happy sunday. anything going on? [ laughter ] thank you for joining us for this special coverage tonight. i am rachel maddow joined by my beloved colleagues who i cannot wait to talk to tonight about what has happened today. joy reid is here, nicolle wallace, jen psaki. you do not seek joy on the screen because there's a gremlin with the camera but will have her in a moment. we will be with you throughout the duration of the special coverage tonight. you know, we do special coverage for all sorts of stuff. this is not all sorts of stuff. you will always remember where you were when you heard the news today. what a day in history.

president biden making american history with an active profound political and personal sacrifice. 3.5 years into his presidency, president biden stepping down from his reelection bid in favor of his vice president kamala harris. i have been processing this for five hours already, and it still gives me chills to say it. in the instant he announced at 1:46 p.m. this afternoon, everything changed. everything changed. the democratic party instantly ends its internal war, this emotional, intense, harrowing fight that has torn the party apart for the past 3.5 weeks. that is over in an instant. the expectation among democrats which is being voiced more openly in recent days, the expectation that the democratic party was in for a wipeout in november with not just the

white house in danger but the house and senate in danger as well. that expectation evaporates also in an instant. with president biden voicing a strong and unequivocal endorsement of his vice president kamala harris with harris confirming immediately that she is running, we have 107 days until election day. together we will fight and together we will win with no resulting ambiguity of who will be the democratic party's nominee and what is the task at hand for that nominee for the party. the little papers sound you're hearing in the distance? that's every democratic donor in the country writing the biggest check they have ever written in american politics. in an instant, the old era is over and the new era is here. it is go time. joe biden defeated donald trump in 2020 in an election in which

trump refused to accept the results and try to stay in power by the use of violent force. trump is been convicted of 34 felonies and awaiting sentencing on those charges. facing up to four years in prison if found liable for committing sexual assault and has literally hundreds of millions of dollars in civil penalties for massive fraud at his business. his business has been found criminally guilty of business fraud and he owes hundreds of millions of dollars. in a civil fraud case. he is a subject of a felony reiko indictment in georgia and facing federal criminal charges. he is 78 years old and gives speeches of such rambling incoherence that even his most ardent super fans start wandering off or checking their phones by the time he starts talking about sharks and showerheads and how beautiful you think it looks if you were to take his clothes off. he just picked a 39-year-old running mate who most americans

do not know and who has no record in public service. as people are googling donald trump's new unknown running mate, the first and most are learning is that he is deeply committed to a nationwide ban on abortion. nationwide. is a protigi of an eccentric right-wing tech billionaire who is against women having the right to vote and who says he is against democracy. the right-wing groups that have championed this guy for trump's running mate are the authors of the project 2025 policy blueprint you have heard so much about. the policy blueprint for what the republicans plan to do if they do 60 and getting trump and no pants back in the white house. a national abortion ban is just the start. cracking down a birth control and fertility treatment. tried banning pornography? tried defending the fbi and the department of homeland security. say good-bye to the department of education and the environmental protection agency and the fda.

really? the food and drug administration. because who among us wants to think were buying aspirin but it turned out to be rat poison. republicans and trump himself have been uncharacteristically disciplined when it came to commenting on this very difficult, knockdown drag out fight within the democratic party over the last few weeks. the concert about president biden showing his age. republicans were being very reticent, very disciplined about not talking about that because they were crossing their fingers and hoping that president biden would stay in ski. expecting that president biden was going to stay in, they were measuring the dreams. looking at the polls and bragging about their sure, absolutely guaranteed victory. trump might ski poles last week said between 20 to 25 paths to victory in the electoral map. he said after we got to 25 different paths to victory, we stopped counting. they have done so sure.

president biden perhaps candidly, waiting until the supremely self-confident republican side locked in their ticket. waiting until trump picked the most radical, the most ideologically extreme and eccentric choice for his running mate. waited till that was locked in and today, 1:46 p.m., room. today donald trump's remarkable round of political good luck came to an end with a crash. the old man in the race now is donald trump, 78 sold and only occasionally coherent with a record as president is viewed by historians as the worst in the history of the country. a tenure that ended in violence. and he refuses to promise there won't be more violence to come from his supporters. he is the old man in the race by a mile.

dragging that legacy from what happened the last time he was in office and now, a national abortion ban, and maybe his own prison sentence with him to the polls. as of today, we know his opponent will not be a man older than him. as of today, his opponent will be a 59-year-old prosecutor, attorney general, and vice president to joe biden. who cemented his legacy today with a decision that will go down in history as one of the most selfless, patriotic sacrifices of any sitting president ever. 1:46 p.m. joe biden changed everything today in an instant. we have so much to get to hear tonight. i want initial reaction from all of you. joy, you are here. i am glad. we didn't have you for a second. let me start with you. where were you when you heard and what was your reaction, and what have you learned over the course of the day? >> i was actually sitting on my porch with my dog.

