is that based on verbal check-ins that you have been describing, based on public experiences. >> say that one more time. >> the president's doctor has seen no reason to evaluate him or reevaluate him for parkinson's since the physical in february. >> i never said that. >> that's what the white house has said. >> what i have said is that he just had a physical, just in february. and the physical was very clear. it was a comprehensive physical. we gave out a report on that. and, you know, as it relates to the check-ins, that is something that is common. the president has a medical unit that is literally down the hall, that he's able to check in with when necessary. did he normally do it while he's exercising? that is not uncommon. it is very different. it is very different than any every day american. they do not have that option. they do not have that access. because he's president of the united states. every other president has had that access and they are able to

do that. >> just to be clear, yes or no, has his physician seen a reason to reevaluate him for parkinson's since the february physical? >> no, the comprehensive report that you all have stand. the president obviously will have another physical, and we'll wait for that physical. >> great. >> so the president has said twice that he's had neurological evaluations as part of his physical, you know, in these various interviews today, and also on abc, but there have been a number of people who have said, listen, you know, why don't you have a cognitive test, just to rule out that there are any issues. would the president, you know, would you counsel him to do that, just to sort of put an end to these questions? >> you know, i hear you. the neurologists has said it is not warranted. the president himself, he said it today, he said it multiple times, and the doctor has said this, everything that he does,

day in and day out, as it relates to delivering for the american people is a cognitive test. and that is what the medical doctor has said, that is what the specialist said. i just want to take a step back for a second. because i do take offense to what ed alluded to. you know, come out here, every day there's a press briefing. and we do our best to give you the information that we have at the time. that's what we do. and we understand that freedom of the press, we respect freedom of the press. you heard me talk about this last week. i appreciate the back and forth that we all have. i try to respect you, and i hope you try to respect me. and we literally do everything that we can. my team, does everything that we can to make sure that we get the answers to you. that's what we do. and sometimes we disagree. sometimes we are not in agreement. but you know what, that's

democracy. that's what is important to have that healthy back and forth. and to say that i'm holding information or allude to anything else is not fair. is really really unfair. i think people who are watching and have been watching this briefing for this past week could say that we are doing our best in this briefing to provide the information that we have. and i will admit. i will be the first one to admit, sometimes i get it wrong. at least i admit that. at least i admit that. and sometimes i don't have the information, and i will always always admit that. but i do take offense to what was just happening at the beginning of this briefing. it's not okay. go ahead. >> we are seeking clarity. >> i understand that. >> and i think what we're trying to say is when a name is in a public record on a waives form that it is in the public domain. the president could authorize that his medical records or additional medical information could be made public because he could waive hipaa, he could do those things.

and if he chooses to do that, we would like to know more. part of the reason we are pressing here is that we are not clear on what has happened, and therefore the american people to whom we report don't have a sense of it. that's what we're trying to do. >> yes. >> and so -- >> but the personal attacks is not okay. >> and we want to have a positive -- >> let me be very clear here. >> so the question is, one question is, after a debate that drew days and days and days of scrutiny, why hasn't the president had an in-person physical check-in, maybe blood work, maybe other things. when he said he was seen, i thought physically seen, not a phone check. and that's part of what we're saying about how information comes out in waves, and we may have a different impression. so this has dominated his presidency for ten days, and he could submit to another exam, a full exam, partial exam, whatever, he can waive his right to make things public.

none of us are asking about the military members who might be seeing a physician here. none of us. we are only asking about the president's well being. >> understood. >> and so that's why we want to understand. when you see on the public records that a physician with his specialty, come to the white house, gone to the residence clinic and met with the president's physician, we feel like there's more to be said there and that's what we're asking. >> and i understand that and you know i respect you wholeheartedly, and i have known you for some time. we want to be also, because we are talking about someone who is out there, and i understand, i get it. it's in the log. i get that. it's in the log. >> what's the security concern? >> we want to respect that person and give them the measure of privacy they deserve. the moment i say anything about any specialist, it becomes a thing from this podium. so what i can share and this is what i can share, he has seen a neurologist three times. three times. not more than that.

