NORFOLK, Virginia — President Donald Trump pledged to raise salaries for thousands of service members during a Sunday afternoon speech to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Navy, as the government shutdown continues. “I want you to know that despite the current Democrat-induced shutdown, we will get our service members every last penny. Don’t
After a chaotic 2024 presidential season that ended with President-elect Donald Trump defeating Vice President Kamala Harris, attention is turning to the 2028 contenders.
Trump will be ineligible to run for another term after he finishes a second term in 2028, and President Joe Biden’s tenure comes to an end when he leaves office next month, meaning both parties will not have an incumbent leader who could block ambitious politicians.
Lawmakers on both political sides are already waiting in the wings to become their party’s standard-bearers as they build out their portfolios in the meantime.
TRUMP CABINET PICKS: WHO’S BEEN TAPPED TO SERVE IN THE PRESIDENT-ELECT’S ADMINISTRATION
Here are the top contenders for both Democrats and Republicans.
Trump’s running mate could be in the best position to lead the GOP in the next four years, provided he remains in good standing with the president-elect. Former Vice President Mike Pence’s falling out with Trump doomed his 2024 presidential run.
Vance could be tapped with a career-enhancing portfolio when he is sworn in as vice president on Jan. 20, 2025, in stark contrast to Harris, who was given tough topics such as stemming illegal immigration at the southern border while serving as vice president.
Plus, at 40 years old, Vance has the benefit of age in his favor, a concern that reared its head throughout the 2024 cycle.
“If you were to ask me who the nominee will be in 2028, it’ll be J.D. Vance,” outgoing Sen. Mitt Romney (R-UT) told CNN’s State of the Union this month.
Despite losing the 2024 election, Harris could spend the next four years laying out the groundwork for a second run in 2028, similar to how Hillary Clinton kept focused after losing the 2008 primary to then-candidate Barack Obama and then running again in 2016.
Her ability to raise a billion dollars during this cycle proves that Harris has fundraising prowess, with many Democrats pinning the vice president’s loss not on Harris but on Biden’s late exit from the race.
However, Harris could run for California governor if she decided a second presidential run isn’t in her favor.
DEMOCRATS SEARCH FOR ANSWERS AS BARACK OBAMA’S INFLUENCE WANES
Several GOP governors are in prime position to challenge Vance and any other lawmaker during the presidential primary.
Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) seemed left for dead after losing the primary to Trump in January, but after patching up their relationship, the Florida governor could likely decide to run for president.
“I haven’t ruled anything out,” DeSantis said in a private conversation that was leaked to the media in February.
Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R-VA) has long been considered a presidential contender after flipping Virginia red in 2021. Like DeSantis, he is term-limited from running for governor, meaning if he wanted a higher office, the White House could be an option.
Gov. Brian Kemp (R-GA) is a popular executive in a battleground state. He also had a complicated relationship with Trump, but in the run-up to the 2024 election, the two men seemed to set aside their differences. Should Georgia flip a Senate seat red in 2026, it could also propel Kemp to seek a presidential run.
Other possible governors who may enter the race include Govs. Greg Abbott (R-TX) and Sarah Huckabee Sanders (R-AR), both of whom are staunch conservatives with a history of backing Trump.
Even before Biden bowed out of the race, paving the way for Harris, Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA) was accused of running a shadow presidential campaign. Newsom, unlike other Democrats, appeared on Fox News repeatedly, even agreeing to a debate against DeSantis moderated by host Sean Hannity.
The California governor has already geared up to battle against a second Trump term, as have other governors who could run in 2028.
“We know their playbook. We know what they’re going to do,” Newsom said days after Trump won the election.
Govs. Gretchen Whitmer (D-MI), J.B. Pritzker (D-IL), Andy Beshear (D-KY), Roy Cooper (D-NC), and Josh Shapiro (D-PA) were all diligent campaign surrogates for Harris that could help bolster their credentials if they decide to run.
Whitmer, Cooper, and Shapiro are also all popular chief executives of battleground states that went for Trump, proving their ability to appeal to independents and some Republicans. Cooper could decide instead to run for North Carolina’s open Senate seat in 2026.
Beshear is a two-term Democratic governor in the solidly red state of Kentucky, which could help make his case to a U.S. electorate that swung conservative in 2024, while Pritzker is another solidly anti-Trump leader who could appeal to Democrats eager to move on from the Trump era.
At least three past and future Trump Cabinet members could likely take a shot at the White House in 2028.
Former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley was the last GOP candidate before Trump locked down the primary nomination in March. Although she has not been invited back to a second Trump administration, she could still launch another run four years from now.
Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) has not yet been confirmed as secretary of state, but he already has bipartisan support and is expected to sail through. This could give him the portfolio and gravitas to seek another chance at the White House after he lost the 2016 primary to Trump.
Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY) is awaiting confirmation as Trump’s ambassador to the U.N., but after several victories following college presidents stepping down due to pro-Palestinian protests, she could have the background for higher office.
“Elise will do whatever her ambition takes her,” said Jay Townsend, a political consultant.
WHAT MAGA AND THE GOP WILL LOOK LIKE IN A POST-TRUMP ERA
Besides Harris, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg could be another Biden Cabinet member seeking higher office.
Buttigieg has remained in the spotlight after losing the 2020 primary to Biden and joining his Cabinet, and now, he could even run for Michigan’s gubernatorial race in 2026 to replace Whitmer.
The transportation secretary moved to Traverse City and said he hasn’t made a decision on whether he will seek the governor’s mansion or try another presidential run.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
“I love this job, but it is very 24/7, so I’m ready to catch my breath. I’m ready to spend more time with our kids. I have not made any big life decisions, and I won’t until I’ve had a little more time,” he told USA Today.
Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo is another possible dark horse contender in 2028. However, there are reports she may seek another term as Rhode Island governor.
2024-12-27 12:00:00, http://s.wordpress.com/mshots/v1/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonexaminer.com%2Fnews%2Fcampaigns%2Fpresidential%2F3262017%2Frising-republican-democratic-stars-2028-contenders%2F?w=600&h=450, After a chaotic 2024 presidential season that ended with President-elect Donald Trump defeating Vice President Kamala Harris, attention is turning to the 2028 contenders. Trump will be ineligible to run for another term after he finishes a second term in 2028, and President Joe Biden’s tenure comes to an end when he leaves office next,
After a chaotic 2024 presidential season that ended with President-elect Donald Trump defeating Vice President Kamala Harris, attention is turning to the 2028 contenders.
Trump will be ineligible to run for another term after he finishes a second term in 2028, and President Joe Biden’s tenure comes to an end when he leaves office next month, meaning both parties will not have an incumbent leader who could block ambitious politicians.
Lawmakers on both political sides are already waiting in the wings to become their party’s standard-bearers as they build out their portfolios in the meantime.
TRUMP CABINET PICKS: WHO’S BEEN TAPPED TO SERVE IN THE PRESIDENT-ELECT’S ADMINISTRATION
Here are the top contenders for both Democrats and Republicans.
Trump’s running mate could be in the best position to lead the GOP in the next four years, provided he remains in good standing with the president-elect. Former Vice President Mike Pence’s falling out with Trump doomed his 2024 presidential run.
Vance could be tapped with a career-enhancing portfolio when he is sworn in as vice president on Jan. 20, 2025, in stark contrast to Harris, who was given tough topics such as stemming illegal immigration at the southern border while serving as vice president.
Plus, at 40 years old, Vance has the benefit of age in his favor, a concern that reared its head throughout the 2024 cycle.
“If you were to ask me who the nominee will be in 2028, it’ll be J.D. Vance,” outgoing Sen. Mitt Romney (R-UT) told CNN’s State of the Union this month.
Despite losing the 2024 election, Harris could spend the next four years laying out the groundwork for a second run in 2028, similar to how Hillary Clinton kept focused after losing the 2008 primary to then-candidate Barack Obama and then running again in 2016.
Her ability to raise a billion dollars during this cycle proves that Harris has fundraising prowess, with many Democrats pinning the vice president’s loss not on Harris but on Biden’s late exit from the race.
However, Harris could run for California governor if she decided a second presidential run isn’t in her favor.
DEMOCRATS SEARCH FOR ANSWERS AS BARACK OBAMA’S INFLUENCE WANES
Several GOP governors are in prime position to challenge Vance and any other lawmaker during the presidential primary.
Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) seemed left for dead after losing the primary to Trump in January, but after patching up their relationship, the Florida governor could likely decide to run for president.
“I haven’t ruled anything out,” DeSantis said in a private conversation that was leaked to the media in February.
Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R-VA) has long been considered a presidential contender after flipping Virginia red in 2021. Like DeSantis, he is term-limited from running for governor, meaning if he wanted a higher office, the White House could be an option.
Gov. Brian Kemp (R-GA) is a popular executive in a battleground state. He also had a complicated relationship with Trump, but in the run-up to the 2024 election, the two men seemed to set aside their differences. Should Georgia flip a Senate seat red in 2026, it could also propel Kemp to seek a presidential run.