we heard it together. allah is on top of the news and gets a very early. when i got a call from my wonderful executive producer, a text and then a call from tina, my wonderful executive producer. she broke the news to me on the phone and my phone then exploded with all sorts of people who had thoughts about a. it's a very historic occasion. the last time this happened, of course, was lyndon johnson, who in march of 1968 opted out of running for reelection that resulted in an open convention and disaster which the vice president lost. there's been a lot of anxiety among a lot of base democrats about president biden and the sort of campaign to push amount. it became clear that that campaign was not going to end. there was an and/ad set to run on morning joe as early as tomorrow increasing and ratcheting up the pressure.

donors ratcheting up the treasure. you had house speaker nancy pelosi in the donors and it was becoming so intense that it's not surprising at all. this, having my eye on this date july 21, because it was the original date the response to that virtual delegate vote that now tonight having delegate meetings across lots of states and i have spoken with delegates and one delegate in south carolina and florida, they are having this meetings. i can tell you that there's a lot of excitement among delegates, especially delegates who were pretty angry about the treatment of president biden by his own party. the same voters who were really angry yesterday are less so now. and the last thing i was a quickly, the selection just changed in the way nikki haley said it would. she said the first to jettison their 80-year-old winds. as you said, donald trump is

the aged person in the selection, and he is somebody who cognitively is not really working at full steam. this election just became about -- i wrote down the five keywords -- age which the media should focus on donald trump. it becomes an issue and is cognitive health. it becomes about the supreme court and the dangers of that and it becomes about dobbs, particularly if it's kamala harris who logically should be the nominee. it becomes about felonies. she's a prosecutor. the issue of sexual assault. she was a prosecutor who specialized them prosecuting sexual assault jars and democracy. the race has completely changed as of today. >> nicole, where were you when you heard and what was your initial reaction and what have you learned over the course of the day? >> i was running around after my baby and i got a text from marco why is. president biden did one of the not just selfless but elegant

things. the way he did it, the letter was elegant and all him. the endorsement of his vice president who has had a tremendous 3 1/2 weeks on the campaign trail was pitch perfect. i was watching on morning joe, every morning and a close friend of president biden's, and on friday he said something that just stuck with me all evening friday and all day yesterday. when i saw it today i thought, he said you have to remember, everybody, he is a good and decent men. it made me think there's nothing we see he doesn't see. by the time speaker pelosi was having these political conversations about the political landscape, it was clear, i think it was clear to a lot of people who knew joe biden well where this would end up. an active political sacrifice like this must be contagious.

people like mark milley and general kelly who don't want to sacrifice not being political, it's time to change those calculations. people like sue gordon and gina who don't want to sacrifice their legacies with the intelligence agencies and trying to make a different decision. active political sacrifice should be get more political sacrifice. chris christie and liz cheney, but they say about democracy and ask how they can help the pro-democracy coalition. and active sacrifice like what joe biden did today should put in motion many more high profile acts of sacrifice. >> jen psaki, i will ask you the same question i asked joy and nicole, where were you and how did you learn? i have to ask you, you have so many friends and colleagues and former colleagues at the white house and the campaign, have to

ask what people have been telling you over the course of the day about how this decision was arrived at and what's happening now and what the expectations are? >> first, i was sitting in the studio when i found out. i think everybody is learning how the machinations of television happen right now. the executive producer for my show said in my ear, president biden is stepping out. i said what? i was hearing this, i was about to interview this incredible 22- year-old woman who is appearing in a biden ad about having an abortion when she was much much younger. i was thinking, i have to keep together for this incredible young woman as we are getting confirmation so we are able to share the news with our viewers. that is where i was sitting today. as soon as our show ended, i called everybody i knew to learn more about what was happening. i will say, what i heard from a

lot of people on the campaign and tie up in the white house, what a lot of democrats are feeling right now. people of joe biden. his beloved in the party for good reason because of what he has accomplished is president which is a tremendous amount. no one thought he could pull us out of covid forget the infrastructure bill done or do the things he has done. he is a very decently good human being. this light chip on his shoulder, who has worked with him as i have, no he has helps him connect deeply with people. everybody i talk to had some felt relief and some felt anger because they loved him and did not want him to set -- step back. there was a tiny circle of people who knew about this decision. obviously, there was a lot of momentum from democrats and others. it sounds like just his family, one or two goals advisers who were longtime advisers, and many many people. most people i spoke with today learned of it as the statement came out. i think there was a lot of

