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President Biden Drops Out of the Presidential Race, Endorses Harris; Trump PAC Attacks Harris with Ads; Republicans Calls for Biden's Resignation; Vice President Harris Intends to Earn and Win Her Nomination. Biden Exits 2024 Race, Endorses Kamala Harris; World Leaders React To Biden's 2024 Presidential Race Exit; Biden First President To Quit Re-Election Race Since LBJ In 1968. Aired 2-3a ET

Aired July 22, 2024 - 02:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

[02:00:00]

ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN HOST: Hello and welcome to our viewers joining us from all around the world and to everyone streaming us on CNN Max. I'm Rosemary Church. US Vice President Kamala Harris is seeing a swift surge of support as she moves to secure the Democratic presidential nomination after Joe Biden announced he would bow out of the race.

The stunning decision follows weeks of increasing pressure from inside President Biden's own party for him to step aside. We have learned that information given to him by his closest advisers on Saturday underscored the path to victory was basically non-existent. In a letter posted on X, Mr. Biden said, and I'm quoting here, "It has been the greatest honor of my life to serve as your president. And while it has been my intention to seek re-election, I believe it is in the best interest of my party and the country for me to stand down and to focus solely on fulfilling my duties as president for the remainder of my term."

Well, the president went on to offer his full support and endorsement for Harris. In her own statement, Harris thanked Mr. Biden for his extraordinary leadership. She went on to say she was honored to have his endorsement and that it was her intention to, quote, "earn and win this nomination."

Meanwhile, President Joe Biden is winning praise from his fellow Democrats for stepping aside in the race. While former President Barack Obama has not endorsed Kamala Harris as of yet, he and his wife, Michelle, did release a statement in full support of Joe Biden, calling him a patriot of the highest order. It says, in part, "We will be navigating uncharted waters in the days ahead, but I have extraordinary confidence that the leaders of our party will be able to create a process from which an outstanding nominee emerges."

Former President Bill Clinton and former Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton thanked Joe Biden for standing up for America. Both say they are honored to join the president in endorsing Kamala Harris.

Well, other Democrats are not ready to give their full support to Harris yet, including the first congressional member to urge Mr. Biden to withdraw from the race.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. LLOYD DOGGET (D-TX): It's a historic day and President Biden made a courageous decision that Donald Trump could never make, and that is to put country over ego. And as a result of his decision, we have a much better opportunity to prevent Donald Trump and his gang from taking over our government and maybe never giving it back.

WOLF BLITZER, CNN HOST: So you were pleased he stepped aside today?

DOGGETT: I was pleased, but I recognized, just like a decision President Johnson had to make decades ago under different circumstances, what a painful and difficult decision this was. And so I respect him and his decision-making process. I'm just pleased that we can now get on with it and have a better opportunity to prevent Trump and his gang from taking over our government.

BLITZER: Are you ready to endorse Kamala Harris as the Democratic nominee?

DOGGETT: Not yet.

BLITZER: Why not?

DOGGETT: I think she would be an excellent nominee for us. But from the very moment that I asked President Biden to step aside almost three weeks ago, I made the point that we need a fair, open and democratic process and we still need that. I think that's basically what President Obama, what earlier Speaker Pelosi were calling for.

No disrespect to Vice President Harris, but this doesn't have to be decided within minutes or hours of President Biden's decision. We need to engage the whole country. We need to be hearing from voters across the country. And this shouldn't be strictly a Washington inside deal.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Meantime, Donald Trump is slamming President Joe Biden on social media. He posted this on Sunday, "Crooked Joe Biden was not fit to run for president and is certainly not fit to serve and never was." Publicly, Trump's team says they hope Harris is the Democratic nominee. But privately, there's apparently concern about facing her or any other potential candidate.

Meanwhile, Trump allies are already launching attack ads criticizing Harris. Trump super PAC MAGA Inc. released this ad on social media on Sunday. It claims Harris covered up Biden's mental state. The group says it plans to air the ad in battleground states.

