Audio & Rush Transcript: Governor Hochul is a Guest on MSNBC's Last Word With Lawrence O’Donnell

Earlier today, Governor Kathy Hochul was a guest on MSNBC's Last Word with Lawrence O'Donnell.

AUDIO of the Governor's remarks is available.

A rush transcript is available below:

Lawrence O'Donnell, MSNBC: Joining us now, Democratic Governor of New York Kathy Hochul. Governor, thank you very much for joining us tonight. Can you take us to Sunday afternoon when you heard the news that President Biden was not going to continue as a candidate? The last after that meeting you had with him a few days after the debate, it seemed like he was on track. It seemed very clear. He certainly was at that time determined and on track to run for President.

Governor Hochul: Thank you for having me, Lawrence. Yes, he was determined to continue the race at that time, and I have stood with him up until the very second when he said he was no longer going to be the candidate because, number one, he earned that right. He earned the right to make the decision on his own. He was our nominee. He went through the primary process, and he gave our country three and a half years of peace - peace of mind knowing that we didn't have someone in the White House who could wake up any day and destroy our democracy. So he restored the confidence in government over the last three and a half years. I will always be so grateful for the leadership that our President Biden showed our nation, his accomplishments, and when he said he was in it to win it, I said, "I'm there with you all the way, Mr. President." It was hard to take, I will tell you right now, there's a lot of us who believe that he'll go down in history as one of the great change makers who ever held this office.

And I can point to countless projects in the State of New York that never would have happened but for Joe Biden being a great partner of mine during my time as Governor and delivering for our state. So you asked about how I felt in that moment, there was a certain feeling of bittersweet feelings of saying, we're going to lose this great man, but one of the greatest things he did, one of the gifts he gave to our nation was in selecting Kamala Harris to be his Vice President. And she is ready, she is tested, she will be victorious because as you mentioned our meeting last night of Democrats who are usually a very rambunctious, feisty group in the State of New York and that's what I love about our Democratic Party. But as the leader of the party, I wanted to send a clear message early on that we have tremendous power in our State. New York only after California has the largest number of delegates that go to the convention. So, I wanted to speak out clearly and early and give her the boost that she needed and she deserved and we're so proud to have put her over the top.

Lawrence O'Donnell, MSNBC:Take us inside that meeting last night. I had some familiarity with the New York Democratic Party in the 1990s and when I was working for Senator Moynihan, but a meeting like this has never occurred before. What was it like in there? And I'm sure there were a lot of heartbroken people feeling heartbroken about Joe Biden but also with this new mission for Vice President Harris.

Governor Hochul: Right, and you and I come out of the same old school politics. I served for Senator Moynihan a little bit earlier than you did, Lawrence, but I understand I've been working in politics since I worked with Tim Russertback as a high school student in Buffalo. This is absolutely unprecedented, but unprecedented times call for unprecedented leadership. I knew I had to step up into the void there and show a clear vision of where I wanted our state Democrats to go and say we are with Vice President Harris. There is no question. We are with her. Yes, there are emotions toward Joe Biden because we love Joe Biden. The feelings are strong. It's an emotional tie to someone who we put our faith in and still have our faith. And I'm going to make a prediction - I believe that the next six months of Joe Biden's presidency will still have accomplished more than Donald Trump did in four years as president. So there'll be no comparison. So yes, people talked about their love of Joe Biden and what he did for our country, what he did for our state. But we had to transition quickly because we've also loved Kamala Harris the entire time she's been Vice President. She's no stranger to our state. She comes off and we know her, we understand her. And for her to be able to be in this position, the most experienced person we could have ever found. Thank you, Joe Biden, for having Kamala Harris at your side, because you two were a dynamic duo, delivering so much for our country. So we moved on quickly to embrace this candidacy, but we'll never forget the incredible legacy and contributions of President Joe Biden.

Lawrence O'Donnell, MSNBC: New York Governor Kathy Hochul, thank you very much for joining us on this important night. Thank you.

Governor Hochul: Thank you.

Contact the Governor's Press Office