CNN: Should Biden Run in 2024? President Facing Trouble in His Own Party

CNN Newsroom with Pamela Brown
06/12/22
Eastern, 7:34:59

PAMELA BROWN – Tonight, a breakthrough could be made in gun reform. An agreement was reached in principle by a bipartisan group senators to pass gun safety legislation. Ten Republican Senators support it right now, which indicates that there’s enough support for the legislation to defeat the filibuster. The legislative text is still not complete, but these are the most important parts.

Financial support for school safety and mental health. State grants to adopt so-called “red flag” laws. Closing the “boyfriend” loophole, penalties for straw purchases, and clarifying the definition of a firearms dealer. Maria Cardona (Democratic strategist) and Alice Stewart (Republican strategist) will be discussing these topics and more. It’s great to meet you, ladies.

Alright, let’s just get right into this, this big news today. This is the most important news in decades. A bipartisan framework. Right? Right? Four of them are retiring, so these 10 don’t have much to lose politically. Note that Mitch McConnell has publicly praised the achievements of negotiators. He was not the first to endorse this framework.

Is it possible to believe there will be more Republicans who support gun reform that is meaningful? Let us know your thoughts.

ALICE STEWART: I’m extremely hopeful, and I’m glad to see this ten already step out in support of this. Look, I’ve talked to several Republican Senate offices, they are reading over the text, reading over the agreement and I do expect to see more Republicans join on.

Look, Mitch McConnell was very clear right from the beginning. The aspects must be included in any real meaningful prevention of gun violence. Gun restrictions, mental health, and school safety are integral components of the discussion. This is why I am glad that bipartisan talks were held that did not only focus on the gun aspect but also school safety.

BROWN: I’m want to ask you, because this is the obvious question, right Maria, you know, there will be more shootings, sadly. It doesn’t matter.

MARIA CARDONA

BROWN: Do you worry that Republicans will point to this legislation if it becomes law and say ‘gun control doesn’t work?’

CARDONA. I hope so. Nothing in this article restricts the AR-15 from being used in any other way. It is possible that the AR-15 may be used in the next school shooting, or mass shooting. So, I think that if this happens it will be a sign of the need for more.

We do need to do more. Although I’m as hopeful as Alice, this is only a first step. However, it does make me feel optimistic. We are 18 years old and our frontal cortex has not developed enough to buy an AR-15. Why should we allow an 18 year-old to purchase an AR-15? It doesn’t make any sense.

BROWN: Already I’ve already talked about the January 6 hearings. Let’s listen to Congresswoman Liz Cheney describing on how Trump aides describe the President’s reaction to the riot.

[Cuts to video]

LIZ CHENEY: President Trump was yelling and, quote, “really angry at advisors who told him he needed to be doing something more.” And aware of the rioter’s chants to hang Mike Pence, the President responded with this sentiment: “maybe our supporters have the right idea.” Mike Pence, quote, “deserves it.”

[Cuts back to live]

BROWN: Alice, I was wondering your thoughts. Is Mike Pence being too forceful against Trump? Given the fact that we’re now learning Trump had been in favor of Pence being hanged.

It was Olivia Troye who I interviewed, an ex-aide of Mike Pence. I said, “Do you think that Pence, and other Republicans who haven’t come out against Trump, are lacking moral courage?” And she said yes. Do you agree?

STEWART : I believe that Pence has been a loyal aide of the President for many years. Pence has made a statement on the matter and, more importantly, his action of not stopping certification of votes from the Electoral College was impressive. He also had the courage to speak out against Donald Trump.

I think what we are going to hear, what we are going to hear tomorrow is not just what the President said in his action but in his inaction for more than 180 minutes doing absolutely nothing while this happened, that’s going to speak a lot.

But the truth is we need to get answers, we need to find out who is responsible for this, but at the end of the day when it comes to the politics of this, people heading into the midterm elections are more focused on the what’s going on the midterm elections and beyond and not about what happened in the last election.

BROWN: Well, it’s worth noting, Maria, that Trump is more popular than ever. Right? He is currently the Republican front-runner to win the nomination for president. His party is more popular than me. You think that is a good idea?

CARDONA – Absence can make the heart grow wilder, perhaps? Although it’s amazing, it seems to me that it helps him. He is not on social media or mainstream social media which everyone can access or want to access. However, these hearings will help remind everybody — all people.

He should be front-and-center through the hearings, as well as through what happens if he runs again in 2024. That will help people remember why they rejected him back in 2020 and won’t want to see him again. And that is if he does not get the nomination. Alice, I’m hoping that your party will actually step up and have other leaders to beat him but right now, like you said, according to the polling, that’s not the case.

BROWN: There is much to be done in 2024. AOC may be hesitant to talk about their support, but Dana Bash, my colleague, asked Alexandria Ocasio Cortez if she would vote for President Biden, assuming he runs again. Here’s her response.

[Cuts to video]

REP. ALEXANDRIA OCASIO-CORTEZ (D-NY): If the President has a vision and that is something that we’re all willing to entertain and examine when the time comes.

DANA BASH – That is not the case.

OCASIO-CORTEZ: Yeah. OCASIO-CORTEZ: Yes.

BASH: Okay.

OCASIO CORTEZ: — we’ll vote for it once we have. The President has done a great job thus far. I would endorse him running again.

[Cuts to live]

BROWN These comments can be found here The New York Times published an article with the headline: “Should Biden Run in 2024? Democratic Whispers of ‘No’ Start to Rise.”  I was just interviewing David Axelrod. He said that hand-wringing between Democrats was part of the job. Do you believe President Biden ought to be concerned about an uprising in his party?

CARDONA: Well, I think what President Biden should be worried about is 2022, because that’s what’s in front of us. Because I think it will be easier for people to carry on this type of whisper campaign if they get a shellacking, I think.

Therefore, I believe this President and Democrats should and will be focusing on 2022. They must continue making the case candidate-by-candidate that they have the values or the principles to protect the American interests. The Republicans’ solution is blame, more chaos.

BASH: What are your final thoughts?

STEVART: This was no trick question. She answered that Joe Biden was her supporter by answering the question. The President’s response to this question must be a strong one.

And, it’s laughable for her to say that he is doing a good job when we have record inflation, the economy is in a bad spot, we’re still dealing with foreign policy disasters and crime is on the rise, and crisis at the border. So, look, if he gets pushback from people of his own party, AOC being a big figure in the party, he’s in real trouble.

BROWN – AOC went on to Instagram

CARDONA: Exactly.

BROWN :-Her Instagram Stories and she said it was a curveball. She responded, “I mean, it’s a curveball.”

CARDONA, She will back him in 2024 if that’s what he does.

BROWN Alice Stewart and Maria Cordana thank you so much.