President Joe Biden says he’s ready to return to the campaign trail next week, even as a growing chorus of Democratic lawmakers called for him to step aside. Meanwhile, after wrapping their national convention in Milwaukee this week, Republican officials, strategists and activists are exuding a confidence not seen in decades. Donald Trump on Saturday will hold his first public campaign rally since he was injured in an assassination attempt, with an event in the battleground state of Michigan alongside his new running mate Ohio Sen. JD Vance.
Here’s the Latest:
Quick Read
- Calls for Biden to Step Aside Grow
- Democratic Lawmakers’ Pressure: A growing number of Democratic lawmakers are urging President Joe Biden to withdraw from the 2024 reelection race. U.S. Rep. Mark Takano and Sen. Elizabeth Warren are prominent voices advocating for Vice President Kamala Harris to take over.
- Biden’s Campaign Status: Biden, who has been sidelined by COVID-19, plans to resume campaigning soon, although the exact timing is uncertain. His campaign faces scrutiny over his performance and the future of the party.
- Trump’s Campaign: Republican Donald Trump, recovering from an assassination attempt, is set to resume his campaign with a rally in Michigan. He will be joined by his new running mate, Ohio Sen. JD Vance.
- Democratic Polling: A majority of Democrats believe Kamala Harris would be an effective president if Biden were to step down, reflecting increasing concerns about Biden’s candidacy.
- Senator Sherrod Brown’s Stance: Ohio Sen. Sherrod Brown, among other members of Congress, has publicly called for Biden to end his campaign.
- Black Lawmakers’ Support: The Congressional Black Caucus, while largely supportive of Biden, has some members expressing doubts about his ability to win reelection, highlighting a divide within the party.
The Associated Press has the story:
Growing chorus of Democratic lawmakers call for Biden to drop reelection bid
Newslooks- (AP)
California Rep. Takano to Biden: ‘I love and respect you, but the stakes are too high to fail’
U.S. Rep. Mark Takano, the top Democrat on the House Veterans Affairs Committee, called for President Joe Biden to “pass the torch,” to Vice President Kamala Harris on Saturday. Takano was among a number of high-ranking Democrats to privately express concern for Biden’s reelection bid in a private call with leadership earlier this month.
Takano said in a posted statement on the social platform X that it has “become clear to me that the demands of a modern campaign are now best met by the Vice President, who can seamlessly transition into the role of our party’s standard bearer.” Takano added he loves and respects Biden, “but the stakes are too high to fail.”
No details yet on when Biden will resume campaigning after COVID-19
Biden campaign spokesperson Michael Tyler told reporters during a conference call on Saturday that details will follow “as soon as we have the green light.”
Biden was forced off the campaign trail on Wednesday after he tested positive for COVID-19. The president was in Las Vegas when he got the news. He flew to his home in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, and has been recovering there.
Sen. Elizabeth Warren: Harris is ‘ready to step up’ if Biden bows out
Massachusetts Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren says that, if President Biden opts to bow out of the race, Vice President Kamala Harris is “ready to step up.” “What gives me a lot of hope right now is that, if President Biden decides to step back, we have Vice President Kamala Harris who is ready to step up,” Warren told MSNBC on Saturday “to unite the party, to take on Donald Trump and to win in November.”
Warren, who competed with Biden in the 2020 Democratic presidential primary, said that the president “has a really big decision to make” about whether he wants to leave the race.
This is how Secret Service protection has changed for presidents over the years
As the world has vastly changed, so has protection for presidents since the days when the public could come to the White House to meet Abraham Lincoln. Protective details have grown in size, responsibility and technology over more than a century of the Secret Service protecting presidents.
When presidents leave the White House in modern times, they’re accompanied by a phalanx of Secret Service officers and agents. Cars can no longer drive past what is often dubbed “the people’s house” at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. The fence has been raised, and don’t even try to get past the gate without an appointment or badge. The number of people under guard also has grown as vice presidents, former presidents, candidates, family members and more get protection.
Former Secret Service agents say the agency is studying the attempt on former President Donald Trump’s life at a rally in Pennsylvania a week ago and making changes to adjust to it.
Read more about how Secret Service protection has changed over the years
Majority of Democrats think Kamala Harris would make a good president, AP-NORC poll shows
As President Joe Biden faces a growing drumbeat of pressure to drop his reelection bid, a majority of Democrats think his vice president would make a good president herself.
A new poll from the AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research found that about 6 in 10 Democrats believe Kamala Harris would do a good job in the top slot. About 2 in 10 Democrats don’t believe she would, and another 2 in 10 say they don’t know enough to say.
Since Biden’s debate debacle on June 27, many Democrats have privately and even openly looked to Harris to step in and succeed Biden as the party’s presidential nominee, believing she has a better chance against GOP nominee Donald Trump. For her part, Harris has remained completely loyal to Biden, being one of his toughest defenders in the aftermath of the disastrous debate performance. Read more about the poll here.
Ohio Sen. Sherrod Brown one of several members of Congress to call for Biden to end his campaign
Third-term U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown, of Ohio, was one of a dozen members of Congress who on Friday said Biden should end his campaign. The plea came as Brown faces Republican Bernie Moreno, a Cleveland businessman, in what’s viewed as one of the most competitive Senate races of the year.
Brown is the only Democrat holding a statewide position in Ohio. His former bellwether state has twice supported Donald Trump by large margins and Trump has the state’s junior senator, JD Vance, as his running mate.
While Brown has enjoyed a long, close relationship with Biden — he was even on the shortlist to be Biden’s vice presidential pick — he has worked to distance himself this cycle amid Biden’s unpopularity. Brown has aired ads touting his support for border- and fentanyl-related legislation, highlighting one bill that Brown sponsored “and Trump signed.”
Viewership for Trump’s RNC acceptance speech peaked at 28.4 million
For better or worse, former President Trump had a large audience watching him deliver his nomination acceptance speech at the RNC on Thursday.
An estimated 25.4 million people watched the final night of the convention on one of 14 networks that were covering it, the Nielsen company said on Friday. Viewership peaked at 28.4 million between 10:45 and 11 p.m. Eastern, at the beginning of Trump’s speech, Nielsen said.
That would be good news for the ex-president. The early part of his speech, where he spoke dramatically about last Saturday’s attempt on his life, was generally regarded as its most effective. As it dragged on past the 90-minute part and past midnight on the East Coast, Trump largely went off-script for remarks that resembled his typical stump speech.
Fox News Channel had 9.4 million viewers during Trump’s speech, comfortably ahead of any other network. An estimated 72 percent of the viewers were aged 55 and up, Nielsen said. It was the most-watched night of the convention, which is typical for the evening when the presidential nominee speaks.
Black lawmakers are standing by Biden at a crucial moment. But some express concerns
The Congressional Black Caucus prides itself on its authority among Democrats and its influence with President Joe Biden in particular. So far, only one of its roughly 60 members have joined calls for Biden to drop his reelection bid due to concerns over his age and ability to win.
But the caucus’ broad backing of the president varies widely, ranging from enthusiastic support to outright skepticism. And a small but growing number within the group are publicly expressing doubts about Biden’s candidacy.
Black voters are widely credited with helping Biden clinch the Democratic nomination four years ago and then defeat Republican Donald Trump. Whether Black lawmakers stick with the president now, and how fervently they do so, could be critical in the coming days as pressure builds from the highest levels of the Democratic Party for Biden to end his campaign.
▶ Read about Black lawmakers’ relationship with the president
