Harris delivers a tougher message against Trump, Sen. Coons says

President Biden explained his decision to end his presidential bid during an address from the Oval Office. To discuss that and more, Geoff Bennett spoke with a Democrat who knows Biden best, Sen. Chris Coons of Delaware.

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Geoff Bennett: Let’s shift our focus now to President Biden’s decision to end his presidential bid.

I spoke this afternoon with the Senate Democrat who knows him best. That’s Senator Chris Coons of Delaware.

Senator Chris Coons, welcome back to the “News Hour.”

Sen. Chris Coons (D-DE): Thank you. Great to be on with you, Geoff.

Geoff Bennett: You are President Biden’s closest ally in Congress. You were his campaign co-chair. The president’s speech last night explaining why he’s not seeking reelection, he didn’t really concede any of the points made by those Democrats who sought to push him out of the race, that he’s too old, that he’s unable to effectively press the case against Donald Trump.

Has he explained his reasoning to you? Was it the polling? Was it the fracture in the party? What was the specific issue or argument that convinced him to exit the race?

Sen. Chris Coons: Look, Geoff, I think what really matters here is that we take a moment and reflect on Joe Biden’s incredible record, one of the most consequential presidents of my lifetime, maybe of our entire history.

And he heard from and took seriously input from a very wide range of people, from senators and governors and mayors, but also just average people, friends, neighbors, people who worked for him, people he’d known for a long time. And he weighed his gut instinct, which is to get back up and fight.

He is a person of grit and determination, and the input he was getting from pollsters, from average folks, from elected officials suggesting that the path to the presidency to reelection was increasingly narrow. Joe Biden is clear-eyed about just how big a threat to our democracy Donald Trump poses.

And so, ultimately, because he loves our nation more than he loves his own personal ambition, he was willing to step aside. I think it was one of the most significant and most selfless acts by a senior elected official I have ever seen in American history.

Geoff Bennett: Hmm.

I have spoken with Democrats, and I’m sure you have too, who are unsettled, disappointed about the way the president was treated. There are Democrats who were angry about what they see as a betrayal by his Democratic allies, his friends in Congress, who pushed for his ouster.

How does President Biden see it?

Sen. Chris Coons: Well, I shouldn’t speak for him on that point, other than to say, I know he’s grateful to have had the opportunity to serve in the presidency, to be one of the most senior and respected leaders in the history of the Democratic Party.

And I think we will see in the next couple of weeks and months, as this all unfolds, a convention in Chicago where President Biden will be celebrated and recognized for his incredible accomplishments and leadership, a campaign that unfolds over the next few months, where he will be a critical part of the campaign for Vice President Harris to be the next president, and the remaining six months of the Biden presidency, where he will continue to roll up his sleeves and dig in and make a difference.

Joe Biden is one of the most skilled and capable foreign policy leaders we have ever had as president, and there remains a lot to do in the six months ahead and in the years after he leaves the presidency.

Geoff Bennett: Let’s talk more about Vice President Harris.

How will she distinguish herself from President Biden? How does she forge her own message without effectively running away from an administration that she’s been part of for years?

Sen. Chris Coons: Well, Geoff, I can’t imagine why she’d want to run away from the most consequential and accomplished administration in decades.

The legislative record of the Biden/Harris administration is unmatched. So, Geoff, I would expect that Vice President Harris, as our presidential candidate, will say that she’s running to finish the job, to build on the success of the Biden/Harris administration.

But, of course, she’s a different person. She will also bring some different areas of priority and focus. Today, she’s speaking at a conference for, I believe, the American Federation of Teachers in Houston. And when you have seen her in front of crowds and audiences, she excites folks. She gets them engaged.

She delivers a sharper, tougher message against Trump as a former prosecutor, something that does distinguish her from President Biden, who, although a lawyer, never served as a prosecutor. So, she’s got some ways to differentiate herself, but I, frankly, think she will build on the very strong record that President Biden and Vice President Harris have had over this first administration.

Geoff Bennett: Both President Biden and Vice President Harris met separately today with the Israeli prime minister. Is there any daylight between the two of them, Harris and Biden, on their view of how the Israel-Hamas war should be resolved or what the future should entail for the Palestinian people?

Sen. Chris Coons: Well, I don’t know the specifics of exactly how that meeting today that each of them had separately with Prime Minister Netanyahu may have unfolded.

But there is long, strong, and deep bipartisan support for the U.S.-Israel relationship. Few Americans have been stronger in their support for Israel than Joe Biden.

I do know that there’s broad concerns in my caucus, so I would expect that Vice President Harris would continue the long and deep support for Israel from the United States, while also raising concerns about just how long this war has gone on in Gaza, whether it’s really sustainable, and what we can do to improve the delivery of humanitarian relief and secure a cease-fire and the release of hostages.

Geoff Bennett: The next big question for Democrats is who replaces Kamala Harris as the vice presidential nominee on the ticket.

Of the reported short list, who do you think expands and improves Democrats’ standing in this presidential contest?

Sen. Chris Coons: Well, I know them all, and I don’t think I should choose between them, but I can speak more knowledgeably about two.

Mark Kelly, the senator from Arizona, has literally been my neighbor here in Washington in recent years. I have gotten to know Mark and his wife, Gabby, very well. I knew Gabby Giffords when she was a congresswoman before her tragic shooting injury in an attack now several years ago.

Mark is both a Navy pilot, a decorated combat veteran, and an astronaut, and his service to our nation is admirable. But it’s his work with Gabby as an advocate to reduce gun violence, to promote gun safety in the United States that really brought his voice to the fore.

And as someone who has represented a border state that has all the challenges and opportunities that come with being a border state like Arizona, I think he would contribute a lot to the role of running mate for Kamala Harris.

Josh Shapiro, the governor of my adjoining state of Pennsylvania, my wife’s home state, is someone I have known for years, since he was Montgomery County Council president.

He’s got a wonderful family. He’s got a great record as a legislative leader, as attorney general, now as governor, knowing how to address and fix and solve problems in a big state, a state that has areas that are red, that are purple, that are blue, and having won statewide several times in the key swing state of Pennsylvania. Being an ethical, hardworking, capable person, and a good public speaker would recommend him as well.

So there’s a number of good choices, but there’s two off the top of my head where I just happen to know them both well.

Geoff Bennett: All right, Democratic Senator Chris Coons of Delaware, thanks for your time this evening. We appreciate it.

Sen. Chris Coons: Thank you, Geoff.