Judy Woodruff reflects on the historical context of Biden ending his campaign

John Yang:

President Biden's decision to end his campaign for reelection is unprecedented in many ways. But the path from one president to another and from one nominee to another has not always been a straight line.

To talk about how this moment fits into this country's historical context, joined by our very own Judy Woodruff. Judy, we were just here a week ago, you and I were talking about an assassination attempt on a presidential campaign per candidate. You and I have seen a lot in presidential politics.

Judy Woodruff:

For sure. I know I've seen a lot.

John Yang:

that I've been there with you in Washington. Can you ever remember a seven day period like this?

Judy Woodruff:

Well, or and a 24 day period. I mean, when you think back on June, the 27th, we were all gathered around our television set to watch the first debate of this presidential election and remind remember, that was a debate the Biden team wanted, they wanted an early debate. They wanted to get out there and prove that President Biden was up to this campaign that he was vigorous, and he was going to go the distance.

What happened? We still are trying to figure it out. But it was not a good night for Joe Biden. And ever since then, the call for him to rethink whether he is a candidate has grown louder and louder. And here we are three weeks and three days later, and he's made this decision, but it has been a painful process to watch, John, one can only imagine what's been going on with him personally with his family with his closest advisors for all the reporting we've seen. And here we are, everything has changed.

John Yang:

We've had presidents drop their reelection bids before, Harry Truman in 1948 and Lyndon Johnson in 1968. But back then he did it much earlier. He was being pressed by the Vietnam War and other issues. This time the President decided against it bcause of physical questions or questions about his health.

Judy Woodruff:

And that is what makes it unprecedented. You're right Harry Truman, LBJ, both of them faced opposition in their own party. They both made the announcement in March of election year that they were not seeking reelection. We are in late July. We are less than four weeks from the convention. And you're right and the President is citing me he doesn't say that in the statement, but it's clear.

I mean, what has happened is questions were raised about whether he had the physical, the mental, the emotional, the cognitive ability to carry out another four year term. This we've seen nothing like it I thought back to Tom Eagleton who was George McGovern's running mate, they had gone to the convent — McGovern was chosen by the Democratic delegates in 1972. He picked Tom Eagleton, the senator from Missouri to be his running mate. Then all these stories came out about his emotional health, mental health shock treatment. He was soon off the ticket. And along came Sarge Shriver, but nothing like this exactly.

John Yang:

By the way, I misspoke when I said Harry Truman dropped down '48, it was '52.

Judy Woodruff:

'52.

John Yang:

Now, you've been traveling the country before there are a series America at the crossroads, talking to a lot of people about the Divisions in America. Is this something that has the potential of bringing people together or further dividing people?

Judy Woodruff:

I would like to tell you that it has the potential to resolve all of our differences and bring us together.

John Yang:

Oh, please do.

Judy Woodruff:

I will say that I think it has the potential clearly at the very least to get people to rethink this race, we have a whole new, we're not sure who the nominee is, we believe it's going to be Kamala Harris. We don't know who her running mate is there are any number of scenarios there? What would that look at? What if she chose a woman? What if she chose Gretchen Whitmer, and it were two women, we don't know what she's going to do, we're not for certain that she's going to be the nominee. There's so many ifs at this point.

But I think my point is that people who have been looking at this race, and they've been telling me and a lot of other reporters, Joe Biden is too old. He shouldn't be running, they're going to take another look at this race. And I'm not predicting that it's going to pull away the hardcore Donald Trump supporters.

But those folks who are out there undecided or who were just kind of turned off by the whole process, thinking this is not even an election I can get excited about. They're going to be taking another look. And so it's really impossible to say right now what's going to happen. I think it's fair to say all bets are off.

John Yang:

You know, for so long, people have been complaining about how long the Presidential cycles are, that it's up to years, frankly, the campaign and goes on, we're going to have a very compressed campaign this time. They're going to have the nominee picked really around Labor Day, and you're going to have the general campaign be the campaign, what do you think of that?

Judy Woodruff:

And then it's going to be a race until November the fifth. I'm thinking of England of Great Britain in the UK, they have their, their campaigns and what is it six weeks or something? So we are and we don't even — in the United States we're used to these two-year long campaigns.

So I do think, John, that the, first of all, just the unprecedented nature of it, the news coverage about remind us again, who is Kamala Harris, what does she stand for? Tell us about her record, introduce us to her running mate. And by the way, J.D. Vance, who was Trump's running mate, people are still getting to know him. So there are a lot of questions, stories to be told reporting to be done. All that's going to happen. You're right in a very condensed, there's so much news. It's going to happen between today July the 21st and the start of the Democratic Convention on August the 19th.

And then you get past the Democratic convention. And you're right, it's Labor Day. And it's a sprint for the finish. There are — you and I both know from having covered politics or so on. So much can happen in a week, in a month. And we've seen it just in the last month with Joe Biden.

John Yang:

Judy Woodruff, thanks so much for your perspective.

Judy Woodruff:

Thank you.