MSNBC anchor credits secret Democratic ‘inner sanctum’ for effort to push Biden out of race

After being grilled on a talk show about who made President Biden relinquish the nomination, MSNBC host Alex Wagner eventually credited a secret "inner sanctum" of Democratic Party associated elites.

The 2024 election changed radically when Biden gave up the Democratic nomination and endorsed Vice President Harris to take it up instead. As it stands, the nature of how Biden surrendered the nomination, and whether there was a coordinated campaign to make him do so, remains a mystery.

Late night talk show host Stephen Colbert spoke with Wagner about the upcoming Democratic National Convention in Chicago, noting he heard that Monday will apparently be a night themed around Biden. He asked the MSNBC host if she has any concept of how the president will be celebrated.

Wagner, who aside from being an MSNBC host, is married to former President Obama’s longtime personal chef, stammered and nervously laughed multiple times at Colbert’s question, "I, listen, I, there, without any — there, there is a lot that is, there is a lot that is going to remain probably unreported about the sort of machinations to-"

MSNBC host Alex Wagner speaks about what she called the "inner sanctum" of Democratic Party politics that led to President Biden relinquishing the nomination. (CBS)

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"Like what?" Colbert asked the news host. "Go ahead, report it."

When Wagner balked by sarcastically joking that nobody was listening, Colbert pressed again. 

"Report it," he demanded. "Like, who do you think actually got him out? Who do you think it was that put the shape charge under Joe that got him out of there?

As Wagner continued to offer what sounded like a vague theory, by starting to say "I think there was-" Colbert grilled her for specifics.

"Was it Obama? Did Obama do it? Was it Clinton? Tell me who did it," he said. "You know who did it. You are one of those liberal MSNBC things. You got the newsletter. Did you do it? Did you go up to Camp David with a 40-foot pry bar and pop him out of there like a lego?"

"I wasn’t at soccer camp, I’ll tell you that much, Stephen!" she replied.

President Joe Biden, left, and Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris arrive to speak about the administration's efforts to lower costs during an event at Prince George's Community College in Largo, Md., Thursday, Aug. 15, 2024.  (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

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Colbert recalled a quote from Biden that only the "Lord Almighty" could make him leave the race and pressed again for Wagner to offer a name.

"Listen, I think there was more happening behind the scenes than the public will probably hear about," Wagner said. "There is an inner sanctum of Democratic politics where a lot of powerful people are trying to take credit for this, but they don’t want to talk about it publicly because they are very, very, very acutely aware of how difficult this has been for Joe Biden, and by the way, remains difficult, and as it-which is totally understandable."

Wagner continued by arguing, "The man made the hardest decision you can make in American politics, and, y’know, he’s been vindicated, I think, by the fact that Kamala Harris has just created this wave of momentum. But it’s also hard to see your replacement do so much better than you."

She then pivoted and spoke instead about how Biden would make his appearance at the convention.

"I think Joe Biden is going to bring it with a capital ‘B’ at the convention," she said. "I think we are going to see State of the Union Joe Biden. I think he’s going to show the country that he is still, damn it, Joe Biden."

She later returned to Colbert’s question, "But as far as who edged him out, I don’t-I think that is a conversation that you’re not going to really hear publicly, for good reason. It’s, to some degree, I think, to protect Joe Biden from the sort of, the ugliness of the fact that a lot of people wanted him to leave before he was ready to. But at the end of the day, the person that got him out is Joe Biden. He’s the guy that ultimately decided, you know."

"And for that he deserves all of the praise in the world," Colbert said, to which Wagner agreed. 

Alexander Hall is an associate editor for Fox News Digital. Story tips can be sent to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..