not more than that. he has seen a neurologist three times. and that is connected to the physical, the comprehensive physical that we have been able to share with you. so i think that gives you some information about how many times. three times. and the reason why i am sharing that there are thousands of military personnel, so you also have an understanding because there are a thousand military personnel that comes here, and that not just comes here, but under the care of the medical unit, right, they get care from the white house medical unit, there tends to be dermatologists to neurologists who come through here, who come through here because the white house medical unit is, indeed, caring for folks. so i have confirmed three times, three times. i just cannot get into details or confirm a name of a person. i cannot do that.

there's security reasons, we have to give people a measure of privacy. >> can the president waive some of his records? >> i don't know how all of that works. i'm not going to pretend i know how that works, and what i will do is certainly share that information with the powers that be. i just don't want to get into a back and forth on that particular question. >> to kelly's point, the president today, when he called in to "morning joe," he said that he had released all of his medical records. should we take that indication that he's going to do so? >> look, what i can say is that we have shared a comprehensive medical report that is pretty detailed. that is in line with other presidents, certainly not the last one. but the ones, the two before the last president. and we have been pretty much in line with what they have done, to be more clear, george w. bush, and also president obama. so we have been --

>> why doesn't he come to the room to speak to us. >> we know what the last president said from the briefing room. i only did three or four paragraphs. very different. very different approach. >> during the call today was the president reading off of a script? >> so i was in the room when the president called in to "morning joe." the president spoke from his heart. the president was very clear. there was no script at all. and he was very detailed. you heard him say actually during the call that he was reading some quotes. he said it. he shared that information. he was reading some quotes from the debate. so he shared that with you. what you heard was a passionate interview. it was about 18 minutes. he talked about and laid out his vision for this country. he talked about how he wants to make sure we move forward. i want to be careful, we talked about the campaign, which i can't do from here, he, you know, i think it was incredibly

powerful. >> he was reading quotes but not from a script. >> it was not from a script. >> and how many questions should we expect? >> so, look, it is going to be a solo press conference. it is going to be certainly more than a two plus two. i'm not going to -- we're working it out. i'm not going too specifics from here. you could expect a solo press conference from the president, that the end of the nato summit, he's looking forward to it. and he will be taking your questions. that will be a good thing. >> i have two questions, one, a follow up on dr. kennard, that is, can you explain what the role of megan massworthy is, does she oversee care for some of those military personnel as a group or does she oversee care for the president? >> again, i want to be careful here. i know who you're speaking of. i don't have her full portfolio in front of me. my team and i will be happy to get back to you. >> the president and the white

house's engagement with house democrats, and democrats more broadly, there was an article a month ago in the "wall street journal" that the white house penned because the on the record quotes criticizing the president's age and acuity, largely from republicans, but i want to ask about the graphs in the story about democrats. it said that the white house. >> from the same sorry. >> from the same story. the white house kept close tabs on the journal's interviews with democratic lawmakers and after the officers of several democrats shared with the white house a reporting of the interview or details about what was asked some of the lawmakers spoke to the journal a second time and once again emphasized biden's strength. quote congressman gregory weeks a new york democrat said i should give you a call back. i'm wondering if you could characterize what the white house told democrats to tell reporters? >> i think the democrats spoke for themselves. i think, you know, you know how stories work. there is a lot of back and

forth. when you come with the story from us. and you want to make sure you hear from other voices, we make that available to you all. and it is up to the reporters. they're going to reach out or not to that particular person. but we expect, and we anticipate and we understand that it doesn't matter who, if it's a congressperson or a governor or any elected official, they're going to speak for themselves. they're going to speak for themselves. and i would say that representative greg meeks has also been very supportive. if you fast forward to where we are today, representative meeks has been very supportive of this president. continuing moving forward. and we've heard from many others, many others. cbc more broadly has been very supportive. we heard from the chair, chair hossford from the cbc, and so that is the type of support that we continue to see. >> so there hasn't been outreach by the white house to democrats who might have misgivings about the president's age or acuity to