Other possible governors who may enter the race include Govs. Greg Abbott (R-TX) and Sarah Huckabee Sanders (R-AR), both of whom are staunch conservatives with a history of backing Trump.
Even before Biden bowed out of the race, paving the way for Harris, Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA) was accused of running a shadow presidential campaign. Newsom, unlike other Democrats, appeared on Fox News repeatedly, even agreeing to a debate against DeSantis moderated by host Sean Hannity.
The California governor has already geared up to battle against a second Trump term, as have other governors who could run in 2028.
“We know their playbook. We know what they’re going to do,” Newsom said days after Trump won the election.
Govs. Gretchen Whitmer (D-MI), J.B. Pritzker (D-IL), Andy Beshear (D-KY), Roy Cooper (D-NC), and Josh Shapiro (D-PA) were all diligent campaign surrogates for Harris that could help bolster their credentials if they decide to run.
Whitmer, Cooper, and Shapiro are also all popular chief executives of battleground states that went for Trump, proving their ability to appeal to independents and some Republicans. Cooper could decide instead to run for North Carolina’s open Senate seat in 2026.
Beshear is a two-term Democratic governor in the solidly red state of Kentucky, which could help make his case to a U.S. electorate that swung conservative in 2024, while Pritzker is another solidly anti-Trump leader who could appeal to Democrats eager to move on from the Trump era.
At least three past and future Trump Cabinet members could likely take a shot at the White House in 2028.
Former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley was the last GOP candidate before Trump locked down the primary nomination in March. Although she has not been invited back to a second Trump administration, she could still launch another run four years from now.
Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) has not yet been confirmed as secretary of state, but he already has bipartisan support and is expected to sail through. This could give him the portfolio and gravitas to seek another chance at the White House after he lost the 2016 primary to Trump.
Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY) is awaiting confirmation as Trump’s ambassador to the U.N., but after several victories following college presidents stepping down due to pro-Palestinian protests, she could have the background for higher office.
“Elise will do whatever her ambition takes her,” said Jay Townsend, a political consultant.
WHAT MAGA AND THE GOP WILL LOOK LIKE IN A POST-TRUMP ERA
Besides Harris, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg could be another Biden Cabinet member seeking higher office.
Buttigieg has remained in the spotlight after losing the 2020 primary to Biden and joining his Cabinet, and now, he could even run for Michigan’s gubernatorial race in 2026 to replace Whitmer.
The transportation secretary moved to Traverse City and said he hasn’t made a decision on whether he will seek the governor’s mansion or try another presidential run.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
“I love this job, but it is very 24/7, so I’m ready to catch my breath. I’m ready to spend more time with our kids. I have not made any big life decisions, and I won’t until I’ve had a little more time,” he told USA Today.
Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo is another possible dark horse contender in 2028. However, there are reports she may seek another term as Rhode Island governor.
, After a chaotic 2024 presidential season that ended with President-elect Donald Trump defeating Vice President Kamala Harris, attention is turning to the 2028 contenders. Trump will be ineligible to run for another term after he finishes a second term in 2028, and President Joe Biden’s tenure comes to an end when he leaves office next month, meaning both parties will not have an incumbent leader who could block ambitious politicians. Lawmakers on both political sides are already waiting in the wings to become their party’s standard-bearers as they build out their portfolios in the meantime. TRUMP CABINET PICKS: WHO’S BEEN TAPPED TO SERVE IN THE PRESIDENT-ELECT’S ADMINISTRATION Here are the top contenders for both Democrats and Republicans. Vice President-elect JD Vance Vice President-elect J.D. Vance continues his job as a Republican senator from Ohio as he arrives for Senate GOP leadership elections at the Capitol in Washington, Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2024. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite) Trump’s running mate could be in the best position to lead the GOP in the next four years, provided he remains in good standing with the president-elect. Former Vice President Mike Pence’s falling out with Trump doomed his 2024 presidential run. Vance could be tapped with a career-enhancing portfolio when he is sworn in as vice president on Jan. 20, 2025, in stark contrast to Harris, who was given tough topics such as stemming illegal immigration at the southern border while serving as vice president. Plus, at 40 years old, Vance has the benefit of age in his favor, a concern that reared its head throughout the 2024 cycle. “If you were to ask me who the nominee will be in 2028, it’ll be J.D. Vance,” outgoing Sen. Mitt Romney (R-UT) told CNN’s State of the Union this month. Vice President Kamala Harris Vice President Kamala Harris speaks during the 2024 White House Tribal Nations Summit on Monday, Dec. 9, 2024, at the Department of the Interior in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin) Despite losing the 2024 election, Harris could spend the next four years laying out the groundwork for a second run in 2028, similar to how Hillary Clinton kept focused after losing the 2008 primary to then-candidate Barack Obama and then running again in 2016. Her ability to raise a billion dollars during this cycle proves that Harris has fundraising prowess, with many Democrats pinning the vice president’s loss not on Harris but on Biden’s late exit from the race. However, Harris could run for California governor if she decided a second presidential run isn’t in her favor. DEMOCRATS SEARCH FOR ANSWERS AS BARACK OBAMA’S INFLUENCE WANES Republican governors President-elect Donald Trump appears to have mended his relationship with Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) despite an extremely fraught 2024 primary race. (AP) Several GOP governors are in prime position to challenge Vance and any other lawmaker during the presidential primary. Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) seemed left for dead after losing the primary to Trump in January, but after patching up their relationship, the Florida governor could likely decide to run for president. “I haven’t ruled anything out,” DeSantis said in a private conversation that was leaked to the media in February. Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R-VA) has long been considered a presidential contender after flipping Virginia red in 2021. Like DeSantis, he is term-limited from running for governor, meaning if he wanted a higher office, the White House could be an option. Gov. Brian Kemp (R-GA) is a popular executive in a battleground state. He also had a complicated relationship with Trump, but in the run-up to the 2024 election, the two men seemed to set aside their differences. Should Georgia flip a Senate seat red in 2026, it could also propel Kemp to seek a presidential run. Other possible governors who may enter the race include Govs. Greg Abbott (R-TX) and Sarah Huckabee Sanders (R-AR), both of whom are staunch conservatives with a history of backing Trump. Democratic governors Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA) speaks during a press conference in Los Angeles on Wednesday, Sept. 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Eric Thayer) Even before Biden bowed out of the race, paving the way for Harris, Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA) was accused of running a shadow presidential campaign. Newsom, unlike other Democrats, appeared on Fox News repeatedly, even agreeing to a debate against DeSantis moderated by host Sean Hannity. The California governor has already geared up to battle against a second Trump term, as have other governors who could run in 2028. “We know their playbook. We know what they’re going to do,” Newsom said days after Trump won the election. Govs. Gretchen Whitmer (D-MI), J.B. Pritzker (D-IL), Andy Beshear (D-KY), Roy Cooper (D-NC), and Josh Shapiro (D-PA) were all diligent campaign surrogates for Harris that could help bolster their credentials if they decide to run. Whitmer, Cooper, and Shapiro are also all popular chief executives of battleground states that went for Trump, proving their ability to appeal to independents and some Republicans. Cooper could decide instead to run for North Carolina’s open Senate seat in 2026. Beshear is a two-term Democratic governor in the solidly red state of Kentucky, which could help make his case to a U.S. electorate that swung conservative in 2024, while Pritzker is another solidly anti-Trump leader who could appeal to Democrats eager to move on from the Trump era. Possible Trump Cabinet contenders Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) shakes hands with Donald Trump, Republican presidential nominee, at a campaign rally at the PPL Center, Oct. 29, 2024, in Allentown, Pennsylvania. (Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images) At least three past and future Trump Cabinet members could likely take a shot at the White House in 2028. Former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley was the last GOP candidate before Trump locked down the primary nomination in March. Although she has not been invited back to a second Trump administration, she could still launch another run four years from now. Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) has not yet been confirmed as secretary of state, but he already has bipartisan support and is expected to sail through. This could give him the portfolio and gravitas to seek another chance at the White House after he lost the 2016 primary to Trump. Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY) is awaiting confirmation as Trump’s ambassador to the U.N., but after several victories following college presidents stepping down due to pro-Palestinian protests, she could have the background for higher office. “Elise will do whatever her ambition takes her,” said Jay Townsend, a political consultant. WHAT MAGA AND THE GOP WILL LOOK LIKE IN A POST-TRUMP ERA Democratic Cabinet members Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg speaks before President Joe Biden during a visit to the U.A. Local 190 Training Center in Ann Arbor, Michigan, on Friday, Sept. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya) Besides Harris, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg could be another Biden Cabinet member seeking higher office. Buttigieg has remained in the spotlight after losing the 2020 primary to Biden and joining his Cabinet, and now, he could even run for Michigan’s gubernatorial race in 2026 to replace Whitmer. The transportation secretary moved to Traverse City and said he hasn’t made a decision on whether he will seek the governor’s mansion or try another presidential run. CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER “I love this job, but it is very 24/7, so I’m ready to catch my breath. I’m ready to spend more time with our kids. I have not made any big life decisions, and I won’t until I’ve had a little more time,” he told USA Today. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo is another possible dark horse contender in 2028. However, there are reports she may seek another term as Rhode Island governor., , , https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/AP23259073899305-2-1-1024×591.jpg, Washington Examiner, Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/cropped-favicon-32×32.png, https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/feed/, Mabinty Quarshie,
Former President Donald Trump‘s press conference at his Bedminster golf club in New Jersey featured a roughly 46-minute monologue with frequent attacks against Vice President Kamala Harris while repeating key topics from the campaign stump.