[02:10:00]

While many Republican lawmakers are criticizing President Joe Biden's decision, House Speaker Mike Johnson posted this to social media, "If Joe Biden is not fit to run for president, he is not fit to serve as president. He must resign the office immediately. Having invalidated the votes of more than 14 million Americans who selected Joe Biden to be the Democrat nominee for president, the self-proclaimed party of democracy has proven exactly the opposite."

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said the Democratic Party is quote, "trying to upend the expressed will of the American people in primary elections. Senator Mitt Romney had a different take. He said he respects Joe Biden and that the president made the right decision.

Well, joining me now to discuss all these developments, CNN political commentator and Democratic strategist Maria Cardona, who is standing by in Washington, and in New York Republican strategist and fundraiser Noelle Nickpour. She's also the author of "Branding America: What Does Your Brand Say About You?" Welcome to you both.

MARIA CARDONA, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Thanks, Rosemary.

NOELLE NIKPOUR, REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST & FUNDRAISER: Thank you.

CHURCH: So we are at this historic moment. Joe Biden ending his reelection campaign, offering his full support and endorsement for Kamala Harris to be the new nominee. Now we're seeing an urgent effort underway among Democrats to rally support behind Harris and lock in delegates and lawmakers with a viable running mate before next month's convention.

So the main calculation being, of course, which team can beat Donald Trump? Maria, how critical is it that the Democrats will lock this in now to avoid a messy open convention in August and what comes next?

CARDONA: I think that we will definitely avoid a messy open convention during our convention. I think that Vice President Kamala Harris is doing exactly what she needs to do. She has called over a thousand delegates just today to reach out to them, to talk to them about how excited she is to earn and win their support. That's what she wants to do. That's what she said when she first heard about the president stepping aside and endorsing her full-throatedly.

So she is working for this. And anyone else who wants to throw their hat in the ring is welcome to do so as well. They have to do the same kind of hard work that she is reaching out to the delegates, talking to them about why they think they would be the best person to do it. But as of now, Rosemary, no one else has put their hat in the ring.

And for the most part, frankly, for everyone who Democratic Party leaders have mentioned as possibilities to be the ones to take over and compete for the nomination, most of them have come out to wholeheartedly support and endorse Vice President Kamala Harris. So from here on out, what the DNC is going to do and the Rules and Bylaws Committee of the DNC, who are the ones who put together how this process is going to work, of which I am a member, we'll be putting out in the coming days, a process by which this -- the process for the nomination?

It's going to be open; it's going to be fair; it's going to be transparent; it's going to be public. We will be posting how that is going to happen. Our meetings are public, we're going to have a meeting on Wednesday to talk about how to move forward with our process. And I am very confident that we will get to the convention as a strong, unified party behind our Democratic nominee and the nominee for vice president, and we will go on to beat Donald Trump and J.D. Vance in November.

CHURCH: Noelle, Donald Trump is already ramping up attacks on Kamala Harris. He is calling for the next debate to be held on Fox instead of ABC as originally planned. Many are saying these signals he's afraid to debate Harris. Your response to that and how his campaign strategy will shift its attack to Harris from Biden?

NIKPOUR: Well, I think Donald Trump is chomping at the bit to debate her. And I think one of the reasons for that is because he is doing this to go ahead and engage where the support is going to come from, because right now the biggest issues that are polling are between the economy and immigration. And right now, think that with Kamala Harris, as let's just say she would be the presumed nominee so far, I mean, Maria's right, nobody else has come out, come forth yet.

[02:10:00]

And so if you look at that, it's going to put women's issues back on the table. And if you'll remember, in the midterms, 2022, the Republicans lost steam over that one issue with women's rights. So this is bringing it back into play full center. And if you will look the first five hours that Kamala Harris was introduced saying that she was going to get the, you know, be the nominee. fundraising from I think Act Blue raised $27 million and some political activists, David Hogue, a youthful political activist, within one hour raised a $100,000 from young voters.

