>> THAT WAS "MORNING JOE’S" TRIBUTE TO BEAU BIDEN AFTER HIS
DEATH FOUR YEARS AGO YESTERDAY
AT THE AGE OF 46.
JOINING US NOW FROM WASHINGTON
NBC NEWS NATIONAL POLITICAL
REPORTER MIKE MEMLY HIS STORY ON
NBCNEWS.COM IS TITLED BIDEN’S
PERSONAL LOSS EMERGES AS A TOUCH
STONE ON THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL.
IT’S GOOD TO HAVE YOU WITH USP
WE SAW IT WHEN JOE BIDEN
COMMUNES WITH OTHER PEOPLE WHO
HAVE SUFFERED A LOSS AS HE
SUFFERED SO MUCH LOSS.
HE’S SO GOOD IN THOSE SETTINGS
AND HE’S FINDING THAT AGAIN ON
THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL THIS TIME
AROUND, ISN’T HE?
>> YEAH.
>> YEAH. THAT’S RIGHT, WILLIE.
I’VE BEEN COVERING THE FORMER
VICE PRESIDENT REGULARLY FOR
OVER 11 YEARS AND IT’S ALWAYS
BEEN REMARKABLE TO SEE HOW HE
CONTINUES TO REALLY ENDURE AND
PUSH THROUGH THESE TRAGEDIES
THAT HE’S SUFFERED THROUGHOUT
HIS LIFE AND CEASE INCREASINGLY
HOW HE’S IN HIS THIRD
PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN, A BOND
BETWEEN HIM AND MANY VOTERS.
EVERY DECEMBER ON THE
ANNIVERSARY OF THE 1972 CAR
ACCIDENT THAT TOOK THE LIFE OF
HIS WIFE AND INFANT DAUGHTER,
THE BIDEN FAMILY WOULD MARK THAT
TRAGEDY IN PRIVATE.
YESTERDAY WE SAW JOE BIDEN IN
PUBLIC ON THAT FOURTH
ANNIVERSARY.
ANNIVERSARY. IT’S COMING OF A QUIRK IN
DELAWARE LAW WHERE MEMORIAL DAY
THEY CONTINUE TO CELEBRATE IT ON
MAY 30th.
MAY 30th. THE VICE PRESIDENT WAS THERE
WITH HIS WIFE AND GRANDDAUGHTER,
BEAU’S DAUGHTER, AND TALKED
ABOUT HOW THE PAIN FADES OVER
THE YEARS BUT MOMENTS LIKE THIS
ARE BITTERSWEET, IT ALL COMES
BACK, THE PRIDE AND PAIN.
WILLIE, YOU KNOW, AS I’VE BEEN
WATCHING HIM ON THE ROPE LINE
IT’S BEEN REMARKABLE.
BEAU IS VERY MUCH PART OF JOE
BIDEN’S CAMPAIGN STILL RIGHT
NOW.
NOW. HE TALKS ABOUT IT IN THE CONTEXT
OF HEALTH CARE, HOW HE DOESN’T
KNOW HOW HIS FAMILY WOULD HAVE
GONE THROUGH BEAU’S ILLNESS IF
THEY WERE WORRIED ABOUT BEING
ABLE TO PAY FOR IT AND PROVIDE
THAT FOR OTHERS.
HE TALKS ABOUT HOW IN 2015 WHEN
HE ANNOUNCED HE WOULDN’T RUN FOR
PRESIDENT HIS REGRET THEN HE
WOULD NOT BE THE PRESIDENT WHO
OVERSAW THE END OF CANCER AS WE
KNOW IT.
KNOW IT. HE SAYS IF YOU ELECT ME I WILL
BE THAT PRESIDENT.
TO COVER JOE BIDEN IS TO SEE HIM
WORK A ROPE LINE LIKE NOBODY
ELSE.
ELSE. I BEGAN TO NOTICE HIM IN THESE
INTERACTIONS WITH VOTERS WHERE
IT’S OFTEN SMILES AND SELFIES
AND HANDSHAKES.
AND HANDSHAKES. HE WILL GO FROM A FAMILIAR SMILE
TO A KNOWING CONCERNED LOOK.
I WENT BACK AND LOOKED AT SOME
OF THE CONVERSATIONS HE WAS
HAVING AND PEOPLE WERE SAYING, I
LOST A CHILD TO CANCER.
I WAS DIAGNOSED MYSELF.
I COULDN’T PAY FOR TREATMENT.
THE AFFORDABLE CARE ACT SAVED MY
LIFE.
LIFE. HE’S ALWAYS THERE SAYING KEEP
THE FAITH.
THE FAITH. THIS IS VERY MUCH SOMETHING
WE’RE GOING TO SEE GOING FORWARD
AS HE HAS THIS SORT OF
CONNECTION TO VOTERS THAT GOES
FAR DEEPER THAN POLITICS AND
POLICY.