shock and digestion for a lot of democrats. a lot of people who love him out there. in terms of what will happen next. this is where is quickly moving as we all have been talking to a lot of people through the course of the last couple of wild and historic hours. it was a good sign, i think, that not only did the president, not in the initial statement, but shortly afterwards which i think is a signal of people who maybe don't think about those questions and what report is mask when they were the statement, the endorsement about vice president harris came up 15 minutes later and a follow- up. now, the dnc and democratic party is going to run a process is my understanding. the process is going to be, the goal of it is to make the vice president look strong and be strong at the end of the process. that's what we will see over the next couple of days. we will learn more about what that looks like. >> what kind of a process?

like a competition --? >> this is the thing, i will say it's a little strange and we will see how it works out. what i mean is there has to be a process for the delegates to be able to vote to support whether it's a vice president for someone else. i will say, the party is lining up clearly behind vice president kamala harris. not just the president but senators, anyone who would possibly run against her would endorse her. the process would mean it allows delegates to be able to support her for another candidate. candidates have to meet a certain threshold. the threshold is about 300 delegates, foment the maximum of 50 from each state. any candidate who wants to compete with vice president kamala harris would need to meet that threshold in a short period of time. could others get in? i guess technically.

the whole apparatus, the biden apparatus, the clinton apparatus, and i think largely, even though it's not publicly the obama apparatus, are all aligning behind harris. there's a feeling for some including reportedly some former speaker nancy pelosi and former president obama, that there needs to be opportunity for delegates to be able to voice their view even if the outcome is very very likely going to be vice president kamala harris, as it should be. >> fascinating. while we have been talking, little news, not exactly along these lines, and also not exactly unexpected but here it is two sources telling nbc news that senator joe manchin is considering running for president. this according to two people who spoke with them, senator manchin is not a member the democratic party. he is an independent and launched a nonprofit called americans together last year. he has long both invited and

stoked speculation that he would be a presidential candidate at some point. if he sees this as his moment, again, not surprising given the history of joe manchin. i have no idea what that would do in terms of this process. whether or not the democrats in some organized way try to create some semblance of a primary rather than just endorsing vice president harris, we shall see. at this point, feels like the process is potentially nebulous, but the outcome is not. we will see. let's go to outside president biden's house in rehoboth beach . corresponded mike memoli has there. you have been reporting this story all day long today. tell us how this decision was made and what we understand about president biden's decision process and expectations for what happens now. >> reporter: rachel, there has

been so much reporting over the last week about just how certain it was that president biden would be making this decision including reporting down to this date that it was going to be announced on sunday is not running for president. i have covered president biden and his team long enough to know there was never that element of certainty even within the president as we approached this decision. it's very clear over the course of the last 10 days, there had been somewhat of a shift on the part of it. the president's thinking from june 27 in the moments after that debate performance when he knew he had stumbled and potentially stumbled badly. his first impulse as it was throughout his career missed a fight, try to fight his way through it as he and the first lady put it, they weren't going to let a 90 minute debate performance determine what the future of his presidency would be or overshadow the previous three by five years of his presidency. but, as he was determined to fight and try to make the argument to fellow democrats

that he could and still planned to win this election, that really came into opposition to some of his most respected fellow leaders in the party. there were tensions that were flaring up. even between the biden team and his former running mate president obama. i received a statement on thursday that they were pointing to him, to speaker pelosi and schumer, pushing him out of the race now who had pushed him out of the race and 2015. look what we got them, donald trump. that in retrospect speaks to the final throes of this decision. as biden considered the counsel of a small group of advisers and more importantly, the counsel of his close family, including the first lady, that the conversation began to ship to, which are legacy going to be? what's in the best interest of the country as well? they made that decision as a family and president biden himself making the decision that the best course forward was to put his support fully

behind vice president harris. he could not continue to fight this battle within his own party at a time when the party needed to be focused on fighting donald trump. it is so striking how small the universe that that decision- making being shared was. one person close to the family who told me even last night that the signals he was getting was the president was fully committed to this going forward and staying in the race. over the course of the day, the circle of advisers began to expand, who knew what the president was considering doing, that included calls multiple calls we understand with vice president harris, to bring her into this conversation and to talk about the steps ahead. there had been some question about this process, but the bureaucratic process but what would biden simply do. there was no other decision to be made other than to fully endorse his vice president for this office, and that is now the hope and expectation going forward is that the party will unite behind her.