have them say positive things about the president? >> i'm not really -- i don't quite understand where you're going with the question. i think i explained it. sometimes when you all are working on stories, and we want to hear -- and we were trying to provide supporters from the president, that is not unusual. and it is up to the reporter to reach out or not. and so that is something that we certainly do. that is something that, you know, that is not uncommon. and but what i would say more broadly, there are congressional members as we're talking about what's happening in congress, as we're talking about the president's outreach, as we're talking about, you know, how we move forward, there are congressional members out there who have been incredibly supportive. we have to remember there are hundreds of house members. and so, you know, there are folks out there. >> the president's outreach today and tomorrow. these all conference and all

caucus meetings. >> what i can say is that as you all know, the president has done some outreach, spoke about it himself. i can say, as of today, he is engaged with dozens of members, whether in person or on calls, we saw him engaging with congressional members over the weekend, we saw him doing that on several of the trips that he has done over the past ten days. there have been about six states that he has been able to stop over and engage with supporters. so he's been able to do that. and there's a long list. i'm trying to spare you the list here, but there is a long ron desantis. senator chris coons, bernie sanders, senator raphael warnock. it goes on and on. representative clyburn, al green. there has been a long list of we believe incredibly supportive, supportive congressional members who have continued -- >> the list that has been provided from the campaign, i'm wondering if the president has

spoken directly with leader schumer and jeffries, in the last 24 hours? >> i hear you. we shared that just last week that the president spoke to the leadership. obviously on the democratic side. >> has he spoken to them since yesterday? >> i don't have anything to read out to you as far as what we shared with you last week, but the president has been in regular touch, and those conversations went very very well. i think he mentioned, in particular, leader jeffries that went almost for an hour. the president said that himself. he said how much they had a very, very good conversation. the president saw congresswoman dean, as i mentioned. he saw both senators of pennsylvania as well yesterday. traveled across the state. and had really two big events with supporters, with americans who got to hear directly from the president. and i think that's important. >> michael. >> were all three of president

biden's neurological exams that you have confirmed, were they all conducted at walter reed. >> i don't have anything to state as to location, what i can say for sure that he has seen, neurologists three times as it relates to the exam that he takes every year. and i just don't have a location to speak to. >> let me just try a different way. has any neurologist -- >> and you also know that the president does go to walter reed to do his physical exams. >> has a neurologist, i'm not talking about anyone in particular, regardless of the identity, name of that person, has any neurologist came to the white house to visit president biden? >> what i can tell you, during those exams, that we have been able to do every year for the past three years, it is a comprehensive exams that we share, report that we share with all of you, he has seen a neurologist. >> that's why i'm trying to clarify, seems like those were

taken at walter reed. it's an important distinction. >> you all know that he does indeed go to walter reed as part of his physical exam. that is no secret. that is something that he does. and i also confirmed that he sees a neurologist every time he has done these exams. i don't have anything beyond that. >> thanks. >> april. >> as everyone is talking about neurological issues, this is different but kind of on that same page. the president has had two aneurysms. okay. and there are complications from aneurysms to include impaired short-term memory, inability to concentrate, as well as speech difficulties, have any neurologists worked with him or just trying to observe him as he is a person who has suffered from two aneurysms that could have been fatal? >> look, april, in the

comprehensive reporting that we share with all of you on a yearly basis, the neurological exams have been detailed, extremely detailed. it is directly from the doctor. they talk about the specifics of that neurological exam. and so i would refer you to the six-page comprehensive memo, and that's what i would refer you to. >> that is something that we know about, that he had two aneurysms. >> yeah. >> all of those complications are part of a neurological exam. have they tested for that at all? >> what i can tell you is that the exams have been detailed. they have been extensive. and that's what i can share with you. i would refer you to the document, to the report. >> the last question, we're days away from the republican convention. how do you, as this white house who stands behind this president, how do you work to do an image change to revamp him to