POLICY. >> JOE BIDEN HAS ALWAYS CARRIED
THIS UNIMAGINABLE GRIEF THAT
THANK GOD NONE OF US AT THIS
TABLE CAN UNDERSTAND, AGAIN AND
AGAIN.
AGAIN. HE’S SUFFERED THOSE TRAGEDIES
WITH HIS CHILDREN AND HE CARRIES
IT WITH HIM AND YOU CAN SEE IT
AS MIKE SAYS WHEN HE LOOKS INTO
THE EYES OF SOMEONE WHO HAS HAD
A SHARED EXPERIENCE OR LOST
SOMEONE RECENTLY HE CONNECTS IN
A WAY I’M NOT SURE ANYBODY ELSE
CAN ON THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL.
>> MIKE MENTIONED ONE OF THE
MOST IMPORTANT ASPECTS OF THE
BIDEN CANDIDACY AT THIS POINT
AND IN THE PAST, HE IS A MAN
THAT UNDERSTAND SOMETHING THAT
ALL AMERICANS UNDERSTAND.
HE UNDERSTANDS LOSS.
WHEN WE HAVE A SITTING PRESIDENT
OF THE UNITED STATES WHO
SYMBOLIZES SUCH A LACK OF
EMPATHY AND A LEVEL OF CRUELTY,
THAT THE BIDEN CANDIDACY IS A
GLIMMER OF HOPE.
>> IT’S HUMANITY.
>> BEFORE WE LET YOU GO, WHAT IS
THE POSTURE RIGHT NOW, SORT OF
THE BIDEN CAMPAIGN?
OBVIOUSLY HUGE LEADS AT THIS
VERY EARLY DATE IN THE IMPORTANT
STATES.
STATES. HE’S DOING VERY WELL AMONG
AFRICAN-AMERICAN VOTERS IN THE
STATE OF SOUTH CAROLINA AS WELL.
WHEN YOU LOOK INTO THE CROSS
TABS.
TABS. HOW ARE THEY FEELING ABOUT
THINGS AND SOME OF THEIR
CHALLENGES AS WELL?
>> WELL, YOU KNOW, BEFORE OF JOE
BIDEN ENTERED THIS RACE, I WOULD
HEAR OFTEN FROM HIS ADVISORS
THAT THEY THOUGHT THAT WE WERE
UNDERESTIMATING HOW HE WOULD
COME OUT OF THE GATES STRONG AND
CONFOUND THE EXPECTATIONS HIS
BEST DAYS OF A CANDIDATE WILL BE
ON THE FIRST DAY.
THERE’S BEEN TALK ABOUT WHETHER
HE’S CAMPAIGNING ENOUGH, RUNNING
A LIGHT SCHEDULE.
THERE IS, OF COURSE, A LOT OF
EMPHASIS COMING UP NOW ON THAT
FIRST DEBATE BECAUSE HIS BIGGEST
STRENGTH RIGHT NOW IS HIS
PERCEIVED STRENGTH, THIS IDEA
THAT HE DOES HAVE A STRONG LEAD
IN THE POLLS, THAT HE’S PERHAPS
THE STRONGEST CANDIDATE AGAINST
DONALD TRUMP.
DONALD TRUMP. THAT COULD CHANGE IN AN INSTANT
ON THAT DEBATE STAGE AT THE END
OF JUNE AND WHAT WE’RE SEEING
NOW IS HIS ADVISORS HUNKERING
DOWN WITH HIM, GETTING READY FOR
THAT DEBATE, GETTING READY FOR
THE ATTACKS THAT ARE GOING TO BE
COMING FROM POTENTIALLY ALL
SIDES.
SIDES. WHAT WE KNOW AT LEAST AT THIS
POINT, BIDEN IS TELLING HIS
ADVISORS HE WANTS TO MAKE SURE
HE STAYS POSITIVE HE WON’T BE
JOINING THOSE ATTACKS ON HIS
RIVALS.
RIVALS. DEFENDING HIS RECORD WILL BE A
CHALLENGE.
CHALLENGE. >> THAT FIRST DEBATE BY THE WAY
FOUR WEEKS FROM NOW COMING UP
QUICKLY HERE ON NBC AND ACROSS
OUR NETWORKS.
OUR NETWORKS. THANKS SO MUCH.
GREAT TO HAVE YOU WITH US.
STILL AHEAD, PRESIDENT TRUMP HAS
BEEN CALLING IMPEACHMENT THE "I"
WORD.
WORD. DONNY DEUTSCH HAS ANOTHER NAME.
HE THINKS HIS REBRANDING IDEA
MAY SELL IMPEACHMENT TO
SUPPORTERS AND THEMSELVES.
DOW FUTURES POINTING TO ANOTHER
A NEGATIVE OPEN ON THE
PRESIDENT’S TARIFF THREATS ON
MEXICO.