biden, when he made the decision in 2015 not to run, months after burying his eldest son, he said you cannot run for this office unless you commit fully 100% of yourself to that effort. ultimately, that was behind the decision the president made today. lake in 2015 when he said that he was not going to be a candidate but he would not step aside, you can expect in the remaining 100 plus days of this campaign and the remaining 180 or so days before he leaves the white house in january 20, 2025, that he will put, i am told, his full everything into both ensuring a democrat wins in november and ensuring the work of 54 years in elected office is finished right through the finish line to the very end. >> let me ask you about a couple of things that now seem like legitimately open questions. the president settled so much of what has been uncertain in

democratic politics and american politics with this dramatic decision, but they're open questions. one technocratic and one substitution intern of the politics. if, as you put it, president biden is hoping that the party will unite now behind the candidate he has endorsed, his vice president kamala harris, is the clarity about what needs to happen, technically, in terms of the delegates and in terms of ballot access and in terms of fundraising. we have seen a filing with the sec already, noting that kamala harris is at the top of the ticket and what previously had been their joint ticket. is there clarity within the white house as to how technically this is going to happen, and the other question, very much an open question is, who kamala harris will choose as a running mate. is that discussion open and

engaged at the white house at this point? >> reporter: i'll start with the first question. it's interesting to me. inadvertently, some republicans in the state of ohio who were trying to, in the view of the biden team and democratic national committee, played games with election access by potentially depriving biden from being put on the ballot in the state of ohio because the convention for the dnc was after ohio's filing deadline. that kicked into gear a process by which we would have this virtual nomination decided well in advance of the ohio deadline to end that uncertainty. as i understand, the conversations in the last few days have focused on what this process would look like to move forward with a plan, to have a virtual nomination, choose a nominee. the biggest uncertainty during these conversations was, with any other democrat raise their

hand and choose to run if president biden were to step aside, but even if he were to stay in the race. that is where we have uncertainty about what they might be in terms of a mini primary. what vice president harris you have to do to ship this of the candidates, how she can put herself to the top of the line in the view of this delegates to the convention, to earn their support. there was a lot made of barack obama, his statement today he was effusive in praising his former running mate for making this difficult decision. absent from that statement was any discussion of supporting vice president harris in the process. that was very deliberate, i am told, with sources familiar. in 2020 when he was supportive in certain ways but not explicitly endorsing joe biden as a candidate in 2020, he wanted to be in position once it was to rally the rest of the party fully behind the nominee whoever that ended up being.

he wants to do just that right now. the dnc is working through this. the chairman putting on a statement saying they will have more to say in the coming days about the process. the biggest question that will dictate the process moving forward is, will anybody raise her hand to do that? as it relates to the running mate decision, this is something i have been hearing about for weeks already. one of the first names that was raised to me as somebody who we received a statement from was the governor of north carolina, roy cooper, who is endorsing vice president harris to be the democratic nominee. he has been mentioned to me for several reasons. he is a sitting and finishing his second term as the governor of north carolina, important battleground state. somebody who served for 16 years as the attorney general of north carolina including six years when he served at the same time as a former california attorney general kamala harris. he was just with her as she campaigned there two days ago. that is one of the top of the

list for many i have been speaking to. another name is senator mark kelly of arizona. somebody who's new to the senate. somebody who's a veteran and could bring a lot of dynamism potentially to the ticket as well. when i have spoken to people close to vice president harris the last week, they have been erring on the side of total loyalty to president biden. they did not, as i asked one official, are you making preparations to have to step in including vetting of potential running mate. they said they didn't want any daylight to be seen between her continued support for president biden staying in the race and signals and may be perceived as disloyalty by doing just those things. now, there have been some people close to her on her behalf were undergoing a process of potentially putting a campaigner the makings of some staff to supporter together. now, she will be engaged in the conversation moving forward about who a running mate would

be. there's certainly more names than a two i mentioned that are brought about to this conversation. there are plenty of governors and senators who would like to be part of that conversation. this is a moment when vice president harris is deferring to president biden, wants to let him have his moment, before she makes her own case for her candidacy moving forward. >> white house correspondent mike memoli, near president biden's home in rehoboth beach, delaware. a historic day. good to have you with this. let us know if you got anything new. let me underscore what mike said about that new news from governor roy cooper of north carolina. he is one of the people who has been described as a potential running mate for kamala harris at the top of the ticket for democrats. he has now explicitly endorsed kamala harris is candidacy for presidency. another government, pennsylvania, josh shapiro pennsylvania out earlier this evening with a ringing

endorsement of kamala harris for president. we are starting to see a consolidation in the democratic party that you would expect after this unequivocal endorsement from president biden, including from men who may be candidates maybe on the shortlist as a potential as presidential running mate. >> really quickly, and speaking with a delegate in the state of florida at their meeting today. some of the names being circulated are the names you mentioned, josh shapiro as well as roy cooper. the other name that was going around, at least on the floor down there, people work gaming at out was obviously kentucky governor bashir is a popular name that ends up on the list. it's the same less going to everybody at this point. i want to quickly bring in nevada congressman and the chair the congressional black caucus. thank you for being here.

