out. we'll be looking for her. yeah. and the semis this evening. i can't wait. i'll be watching to play for them, like going back for track and field or nasa track and field dresses. patrick snell, but i cried to see it. thank you so much all right. thank you so much for being with me today and fredricka whitfield, the cnn newsroom continues with alice in camerota, the area. and there. you are. allison. see you soon. >> you are in the cnn newsroom. hello, everyone. i'm alison camerota and new york president biden is fundraising in new york and new jersey tonight, trying to reassure some of the many major donors who were reportedly rattled by his shaky debate performance. the president is hitting some very wealthy zip codes with two events in the hamptons and another in new jersey hosted by the governor there, phil murphy the question that many democrats are wrestling with today is, should he continue to run? and can he still win in november cnn white house correspondent arlette saenz joins us now are let, what is the president saying behind closed doors to reassure his donors? well, alison, it's clear president biden is looking for a bit of a course correction. you saw that in his fiery and impassioned speech yesterday on the campaign trail and raleigh, north carolina. and tonight, he is trying to assure donors that he is up for a second term. the president is currently in the hamptons. he stopped at a smaller a high-dollar donor a little bit earlier in the afternoon, and he is about to speak any moment now at another fundraiser that i'm told is expected to have around 200 people. it comes at a time that the biden campaign is trying to tout the fact that they raised $27 million between thursday and friday. but at the same time hey, there is significant a6 and concern among some in the democratic donor class who are concerned about what the path forward could look like for president biden if he were to remain in the race. of course, the president privately, there have been calls from some democrats urging the president and to reconsider that he potentially stepped down from the ticket so far the biden campaign really has been adamant that he is remaining in the race, that he plans to debate donald trump again in september. if that debate actually takes place. but there is significant pressure within the democratic party from lawmakers, from donors, and also just from some voters the reporters who were traveling with president biden in the motorcade said that as they passed a wound their way through the hamptons a little while ago, there were some signs that people said, please drop out for us and others have said, we love you, but it's time, it's unclear what the president's saw those signs, but it kind of paints the picture of the scene around the president at this moment as there are many in his party's still concerned about the state of the race if he were to remain at the top of the ticket, this afternoon, the dnc leadership held a call with some of his members to try to offer assurances to their members following that debates. but there are questions going forward for president biden of how he will chart out his campaign if he has to stay in the race following that debate performance, or what about the poles? >> we understand that democrats are spending this weekend conducting some poles to determine the level of damage that was done. what do we know? >> yeah, democrats are really eager to see what the long-term impact of president biden's debate performance will be there conducting polling as well as research to try to see how damaging that could be, not just to president biden being at the top of the ticket, but also others within the democratic party. if you think about the senate's trying to or democrats are trying to maintain their control in the senate. the house wants to win or democrats want to win back the house. and so these are all things that democrats are quite anxious about to see what the longer-term impacts could be. now, one long-term democratic adviser told cnn that they believes that the only way biden likely they would step down from this race is if he were presented with data showing that that debate performance and having him at the top of the ticket would significantly impact others, including in those house and senate races. so this is something that many democrats are eager to see a pan out over the course of the coming weeks to try to engage what that impact is for president biden and and other democrats after that debate let's on. >> thank you very much for all of that. joining me now to discuss this, or to republicans both of whom are backing joe biden for president. we have built crystal director of defending democracy together and editor at large of the bulwark and stuart stevens, senior advisor to the lincoln project she also wrote the book the conspiracy to end america, gentlemen, great to have you here, stewart, i read your piece in the new york times today you said that you're baffled by why democrats are panicking about president biden after that debate really yeah, look, i mean, this is kinda crazy to me. the question is, is joe biden up to being president? don't we have a big test. he has been president. he is president. he's one of the most successful presidents of the modern era. it just seems sort of ridiculous. she, one guy, he has a bad night when knighton, you ego. okay. we're going to wipe away all this evidence that we have in the past years because i just make a point that the big complaint that a lot of us have the overarching complaint is that donald trump is zaraa terrion who doesn't respect to will of the voters. okay. i think that's true. what