make him shinier and brighter, if you will? >> i'm not going to speak to the republican convention. that's something that i'm not going to do. wait, hold on a second. hold on, give me a second. look in the past ten days, the president has gone to six states, he has. he's gone to north carolina, new jersey, new york, georgia, pennsylvania, i know that's a commonwealth, but he's been to six. and in that time, he has engaged directly, directly with the american public. and you've seen the enthusiasm. you've seen the energy. he's been able to talk to them directly and talk about his goals for the future. talk about what he's done in the past three and a half years. and they have heard specifically from him on even his health. even the debate, and i think that's important, too.

and you just heard me lay out the next two weeks. the president is going to continue to go out there. he's going to continue to be present in the communities. he's going to continue to hear directly from the american people. and that's the best way to do this. that's the best way to get out there. that's the best way to make sure that you have your finger on the pulse and that the american people gets to see you for themselves. >> since the republican convention, what about the democratic convention? >> i can't speak to the democratic convention either. you're asking me to speak to two things that i can't speak to from here. that is something that the campaign and the convention can speak to very very -- april you may not like my answer. i'm telling you the president is going to continue to go out there. i just shared with you at the top a robust plan that the president has to be out there, whether it is in vegas, whether it's in the texas, and let's not forget the other states he has visited in the last ten days.

there's a stark difference from what we have been doing and what the other side is doing. stark difference, and so the president is committed, he's going to continue to do that. he wants to engage, engage directly with the american people. 600 people at the church yesterday. 600 people at the event in harrisburg. that's a pretty good start, and that's a continuation. that's not a start. that's a continuation. >> is it the administration's policy that the physicals are done annually? >> that is just like every other president has done before this president. we're going to continue to uphold that. >> so it would be fair to us to assume as of now, his next expected physical would be next year. >> it would be next year. the last one was in february. >> so can you clarify for us, forgive me, might have missed it by design, he will or won't. >> i don't have any engagement to share. as you know, nato is front of mind. that's what he's focused on, you saw the letter that's came out

from the president. he's going to be focusing on the more than 30 world leaders that are coming here for a 75th anniversary of nato, continue to go show the strength of our alliance. i think it is something that the president's very much looking forward to, and you'll certainly hear from the president on thursday when he gives his press conference, his big boy press conference. your colleague justin has stated many times. >> we should mix back then, some sort of big outreach push. >> look, we have shared. i just shared that he has done dozens of calls. not just calls but also face to face as he did in pennsylvania. his team, campaign side, they're going to do their thing. we're going to do our thing on our side, and he, you know, respects tremendously congress, and so he's in regular contact with them, and that's what you're going to continue to see. all right. thanks, everybody. thanks, everyone.

>> well, for the past 33 plus minutes, we have been watching this segment of the news conference out of the white house. karine jean-pierre there being peppered with questions about president biden's health, his condition, following reports about a parkinson's specialist who's made at least eight visits to the white house in eight months. we'll have more on that in a moment. but meanwhile, the president, the president is focused on offense. he says nothing short of an act of god will convince him to drop out of his reelection campaign. just over the weekend, four more senior house democrats, including congressman jerry nadler called on biden to abandon his race in a private call. congressman adam schiff stopped short of calling on the president to step down but did say he quote, needs to win overwhelmingly or pass the torch. despite reports last week that the president was on the defense about the future of his

campaign, publicly the president is being very clear. he says the calls only help trump and hurt the democrats. in a letter that he wrote just this morning to congressional democrats, the president wrote, among other things, i would not be running again if i did not absolutely believe i was the best person to beat donald trump in 2024. we had a democratic nomination process. the voters have spoken clearly, and decisively. the voters. and the voters alone decided nominee of the democratic party. the president was even more pointed towards those calling for a ticket refresh on our air right here on msnbc this morning when he phoned in to "morning joe." >> i don't care what those big names think. they were wrong in 2020. they were wrong in 2022 about the red wave. they were wrong in 2024. and come out with me. watch people react. you make the adjustment.

