Here it may never see a doctor. They may never see a doctor. On the episode of the whole story with Anderson Cooper airs sunday night at nine pm eastern, ten pacific, only on cnn. Thank you for watching, Laura Coates Live starts right now. Laura, hi. Itll be the whole story with abby philip on sunday, you mean. Thats what youre talking about. All hyped up myself. Thank you so much. Everyone, it is everything, everywhere, all at once for President Biden. And this time it is personal. Tonight on Laura Coates Live. Weve heard it over and over, that phrase that all politics is local. Well, maybe it should be all politics is personal. It certainly seems to be for President Biden. In a just 18 days it is going to be 2024, i know, im with you, i cant believe it either. But in 18 days it will in fact be 2024 and the president will be running for reelection in the face of some significant headwinds that are turning into quite the hurricane. I mean, everything, everywhere, all at once. You have got wars in ukraine, israel, bombs still raining down, youve got hostages still desperate for rescue, families torn apart. Some of bidens own Staff Members holding a vigil outside the white house, masked it conceal their identities and calling for a permanent ceasefire in gaza. The president giving a very personal message to israel. I want them to be focused on how to save civilian lives. Not stop going after hamas, but to be more careful. Then there is ukraine. Biden is trying to push his own party where they dont seem to want to go. He is open to changing Border Policy in exchange for the votes to pass the aid that ukraine desperately needs. But, democrats have been bulking at support in policy that they frankly once slammed. The president s Approval Rating is, well, underwater. In poll after poll after poll. Now he faces what very will be the biggest challenge of all. House republicans Impeachment Inquiry with a notable lack of evidence to back up any of their accusations against the president , it kind of reverse engineering. Biden calling it a baseless political stunt. Even fundraising off of it. Perhaps this seems familiar to you. Impeachment, fundraising off of it, talking about it being baseless. Kind of a page out of the trump playbook. But maybe for different reasons. Well, he is the expert, after all. He had been impeached not once, but twice. But this inquiry, well, it is personal for joe biden, he says. He is focusing on hunter biden, of course, foreign Business Dealings and what could be more personal for the president than the man he is called his only surviving son . That after beau biden died of brain cancer in 2015. My father was not financially involved in my business, not as a practicing lawyer, not as a board member of burisma, not in my partnership with the Chinese Private businessman, not in my investments at home or abroad, and certainly not as an artist. The big question is, it can joe biden turn this around . The headwind in the space . The idea of all and everything, everywhere, all at once . People, they have counted him out before, havent they . Look, this isnt the first time in my life that ive been knocked down. No, its not, but The Big Question is what will voters think on november 5th. Will they lift him up once again to the white house . There is a lot to talk about with former 2020 democratic president ial candidate andrew yang, he is also the author of the last election. Andrew, its so good to see you here tonight. Im glad that youre joining me. How are you doing . Im doing great, laura. Those polls you showed there, they are actually a little bit worse for the president. I think a cnns last poll had him at authorities of a percent, and that is what the five average is now. It is great to be here with you, i think this is the most important topic for our politics in the next cycle. The poll polls that have the averages seem to be the latest one, but im not going to were talking about underwater or, like, under the water. Were talking about the numbers that are facing the Biden Administration right now. Now you have got this Impeachment Inquiry, it is not the full impeachment. We know maybe parsing the words for many voters, it is not sufficient. But republicans have been itching to launch this impeachment, even though there is no evidence, there is no definitive high crime or misdemeanor or any definitive ties, if any, to hunters by financial dealings or what he may have done wrong. I wonder though, from your perspective, how Will Americans see this given, look, in just a few years ago everyone was talking about democrats, if youre republican, saying they were undermining the sanctity of the use of impeachments . I think this is an overreach on the part of republicans. Its going to remind a lot of independents why they dont like republicans because it feels like they are playing politics and just goingfortat. You impeached our guy, so were going to impeach yours. Like, you said the evidence is very, very thin. The president have a number of very significant headwinds. The Impeachment Inquiry, to me, is not one of them. We look at the headwinds, hunter biden, i hate to use alliteration here, but the headwind of hunter might be really significant here because he has been a source of turmoil for his father. He believes, hunter, even on those steps of the capital and talking in the past, about how he is perceived as a political pawn that is being used, in spite of the criminal indictments that are absolutely there. He has said in the past that they are trying to kill him just to get to his father. That, i wonder, that takes a toll on the average person, but how about the toll on the presidency . You couldnt be a father without this taking a toll. I do think that a lot of americans see this as a political ploy, as a weaponization of family, in a way, that hunter biden, unfortunately, has become something of a symbol on the right whenever you talk about corruption for the Republican Party. They just say hunter biden and that is a function of the polarization of todays political climate. Let me ask you, you mentioned that you think the impeachment might not be as biggest headwind. What do you think it is . If you look at all the polling, laura, you see that the economy is number one on voters minds and the president s Approval Rating, when it comes to the economy is in these 30 or 40 range. People look back on the trump years. If youre an independent, i think that the polling that i have seen sees that trump has maybe a 25 point lead on the economy above that President Biden was independent. This, to me, is an okay economy but the perception is lousy. It is tough for the president to make an affirmative case when that is the way americans feel every time they go to the Grocery Store or look at their bank account. I heard someone use the phrase steel and all mics, the way people judge their own viewpoint of the economy by the way they feel. Of course, how do you message around, telling somebody know you dont feel the way you actually do feel . But how do you turn it around . Well, this is why, in my opinion, the democrats will be wellserved by having a competitive field. Because the Biden Campaign tested this out. They said, you know what, were going to spend 25 million boosting our numbers in the swing states, which is either in aggressive or desperate move 12 months ahead of the voting. Its not something that you ordinarily see. In that 25 million did not move the president s numbers up in that swing states and the senate, in large part, on bidenomics and the economy. Its not a winning argument. Its hard to convince americans that things are good when they dont feel that and their own lives. When you mention a more competitive field you are talking about candidates other than donald trump or joe biden, specifically. Is that right . Oh my gosh, laura, 70 of americans are not excited about a biden trump rematch. Biden said himself that there are 50 rematches that could defeat donald trump. A generic democrat leads donald trump in all the same polls that has biden losing him, in virtually all the swing states. 39 , 37 , and these are way under water relative to the 48 than obama had at this stage in his reelect or the 50 that he would ideally want. Anyone else with an Approval Rating at this range went on to lose. So President Biden, if he views trump as an existential threat to democracy, and i think a trump would be a catastrophe, he should be looking for a better, stronger candidate to defeat trump in the general next november. You know, im going to extend the analogy of being underwater. I do wonder, with the dates that are in mind, as the ship sailed . These are, right now, youve got trump as the runaway. It seems, so far. Youve got biden as the only strong candidate in terms of even the Polling Numbers are there. He doesnt seem to have anyone in the realm of possibility to unseat him as the person who will secure that nomination yet again. Are the Polling Numbers so instructive that we are within a year of the election . Laura, not a single vote has been cast in the democratic primary. There is still ample opportunity for gavin newsom, gretchen whittler, jamie dean phillips of minnesotas already declared that he is at 15 in New Hampshire and climbing fast. Not with single vote has been cast. This is the time for the Democratic Party to find the best candidate to face off and defeat donald trump in november. The numbers are clearly showing that joe biden is not that candidate. Its interesting because most people assume, at this point in time, youre talking about a third party run. You just named a string of democrats from Gretchen Whitmer to gavin newsom dean phillips and beyond. Is there a risk in undercutting the incumbents opportunities to get reelection right now at this juncture, or do you think, look, it doesnt take a thirdparty run, its a test for the American People to know that this is the person they want to be the person who has that nomination . Laura, voters are begging for a better alternative in november. And the Democratic Party, in my opinion, owes the American People a real process of competition to determine the nominee. If you coronated joe biden and the numbers are clearly showing that. Right now, if the election were held tomorrow, he would lose to trump. Betting on a turnaround for an 81yearold incumbent with, lets call it a 38 Approval Rating, is not found it in any reality. Again, they spent 25 million to gooses numbers and saw absolutely no results. You can add more money into that mix, but people have already made up their minds about the biden economy. The Democratic Party, by the way, if you had somebody like dean phillips as a democratic nominee, all of the sudden there would be this generational contrast because you would have a 54yearold against trump and trump would be the 78 year old and the old one, as opposed to having an incumbent where 70 of americans are concerned about his age, which i think is a very legitimate issue. Youre talking about a very, very demanding, i stress role and joe biden is easily the oldest president on record. Why am i not surprised that you have or the math pan are so concerned about the numbers. I shouldnt be surprised about that very notion, but let me ask you about the republican side of things. Because certainly the age is