After that
scathing special counsel report
about the president's
mental fitness, his fiery
defensive emergency press conference
seems to have dug him a bigger hole.
And the White House
counsel was sent out the next day
trying to clean it all up.
What does it say
about the president's ability
to hold on to his incumbency?
Joining me
now is somebody with pretty unique
insights on all of this,
former senior adviser
to President Obama, David
Axelrod,
who, of course, is a CNN
senior political commentator.
David, great to see you.
The special counsel comments,
they would not have landed.
They would not have landed
with the residence
if the public hadn't already seen
for themselves. True.
Oh, absolutely.
Look, the things that are most damaging
are the things that confirm
people's suspicions or fears.
You know, when Mitt Romney
made that 47% comment
back in the 2012 election,
it confirmed a narrative,
a negative narrative about him.
When Hillary Clinton said
basket of deplorable
was that it
confirmed a negative narrative.
And look, long before this,
there was this narrative out there
about the president.
It's the big meme on social media is
something Republicans
have been pushing for a long time,
and it's clearly
damaged him in polling
that is that predates the
the special counsel's gratuitous remarks.
I agree with Ellie
that I think he went way
over the top on those.
But
but nonetheless,
that is what the headline
off of the report,
the 350 page report was.
If you were in the White House
on Thursday,
you know, the lay of the land,
you know, the diplomatic reception room
I've been at a few times,
but not like David Axelrod,
the advance man in me said.
It's a bad setting. It's tight.
The media are right there.
They are tough to contain
and probably they should have waited
until the next day.
Just wondering, what do you think?
Yeah, he was like a
big sirloin steak tossed in the middle
of a bunch of hungry dogs there.
And it was it was not optimal.
Look,
I might have done a one on one interview
with somebody
that might have been better than right
then the mob scene that we saw as a thing
that was more controlled,
where he was less likely to be
provoked to anger, which he was in that
in that particular setting.
So it clearly didn't have the impact
that they wanted.
The only thing that he showed
was some vigor,
which was probably good.
There was some edge to him,
may have helped him, but,
you know, on the whole,
the thing was not good.
And, you know, one point
that hasn't really been
made enough is in addition
to hitting this
this piece about his age, the the
the press conference
gave all kinds of targets
for the Republicans
in the House
who are going to Benghazi,
this issue to death.
They are going to use
the impeachment proceeding.
They've already signaled this
and they're going to go after that.
Transco ship.
They're going to go after the tape
of his conversation with his ghostwriter.
They're going to do everything
they can to keep this alive
because their standard bearer
is a dumpster fire of legal
and ethical issues
and they want to muddy the waters.
I got to ask you about this.
Look at who Vegas
oddsmakers are saying
have the best chances of being elected
this fall. Trump is a 5 to 6 shot.
It's better than even Biden, 15 to 8,
a little better than 2 to 1.
Next in line, Michelle Obama, 11 to 1
ahead of Nikki Haley,
Gavin Newsom, Robert F Kennedy Jr.
And Kamala Harris.
I don't know about you, David.
I've got people in my orbit
and my radio listeners
say the same thing.
There's like always a family member
who says, In my case, it's my brother.
Keep your eye on Michelle Obama.
And I say, That is crazy.
What should we be saying
about Michelle Obama?
Well, here's what I know.
Michelle Obama.
Obama loves this country.
She's she's a brilliant person
and a brilliant communicator.
But she was a conscript to politics.
She never was interested in a
political life.
Even when
Barack Obama was a young politician.
She really didn't participate
much in his campaigns.
I was with him in his Senate
campaign in 2004.
I think she showed up twice
in the whole campaign on election night.
So, you know, she
she is not someone who likes politics.
She doesn't like the tone
and tenor of politics.
And I would be floored if she would
consent to that.
They feel that they
gave ten years of their life to this.
And I'm sure she feels,
as Barbara Bush did
when she said
there has to be
someone other than the Bushes
and the Clintons who could be president
of the United States.
My guess is that's her attitude.
I always say, Michael,
that I have as much chance
of dancing in the Bolshoi Ballet
next year
than then,
that she would be president
of the United States.
And so if you see me running around
at the end of the year in
a leotard, you'll know. What
I was going to say.
Bolshoi is hiring.
I hear the Bolshoi is
I think maybe once,
maybe once and for all.
David Axelrod
just put it to rest
unless Cindy Adams is not watching.
Thank you, David.
All right, Michael, great to see you.
From the world of X, formerly Twitter.
What do we have?
Biden should not
run and Harris
would be worse for the country.
So who's next in line?
I mean, this is
you know,
this is sort of the conundrum in
not only the timing
and how far into the process we are.
Although James Carville did speak of,
you know, conventions
having some significance,
if they need to the LBJ example.
But there's just not an obvious
process, is there?
Do you think that Gavin Newsom
would stand idly by
if it were to be Michelle?
Michelle, I'd just say Michelle Obama.
Oh, my God.
Now I'm falling into the trap.
Oh, my God.
I believe it is a 0% likelihood
that Michelle.
I think that Michelle Obama like clinks.
It's a drinking game among the Obamas.
Seriously?
Like every time
some fool like me brings it up,
they're clinking their glasses.
Probably with Richard Branson.