So I think that the Republicans, the Trump campaign, the super PACs, I think that they are looking at this and that's why they have attack ads ready to go full force. And as you know, Donald Trump is -- got a lot of bravado and he is going to get out there and go ahead and tackle it by saying let's do this debate, I'm ready for the debate. I want to do it on Fox News because that's where the base is and I think that he is showing strength in doing that because that is his brand. That is his shtick. And that is how that he's been able to monopolize and raise money on this, Rosemary.

CHURCH: Yeah, I mean, he's looking for a friendly environment, isn't he, away from ABC onto Fox.

NIKPOUR: Yeah.

CHURCH: So, Maria, Kamala Harris says she will earn and win the nomination, but will others challenge her? We are hearing Joe Manchin may do so. Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear has congratulated her, but not yet endorsed her. He's going on morning television. We'll hear what he has to say.

Harris will need to decide which of her potential challenges would be the best running mate. Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro endorsed her Sunday, as did North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper and Arizona Senator Mark Kelly, along with many others. It's pouring in. So who would be the best choice as her running mate, do you think?

CARDONA: Well, that, I think, is going to be the next, right, $60 million question, Rosemary. That's what's going to be very exciting about the next several weeks because that's what we will find out. I think, for the most part people believe that because she will be the first black woman of Asian descent, South Asian descent, daughter of immigrants who will be vying for the highest office in the land, pretty much people believe that her running mate needs to be a white man, because we all know that this is the greatest country in the world, but there is still a lot of racism, a lot of sexism, a lot of misogyny.

And I think that will absolutely rear its ugly head in this election. And there's frankly a lot of swing voters that might not be comfortable with somebody that looks like VP Kamala Harris. But I do want to mention something about what you said, Rosemary, about Donald Trump and debating the VP. I do think that he is very concerned about this. I do think that the Trump campaign has no idea how to run against her.

They have privately said that they were very concerned that this exact thing was going to happen. They've actually raised now -- the vice president has actually raised $70 million from grassroots donors from across the country. So that shows you that this really has injected a level of energy that the Democratic Party frankly needed moving forward.

And Noelle is right. The issue of reproductive rights, which is something that really energized the Democratic Party and Democratic Party candidates and Democratic Party issues in the 2022 election so much so that we never saw a red wave that everyone predicted and all the polls predicted.

I think that there is something very similar will happen this time around. And the Republicans have no idea still to this day how to deal with that issue and that's going to be front and center in this election moving into November.

CHURCH: Yeah, we are seeing this -- the money and support just pouring in aren't we. So Noelle, a CNN poll of polls average of recent polls testing Vice President Kamala Harris against former President Donald Trump shows a close race with no clear leader. Trump holding 48 percent support in the average of six recent polls testing the match up, while Harris holds 47 percent. All of these polls were conducted after the CNN presidential debate in late June. Just one was after the assassination attempt on Donald Trump. So how worried would the Republicans be by these numbers? I mean, look how close this is.

[02:14:56]

NIKPOUR: Definitely. It puts the race in play. I mean, you've got to admit when Biden was running, with all the difficulty surrounding that race, the Republicans really thought this is an easy cakewalk, because not only was it an easy cakewalk, but you had Democrats basically saying get out of the race. So with Kamala Harris, if she is the nominee, this puts an entire different race at hand. So what was looking like a cakewalk for the Republicans will turn into

a real race. And you've got to remember that there's a lot of unknowns. So we don't know who her VP pick is going to be. We don't know who J.D. Vance is going to have to debate. We do not know. There are a lot of unknowns here.

What I am looking for, though, being a fundraiser, a Republican fundraiser, I am looking for the small dollar donor, because that signals momentum. And you saw that with Barack Obama. He had a lot of small dollar donors, and you saw that with Donald Trump. I want to see if Kamala Harris is the nominee. I want to see if she is going to be able to capture that momentum vote, because that tells me those small dollar donors, Rosemary, those are votes. Because if somebody gives you $10 and $25 and $100, that's a lot for them, and they're going to back it up with a vote.

