'Tough to watch': Reporter reacts to WH press briefing after CNN debate

The white House fended off tough questions about President Biden's fitness at the briefing yesterday. And it was at times it was tough to watch. Is anyone in the white House hiding information about the president's health or his ability to do the job day to day? Absolutely not. As it relates to his medical workers, we have been transparent. We have released thorough reports from his medical team every year since he's been in office. That is something that we have been pretty consistent about. Have we been transparent, though? Alex Thompson I think a big part of this story is how people feel like the white House hasn't been candid. Absolutely. I mean, as someone you know, we've talked about this before. Someone that's reported on his age for the last three and a half years. as a reporter, I feel, especially in retrospect, after watching that debate, I have been Matt Bai gaslighting, a lot of deflecting at times. Now, I've been telling the truth about the president's schedule, and now we've all been talking about this whole thing about the president from 10 to 4 reported that a year ago. but no one really paid much attention to it. And the fact is that and this is also what is added to the turmoil inside this white House, because there is incredible frustration, especially among the people that really loved Joe Biden, that have been with him for a long time, that if people within the inner circle knew that he had some of these moments, that knew that there was even a 5% chance that what happened on Thursday night was going to happen, and they let him go on that stage and humiliate himself and run the entire world, and they let him do it anyway. There is tremendous anger and sadness among the people that have worked for Joe Biden. Believe in his legacy, that they let him go out there and do it anyway. But can I just say that that point is actually exactly why I believe that that Thursday night was an aberration. Now we'll see. We'll see what happens. But the people I worked for Joe Biden for a long time, I worked closely with all of the people who are closely around him. They care about him. They love him. They would not have let him go out if they believed that that was what was going to happen. So I actually I take the sort of inverse of the argument you're making to reinforce the idea that, you know, it was a historically bad night. It was an epically bad night, but the people around him would not have put him forward to do that if they felt that that's what was going to happen. But do you believe it was really the first time that that had ever happened? I do. I genuinely I know I realize that's, you know, again, I based this on my own experience. Granted, I left over a year ago, so I'm not, you know, but, you know, I never saw that version of Joe Biden. and I just don't believe that the people around him who make these helped make these decisions with him, would have put him in that situation if they thought there was a chance that was going to happen. Mark Preston, you know, we've written his obituary in the obituary. I mean, again, this is the commentary. Let's talk about how he can survive. Now, where I'm from, Gorman's from, you don't go to a fist fight without being able to really want to knock the person's head off. Joe Biden did not show up at that debate to try to knock Donald Trump's head off. He went into that debate and talked about policy issues. This is not 1970. This is not 1980 and 1990. We are in 2024 right now. Donald Trump has redefined how we play politics. And if Joe Biden wants to survive this, Joe Biden's going to go out there and street fight is what he needs. Well, I mean, and isn't that a big part of it? Matt Gorman though, that like, I mean, they've painted this as an existential moment for the country and that makes the stakes of Joe Biden having a night like he did that much higher. Absolutely. Again, when everything is the democracy lies in, you know, this night or this race, then you're right. And there's no room for error. And, you know, I think I'll go back to what Kate said earlier in the program. This is not a West Wing episode, right? This this will not go as cleanly as I think collectively, we all think it will. Right. And so let's think about this. So if he has an okay. Stephanopoulos interview and an okay, press conference, then Trump announces VP. And does this kind of get washed away a little bit? It we'll see. But I think, you know, the transition from Biden to Kamala, if it happens, it's not going to be some seamless thing. CNN's Arlette Sines is joining us outside the white House. What are you learning, Arlette, about this phone call that has all the staff has been told they need to be on? Well, Sarah White House chief of Staff Jeff Zients is expected to hold a call with staff in just a few hours. We're told that this is a call that's essentially touching base with the staff, but it comes at a time when President Biden, as you noted, is under significant pressure from within his own party as there are starting to see some real serious cracks in support for the president following that debate. Performance, now part of President Biden's work for today will be trying to reassure party leaders as well as hear out some of their concerns. A bit later this evening, the president will be meeting here at the white House with Democratic governors to hear some of their concerns and really try to shore up support within the Democratic Party. It's expected that some of these governors will also be joining the call virtually. The president today