-- judgment. you make the judgment. i'm getting so frustrated by the elites, i'm not talking about you guys, the elites. run against me. announce for presidential. challenge me at the convention. >> you could feel and hear that frustration by the president. the question many have is, well, what happens next. as the president himself noted this morning, there are just over 40 days until the democratic convention, and exactly 120 days until the general. let's get started. joining us now, nbc news capitol hill correspondent ryan nobles. and nbc news white house correspondent allie raffa. allie, just this morning, we had a two-page letter from the president and a live interview. right here on "morning joe." walk us through the strategy here when it comes to these calls from some members of congress. >> reporter: jose, you'll remember the white house waited

almost a week before formally and publicly answering questions in a press briefing about the president's poor debate performance on june 27th. and that debate performance, the briefing, rather, really centered around that poor debate performance, and the white house received some criticism from lawmakers for waiting that long, saying waiting that long really only fostered and allowed these concerns to grow among members of congress, and today the biden team appears to be realizing that. they're launching this all hands on deck effort to really prove that the president is defiant, is going to say in this race. he even on that interview on "morning joe" this morning challenged other democrats to challenge him at the convention next month. the president in that interview, frustrated at times saying that he doesn't care what members of the establishment, members of the elite as he called them says, that he only cares about the opinions of average voters.

he says that the voters he interacted with over the weekend in michigan and battleground, pennsylvania, actually gave him the confidence to prove to himself that he should stay in this race and serve another four years in office. but of course we're seeing the focus today on congress as these lawmakers come back to capitol hill for the first time since that debate, and we see a growing number of them call for him to step aside. the white house is really, really harnessing this outreach effort. the president making several calls to lawmakers trying to reassure them that he can stay in this race. you mentioned that lengthy letter to these democratic lawmakers in which the president reminded them of the democratic process that got him to this point, reminded him that the president is the nominee because he went through the entire primary process, and so right now, the white house is really focusing on how to stop the bleeding, how to quiet these concerns among these lawmakers to really stop the division in this party from growing.

the big question now, though, jose is whether and how much that will make an impact among these democratic lawmakers. >> yeah, i mean and ryan, karine jean-pierre was clear that this offense didn't start today with a letter and "morning joe." the president, she was clearly saying, visited six states, just in the last couple of days alone. and i'm just wondering, ryan, have sitting lawmakers who have called on the president to step down expressed what they suggest should happen going forward? >> reporter: yeah, jose, many lawmakers that have specifically called on president biden to step down have suggested a wide range of steps forward for the democratic party, some have suggested in open mini primary that the convention delegates select the nominee, others, perhaps the majority of those who have asked for president biden to step aside, have

coalesced around vice president harris. there's not wide consensus on any of these points in the halls of congress right now. there does seem to be a bit of a scatter shot approach to this among senators and members of the house of representatives. you have some that are outright coalescing around joe biden saying they support him all the way, they want him to stay in the race. you have a small gaggle of house democrats saying publicly he should step aside, and a wide member of senators and house members having it both ways saying they want to see more from the president, that they have concerns about his debate performance, they have concerns as to whether or not he could win the race, and they want to see process play itself out. and to have a conversation with himself about whether or not he can stay in the race. one of the people is senator joe manchin, and i believe we have tape of that conversation. >> do you think the election is winnable for president biden at this point? >> i think it's winnable, sure. i do.