i have to ask you, this lead question everyone is asking. what was your reaction when you learn president biden will not be seeking reelection? >> first, thank you for having me on. president joe biden has given so much to our country. today is no exception. he is a man who has provided so much public service. he has put himself out front time and time again. today, he is putting the american people first and the future of our country and generations to come, quite frankly. i commend president biden, who i was with just last week in my district in las vegas. i campaigned with him in my district, talking about the economy and housing. taking him to local institutions in our community. i know president biden cares

deeply about people, and that is why he has selected, and i agree, with his endorsement of the vice president kamala harris to become a war nominee. she is the most prepared, qualified person win the nomination, to defeat donald trump into win this november. most importantly, to lead our country forward in the next generation. >> i have a question on this two parts. the first thing i will say is in talking with black members of the black caucus members as well as black folks, civilians i've run into around the country as i have been traveling. there's a deep well that i have seen is support for president biden given his record, cbc, investments in congressional historically black colleges and a lot of his policies they see as good for the african american community and a lot of

resentment about the way he had been treated by members of his own party and the anger at the party for the attempts to push him out. what i have been seeing is a residual surge in supporting loyalty for kamala harris, for vice president harris. a real suspicion that this push to effect president biden from the ticket was also about evicting her from the ticket. i know you have spoken with her today. i would like to get you to tell me if you could give any news from the conversation and where she stands and where she is at. what did you make of the strong endorsement that did come from president biden for her candidacy. do you think that's enough to head off any attempts to have someone other than kamala harris the new nominee? >> i did speak to the vice president earlier today. she wanted me to convey to the members of the congressional black caucus and members of the house democratic caucus at

large as well as our constituents, that she intends to earn this nomination into win this presidency. she was emphatic, and i agree with her. i believe that the president, president biden, his strong endorsement of her is because the historic wins they have accomplished were together with democrats in congress. working to advance the infrastructure investment act. the first comprehensive gun safety bill in 30 years. lifting 50% of children out of poverty. enacting the most aggressive climate action that any country in any place in the world has enacted. capping insulin costs at $35 a month. these are wins that the vice president along with president biden and democrats in congress achieved for the american people.

that is why she is the most prepared, the most qualified to win this nomination, to defeat donald trump, who is a threat to our democracy, and to win and govern for the next generation. >> very quickly, a quick follow- up on that. you name the biden/harris accomplishments. that is what any candidate would be running on, presumably, whatever democrat becomes a nominee. talk about what that means, earning this nomination. i talked a long time friend of president biden. he has known them since they were 29 and 27 respectively and he very much knows vice president harris. he said, he said that i could quote him. this is not complicated unless you do not want vice president harris to be the nominee. otherwise, she's the most qualified. she is the vice president and is the second powerful job in the u.s. and the closest thing beside the president to being a president. what does it mean for her to earn a nomination against,

presumably, governors. people not in the same position to be acting in the guise of a president? >> to be clear. when i heard her talk about burning and winning it, it's about putting the american people at the center of this debate and the selection. they will ultimately be the beneficiaries of the policies that we are able to enact. that's why i am proud to have been working with the vice president for the last months on her economic opportunities, to close the racial wealth gap. to center the issue of war, which is commonwealth, which is a center part of the work we are doing in the congressional black caucus. her reproductive justice focus to protect a woman's freedom to make her own health care decisions about her body, not some government person in washington, d.c. for some bureaucrat. the fact she understands the threat that donald trump and trump's project 2025 proposes

not only to women but people of color, to those in the lgbtq+ community, to veterans, to seniors, to young people. that is why this election is so important. it's how we will move our country forward with kamala harris at the top of the ticket , not backward. how we will bring our constituencies together to build coalitions, not to divide us like donald trump wants to. >> nevada congressman steven horsford, his name in the upper left-hand corner. that's professional in the business of politics, make sure the branding is there and the chairman of the congressional black caucus. thank you. >> the news has been pouring in just as we have been talking. just as you were interviewing the congressman there. we got word from act blue, the fundraising platform that has been effective in supporting

