Podesta says Biden not taking polling lead for granted after Clinton 'learned the hard way' in 2016

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John Podesta on Biden's 2020 chances: We got upended in 2016 because of Russian interference

John Podesta, former Bill Clinton WH Chief of Staff, discusses if the current rebound of the economy is of concern to Democrats and Joe Biden

Despite polls showing former Vice President Joe Biden consistently leading President Trump, the presumptive Democratic nominee is not taking anything for granted, according to former White House Chief of Staff John Podesta.

Podesta, who also chaired Hillary Clinton's unsuccessful 2016 White House bid, told "Your World" Monday that while Biden is running like every day is Election Day, but the coronavirus pandemic has upended the optics.

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"You know, they could stumble and lose this thing. They are going to do everything they can to win this race. We learned the hard way you have to do that," he said. "We did that in 2016, and we still got upended right at the end as a result of a little bit of interference by Russians."

Host Neil Cavuto pressed Podesta on that point, noting that Republican Thomas Dewey "sat" on a large lead over President Harry Truman in 1948 -- and ended up losing that race in a historic upset.

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"I don't think you can ever risk sitting out," Podesta responded. "You have to get out and aggressively campaign, and I think he is doing it. He is doing it in a new way because the COVID crisis has required that. This is going to be a different kind of convention."

Podesta said much of a typical national party convention is powered by the energy in the arena, but there will be less of that fervor this time around.

However, he added that Monday's group of opening night speakers should illustrate how seriously Biden is taking the challenge of defeating President Trump, and how he wants a diversity of ideas to energize voters.

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Podesta pointed out that both former Ohio Republican Gov. John Kasich and socialist Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., will both be featured Monday night.

"He warned the Republican Party of what Trump would do," Podesta said of Kasich, "and look at where we have gotten to."