i have always said donald trump is a threat to democracy as we know it. so i think people are taking that seriously, and you can't call the race now. i mean, this is ridiculous. it's early for people to get so excited. just wait until this week, give it another week. it's only been a week and three or four days. >> you said give it another week. are you keeping an open mind on whether you want to see the president step aside in this race? >> my thing is to find out what direction the president is going to go. he has said clearly what he wants to do. >> what do you want to see from him? >> he's very active and everything, that's good. >> reporter: you see there, joe mentioned not officially ruling out the idea that he may call on joe biden to step down. he's not your average democrat. left the democratic party. he's an independent now. he flirted with the idea of running as a third party candidate for president of the united states, but backed away from that. but what joe manchin said is indicative of kind of the decision making process that you see playing out with many

senators that are at least supporters of joe biden. they want to see more from this president, they want to know what the plan is to beat donald trump in the fall. many feel like they haven't gotten that plan yet, which is why you're not seeing this overwhelming rush of support behind biden and his candidacy at the current moment, jose. >> just wondering if many that say they haven't seen the plan yet, haven't been reading anything that the president has been writing or hearing what the president has been saying for months now. i mean, in this letter to lawmakers today, i just wanted to read you another bit of it. i think it's important. it says, i feel a deep obligation to the faith and trust the voters of the democratic party have placed in me to run this year. it was their decision to make, not the press, the pundits, the donors, not any selected group of individuals new york city matter how well intentioned, the voters decide the nominee of the

democratic party. how can we stand for democracy in our nation if we ignore it in our own party. i cannot do that says the president, i will not do that, and ryan, or not other side, you have congressman ritchie torres, he put out a statement, those calling on president biden to withdraw should ask themselves a simple question, what if the president becomes the democratic nominee. the drip, drip, drip of public statements of no confidence only serve to weaken the president who has been weakened not only by the debate, but also by the debate about the debate. weakening a weakened nominee seems like a losing strategy for a presidential election. the piling on is not so much solving a problem, as much as it is creating and compounding a new one. how heavily is that likely possibility weighing on those yet to speak out in congress. >> reporter: jose, i think that's the definitive reason why you're seeing a bit of

ambivalence among many members of congress. i can tell you from my own conversations with a wide range of democrats, there is overwhelming anxiety that joe biden has what it takes to beat donald trump in the fall. many of them were concerned he was already losing the race before the debate. this exacerbated the problem. to your point and congressman torrez's point, there is an even greater anxiety that if they can't convince him to step aside on his own accord and that it requires some sort of public detente, where you see hakeem jeffries, and chuck schumer, calling on him to step down, and he refuses to do so, that would mortally wound the democratic party and they would have no shot at winning the election. as you saw from joe manchin, they believe it's a winnable race if joe biden is the nominee. they want to make sure he's up to the challenge over the next couple of months and up to the

challenge as serving as president for the next four years. that's part of why there's a feeling out period we're going through now. to the point of congressman torrez, it cannot last long because the longer it goes on, the more it affects joe biden as a candidate heading into november. jose. >> and then that's kind of our view and our analysis of the macro, let's focus now in on the micro. what we saw in the press conference at the white house just a little bit ago. nbc news has confirmed what the "new york times" reported, on eight visits to the white house in eight months from a parkin son's disease, nbc news has reached out to the doctor in question, dr. kevin kennard and has not received a response. we don't know why the doctor was at the white house or who he was there to see. it's interesting that the white house, karine jean-pierre said today, and allie, i want your thoughts on this. she said the president has seen

a neurologist three times. each time he did the physical, no more than that. white house spokesperson andrew bates said that president biden's physical exams have found no sign of parkinson's, that he's not being treated for it, not taking any medication for it. karine jean-pierre added this afternoon, the white house says the president hasn't had any other neurological visits besides the one he had in february since his physical. allie, walk us through what we know, and why this is all relevant. >> reporter: of course, jose, this is coming against the backdrop of the reason for the growing concerns about whether the president should stay in the race, whether he can serve another four years in office after the poor debate performance with the democratic voters, concerned about whether he has the mental acuity to do that, and of course the white house after this revelation today that a neurologist from walter reed medical center just outside of washington, d.c. had

