‘We are all living through history,’ Washington Post reporter tells Fresno students
Just weeks before the Nov. 3 election, Washington Post reporter Robert Costa kicked off his annual address to Fresno State students by weighing in on a whirlwind news cycle absorbed by President Donald Trump’s COVID-19 diagnosis, the future of the Supreme Court, and former Vice President Joe Biden’s bid for the presidency.
Costa, a national political journalist who also moderates PBS’s “Washington Week,” is a four-time guest for the President’s Lecture Series at Fresno State and served as the featured speaker Thursday during the event’s first-ever virtual rendition.
“Last time I was with you all in Fresno, I said ‘Buckle up, because we are all living through history,’ ” said Costa, who spoke as a guest in Fresno in October 2019, November 2018, and October 2017, and offered insight to Trump’s impeachment and the race to elect a democratic nominee during his previous visit.
“But I did not expect it to be this much history, every hour, every day.”
The longtime political analyst described today’s political climate as “historic,” singling out House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and her plan to create a new commission that would allow Congress to invoke the 25th amendment following Trump’s positive COVID-19 diagnosis.
The move, announced by Pelosi and Rep. Jamie B. Raskin Thursday, would allow the commission to review whether Trump is capable of carrying out his presidential duties or should be ousted from office.
“It’s never been done in American history,” Costa said. “But history is upon us when you have the Speaker of the House — second in line to the presidency — behind the Vice President of the United States, setting up a formal commission.”
Though Congress does not have “much of a say” in removing a president from office, Costa said the bipartisan commission, which would include nonpartisan health experts, could serve as a bedrock for future discussions on the 25th amendment considering many presidential contenders are elderly.
“We are living in a pandemic where we also have elderly nominees, and so it will be interesting to see if any Republicans in the coming days sign on to the idea of not removing President Trump from office or recommending the use of the 25th amendment, but of trying to get some clarity about what would ever provoke that situation,” he said.
Costa also discussed Sen. Diane Feinstein’s role in the Senate Judiciary Committee as it considers the Supreme Court nomination of Judge Amy Coney Barrett.
Costa said that Feinstein, as the ranking member of the committee, was “leading the charge” for the Democrats against the Republican party’s intention to swiftly fill the seat.
“I was talking on ‘Washington Week’ a few months ago that this election was so wild, so crazy, the only thing that could make it crazier would be to have a vacancy on the Supreme Court,” he said. “Well, we have one in a rush confirmation process.”
In the midst of a pandemic and less than a month before voters head to the polls, Costa said Biden’s campaign had been focusing on winning blue cities in key swing states by attempting to run an “Obama coalition” that could push him into victory.
Republicans increasingly do not want to be associated with the president because of his “plummeting” approval ratings in states such as Texas and Arizona that are increasingly turning into battleground areas, Costa said, out of fear they will not appeal to a more moderate electorate. It’s in these places where Biden has launched the most aggressive effort to win over key voters, he added.
“Democrats aren’t taking anything for granted, but they do feel good,” he said. “I was talking to sources in the Biden campaign ... and they’re looking at places that haven’t been on the Democratic map.”
Fresno State President Joseph Castro, who hosted the lecture series, said Costa had developed close ties with the university faculty and students over the years, keeping true with his commitment to mentoring a new generation of leaders and journalists.
The lecture was co-sponsored by The Fresno Bee, Valley PBS, and KSEE 24.
Ahead of Thursday night’s event, Costa spoke directly to Fresno State students and staff, answering questions and sharing his thoughts on the role of the media.
He spoke highly of Fresno and reiterated his love for the Valley’s restaurant joints and culture.
He said Fresno reminded him of the Midwest, where he grew up. He hopes to return when the pandemic subsides, and a safe vaccine is widely available.
“There’s a sensibility in Fresno I just connected with from day one,” he said. “Whenever this ends, whenever it gets a little bit more calm, and things go back to normal, and there’s hopefully a vaccine ... I can come back to Fresno.”
This story was originally published October 8, 2020 at 10:35 PM.