a factor on both. You mentioned the excitement, really not being there when it comes to biden or a trump, compared to previous administrations or previous campaigns. Do you see any republican in the field Beating Trump out for that gop nomination . Because that might be an entirely different ball game for who is on the democratic side. What i said about the Democratic Party goes for the Republican Party just as a strongly where generic republican would be a much stronger candidate than donald trump. If nikki haley were to be the nominee, i think she would be a very, very formidable opponent against anyone on the democratic side. But the numbers are very, very strongly indicating that donald trump is still the prohibitive favorite. And people would not be surprised to hear that that makes extraordinarily frustrated because i think somebody like nikki haley would be a vastly superior choice. But donald trump has 30point lead, even nikki haleys home state of South Carolina at present. Unless the numbers shift dramatically over the next number of days out expect trump to emerge as the nominee. Just me are not going to endorse joe biden . Look, im in any one but trump guy, but the Democratic Party owes the country the best possible nominee to defeat trump in november. Numbers show clearly it is not joe biden. I wish dearly, ill make this a personal plea, President Biden, you have done extraordinary things for the country. But now it is time for you to be a statesman as opposed to a political figure and for the good of the country lets have the next generation step up. You were right, there are another 49 democrats who can defeat donald trump, lets get one of them in that spot. Real quick, do you know of another person who is willing to do that right now . I know there are a lot of conversation around, you just said that, but President Biden is the one running for reelection. You have dean phillips. Is that the list . Well, there are a number of people that we all know, laura, like gavin newsom in california who is chomping at the bit. We talk about them, andrew, thats my point, people talk about them but they have not committed to run. They have not said that they would. They have, in fact, thrown their support behind biden talking about Beating Trump. Its exactly why joe biden needs to lead them and say, hey guys, please do throw your hat in the ring. Then the very next day you could see a number of people do so. To your point though, laura, Congressman Dean Phillips is the only person with a Backbone Distend up and say, look guys, were on a path to disaster. Lets actually compete. I give him all the credit in the world that there are many, many democratic insiders who are saying the exact same thing behind closed doors, but they are leery about going out in the open and saying it in public. So, credit to dean phillips for making the case the majority of democrats want to see the. You should have a competition for the strongest possible nominee. Andrew, thank you for stopping by. Its always great to hear the insight. Thank you laura, its great being with you as always. Up next, speaking about behind closed doors, its inside the giuliani courtroom. Ill talk to the journalist who got the scoop and can take us right inside. Next. Well, a defiant and unapologetic Rudy Giuliani is trying his case, not in a court of law, about, you probably guessed it, and the court of public opinion. With defamatory statements about Georgia Election workers, ruby freeman and shaye moss. But is that has a long time prosecutor, remember, he was the u. S. Attorney in the Southern District of new york, now he is the defendant with the defendant words right next to him on the table. Is that how he has behaved in front of a jury . It is he as defiant . Is he as apologetic . Lets go inside of the courtroom with someone who has been there all this week. Features writer new York Magazine andrew rice. Andrew, so glad to see you here. Ive been dying to know more about what was happening inside that court, because people can talk big and bad on the courthouse steps, but when theyre in front of a jury, when theyve got the judge presiding, sometimes they sing a very different tune. Walk us through what was going on in that courtroom. I think you hit it right on the head. There is a real kind of a bifurcation between the Rudy Giuliani that we saw outside the courtroom, every day at the end of the trial over the course of the last few days has come out and given very brash statements. He accused people of being, the lawyers in the case as being somehow affiliated with hunter biden. He accused said that he didnt regret and other things that he said about any of the election workers. Inside the courtroom, a very different story. He was restricted from really saying much of anything of substance and when it came right down to it, today, he had a chance to take the stand. He was on the fence and he passed it up. What was his Body Language like . Was he somebody who seemed very confident in front of a jury, spine straight, or somebody who had a different appearance . I mean, hes 79 years old now so i dont want to be unfair to him about his appearance. But it is fair to say that he looks a little older, a little more stooped. He seemed at times kind of disconnected, distracted, not really paying attention. He had an ipad there and you could see him flipping through the New York Post on his ipad. During the actual testimony . Yeah, during the testimony, during extensive portions of the trial. Really kind of looking at emails. He was not deeply we should say that i dont think you is deeply engaged in the arguments that were happening in the trial. How