the democratic party. remember i said, that sound rehearing is the sense of pen scratching on checks?, quote,, small dollar donors race over $27.5 million on act blue in the first five hours of vice president kamala harris is residential campaign. $27.5 million just on act blue, just in the first five hours. they say, quote, grassroots supporters are excited to support her as a democratic nominee. we've got much more to come tonight is our special coverage -- and being told we're not going anywhere. oh. very sudden. we got word very abruptly from the control room that we had another endorsement of vice president harris for the presidency. this from another high-profile democrat. california governor gavin newsom. while this internal fight was happening in the democratic party over concerns about president biden showing his age,

governor newsom was one of the high-profile democrats who was discussed as a potential nominee if president biden was going to leave the race. california governor gavin newsom endorsing kamala harris is the likely nominee of the democratic party. okay. much more to come as our special coverage continues. chris murphy will join us in a moment. we have a lot of come. news is coming in hot and heavy. d heavy.

announcer what if you could whiten your teeth by simply brushing your teeth? now you can with smileactives, the teeth whitening breakthrough that safely gets your teeth white and keeps them white every day just by brushing your teeth. christine i never thought that whitening my teeth could be so easy. i just put the gel on the brush, the toothpaste on it, brush and i can see my white teeth. announcer simply add smileactives to any toothpaste, and our patented polyclean technology activates into a powerful micro foam that penetrates into the enamel surface to safely lift and remove stains. robert you need a simple way to withen your teeth without strips, without trays, without going to the dentist. and it was about time that a product was developed that you would be able to do that with just brushing. announcer and now smileactives is even better. with new pro whitening gel with 33% greater whitening power. clinically shown to whiten teeth faster up to eight shades. 100% of users saw whiter teeth on food stains, coffee and wine stains, even on veneers,

crowns and dentures. paul i eat the blueberries, i drink the coffee and i know that smileactives will keep my teeth white every day. janell if you could do something so easy like smileactives to take yellow teeth to white teeth, why wouldn't you? announcer why spend hundreds of dollars for whitening treatments at the dentist, when now you can whiten your teeth with new smileactives pro whitening gel every time you brush your teeth. call or go to smileactives.com and for a limited time get new pro whitening gel for just $24.95. order in the next 5 minutes and buy one get one absolutely free for just $24.95. that's two for one and save 58%. we■ll even include free shipping. get your teeth whiter, guaranteed, or return it within 60 days for your money back. i smile every day now. the difference is literally night and day. so now i'm always smiling or cheesing because now my teeth are much wither. announcer this offer is not available in stores, so call or click now before the special buy one, get one free offer goes away.

z's baking the house special. before the special buy one, arisa's styling a new look. and steve's filling his biggest order ever. with the first ever comcast business 5-year price lock guarantee, these business owners get five years of value on gig speed internet and advanced security, all from the company with 99.9% network reliability. so now they can focus on doing what they do best for the next five years. that's a lot of bread. you got this. the comcast business 5-year price lock guarantee. switch today for a limited tim.

welcome back to special coverage is president biden has made this stunning announcement that he will not seek reelection as president biden threw his support behind his vice president kamala harris, everything in politics broke wide open. in the last few hours, harris received endorsements from just a torrent of big-name and influential democrats. everyone from jim clyburn, the influential democratic congressman from south carolina who was so key to president biden getting the democratic party's nomination for president in 2020.

everyone from james clyburn to roy cooper in pennsylvania governor josh shapiro, both of whom have been described as potential running mates for kamala harris. california governor gavin newsom himself seen as a one- day presidential contender for the democrats. california governor gavin newsom and colorado governor jared polis have also both endorsed kamala harris this evening for president. just in the last few moments, transportation secretary and democratic star pete buttigieg has endorsed harris for president. fundraising has exploded on the democratic side today. this announcement from president biden about leaving the race was 1:46 p.m. the group act blue announced that in the first five hours after the announcement and president biden endorsing vice president harris, and five hours comic blue announcing it again $27.5 million in donations.

the "new york times" has written that up saying this is the biggest day for democratic donations online in years. the "new york times" tally is $30 million and counting. quoted one democratic strategist as saying, quote, this might be the greatest fundraising moment in democratic party history. at this hour, we can newly report the president biden's decision to not run for reelection is not related to new medical information, according to a senior administration official. news just breaking essentially constantly at this point as a country adjusts to this new reality. nicole come over to you. >> yes, senator chris murphy, democrat from connecticut. you have been on with us since this moment, i think, really gripped everyone in the democratic party. everyone committed to the pro- democracy side which is a more unwieldy coalition, not always welcome.

