In a speech to military families at the White House today, President
Biden urged Americans to remain united as political divisions over
Covid 19 the economy and foreign policy ramp up ahead of the midterms.
To discuss the political stakes of the moment. I'm joined now by
Amy Walter of the Cook Political Report with Amy Walter and Tamara
Keith of NPR. And Welcome to you both on this July 4th Holiday Tam.
I want to start with you here and talk about those remarks we heard
from President Biden earlier today last year on July 4th Think fair
to say very different tone different kind of message. You'll remember
as our viewers will. Last year he talked about how the nation was
closer than ever to declaring our independence from Covid.
And then we had a lot more work to do. What did his remarks today
say to you about where we are where he is and his presidency? I think
that his focus rightly is on the divisions in the country on the
feeling that
Many Americans have, in fact, something like 85%, according to the
latest, a people that America is moving in the wrong direction, not
moving in the right direction. Even a majority of Democrats feel
that the country is moving in the wrong direction. Now everyone disagrees
in predictable ways on what is causing the country to move in the
wrong direction or what it is that sort of put them over the edge
to feel.
Terrible about the state of the country. But, um, you know, the president
did try to address that he did have a message of optimism as he often
does, saying that the country is more united than it is divided.
That
That this is a long term battle for the soul of America. If those
phrases sound familiar, they are. It was a big part of his campaign.
And yet, um, now that this far into his presidency
The country is still really divided. And his election alone did not
serve as a bomb for the divisions that the country faces. What about
you? What did you make of what the president had to say today on
the July 4th holiday?
It is quite remarkable, as you noted on the how different the country
is from.
This point just a year ago, right? It wasn't just that the president
was feeling more optimistic, saying we basically turned the corner
on Covid. Americans were feeling that way, too. If you look at
The polling taken by Gallup around this time last year.
Significant majority of Americans thought the worst was behind us
on covid the enthusiasm about the economy people feeling much more
confident in the consumer confidence, Uh, surveys
So we had a country that was feeling like things were on their way
up. Wasn't just a president who was saying those things. But now,
a year later, as Tam pointed out, we have 75% of Americans saying
things are on the wrong track. In June, we had the lowest
Uh, ever recording from the Michigan Consumer Index. So consumers
more pessimistic now than in the history of that survey. Um, and
of course, the president's numbers himself his favorable ratings
now down to a record low. We haven't seen a president in his first
term with approval ratings.
This low in modern times. So we have a country right now. That does
seem
That it is not just divided, but it is. I think the right word is
anxious. I hear that constantly from voters. Um, they just are feeling
as if things have gone awry.
Um, and that they can't figure out how to get it. Back. Republican
Senator Mitt Romney of Utah had his own assessment and a recent column
for the Atlantic, he says America is in denial. He wrote this, he
said. President Joe Biden is a genuinely good man. But he has yet
been unable to break through our national malady of denial, Deceit
and distrust. Tam. What did you make of that assessment? Is this
Romney setting the stage to potentially run? Why is he wearing in
now? I'm not sure that he's setting the stage.
Intially run. He's someone who should be
Be an elder statesman of the Republican Party right. He was his party's
nominee in 2012, and instead he's a man on an island. Um, he wrote
this essay in the Atlantic. That was basically like
Both sides are really bad at this. Um and I don't know if he actually
used the phrase both sides, but he might as well have, um and and
he expressed frustration with his own party. He expressed frustration
with the Democrats and with President Biden. What he didn't do was
offer a lot of solutions. It seemed like he was He was searching
for some savior to come in and be the leader that America needs.
When often America gets the leaders they have. And the the 11 thing
he did mention in that essay was that it might be up to clergy and,
you know, PTA president and just
Everybody else to sort of step up and and work to bring the country
together. Leaders provide the leadership We're not seeing at the
national level, right, Amy, this is another part that struck me,
he warned about the potential return of former president Trump at
Echo is a warning we heard from Republican Congresswoman Liz Cheney
in an interview this weekend. She is, of course, the vice chair of
the January 6th committee, and she said that criminal referrals
Against the former president could be possible that not doing so
would actually constitute what she said A graver threat, especially
after last week's testimony. Are those warnings are they taking hold
with Republicans?
I think what we're seeing are two things. There's a legal question.
And then there's a political question. And, um, I'm not a lawyer,
so I'm not going to dive as much under the legal budget, But I am
gonna dug in to the political question and
If you look at polling right now, I don't think you're going to see
that Republicans are less supportive of Donald Trump or approval
ratings among Republicans about Donald Trump has gone down, but what
you can start to pick up is this feeling for many of these voters
that Donald Trump may not be as politically invincible as they once
thought him to be.
That he does look like a weaker prospects for 2024. Now does that
mean that he would get beaten in a Republican primary? He's not going
to run. I'm not saying that at this moment, he's certainly starts
as a front runner. But I do think that the cracks in the armor are
there now politically for other Republicans, either who want to challenge
him take advantage of that.
Um, or for voters who are saying you know what? I like him. But I
think it's time for somebody new. Somebody who doesn't come with
all this baggage. You can hear already. The ads that will be run
in a general election featuring
So much of the testimony from these January 6th hearings, almost
all of which has come from Republicans, conservatives and those within
Trump's own orbit. And Tam. We know the committee is not done yet,
with those public hearing from a number of those committee members
giving interviews this weekend. What are you watching for in what's
coming next?
You know what I've been watching in the last several days is the
former president's social media feed. It's on his own platform that
he created. Uh and he is. He is acting like someone who's nervous.
He is sending out all of these messages, you know, criticizing the
committee criticizing the people testifying.
And and definitely teasing the idea that he would run for president
again, which which all feeds to this idea that he is paying attention,
and it's getting to him.
He's paying attention. A lot of us are paying attention, and we're
never going to continue to cover those hearings ahead. Tamara Keith.
Amy Walter, That's politics Monday. Thank you to you both. You're