does it say that millions and millions and millions of voters voted to nominate joe biden. and now a group because concern forget those voters we're going to decide who should be the next nominee. i mean, isn't that exactly the definition of authoritarianism unless you think that you have new information that you didn't have during the nominating process. >> and unless the debate revealed some new information, but bill, where are you on all of this? >> yeah, that's i think his job winds but a good president we owe a debt for having defeated donald trump. but if for being a a quite a good president, that doesn't mean he's owed another term the problem isn't what he's done over the last years or even recent months. it's what we saw there's the night we can't unsee it it wasn't just a bad debate. he didn't just have a subpar debate like obama did against mitt romney, which students, even as remembers very well in 2012, of course, obama bounce back from that because people thought as romney would have bounced back sub-par performance, they were both up to the job can we look people in the eye and say that joe biden? it's up to the job of being present for the next four years. i'm i'm for him. i'll go from against trump because he's not an authoritarian handy and he, the people around him will maintain the rule of law and so forth but we can do better and it's not authoritarian for brought for biden to choose, to choose to release his delegates and let them choose perfectly competent vice president or governor, or senator to replace him stop president biden reportedly reads the new york times. >> here's what he's reading this morning from their editorial board because they think it's better. i mean, bigger, i should say then one bad debate performance. they say, quote to serve his country, president biden should leave grace. he struggled to explain what he would accomplish in a second term. he struggled to respond to mr. trump's provocations. he struggled to hold mr. trump accountable for his lies, his failures, and his chilling plans, more than once, he struggled to make it to the end of a sentence what do you say you know, this reminds me of professional sports and say bill belichick lost a game. >> do you really think that he'd be calling up mad dog and asking for advice of sports fans what he should do this just isn't how politics works. the guy had a bad night. i have been in a lot of debate preps. i have seen people have terrible debate prep. i've seen bad debates it doesn't mean a thing if the person is out there on the stump, if he's out there campaigning and he's dealing with all these world leaders. so let me get this straight. so he's put together, i think we all would agree an extraordinary coalition to basically help save the world and ukraine and these leaders are dealing with them and could you put together that coalition if you were not up to being president no. you couldn't look. i i don't understand this sort of panic. i think it's up to the biden campaign. they're going to do i think the right thing, which is just put their heads down and keep going. you can't talk yourself out of something like this. talk your way out of 50 like this. you just have to keep going. and this is a presidential race. it was decided in june it would be the first time in american history bill, what do you think about that stewart and i was sports fans and to keep maybe more knowledgeable and i got a whole book about oh, miss football butt, sandy koufax was the greatest pitcher base. well, from what, 61 to 665 and 65, i was a fantastic fan of is is a little younger good. any retired because he couldn't keep pitching at that level there's nothing. so it doesn't prove i mean, that i think is the right analogy i mean, stewart, i think that what people saw was more than what people internalized watching that it didn't feel like an off night. >> it felt like someone who was more for in firm than they had last seen. and so i take your point that being a good debater is maybe not even relevant to being a good president. however, it, what they saw that night was a lack of, or a weakening i guess, of leadership and command and some other things that require that are present requires so i mean, how do you explain what you saw that night on thursday? >> isn't there something sort of off about the fact that we're talking about the joe biden get out of the race and not donald trump i mean, the way this debate was set up, donald trump had free reign to just constantly lie and how could you know, if you and i were debating and i started out by saying any here today with a convicted criminal who has been guilty of plagiarism repeatedly in her career, and everybody knows that and i'm obvious choice how would you respond you can say, well, that's not true. i mean, that's crazy. and then next question i go. i'm here with someone who was actually a russian agent. and everyone knows that it is a technique of authoritarians just to spew these constant stream of lives. and it is very difficult to deal with that in any sort of cogent way, because how do you say? well, that's crazy, that's not true i listen, i think that the president could have had a better night, could have dealt with it better. i expect he will next time but a guy who is a convicted felon who brags is out on bail, who brags about overturning roe v. wade and has this crazy idea that that was a majority opinion of the country who wants to cut taxes on billionaires who says that america is a third world country let that guy president of the united states. >> well, you believe, i mean, if you believe it's still a binary choice, as you know, many democrats are saying