CHURCH: A lot happening. Maria Cardona, Noelle Nikpour, thank you to you both for joining us. Appreciate it.

CARDONA: Thanks, Rosemary.

CHURCH: And still to come, we are learning more about how Kamala Harris handled weeks of calls for President Biden to drop out of the 2024 race, plus what voters are saying about the announcement. Back with that and more in just a moment.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNKNOWN: We love Joe Biden, and I think he's done a tremendous, selfless act for the greater good of the country. I think it was time and he passed the torch, and he passed the torch to the right person.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[02:20:00]

CHURCH: Welcome back, everyone. More details now on our top story this hour. U.S. President Joe Biden officially ending his re-election campaign just hours ago, endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris to succeed him. But despite growing calls for Mr. Biden to step down in recent weeks, sources say Harris and her aides tried to show a united front. The Vice President has staunchly defended Biden on the campaign trail, even raising more than $2 million at a fundraiser on Saturday.

Now, Harris is focusing on her own potential candidacy. A source says she's already working the phones, calling lawmakers and delegates to shore up support. She had a list of about 200 calls to make on Sunday alone, including with the heads of the Congressional Black Caucus and Hispanic Caucus.

Well, several prominent Democrats are already speaking out in support of Kamala Harris, praising her record as a vice president and senator and calling her a genuine leader.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. CHRIS COONS (D-DE): I have confidence, as does our president in Vice President Harris. I served with her in the Senate. I've seen what a difference she has made as vice president, ensuring that we get 200, more than 200 federal judges seated who are among the highest qualified, most diverse judges in our history. She has fought hard for freedoms and for rights of Americans, and she is a genuine leader. And I'm glad that President Biden has endorsed her today and made it clear the direction that he intends to take as the most respected senior leader in our party this fall.

REP. ERIC SWALWELL (D-CA): We can finish the work that Joe Biden has done to restore our democracy and build our economy, or we can turn the greatest country in the world over to a felon, judged rapist, six- time bankrupt businessman who sent his friends to violently storm the last office from which he was fired. To me, the choice isn't hard, and it's pretty clear that Kamala Harris would be the best one to inherit that work.

JARED POLLS, GOVERNOR OF COLORADO: I personally am backing Kamala Harris. I think she's ready day one. She's the vice president. She's ready to take on the responsibility of leadership. She has the energy. She's a vision of Colorado's future. Let me say something else, as the father of a 10-year-old girl, I couldn't be more excited to have the opportunity to elect a woman as president of the United States.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Benjamin Radd is a political scientist at UCLA, and he joins us now from Los Angeles. Appreciate you being with us.

BENJAMIN RADD, POLITICAL SCIENTIST, UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, LOS ANGELES: Thank you for having me.

CHURCH: So Kamala Harris and her team moved very quickly in the midst of this historic moment, making hundreds of urgent calls to rally support behind her, from delegates to lawmakers to donors. How important is it for Harris to lock in her nomination, along with a running mate, and avoid an open convention next month? And can she do this, do you think?

RADD: Well, if what the voters are looking for and what the party is looking for is the person who is best positioned to continue the Biden agenda, then Harris makes a perfect choice and is the right pick for this. She, obviously, being Joe Biden's vice president, most familiar with his policies, has been side-by-side with him as he's gone through the last few years with both the ups and downs that Biden has had to deal with.

So she's best positioned to execute and continue the Biden legacy, if you will. And so it remains to be seen, however, if she can convince any holdouts who might be preferring an open primary or some other options, whether or not she is up to the task. But if it's a continuation that the voters are looking for, she seems to make the most logical sense. CHURCH: And of course, we usually say the running mate doesn't matter

and plays a very small role in the political calculation. But that's not the case in this situation, is it? Harris needs to stave off a vote against her next month by selecting one of her potential challengers as a running mate. Who do you think would be her best choice?

