Tyler Pager

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.

In a normal world, if somebody reveals that they have a terrible health diagnosis, it's really just a lot of sympathy and people feel bad for them and then that's it. Of course. But this is all complicated by the fact that we were discussing Biden's health and how forthcoming or not the Biden camp had been on it all along. And so...

In a normal world, if somebody reveals that they have a terrible health diagnosis, it's really just a lot of sympathy and people feel bad for them and then that's it. Of course. But this is all complicated by the fact that we were discussing Biden's health and how forthcoming or not the Biden camp had been on it all along. And so...

In that environment, there's really a disinclination to take what they're saying and the timeline of what they say happened at face value.

In that environment, there's really a disinclination to take what they're saying and the timeline of what they say happened at face value.

Well, it's important to know that Axelrod has been a Biden skeptic for a couple of years. I think when Axelrod said that on Sunday night, that statement was wound up being operable for about 12 hours or so. And then when people woke up Monday morning, they were skeptical of the story being told by the Biden people. And so I think in the media era we're in now,

Well, it's important to know that Axelrod has been a Biden skeptic for a couple of years. I think when Axelrod said that on Sunday night, that statement was wound up being operable for about 12 hours or so. And then when people woke up Monday morning, they were skeptical of the story being told by the Biden people. And so I think in the media era we're in now,

and the trust level that Biden started with, he's just not afforded that kind of luxury to have people stop questioning the things that they were questioning Sunday before this diagnosis emerged.

and the trust level that Biden started with, he's just not afforded that kind of luxury to have people stop questioning the things that they were questioning Sunday before this diagnosis emerged.

Well, I think that's part of what is happening now in the party, right? We see Democrats fanned out around the country. They're going to town halls. They're doing podcasts. Some of them are starting their own podcasts to try to listen to voters. Gavin Newsom?

Well, I think that's part of what is happening now in the party, right? We see Democrats fanned out around the country. They're going to town halls. They're doing podcasts. Some of them are starting their own podcasts to try to listen to voters. Gavin Newsom?

And there is just this broad reckoning in the party about what happened with Joe Biden, about what Donald Trump is doing as the president from the White House, and what kind of message and messenger is best to lead Democrats out of this wilderness that they're in. And be in a place where they can retake power. And the issue is, at the moment, no one really has the right answer to that.

And there is just this broad reckoning in the party about what happened with Joe Biden, about what Donald Trump is doing as the president from the White House, and what kind of message and messenger is best to lead Democrats out of this wilderness that they're in. And be in a place where they can retake power. And the issue is, at the moment, no one really has the right answer to that.

And so we see people scrambling around to test things out. And the one thing that they all seem to agree on is that they don't want anything to do with Joe Biden. And kind of how that manifests itself going forward, we don't really know the answer to, except... that these people are all going to position themselves as different in some way from the last Democratic president.

And so we see people scrambling around to test things out. And the one thing that they all seem to agree on is that they don't want anything to do with Joe Biden. And kind of how that manifests itself going forward, we don't really know the answer to, except... that these people are all going to position themselves as different in some way from the last Democratic president.

And one of the challenges, Michael, in doing so is that Joe Biden right now is dominating every conversation. All of these things are making it so that Joe Biden is at the center of attention. And as Democrats try to chart a new path away from Joe Biden, he's still center stage.

And one of the challenges, Michael, in doing so is that Joe Biden right now is dominating every conversation. All of these things are making it so that Joe Biden is at the center of attention. And as Democrats try to chart a new path away from Joe Biden, he's still center stage.

Thank you, Michael.

Thank you, Michael.

There are people already in the race who have basically said that they would withdraw and clear the way for her. She obviously has the stature of a former vice president. But it is not clear that she would automatically run away from the race. There isn't a lot of polling yet to really determine what the race would look like with her in it.