that bill biden should bow out so that there is someone on younger who takes his place, but hold that thought, gentlemen, because i also want to play something for you, bill that i think proves stewart's point. so hold that thought. we'll be right back. see you on the other side of a break this election season, stay with cnn with more reporters on the ground. >> and the best political team in the business follow the voters, follow the results, follow the facts follow. cnn ship trucks advanced camera technology lets you see over under through down then, the other direction you may need up to eight available cameras and 14 views so you can focus on the view that really matters. >> don't miss it big chevys. got chevrolet together, let's drive cities industry-leading global payment solutions help their clients move money around the world seamlessly in over 180 countries, and help a partner like the world food programme as they provide more than food to people in need together. >> city in the world, food program and empower families across the globe see how unquote explorer lets you easily compare home insurance options. >> so you can get what you need without overpaying. >> yeah, we've spent a lot on this kitchen no, yeah, really high-end stuff? 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>> that mabel wow it's marked out celebrate go four is in america thursday, july 4 x 70s. >> don't see it we're back with bill crystal and stuart stevens. okay. so bill, i want to play this clip for you that we put together. this shows the stark difference between joe biden thursday night of the debate versus friday at a rally in north carolina thank you. 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 if we finally beat medicare when you get knocked down, you get back out the, depths the pandemic, where it is today, the strongest economy in the world okay, so that was friday. so are you comforted bill by that? i mean, i know that you said you're still going to vote for joe biden because you would not vote for donald trump. but would you prefer to see someone else step in a different democrat? >> yeah. because trump is not acceptable, he needs to be defeated. i think biden's it wasn't a performance. what we saw of biden on thursday night, it's going to put a cap on his ability to win over swing voters the voters, sarah lolo high, tried to get from republican three republican voters against trump his base will be loyal. i'm glad that president biden was give a good speech for the teleprompter to rally on friday. but what if what if that's the truth? what if the truth is sometimes the way he was thursday night, sometimes the way he was friday. is that good enough? is that good enough for the next four years? >> is it stored look we're rushing this conclusion here that this actually hurt joe biden. >> so far 101 pole, that was the morning console poll the show. joe biden going up one. i don't know if any of these various focus groups which are pretty sketchy, i think, but none of them showed some sort of that's desertion from joe biden. in fact, some i'm showed both going toward joe biden. i think that if you look at the history of here, i think bush went down. i was working for him in 2004. i think we went down five points after the first carried a bag. i think president obama went down five points total after the first debate. so let's see what get up so for this to be a disaster for the biden campaign, they have to certainly do more than what 789 points, to really think that's going to happen. i don't think so look, i it's perfectly natural to want something new. we never sell cars by saint look, just as good as last year. we haven't changed the thing we're americans were addicted to new. we love it. that's why the cheesecake factory as like 40 page menu, we won't options. i understand that. but this isn't some sort of fantasy football exercise that you can just draft somebody else we have a process. he was nominated but we also have a process if somebody needs to be replaced, it's a messy process. >> it's certainly not one that anybody i think any democrat really wants to what they have a strong bench, but you're saying that that's just for used to it. that's out of the question. >> no, i think it's ridiculous and i can also if joe biden was incapable of being president you would hear all of this from other world leaders. as you heard them gossiping about donald trump and what a moron and embarrassment he was. you would hear it from other senators, but say i met with this guy he did nobody was doing and we never have heard that never were basing this on 90 minutes where he had a really not good debate performance. okay. i get that point taken. but to rush and say, let's throw out these millions of votes. let's change this whole democratic process we're going to go back to some sort of smoke-filled room where you pick the al smith i don't know. i think it's just kinda nutty bill, one of the problems is that 50 million people tuned in to that bad debate performance. >> and so when the president seems more vital at rallies, he's not speaking to 50 million people. do you think that he can turn this around i think he could still win. >> i think he it's an uphill. it was already a little bit abdel now it's much more appeal, i think as puts a huge cap, i knew i don't disagree with seward. i'd be surprised to see huge movement right away in the debate. these things to end the poll, say six take time say again but i mean those. clips are there forever. and i think they'll put a real camp on his ability to win again, i mean, vice president harris is the vice president is stage. she takes over right now. if somethi