[02:25:07]

RADD: Well, that's indeed an issue and there are several reasons for this. There's, number one, she served a brief term in the Senate and doesn't have any national experience beyond that Senate term. She also doesn't have any foreign policy experience that would really lend credibility and shore up the need there, in contrast with President Biden, who has had extensive foreign policy experience given his years on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and having been around Washington for this long.

So she will have to look for somebody who can both provide the experience on the national level that she currently lacks, aside from her tenure as Vice President, coupled with maybe somebody who has some foreign policy bona fides and can demonstrate the ability to help lead the government on matters critical to foreign policy.

As of right now, it appears those candidates might be one of several governors whose names have been floated out, especially those from either red states or swing states. They seem to be the most likely. But again, we could all be surprised just as we were with today's timing.

CHURCH: Yeah, and of course, as you're speaking to us, we're looking at some of those possibilities just next to you there on the television. So Donald Trump's running mate, J.D. Vance and House Speaker Mike Johnson are both calling for Joe Biden to resign his office immediately. They say if he's not fit to run for president, then he's not fit to serve as president. What do you say to that? And what's the process and precedent for this going forward?

RADD: Well, there absolutely isn't. It's obvious an attempt at deflection from what they were very unprepared for, which was the sudden decision by Joe Biden to not run for re-election. Essentially, what Joe Biden is signaling and what his supporters have signaled is that he absolutely has the capacity, the mental acuity, the cognitive ability to complete his term.

The question wasn't whether or not he would be able to act or function as president. The question was whether or not he could overcome doubts from voters, donors and others that were important to his nomination to secure re-election. And so they're very two different jobs, running for the office and then maintaining the office itself and the responsibilities within it. They do overlap, but they are not the same. And so I think this can be dismissed as an attempt to again deflect from all of a sudden, the sudden change in the race.

CHURCH: And of course, it has to be said that President Joe Biden made a tough and historic decision Sunday to step aside and anoint his VP, Kamala Harris, as his replacement. What legacy does he leave behind?

RADD: Well, it's an impressive legacy on several fronts, given where the United States was four years ago, coming out of the COVID crisis, facing all kinds of domestic and international issues. He seems to have handled the domestic issues extremely well by all accounts, especially relative to where his predecessor had left the office. However, where his legacy will be a bit more mixed, will be on foreign policy.

Despite the U.S. steadfast support for Ukraine, which many in the country, many in Congress supported and think that served the president effectively well, especially when it came to strengthening and expanding NATO, the withdrawal from Afghanistan is something that will be criticized for years to come. And then there's still the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict and the fact that there's been no ceasefire and release of hostages yet, and whether or not President Biden could have or should have done more to bring about a conclusion to that conflict.

CHURCH: Benjamin Radd in Los Angeles, many thanks for joining us and sharing your analysis. Appreciate it.

RADD: Thank you.

CHURCH: Well, perhaps the most pressing question the Harris campaign will face in the coming days, as we've been discussing, who will she pick to be her running mate? Details on the possible candidates when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[02:32:51]

ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR: A warm welcome back, as we continue to monitor the latest developments following U.S. President Joe Biden's shocking decision to not seek reelection this November. Vice President Kamala Harris wasted no time garnering support for her newly minted presidential campaign. So far, CNN has identified at more than 500 endorsements for Harris in just a matter of hours, including former President Bill Clinton and former Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton.

But as the dust settles, big questions remain including who might be Harris's running mate if she is formally chosen as the nominee, as well as how the Democratic Party will proceed from here. The Democratic convention rules committee says it will meet on Wednesday to discuss the framework for the nomination. And even though a growing number of Democrat s have urged President Biden to exit the race, his announcements still evoked strong feelings of sadness and loss among his supporters.

CNN senior political commentator Van Jones described his reaction.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VAN JONES, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Joe Biden's body may not be as strong as it used to be as language skills may not be as sharp as they used to be, his heart is as big as ever. His heart is as big and its true and a strong, and this is -- this is the difference between a politician in a leader. He made a selfless decision and people are heartbroken even people who are pushing for this to happen.