is also expected to pick up the phone at various points of the day to speak with congressional leaders. A source told us that the President Biden, did connect with the House Minority leader, Hakeem Jeffries, just yesterday. But it comes as there has been at least one Democratic lawmaker who has publicly called for President Biden to step aside in this race, that is, Congressman Lloyd Doggett and privately, many Democrats are expressing beginning to express concerns that the president needs to step aside for the good of the party, but also for the good of the country. Now, President Biden, at that fundraiser last night in Virginia, tried to offer a new explanation for his debate performance, saying that part of it was due to the fact that he was crossing the globe a few times for international travel, with trips to Italy and France. He told those donors that he almost fell asleep on the debate stage, which garnered some laughter in the room. But it's unclear whether that explanation in any way would ease any concerns within the party about the president's performance and future in this race. Now, there are also growing calls for more transparency relating to the president's health, as well as his mental acuity. That is an issue that was a major focus at the white House press briefing with Karine Jean-Pierre yesterday. This is what she said specifically when it came to the issue of mental acuity and whether the white House might provide more information on that front and take a listen. The medical team said it is not warranted in this case. We have put forward a thorough, transparent, annual report on his health. So they have said that is not warranted. It is not necessary. Again, we understand, we understand. We are not taking away from what you all saw or what the American people saw. We understand it was a bad night. Is anyone in the white House hiding information about the president's health or his ability to do the job day to day? Absolutely no. Now, all of this conversation comes as new CNN polling has found the President Biden's standing in the race after this debate. A stands pretty similar to where he was in polling prior to the debate. But one thing that is also notable in that polling that was released yesterday is about a three quarters of Americans believe that Democrats would do better in the 2024 election without Biden at the top of the Democratic ticket. Now, the Biden campaign continues to insist the president is remaining in this race. Today, they are starting their own messaging push, trying to turn the focus directly to former President Donald Trump by releasing a new ad focusing on that Supreme Court ruling on presidential immunity for the Biden campaign. They're really trying to recenter this as a debate around Trump. While so many questions swirl within the Democratic Party about President Biden's future at the top of the Democratic ticket. All right, Arlette signs. And we also should mention that the governors will be meeting with Biden today to try to allay their concerns. Appreciate your reporting there from outside the white House, John. Yeah. So where do things stand this morning? Which way is the momentum flowing? We've got our best man on it. CNN's Isaac Dovere is with us now. Isaac, you woke up and what was on your phone this morning if you were lucky enough to sleep, what are you hearing from Democrats around the country? And not a lot of sleep for anybody these days, John. But what is going on here is a real mix of emotions and feelings about what should happen next. A lot of Democrats starting to get ever more concerned, pushing for a decision from Joe Biden to come quickly. Some wanted this week and the decision that they want is for him to step aside. The other Democrats saying that they are ready to try to move past this if they can, this is playing out. Let's take a listen to what Lloyd Doggett, the Texas congressman, said yesterday, which got a lot of people, both excited to have somebody step out, but others saying this is not what they need right now. I salute President Biden. I just feel that it's time for him to step aside. If we were to be able to protect what he allowed us to gain in 2020, he delivered us from Trump, then he could be delivering us to Trump this year. And that's Lloyd Doggett, who is a congressman from not a swing district, and not a two prominent figure in the party. Other more prominent people are talking, publicly. And like, there's also, lots of unnamed Democrats this, at this moment, one telling CNN yesterday we are deeply concerned about his trajectory and his ability to win. We want to give him space to make a decision. but we will be increasingly vocal about our concerns. If he doesn't, that is going to be the theme of the governors meeting tonight. It's going to be the theme of everything happening today. People looking for reassurance from Joe and and noting that they still have not seen very much of him over the course of these days. He had that one fundraiser last night, but one event during the day, we don't expect to see much of him today. And then there's Friday, this big interview that he has. That may be the watershed moment, prediction time very quickly. Isaac, do you think by the end of today, more elected Democrats besides Lloyd Doggett, come out and say they would like to see Joe Biden step aside? The way that things are going, I think it is likely that you will see some more voices emerge. But, we don't know exactly how this is going. We know you're working the phones. As they get back to work. Let us know what you hear. Thanks so much for being with us this morning.