Tyler Pager

And I think they feel that there is a certain reckoning that needs to happen over the public statements, as Reid and Lisa just outlined, that they made over the last several years about what they thought about Joe Biden's ability to lead the country and what they have since learned about it.

Yeah, so the interview occurred in 2023. And after that, in 2024, the special counsel released his report. And we got a full transcript of Biden's interview with the special counsel. And it spanned more than five hours. But the Biden administration fought Republican efforts to release the audio.

Yeah, so the interview occurred in 2023. And after that, in 2024, the special counsel released his report. And we got a full transcript of Biden's interview with the special counsel. And it spanned more than five hours. But the Biden administration fought Republican efforts to release the audio.

And so when Donald Trump was elected president, it was not a stretch to believe that the Trump administration would be willing to release the entire audio.

And so when Donald Trump was elected president, it was not a stretch to believe that the Trump administration would be willing to release the entire audio.

It's a great question. It's not a stretch to believe that in this current moment, when there's a lot of conversation about Joe Biden's mental acuity, that the Trump administration would capitalize on that.

It's a great question. It's not a stretch to believe that in this current moment, when there's a lot of conversation about Joe Biden's mental acuity, that the Trump administration would capitalize on that.

And I think one of the most remarkable things is what you hear when you talk to Biden's closest aides about that interview. I've done a lot of reporting about the Her investigation and that interview specifically. And in the aftermath, when I talked to some of Biden's closest aides who were either in the room or briefed on the conversation, they said the interview went fine.

And I think one of the most remarkable things is what you hear when you talk to Biden's closest aides about that interview. I've done a lot of reporting about the Her investigation and that interview specifically. And in the aftermath, when I talked to some of Biden's closest aides who were either in the room or briefed on the conversation, they said the interview went fine.

They said it was Biden being Biden. Hmm. It's Biden telling stories, Biden zigging and zagging. And they thought it wasn't his best performance. There were some concerns they had about his inability to recall certain dates and specific events. But they really said that is just Joe Biden being Joe Biden, the sort of politician storyteller he's always been.

They said it was Biden being Biden. Hmm. It's Biden telling stories, Biden zigging and zagging. And they thought it wasn't his best performance. There were some concerns they had about his inability to recall certain dates and specific events. But they really said that is just Joe Biden being Joe Biden, the sort of politician storyteller he's always been.

I think it is absolutely that the vast majority of people closest to Biden genuinely believe the portrait that Robert Herr painted of him was deeply unfair. And I think it's in part because they saw Joe Biden in different settings and all the time. And there were times where he was really strong and dialed in and capable.

I think it is absolutely that the vast majority of people closest to Biden genuinely believe the portrait that Robert Herr painted of him was deeply unfair. And I think it's in part because they saw Joe Biden in different settings and all the time. And there were times where he was really strong and dialed in and capable.

They would say, if you could just hear Joe Biden on a foreign leader call, or if you could just see Joe Biden in this negotiation, or if you could just see Joe Biden in X, Y, or Z setting. But the problem was the public rarely saw that version of Joe Biden. In fact, the public rarely saw... Joe Biden much at all.

They would say, if you could just hear Joe Biden on a foreign leader call, or if you could just see Joe Biden in this negotiation, or if you could just see Joe Biden in X, Y, or Z setting. But the problem was the public rarely saw that version of Joe Biden. In fact, the public rarely saw... Joe Biden much at all.

And so I think the challenge for Biden's closest aides was confronting the reality of the Joe Biden that outsiders saw, the Joe Biden that Robert Hearst saw, the Joe Biden that many voters saw, and ultimately the Joe Biden that America saw when he stepped on that debate stage in Atlanta, Georgia with Donald Trump.

And so I think the challenge for Biden's closest aides was confronting the reality of the Joe Biden that outsiders saw, the Joe Biden that Robert Hearst saw, the Joe Biden that many voters saw, and ultimately the Joe Biden that America saw when he stepped on that debate stage in Atlanta, Georgia with Donald Trump.

We haven't seen any polling yet. So let's put a pin in like what normal voters think about this. But people are saying today, after living through the last 72 hours, is that it's really a microcosm of how they feel about Biden. They're angry at him for how he ran the race while he was still in it, that he stayed in it for as long as he did, that he insisted on running in the first place.

We haven't seen any polling yet. So let's put a pin in like what normal voters think about this. But people are saying today, after living through the last 72 hours, is that it's really a microcosm of how they feel about Biden. They're angry at him for how he ran the race while he was still in it, that he stayed in it for as long as he did, that he insisted on running in the first place.

They have deep sympathy for his physical condition now that he appears to be pretty sick with cancer. And they are conflicted about his legacy and whether it's going to be somebody who did a bunch of things in office that they're proud of or a guy who ran and stayed in a race for much longer than he should have delivering the country again to Donald Trump.