It's kind of like when, when your -- when your grandpa, you got to take the keys and everybody, you got take his keys, got to take his keys, you got to -- and he's fighting and he's fighting everybody, so frustrated.

Then you finally get the keys back. And then you just cry because this is somebody that you love. This is somebody that you care about. This is somebody who was there for. This is somebody you wouldn't be here without him and you had to take something from him.

Now, this is not -- look, this -- politics is politics but this is a human moment for one of the great humans in America. This is a huge moment for him, for his family, for all of us who love him, for all of us who want him to get across the finish line.

[02:35:01]

But if you're a young person watching this, this is leadership. This is patriotism. This is what it means to put the country first and put the party first and put the cost first. When your arm gets tired, you let somebody else finished pitch in the game. That's what Joe Biden has done, and he's done that for all of us.

And so I just wanted to say I don't know who's going to be the VP, the non-VP. I don't know anything about politics. I just know that I loved this man. I care about this man. It was painful every day to sit up here and talk about him like he's just some problem for the party. Wait until we get to the convention. You're going to see people crying standing, screaming, cheering.

He may not get a chance to talk for ten minutes. We finally got a chance to put our arms around this guy. He did the right thing for this country. He did the right thing for this party. All of us are going to be in this situation someday. I hope that we take a moment to honor this man and to love this man.

I love Joe Biden. I appreciate what he he's done and a lot of people are heartbroken today. Even if it's the right thing, it's still just horrible.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: A lot of Democrats feeling the same way.

Joining me now is U.S. presidential historian Allan Lichtman, whose predictions system the Keys to the White House has correctly predicted the outcomes of all U.S. presidential election since 1984. He joins us now.

So, Allan, thank you so much for being with us. You have previously said the Democrats need to stick with President Joe Biden, or lose all the benefits of an incumbent. So what are your thoughts now that he has dropped out of the race and endorse Kamala Harris as his replacement?

ALLAN LICHTMAN, U.S. PRESIDENTIAL HISTORIAN: Yes. This move by President Biden has profound significance for my 13 keys to the White House system, which gauges the strength and performance of the White House party. And the way it works, if six or more keys turned against the incumbents, they are predicted losers. Otherwise, they are predicted winners.

As you mentioned, as President Joe Biden ticked off the incumbency key, and because he was essentially uncontested for the nomination, the contest key as well that meant of the remaining 11 keys, six would have to fall to predict the Democrats defeat. Now with Biden stepping down, they obviously lost the incumbency key.

But if the party is smart and grows a spine, they should unite entirely behind Vice President Harris, because that would preserve the contest key and that would mean five keys would still have to fall to predict the Democrats defeat. It would also avoid a situation of an open seat and a party contest. Under those conditions, the White House party has never been reelected even once from 1,900 to the present, whereas if you have an incumbent, but not a contest, the White House party has a decent chance of being re-elected. Examples include Herbert Hoover in 1928 and George H.W. Bush in 1988.

So they can retain half of the two keys that Biden held, right?

CHURCH: Right, and we are seeing this incredible amount of support behind Kamala Harris. She is making urgent calls to get all the support she needs behind from delegates, donors, and lawmakers, and those endorsements continued to grow. She's also looking for a running mate and will likely choose one of her potential challengers.

Who is best positioned do you think to join her on the ticket, to take on Donald Trump and J.D. Vance? So, what -- what are the numbers tell you, Josh Shapiro, Roy Cooper, Mark Kelly, or someone else?

LICHTMAN: I think those are all very good choices is, also Governor Gretchen Whitmer, who has been touted as a possible vice presidential nominee. That will be extraordinary to have two women on the ticket. Just imagine that, particularly at a time when women's rights as a central issue in this election. There's also Governor Andy Beshear of Kentucky, who want a very strong victory in a solidly red state, would appeal to a lot of rural voters that might otherwise be inclined to support Donald Trump.

