STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:
Some supporters of President Biden have objected to all the attention generated by this book. It is common on social media right now for Biden supporters to ask, why focus on Biden? He's no longer president. Focus on Trump. I have an answer to this. We ought to focus on the current president, but we also never stop uncovering the stories of former presidents. People still study John Adams, who left office in 1801. I wrote a book about Abe Lincoln - died in 1865. Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan - we could go on and on. So it is relevant if we come to think of a president differently or learn something new. More directly, it's relevant because Biden led a party that is trying to recover and return to power someday.
Bakari Sellers has been watching all of this. He's a political commentator and former Democratic state lawmaker. He served in the South Carolina House of Representatives from 2006 to 2014, and he's on the line. Good morning, sir.
BAKARI SELLERS: Good morning. Thank you for having me.
INSKEEP: How do you see this discussion about the former president?
SELLERS: Well, look, I think that my hair's not on fire about original sin. My hair's not on fire about some cover-up that wasn't when you're dealing with Joe Biden. I think that most Americans want Democrats to rebuild trust, but the trust is not centered around Joe Biden. I think the trust is people want individuals to stand up against Donald Trump, to stand up against what they believe to be authoritarianism and to fight back. And I think that Democrats have lost trust because it's apparent that our leadership isn't ready for the moment.
Is that a generational question? Is that an age question? Is that a message question? I think it's all of the above, and maybe Joe Biden and the analysis of Joe Biden's age and health fits into that. But I think more Americans are concerned about what they're seeing, even those people who voted for Donald Trump, than they're concerned about what they saw in Joe Biden.
INSKEEP: Yeah, I mean, even if we go back to 2023, when President Biden declared formally he was going to run for a second term, even based on what was seen and known then, the public made it pretty clear they were uncomfortable. We had David Axelrod on this very program pointing out that in surveys, this was a really difficult thing to get around. The public felt that Biden was too old for the job, and Democrats, the president, the rest of the party leadership clearly didn't listen.
SELLERS: You know, I've made the point throughout this entire process, and this is what I would echo - what's good for the goose is good for the gander. Because let's not forget that we had the two oldest people in the history of American politics running for president. And now, you know, it's quite apparent we had the - after Joe Biden dropped out, we had the oldest individual in the history of American politics run for president. So, you know, I'm interested to see how we cover an 80-year-old Donald Trump.
INSKEEP: Yeah, let's talk about that in the couple of minutes we have left because you do have a president who is not popular, has very rarely been popular, and he's beaten your party twice. So what is a program for Democrats to recover? Starting with the 2026 elections, what do you stand for, and how do you begin to find new leaders?
SELLERS: Well, I would push back on the framing of the question 'cause it actually starts with elections that are going on right now. And I think that you have to look at the elections in 2025 in places like the state of Virginia, in places like the state of New Jersey, and you have to do a better job of meeting voters where they are and talking about those kind of meat-and-potato issues.
I think that Donald Trump is a unique figure. I refer to Donald Trump as Ticketmaster 'cause he's nontransferable. Other individuals who try to be Donald Trump or try to get the MAGA base just haven't been able to do that. But Democrats have to start running on a message that is indicative of what they will do for you and not who Donald Trump is.
And we also need to - Donald Trump has been great at building up these culture wars, which we seem to stump our toe on every time we try to wage in and engage in those. I'd rather talk about living wage issues. I'd rather talk about equity issues. I'd rather talk about those issues that improve people's lives and how to get health care, how to go to school and those type of things than these culture war issues. And I think the American public wants that, too.
INSKEEP: Very briefly, I'm glad you mentioned Virginia - governor's race. It's a Republican governor right now. It is - has been a blue state in recent years. You think Democrats have a real chance to pick up a seat?
SELLERS: Yeah, I think Democrats are going to win that governor's mansion back. I think that they have Abigail Spanberger, an amazing candidate for governor, who is a moderate candidate - reminds me of a Blue Dog candidate - that fits her state. And I think that Mikie Sherrill or Ras Baraka will do extremely well in New Jersey. So I think that Democrats are in a good position between 2025, and then we get focused on 2026 and trying to have a speaker, Hakeem Jeffries. But he has to get on his horse and begin to message that much better.
INSKEEP: Interesting you mentioned Ras Baraka, the mayor of Newark, New Jersey, who's been in the middle of controversy after being arrested outside an immigration facility. Bakari Sellers, thanks so much - really appreciate it.
SELLERS: God bless you all. Thank you so much.
INSKEEP: He's a commentator and former South Carolina state lawmaker. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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