On Sunday during MSNBC’s special coverage of President Biden’s withdrawal from the 2024 presidential race, Joy Reid presented new campaign oriented marching orders for fellow and co-host Nicolle Wallace wished that Biden’s “political sacrifice” would persuade others to step up and support Harris.
Reid shared five “keywords” in regards to what the media should be focusing on. The first was age, “which the media should focus about Donald Trump.” Reid professed that his “age now becomes an issue” because of his “cognitive health.”
Oh, now age is a legitimate discussion?
The next area Reid encouraged others to focus on was the “Supreme Court and the dangers of that” – specifically the Dobbs decision. She quickly followed that up with another keyword which was “felonies” but not to fear because Kamala Harris “is a prosecutor.”
Jumping from one keyword to the next, Reid declared that “the issue of sexual assault” should be something networks put an emphasis on when covering Trump. But again, we don’t have to worry because Harris “was a prosecutor who specialized in prosecuting sexual assaulters, and obviously, democracy.”
The sanctimonious Wallace weighed in with her thoughts on Biden not running for reelection:
I mean, President Joe Biden did one of the most not just selfless, but elegant things. I mean, the way he did it, the letter was elegant, and all him — the endorsement of his Vice President, who’s had a tremendous three and a half weeks on the campaign trail, was just pitch perfect.
Continuing to praise Biden, Wallace quoted Mike Barnicle from Morning Joe to argue we “have to remember, everybody, he is a good and decent man.” She called Biden’s act of stepping down a “political sacrifice” that she hoped would “be contagious.”
Wallace then called on Jim Mattis, Mark Milley and General Kelly “who don't want to sacrifice not being political” and said it’s “time to change those calculations.” To Wallace, “an act of political sacrifice — should beget more political sacrifice.”
Continuing to name drop, Wallace stated “Liz Cheney and Chris Christie should be on the phone with White House if they mean what they say about democracy and the rule of law and ask how they can help the pro-democracy coalition.”
Taken all together, she concluded “an active sacrifice like what Joe Biden did today should put in motion many more high profile acts of sacrifice.”
Click "Expand" to view the transcript:
MSNBC Report
07/21/2024
7:10:02
2 minutes 53 seconds
JOY REID: This election just changed in the way Nikki Haley said it would. She once said the first person to jettison their 80-year-old wins. As you said, Donald Trump is now the aged person in this election, and he is somebody who cognitively is — is not really working at full steam. This election just became about — I just wrote down the five keywords now that this election — Age, which the media should focus about — about Donald Trump. His age now becomes an issue, his cognitive health.
It becomes about the Supreme Court and the dangers of that, it becomes about Dobbs big time, particularly if it’s Kamala Harris, who I think logically should be the nominee. It becomes about felonies, she’s a prosecutor. It becomes about the issue of sexual assault. Again, she was a prosecutor who specialized in prosecuting sexual assaulters, and obviously, democracy. So, the — the race has completely changed as of today.
RACHEL MADDOW: Nicolle, where were you when you heard and what was your initial reaction and what have you learned over the course of the day?
NICOLLE WALLACE: I was running around after my baby, and I got a text from Mark Elias, and — and there it was. I mean, President Joe Biden did one of the most not just selfless, but elegant things. I mean, the way he did it, the letter was elegant, and all him — the endorsement of his Vice President, who’s had a tremendous three and a half weeks on the campaign trail, was just pitch perfect.
I was watching Mike Barnicle, who’s — you know on Morning Joe every morning and a close friend of President Biden's, and on Friday, he said something that just — just stuck with me all — all evening Friday and all day yesterday, and when I saw it today, I thought, ooo, I wonder when he knew it.
He said, you have to remember, everybody, he is a good and decent man. And it just made me think, you know, there is nothing that we see that he doesn't see. There is no poll — you know, by the time Speaker Pelosi, you know, was having these very political conversations about the political landscape, it was clear that — I think it was clear to a lot of people who knew Joe Biden well where this might end up.
The only thing I’d say is that an act of political sacrifice like this is — must be contagious. And people like Jim Mattis and Mark Milley and General Kelly who don't want to sacrifice not being political, it’s time to change those calculations. People like Sue Gordon and Gina Haspel who don't want to sacrifice their legacies with the intelligence agencies, it’s time to make a different decision.
An act of political sacrifice — should beget more political sacrifice. Liz Cheney and Chris Christie should be on the phone with White House if they mean what they say about democracy and the rule of law and ask how they can help the pro-democracy coalition. And an active sacrifice like what Joe Biden did today should put in motion many more high profile acts of sacrifice.