But here's where the key stand on this because I don't want vice presidential pick. Right now, assuming that Harris is the consensus nominee, the Democrats are down three keys. The mandate key because of U.S. House losses in 2022, the incumbent charisma key because Harris is not an FDR, and of course, the incumbency key. There are four shaky, undecided keys, third party social unrest, and foreign/military failure and success, assuming Harris gets the consensus nomination, three of those four keys would have to fall to predict the Democrats' defeat. [02:40:09]

If the Democrats do something foolish and have a big nomination fight, that only two of those keys would have to fall to predict their defeat. So they really need to get smart and do the right thing.

CHURCH: So how critical is it then the Democrats avoid a messy open convention contests next month. And where do you see Joe Manchin playing into all of this after saying that he will run again as a Democrat, possibly he's considering it, and perhaps run against Kamala Harris. It's critical that the Democrats don't lose another key and bring themselves one key closer to a predicted defeat.

Joe Manchin has been a thorn in the side of the Democratic Party for some time. But he always threatens to do certain things threatening to perhaps to leave the party and become a Republican, threatening to run as an independent, now he seems to be threatening to run for the Democratic nomination. But he's never carried out any of those threats and I don't think he'll do it this time.

And even if he does, I don't think he'll get anywhere near the support among Democrats to undermine a consensus behind Harris.

CHURCH: All right. We will keep watching and see what happens in the hours ahead. Allan Lichtman joining us there, many thanks. Always appreciate your analysis.

LICHTMAN: Thank you.

CHURCH: And our breaking news coverage continues after a short break.

We will have more on how leaders around the world are reacting to President Joe Biden's exit from the 2024 race. Back with that and more in just a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHURCH: Leaders around the world are reacting to the news that Joe Biden has dropped out of the 2024 race.

[02:45:00]

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz says, my friend Joe Biden, has achieved a lot for his country, for Europe, for the world. Thanks to him, transatlantic cooperation is close. NATO is strong and the USA is a good and reliable partner for us. His decision not to run again deserves respect.

And CNN's Nada Bashir joins us live from London.

So, Nada, what other reaction is coming out of Europe and, of course, the Middle East to this historic news and how will it impact Benjamin Netanyahu's upcoming meeting with President Biden?

NADA BASHIR, CNN REPORTER: Of course, foreign policy has been a huge preoccupation for President Biden during his time in office, particularly, of course, when it comes to conflicts in both Ukraine and Gaza.

We've heard from the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. He issued a statement thanking President Biden, saying that Ukraine is grateful to Biden for his unwavering support for Ukraine's fight for freedom, at which along with strong bipartisan support in the United States has been and continues to be critical and matters there perhaps to the future president of the United States as they continues to be questions or NATO's commitment to support for Ukraine.

We've also had from the prime minister here in the United Kingdom, Keir Starmer and somebody who hasn't been in office alongside Biden for a very long time, but issued a statement on X formerly known as Twitter saying: I respect Biden's decision and I look forward to us working together during the remainder of his presidency. I know that as he has done throughout his remarkable career, he will have made this his decision based on what he believes is best for the American people.

Now, have seen statements coming out of Israel as well. Of course, the war in Gaza has been a huge focus for the United States when it comes to foreign policy. And, of course, the response to the October 7 attacks against the state of Israel.

We've heard from the Israeli President Isaac Herzog. He also issued a statement yesterday extending his heartfelt thanks to the U.S. president for his friendship and steadfast support for the Israeli people over his decades-long career.

The Israeli minister of defense, Yoav Gallant, also expressed his thanks to President Biden for his support over the course of the war, saying, thank you, President Joe Biden for your unwavering support for Israel over the years, your steadfast backing, especially during the war, has been invaluable. We are grateful for your leadership and friendship.

Now of course, the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had been expected to meet with the U.S. president on Tuesday, he was exposed to give remarks to Congress on Wednesday, as well. Those talks are still expected to go ahead, but it remains to be seen what, of course, the focus will be perhaps we might see him meeting with other Democratic officials as well, but that will of course, remain to be seen on Tuesday and Wednesday.