visited the white house at least eight times in a period of eight months, the white house trying to offer clarity but inevitably may have caused more confusion after press secretary karine jean-pierre, as you mentioned, said that every time the president received a physical, which has been three times, annually, and then the white house releases publicly the results of that physical, that neurological exam accompanied that physical. but notably she did not clarify when asked whether the neurological exams conducted walter reed or the white house. the press secretary saying a wide variety of specialists from walter reed visit the white house every year to treat thousands of military personnel. and she was repeatedly asked, had several fiery exchanges with reporters, whether she could confirm the name of this doctor that he is listed eight times in these public white house visitor

logs, and the press secretary denying each time, saying that it is a matter of security. she did not want to reveal the personal identity of this doctor, jose. >> allie raffa and ryan nobles, thank you so much for being with us this afternoon. i appreciate it. and joining us now, democratic strategist, and campaign adviser, amiche cross. i thank you for your time. the president's message to those in his party expressing some doubt run against me, challenge me at the convention. what do you make of what we have heard so far from him today? >> it was forceful. dark brandon is back. i think this was a type of message that many democrats, democratic voters wanted to hear directly after the debate performance. at this point, i think he has to settle fears, he has to calm people down. he also has to get the ducks in order as it relates to the alignment of the democratic party. i do think that there are voices

that need to be quited. it's a small group of people. only nine have come out and said step aside at this point. only four of those have been public. others were on calls. i think at this point the president has made it very clear that he is going to run, that this is the biden/harris ticket. he will not be pushed out. he's talked about how he has been down played throughout his career, and that's very true, not only by polls but prognosticators, and those who have run against him in the past. he's the only one who has run and defeated former president trump, and he knows what's at stake. he laid that out clearly in his phone call on "morning joe" this morning. >> how do you calm people down, using a phrase you just utilized, when many much of the micro focusing is on this doctor that visited the white house eight times, this parkinson's doctor. how do you breakthrough that cloud and calm people down in this environment? >> well, he's got to exert

strength. he also has to change the tone and tempo here. there has been so much talk ad nauseam about the debate performance. it was one debate, an hour and a half, one night. that does not negate a strong policy, the most successful president not only in modern time but since fdr as a first term president. we have to be real about what the america is facing with the return of trumpism and donald trump, who has a much smarter plan this go around in terms of not only trying to turn america into a dictatorship but the removal of women's reproductive rights, with a tax on civil rights. we know what the maga plan, projects 2025 looks like. this is a president in joe biden who has to not only speak to that contrast

than we were in 2020. that's how it works. this is a president who doesn't have to prove he can do the job. he's literally doing it every day. >> democratic voters overwhelmingly supported him and as the president mentioned. just in this primary season alone. >> absolutely. today we saw the head of the congressional black caucus came out in support of joe biden. he's visited multiple states, wean he's going to be at the naacp conference in vegas in just a few days. nato this week. we know that he's meeting with a conference of mayors. this is a president who keeps it going. he recognizes the importance of not only maintaining a strong democracy in america but also protecting democracy abroad. and everything that he thinks as a nation. keeping our economic situation on track, ensuring that we are in our defense mechanisms are strong in capability, and ensuring that the american

people know that he's someone they can vest their trust in. i think that all of those things matter. integrity matters. a president who we can trust matters. a president who is honest with us matters. and what we know in joe biden is that what he says is what he does. and he is going to be our nominee. he is not going to step back. he is not going to let anyone push him out. and he knows that the america that he has envisioned, the america that needs to continue moving forward, that is one that many voters believe in, and that is one that at this point he's got to get out on the campaign trail and make notice of. and i think that he's set to do that. this campaign understand what we're facing, and he's going to be in the places that it matters. the battleground states talking to voters. voters decide the election, not prognosticators, not those running scared and not an elite class. >> as he wrote in the letter, "i respond to all of this by saying clearly and unequivocally, i would not be running again if i -- if i did not absolutely believe i was the best person to