i want to come to you about what you tweeted. this story about joe biden super powder.'s commitment to standing with people at their lowest hours, especially people who have lost loved ones in mass shootings or school shootings. the story you told about the post uvalde post buffalo address? >> after the 2013, 2012 shooting at sandy hook, joe biden came to connecticut is scheduled to spend half an hour with the families. he ended up spending three hours. not just for the families but he asked for the families of sons and daughters who were killed in bridgeport, new haven to come to the event as well. he delayed his exit by hours and hours because he wanted to spend time with each one of those families. this is someone who is an empath when he wakes up and goes to bed at night who lives and breathes the experiences of those who have less people to gun violence.

after the shooting in uvalde, a lot of his advisers told him, this is the moment. congress won't do anything on guns and haven't in 30 years. joe biden refused to take no for an answer. a give a prime-time address the week after uvalde, against the advice of many of the folks who secured him in the white house, because he wanted to take a chance that this time, maybe something could happen. that address helped build pressure on congress. it helps support the negotiations i was leading and a month later we pass the most significant anti-gun violence bill in the history of this country. gun violence has plummeted by 20%. of course, this was a very difficult decision joe biden because he has been one of the most impactful, most effective president and their thousands who are alive today because violence rates have dropped significantly because of what he did. while the country is -- enthusiasm for kamala harris who will spark a whole new generation of interest and

involvement in the democratic party, it's a day where grateful we have joe biden for these four years. the lives he saved in the ability to bring the country out of a pandemic and restart the economy. an exceptional leader who shown this country are you put america first. >> what does that campaign look like, that melds those two things together? it feels like the other half of the history the joe biden made, to take what we owe him for doing this thing i worked in politics, no politician -- it's a slogan that a lot believe it. the people i work for believed it but i never witnessed an act where someone actually put the country and the party ahead of their own desire to serve the country and party. what does it look like when the enthusiasm for vice president kamala harris so that melds appropriately with the respect

and what we owe joe biden for what he did today? >> the reason you see this outpouring of support, these donations, the reason people like me who served with her of quickly endorsed her is because she is the best of both worlds. she carried into the campaign upon record. it's a good record. there are safer streets and schools than ever before in the last decade. she is also a new generation of leaders. she will be a historic president. a woman president and the time where women's rights are under assault. prosecutors running against a felon. in so many ways, she meets this moment and able to carry forward this record. we are not abandoning what has happened over the last four years. kamala harris owns that record of success. she is also able to turn the page in a historic way and take the fight to trump in a unique way.

i am excited for her candidacy. you will see the party unifying around her as we speak tonight. we will be ready tomorrow to take this fight to donald trump. joe biden steps aside because he put the country first. he saw the threat to democracy is graven decided kamala harris has a better chance to win. that's extraordinary thing to do when you're the most powerful person into it a shot at victory but kamala harris is a better shot and this country will learn a lot about an extraordinary woman over the next few days and weeks. >> a lot of her events have taken place between 4:00 and 6:00 eastern. there's a real fire that she has brought to the campaign trail while i think everyone else has been focused elsewhere. particularly on prosecuting the case against project 2025. to your point about a prosecutor against a felon, say more with that looks like. >> i agree.

i think kamala harris has been better over the last 2 to 4 weeks than i've ever seen her before. that's a test in and of itself. the stakes have been high and the spotlight has been on her in a different way, and she has been better than ever before which tells you she's going to be ready for this race. i have seen her at her best. i would not want to be on the receiving end of kamala harris best. that's what donald trump will get. project 2025 is freaking scary. it calls for a national abortion ban a calls for the persecution of transgender kids across the country. it is the played look for how you turn a democracy into autocracy. this country is kind of exhaustive with democracy. it hasn't by giving them what they need and want. they think will what the biden administration has done but they are ready to give up. the prosecutor and kamala harris

is going to be able to take this document the trump campaign had the gall to put on paper as to how they would get rid of our democracy and bring the fight to trump and explain the consequences to the market public. joe biden was doing that but kamala harris will be able to do it in a tremendously effective way. >> senator chris murphy, it's always a pleasure to talk to, especially on a day like today. thank you for making time for us. >> thank you. check joining us is presidential historian pulitzer prize-winning biographer, john meacham. he's an adviser to president biden and worked with him on several important speeches. it's a pleasure to have you with us tonight, particularly given your relationship with this president, but also because of your history's perspective. thank you for making the time to be here. >> thank you. >> let me ask you first for a

