On Wednesday, ABC’s The View hosted Congressman Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) and treated him to mostly softball questions focused on President Biden stepping aside and Vice President Kamala Harris running for the presidency. Since they’re on the same side, the questions were meant to help the Democrats in the transition process.
Sarah Haines began the segment by asking Schiff what he thought Biden may say when he addresses the nation from the Oval Office. Schiff started off by exclaiming, “Well, first of all, I think what we saw in the president's decision to pass the torch was an incredible act of selflessness, something, frankly, we don't see much of in today's politics.”
Now answering her question, Schiff assumed that Biden will “talk about his accomplishments and what more he wants to accomplish in the remainder of his administration. The extraordinary job that he has done and he should be rightfully proud of it.”
Alyssa Farah Griffin brought up how the White House was being “criticized by some for not being transparent enough with the public.” Schiff dodged the question and instead praised Biden’s presidency “You know, I think we had confidence in the president's ability to do the job. He's been an incredible president. He's done more in one term than most presidents ever accomplish.”
Sunny Hostin chimed in and came to Biden’s defense, noting various Democratic members, including Schiff, who called on Biden to step aside and wanted to know if there “was a coordinated effort to publicly pressure the president to bow out instead of doing it behind the scenes.”
Hostin, giving away her position, asked if Schiff thought “the president deserved better, given his lifetime of public service.” He answered that he couldn’t speak to the “private efforts” of those Democratic members because he wasn’t really “part of those internal discussions.”
Tired of this conversation, Joy Behar interjected (with an annoyed tone in her voice) with more important topic on her mind:
Okay, so that ship has sailed. Let's move on from that and talk about who the vice president might pick as a running mate. How important is it that Kamala Harris chooses somebody with a -- from a swing state? Is there anyone that you're throwing your weight around -- behind, sorry?
Schiff, who is running for the Senate in California, claimed “there is no one that I have gotten involved with advocating for.” He continued to say that when it comes to Harris he was “very confident she's going to pick the right person in terms of doing the job, in terms of getting the job, and I think all the people you mentioned and probably others would do an extraordinary job as her running mate.”
Click "Expand" to view the transcript:
ABC The View
7/24/2024
11:15:54 – 11:23:32 AM
WHOOPI GOLDBERG: Welcome back. President Biden heeded the call to pass the torch that came from many colleagues, democratic colleagues like Congressman Adam Schiff who joins us now to talk about about throwing his full support behind making Vice President Harris the new presidential nominee. Please welcome back Congressman Adam Schiff. Sarah.
SARAH HAINES: Good morning, congressman. You were one of the first prominent members of congress to –
REPRESENTATIVE ADAM SCHIFF (D-MA): Good morning.
HAINES: -- publicly call on the president to drop out of the race. Tonight he'll be addressing the nation from the oval office on his decision and what comes next. What are you expecting him to say, and what does he need to say to Americans?
SCHIFF: Well, first of all, I think what we saw in the president's decision to pass the torch was an incredible act of selflessness, something, frankly, we don't see much of in today's politics, but as I hoped the president made the decision that he felt was in the best interest of the country.
I think he'll talk about his accomplishments and what more he wants to accomplish in the remainder of his administration, the extraordinary job that he has done, and he should be rightfully proud of it, but also that he felt it was time to pass the torch to his vice president -- how much confidence he has in her, what an extraordinary job she's done as vice president, and I think you see in the incredible excitement and enthusiasm the extraordinary outpouring of grassroots support just how the country has embraced this change, and I think the president will reflect on the historic nature of that change, and how grateful he is for the opportunity he’s had to serve the country and the work yet to be done.
ALYSSA FARAH GRIFFIN: Congressman, it's Alyssa Farah Griffin. I wanted to ask you there for months there had been polls showing Joe Biden lacking on the campaign trail, concerns over his age with voters, and the campaign and White House are being criticized by some for not being transparent enough with the public. Do they have work to do to make up concerns over transparency with the public?
SCHIFF: You know, I think we had confidence in the president's ability to do the job. He's been an incredible president. He's done more in one term than most presidents ever accomplish. I think the questions that were raised after the debate because of the debate were whether he could win the job for another term, and I think, you know, the president reflected on that, and came to the conclusion that we would have a better chance of protecting our democracy, of protecting the extraordinary legacy he has built by turning to his vice president and so I think it was the right decision, but, look, I'm sure it was enormously difficult for him.
It was enormously difficult for me and for many in the party, because we have not only such respect for him, but for affection and admiration, but it was the right decision, and I think we've seen already how people have responded to that decision, not with derision, not with saying it should have been done before, but rather what an extraordinary act of statesmanship.
SUNNY HOSTIN: Congressman, I don't mean to harp on this but when you look at how the events unfolded, one by one democratic leaders came out and called for the president to step aside. You had leaders like Nancy Pelosi, Chuck Schumer, yourself, who is such an esteemed member of the house, many believe that it was a coordinated effort to publicly pressure the president to bow out instead of doing it behind the scenes. My question to you, was there that sort of coordinated effort, and do you think the president deserved better given his lifetime of public service?
SCHIFF: You know, I can't speak to the private efforts that either Speaker Pelosi or Chuck Schumer or Hakeem Jeffries were undertaking, because I really wasn't part of those internal discussions, so I don't know what they were conveying to the president except that they were conveying the feedback that they got from members of the house and senate.
I can only speak for myself. I wasn't part of a coordinated effort. I really resisted wanting to say what I ultimately felt I needed to, but having worked on the January 6th committee, having worked on impeachment of the former president, having the grave concerns that I have that if we go back to the disastrous presidency of Donald Trump, it could be the end of our democracy as we know it. I felt compelled to speak out, but I can tell you only for myself it wasn't part of a coordinated effort but rather a reluctant decision to say what I think many Americans were thinking and that is, we really need someone who can prosecute the case vigorously against Donald Trump, to protect our country from the likes of Donald Trump.
JOY BEHAR: Okay, so that ship has sailed. Let's move on from that and talk about who the vice president might pick as a running mate. Now, names are being tossed around are democratic governors mostly like Andy Beshear of Kentucky, Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania, Senator Mark Kelly of Arizona, the astronaut, remember him? How important is it that Kamala Harris chooses somebody with a -- from a swing state? Is there anyone that you're throwing your weight around -- behind, sorry?
SCHIFF: There is no one that I have gotten involved – gotten involved with advocating for. I think those are all really terrific choices, and look, as the Vice President Kamala Harris knows more than anyone what is necessary, what skills and qualities in a vice president, not just to become, you know, the president of the United States and get through the election, but most important to actually fulfill the functions of vice president. So I'm very confident she's going to pick the right person in terms of doing the job, in terms of getting the job, and I think all the people you mentioned and probably others would do an extraordinary job as her running mate.
BEHAR: They would all do a great job but I'm old enough to remember Lyndon Johnson being picked for John Kennedy's vice president. There was no love for LBJ, he picked him because he could get Texas out of it. That's a practical reason. We have to first get elected then we can worry about the rest of it, right? So he needs us --
SCHIFF: Well, I think you – you say --
BEHAR: Go ahead.
SCHIFF: Yeah I think you decide, okay, these people could all do the job of vice president well. Now, among these -- this set of potential running mates, who is going to help me win --
BEHAR: That’s right
SCHIFF: -- because at the end of the day it's all about winning. If you can't win you can't govern –
BEHAR: Right.
SCHIFF: -- so that has to be an enormous priority.