beat donald trump in 2024." thank you so much. good seeing you. still ahead, it's being called a wish list for the next trump presidency. what the former president himself is saying about this project 2025. i have moderate to severe crohn's disease. now, there's skyrizi. ♪ things are looking up ♪ ♪ i've got symptom relief ♪ ♪ control of my crohn's means everything to me ♪ (♪♪) ♪ control is everything to me ♪ feel significant symptom relief at 4 weeks with skyrizi, including less abdominal pain and fewer bowel movements. skyrizi is the first il-23 inhibitor that can deliver remission and visibly improve damage of the intestinal lining. and skyrizi is proven to help deliver long-lasting remission at one year. serious allergic reactions and an increased risk of infections or a lower ability to fight them may occur. tell your doctor if you have an infection or symptoms, had a vaccine or plan to. liver problems may occur in crohn's disease. now's the time to ask your gastroenterologist

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and right now, xfinity internet customers can buy one unlimited line and get one free for a year. get the fastest connection to paris with xfinity. 55 past the hour. new reporting today on a plan from president joe biden. it's not a plan regarding his political future but to tie donald trump to project 2025 and focus on what a second trump presidency could look like. the connection already has riled the former president who says he's got nothing to do with a hard-right agenda laid out by multiple conservative groups for the next conservative president. joining us, nbc news correspondents vaughn hillyard. good afternoon. so what exactly is there project 2025? what are its goals, and how do they square with the rnc's platform that was released today? >> reporter: project 2025, jose, is a 900-page document.

printed in the form of a book, that was prepared by the heritage foundation in more than 50 other partner organizations. some of the most prominent conservative and right-wing organizations that have been the backbone of donald trump's first presidency, an effort to attain a second one. across this 900 pages you have policy, essentially for every department and agency. and this was something that they intended to hand over to donald trump during the potential transition, that they would be able to go forward and enact through their personnel in a second trump administration in 2025. and over the weekend donald trump after some pushback over some of those proposed policies, suggestions, said that he does not know who is behind project 2025, which is not accurate, let's be clear. some of his closest former aides and advisers were individual who wrote part of that 900 pages. but just here we should note in the last two ours the rnc, gop,

has released their proposed party platform for the gop. it has not been updated since 2016. president trump saying he supports the proposal that will be voted on by the full delegation next week in milwaukee. but in part of it, it calls for the largest deportation operation ever and going after prosecutors who have politically targeted their opponents. but also there was notable -- compared to 2016, there was no explicit language about being -- marriage being between one man and one woman, and also there was no call for any particular -- in 2016 they referred to as a human life amendment being added to the constitution. a more watered down version saying that abortion should be left to the states, jose. >> vaughn hill yard. thank you so much. joining us analyst carlos rivera. great seeing you. what is this in your view trump distancing himself from project

2025? >> well, jose, i agree with vaughn. trump definitely knows what the project is and who's behind it because a lot of the people are close to him. he is projecting so much political confidence now in the face of everything that president biden and democrats are going through that he is distancing himself from his base, not only with this project 2025 case but also on abortion. the republican party platform released today did not have abortion restrictions at the federal level for the first time in a long time. this from a party that has been unabashedly pro-life for decades now. so donald trump feels so confident about this election right now that he's taking his base for granted, and he's going hard at the independent voters, the swing voters that have those doubts about whether president biden can serve another four years. >> and then meanwhile, carlos, president biden has been on the offense and not just today with a letter and "morning joe," but visiting, you know, state after

state after state, meeting with hundreds and thousands of people. how does the president break through all of this micro questioning? >> president biden has to get past this episode. it remains to be seen whether he can do that. but something experts have been saying for a long time, jose, if joe biden wants to get re-elected, he has to make this race, this campaign about donald trump. it's very hard to see right now how that's going to happen given all the questions, and of course we all saw that press conference earlier. all of the questions are about joe biden, about his health, about whether or not he is going to be the democratic nominee. president biden and his campaign have to try to change the topic as soon as possible and try to put the spotlight on donald trump. >> carlos, thank you very much. that is it for me. you can see me weekdays at 11:00 a.m., 8 a.m. pacific. thank yo