CHURCH: All right. Our thanks to Nada Bashir joining us live from London.

As U.S. Democrats look ahead to a November election without Joe Biden, we look back at how the 1968 election played out after President Lyndon Johnson dropped his bid for reelection.

Our breaking news coverage continues in just a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[02:52:03]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I don't feel that I can say he should leave or he should stay.

I am still a little bit on the fence myself, but I admire the man who's dedicated 50 years of his life to our country.

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CHURCH: It has been 56 years since a U.S. president dropped out of a reelection race.

That was Lyndon Johnson. The year was 1968. The country was embroiled in the Vietnam War and only one state primary had taken place.

But this time, the Democratic primaries have all taken place. And Election Day is less than four months away.

Randi Kaye looks at how things played out back then.

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LYNDON B. JOHNSON, FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT: I do not believe that I should devote an hour or a day of my time to any personal partisan causes.

RANDI KAYE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Fifty-six years ago, President Lyndon B. Johnson suddenly ended his campaign as Joe Biden did today.

JOHNSON: I shall not seek and I will not accept the nomination of my party for another term as your president.

KAYE: That stunning announcement during what was billed as a speech about Vietnam shocked the country.

DORIS KEARNS GOODWIN, PRESIDENTIAL HISTORIAN: When he withdrew from the race, he talked about the fact that he just wanted to use those remaining months for presidential duties, hoping to bring the war in Vietnam to a close rather than campaigning, and the response was extraordinary.

KAYE: At the time there was widespread disappointment in Johnson's handling of the Vietnam War and his approval ratings were down. Like with Joe Biden, there were concerns about LBJ's health and there were doubts could win a second term.

GOODWIN: He'd done something for an ambition for the country rather than himself, that in all of his 37 years, he had never sacrificed himself this way.

KAYE: After Johnson withdrew, Vice President Hubert Humphrey announced his candidacy. Senator Robert F. Kennedy of New York was also in the running for the nomination, but wouldn't survive the primary season. After declaring victory in the California primary in June 1968, Kennedy was assassinated in Los Angeles at the Ambassador Hotel.

GOODWIN: Bobby Kennedy was killed and then that summer, they go to the Democratic convention with the war is still going on. Chaos reigns.

KAYE: The 1968 Democratic convention, which also happened to be in Chicago like this years convention followed not only the assassination of Robert F. Kennedy, but also Martin Luther King. The country was in turmoil and protests have broken out over the Vietnam War.

Chicago Mayor Richard Daley called up the National Guard to protect the convention arena and put thousands of Chicago police on 12 hour shifts. There were also tense moments on the convention floor among competing sets of delegates pushing to be seated. Even some of the media was roughed up, including CBS's Dan Rather, while trying to talk with anchor Walter Cronkite from the convention floor.

DAN RATHER, CBS NEWS: Walter, as you can see --

WALTER CRONKITE, CBS NEWS ANCHOR: I don't know what's going on, but this -- these are security people apparently around Dan obviously getting rough up.

RATHER: What happened is a Georgia delegate, at least out of Georgia delegate sign-on was being hauled out of the hall. We tried to talk to him to see why, who he was and what the situation was, and at that instant, the security people -- well, as you could say, put me on the deck. I didn't do very well.

CRONKITE: I think we've got a bunch of thugs here, Dan, if I maybe promoter to say so.

RATHER: Well, I'm all right. It's all in day's work.

KAYE: In the end, Hubert Humphrey won enough support from delegates to become the nominee. But after all the upheaval in the party, it wasn't in the cards for Democrats that year. Republican Richard Nixon ultimately defeated Humphrey to become the 37th president.

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CHURCH: Our special thanks to Randi Kaye for that report.

I want to thank you, too, for your company this hour. I'm Rosemary Church. I'll be back with more CNN NEWSROOM and, of course, this big story in just a moment.