Gov. Wes Moore says "I will not" seek 2024 Democratic nomination, says Biden isn't dropping out

We begin this morning with reaction to the first presidential debate of 2024. Our polling unit asked voters how they view the candidates now, including their cognitive health. The results are not encouraging for the president. The number of voters who say President Biden has the cognitive ability to serve has dropped from 35% earlier this month to 27% after the debate. That's the lowest number since CBS began asking voters that question last September. Nearly 3/4 of all registered voters now say he shouldn't be running, and nearly half of Democrats say he shouldn't remain the nominee, an extraordinary number for an incumbent who didn't face a competitive primary primary. We should also note that half of all voters also say former President Trump does not have the cognitive health to serve. Voters give former President Trump a significant edge, though, when asked which candidate explained his ideas, clearly inspired confidence and appeared presidential. Joining us now to discuss all of this is Maryland Governor Wes Moore. He's in Milwaukee where he has been campaigning for President Biden's re election this weekend. Welcome back, Governor. Thank you so much. Great to be with you, Governor. You know, wasn't a good night for the president And, and I'll save us time because I know you're going to tell us. Look at presidential performance, not debate performance. Everyone has a bad night. Barack Obama once had a bad night. But, you know, at 81 years old, this is a different set of factors for President Biden. Why was he struggling Thursday? Well, I, I think both candidates struggled. I don't think either candidate had a, had a very good night on on the debate night. But I also do know that it does matter when we're looking at presidential performance and not necessarily debate performance. But respectfully, Governor, the president doesn't do many interviews. He doesn't do things where we he we have to see him be quick on his feet. He's not here you are. He's not on the campaign trail as often as surrogates like you are. Isn't that demonstrating that there are alternatives, democratic alternatives who are younger and able to go out and be quick on their feet and on the trail? I, I, I know I got a chance to see the president when times were difficult and, and see him in trials. And I've seen him being able to be a remarkable partner to us. And that's what I remember. And that's why I continue to believe that that the Biden administration deserves another four years. And I'm excited about what that can deliver for the American people. Why was the president struggling? I think the president had a tough night. I think all of us have difficult nights. Well, I, I think that the the president had a had a difficult night just like every single one of us do. Governor, I know that Democrats believe that abortion is a winning issue in this election. Here's what the American people heard from the president when he was asked about abortion. Look, there's so many young women who have been including a young woman who just was murdered and he, he went to the funeral and the idea that she was murdered by a, by, by an immigrant coming in to, they talk about that. But here's the deal. There's a lot of young women to be raped by their, by their in laws, by their, by, by their spouses, brothers and sisters, by just, it's just ridiculous and they can do nothing about it. Abortion is an important issue for Democrats. This should have been a layup. He was struggling to make the point. How do you explain that, Margaret, that that that wasn't a great moment for the president, and no one can argue that it can. He was also standing feet away from someone who was talking about politicians who take babies away after they're born and killing them. He was also talking, He was also standing feet away from somebody who was debating whether or not the limit on on reproductive health should be six weeks or nine weeks or 12 weeks or, or saying that any politician should have a say about what happens with a woman and her body when that conversation should exclusively but between her and her doctor, Right. And so it was not a great moment for the president. And we can't defend that. Yeah, no. Well, well, I, I think in, in. And Donald Trump is also claiming responsibility for the turn down of Roe V Wade. So, so I mean, it wasn't a great moment for the president, but let's be clear. His position on making sure the reproductive health and reproductive rights should be ironclad. His position that we should have Roe V. Wade as the law of the land is very, very clear with Donald Trump. I want to be also clear that that is not his position. I, I understand you want the conversation to be about the policy and the false statements made by his opponent. But the Atlanta Journal and Constitution in Georgia, a key state for the president, came out in an editorial saying this wasn't a bad night. It was a confirmation of the worst fears of some of Biden's most ardent supporters. Age has finally caught up to him. It referred to excuses like what you're making as insulting to the American people. How do you respond to that? I, I, I think that what we are watching when you're watching a presidential performance, when you're watching a president who is able to lead us to now where we have record low unemployments, when we're able to watch how the, the black, black wealth inside of this country since the pandemic has risen by 60%. When you're able to watch a presidential performance that's been able to do things like raise wages for our workers and making sure that our rights are protected, that that does matter in this conversation. And so I understand people who are, you know, and I understand and I get it, the arguments about age and the complications of of 81, but the number 81 is an important number. But so is watching historically low unemployment rates. And I do not think that people should lose sight of that. Sure, but we're not just talking about 3 1/2 years in the past, we were talking about four more years bringing him to age 86. Here is what the president responded when he was asked with the national debt and how he would tax billionaires. We'd be able to write wipe out his debt. We'd be able to help make sure that all those things we need to do, childcare, elder care, making sure that we continue to strengthen our healthcare system, making sure that we're able to make every single solitary person eligible for what I've been able to do with the, with the COVID, excuse me, with dealing with everything we have to do with. Look, if we finally beat Medicare, the president lost his own point. We also have to remember that this election is a binary choice. It's an election between President Joe Biden and frankly, even the conversation around the national debt, you know, someone whose tax cuts at a time when over the next decade we are going to have the largest transfer of wealth in the history of the world. And a president who and, and a former president to turn out. Democrats need young voters to turn out. How are they supposed to see themselves reflected in that? I think they're also going to see themselves reflected in all the people who are going out and being the president's surrogates. I think you have to go out and earn it. You know, I'm, I'm, I'm the the youngest Democratic governor in this country, the only African American governor in America. And we're out here all the time. And we're out here in conjunction with other surrogates. We're out here in conjunction with the president, who's out here campaigning and the vice president. We're going to the people and we're making our case to the people as to why this kind of partnership matters. Progress does not happen by accident. The work that we are seeing, I look at the state of Maryland, we now went from being 43rd in unemployment when I was first inaugurated to now having amongst the lowest unemployment rates in the entire country for 12 straight months. So would you pursue the Democratic nomination if Joe Biden were to, to take himself out of this race? I, I will not. And Joe Biden is not going to take himself out of this race, nor should he. He has been a remarkable partner. Are you confident that the only person, the only Democrat in America that could meet beat Donald Trump is Joe Biden? Joe Biden is our nominee. Joe Biden is our leader and Joe Biden has earned and Joe Biden deserves the confidence, the respect, and frankly, the partnership that we now have to provide to him. And so I will be in Chicago. I will proudly be supporting the president in Chicago. I will work through November to make sure he gets re elected. So, yes, I do think that President Biden has earned the respect of Democrats and, and Joe Biden is going to be our leader going forward. Governor Moore, thank you for joining us. Thank you.