historian perspective and then i like to talk if i can about what your communications have been like with the president and what you understood about this process. with a history's eye, we have been saying this is one of those moments where you will remember where you were when you heard. it's something that is happened very rarely in american history. it's never happened under the circumstances before. it feels like a profound and perhaps unique act of personal and political sacrifice by a president who didn't want to do this but felt it was everything to do for the country. let me ask if those resonate with you in terms of what you understand about the american presidency in joe biden's role in it? >> absolutely. very few presidents with the opportunity to continue to seek office, to continue to dwell at the pinnacle of power, john addams when he was vice president said the presidency would always be the object of

all lies in the focus of all attention. i, like you have never met a politician who did not seek to be the focus of all eyes and all attention. that is part of the dna of those who are in the arena. only george washington who said the two term president in the late 18th century, harry truman in 1952, could have under the 22nd amendment could've run for one more term. he decided not to in 1952. of course, president johnson in 1968. although that's a complicated example. it's fairly well established in our friend michael beschloss knows more about this than i do, that's true of many things. lbj was sort of expected the democrats were going to come calling when the convention came around. with president biden has done is a remarkable act of giving up something that he spent a lifetime, much of a lifetime,

seeking. i think the important thing to remember is in president biden's biography itself, he thought the story was over after he left the vice presidency. in many ways, i don't think -- i know i'm not violating anything to say, in many ways he passed the torch to his son who was a very brilliant young politician in delaware. i remember he was the first person i ever met who was my age are a little younger, i sat there and i thought, he's going to be president. it was that kind of ambience. that is what president biden thought this chapter of his life was going to be about. he would be an elder statesman and helping beau as he tried to serve the country. and then, as so often with joe biden, history and fate intervened.

beau dies in 2015 . agonizing decision about whether to run in 2016. and then, and i take president biden absolutely at his word, charlottesville happened. he is watching the television where neo-nazis are protesting. remember why they were there? protesting the removal of a statue of robert e. lee. the torches and the chaos of that moment, and the incumbent president's reaction sing their refined people on both sides. it brought a question to president biden which is, it can happen here. it has happened here so much. so often. the forces that we have to contend with, the extremism and racism and isolationism, protectionism, those forces are part of the american character and always will be as long as americans are human beings.

the task of democracy, the task of the rule of law is to manage our appetites and our ambitions in a way that will enable us to get just enough right. president biden gave -- has given 50 years and still is, trying to get things just right enough with the rest of us. he reengaged at that point. remember what happened when he was running in 2020? we were in the grip of a global pandemic. the rule of law under fundamental assault. he stepped into the breach. he stood up for democracy over autocracy and stood up for the rule of law. i know that history will treat him incredibly well because he deserves it. he has been a consequential president before today. today makes him a consequential president who courageously put country above self. >> this will be an exemplar. an

exemplar of what it means to be a politician who acts not in his own interest but in the interest of the country. we have lots of heroic examples of that from people that led to them becoming president because they demonstrated the form of heroism and some of the ran some other part of their life. whether military service or some other way they were serving their country. we admired it so much we decided a man like that ought to be president. for a president to do this sitting in office, having the world in his hands and to say, i'm going to give it up because it's the right thing to do for this nation. it is, it's a story that i don't know any other president besides joe biden could have written it but it's a remarkable thing. as you know, he thinks of himself as underestimated. you know he resents anybody telling him he can't. >> as do we all. >> exactly.

but him, more than most. i remember speaking with them around the decision to not run in 2016. that was a complicated thing in different things going on. the thing that was foreground was anger. was feeling that he was making his own decision but the anger about people telling him what he ought to do was palpable. he was up with that. in terms of your personal interactions with him into britain important speeches with him and met with him a number of times. you advised him to in the course of his presidency. he is, we think, good to give remarks later this week. he said so in his letter today. presumably explaining more about his decision and elaborate more in his endorsement of vice president kamala harris. are you involved at all in working with him on that? do you have expectations for what that will be? >> i think we can all sort of think about what that will begin to look like. if asked, i am happy to help.

i was not part of the decision- making process that led to today. i do not want to exaggerate my role. i'm a peripheral figure. we have become friends. we share, i think, that sounds pretentious. he has a view of the country with which i agree. about the fact that a democracy has a soul because it's a human and not a clinical undertaking. our character matters. every one of us. will talk about that in a second about the process. i want to say something to point you just made. made. speech in a second, the process. i want to talk about it! you just made. not only is president biden an exemplar of lyrical grace and chris, i would argue that this is a hugely important exemplar for all of us as citizens, in this moment, in this hectic hour, of putting a larger cause