This is Trump’s second press conference in about a week as he aims to pressure Harris into sitting down for a substantial press interview, which she has so far avoided. Last week’s press conference was held at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Florida. The former president claimed Harris is “not smart enough” to face media questioning.
Trump has struggled to adapt to a newly energized Democratic ticket and party after President Joe Biden suspended his campaign last month. The former president, flanked by a table full of food and coffee, blasted Harris as a “radical-left person” who “wants to put price controls all over the place.”
In a surprise moment of kindness toward journalists, Trump praised CNN’s Dana Bash and Jake Tapper for their hosting duties during the June debate against Biden. “I have to say Jake Tapper and Dana Bash were unbelievably straight and honest. I give them a lot of credit for that,” Trump said of the debate where Biden did so poorly he was pressured into bowing out of the race.
Before Trump’s press conference, the Harris campaign mocked the former president in an email with the subject line “Donald Trump To Ramble Incoherently and Spread Dangerous Lies in Public, but at Different Home.”
Citing previous cases where Trump’s preference for incendiary comments overshadowed his message, the campaign warned readers that “Donald Trump intends to deliver another self-obsessed rant full of his own personal grievances to distract from his toxic Project 2025 agenda, unpopular running mate, and increasing detachment from the reality of the voters who will decide this election.”
Here are the Washington Examiner’s five takeaways from the press conference.
The last time Trump spoke with Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was during a 2 1/2 hour meeting at his Mar-a-Lago resort in late July, Trump told reporters Thursday. The assertion rebuts reporting that the two leaders spoke by phone Wednesday about the Gaza hostage and ceasefire deal.
Trump did, however, encourage Netanyahu to hurriedly end the war against Hamas that has claimed the lives of thousands of civilians and led to 115 hostages still in the hands of Hamas.
“He knows what he’s doing. I did encourage him to get this over with,” said Trump. “You want to get it over with. It has to get over with fast but have victory, get your victory, and get it over with. It has to stop. The killing has to stop.”
Officials from the United States, Qatar, Egypt, and Israel are in the midst of high-level negotiations in Doha to bring out a deal that would end the fighting between Israel and Hamas.
One day after early voting in Florida, Trump reverted to denouncing the voting strategy even as the GOP is pushing for the base to embrace early voting.
Trump encouraged people who are struggling in credit card debt to vote for his campaign but segued into attacking early voting. “They should on Nov. 5 or sooner, if it’s early voting, which largely it is which is ridiculous, we should have one-day voting paper ballots,” Trump said. “We should have voter ID, and we should have proof of citizenship because people are voting.”
On Wednesday, Trump cast an early vote ballot in Florida as a convicted felon. Trump was convicted of 34 felonies for falsifying business records, but depending on sentencing in New York and other legal cases, his right to vote could be curtailed.
For weeks, Harris and her running mate, Gov. Tim Walz (D-MN), have poked fun at Trump and his running mate, Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH), via Generation Z-inflected memes, harsh campaign emails, and media appearances brandishing the GOP as “weird.”
These attacks, according to Trump, allow him to lob criticisms right back at Democrats. “I think I’m entitled to personal attacks,” Trump said when asked about a more disciplined approach.
“I don’t have a lot of respect for her. I don’t have a lot of respect for her intelligence, and I think she’ll be a terrible president, and I think it’s very important that we win,” Trump added. “And whether the personal attacks are good, bad, I mean, she certainly attacks me personally. She actually called me weird. ‘He’s weird.’ It was just a sound bite, and she called J.D. and I weird. He’s not weird. He was a great student at Yale. He went to Ohio State, graduated in two years at the top of his class, and all of these different things.”
The GOP has continued to implore Trump to move away from attacks against Harris’s race and gender and focus more on pocketbook issues, to mixed results.
In a Monday interview with Elon Musk on X, Trump claimed that Harris’s Time magazine cover reminded him of his wife and former first lady, Melania. Two days later, Trump brought up the magazine cover again at a rally in Asheville, North Carolina.
“And now they’re putting her on the covers of Time magazine with an artist sketch. They don’t use a picture, they don’t use a picture, they use an artist sketch,” Trump said as the crowd booed. “I want to use that artist. I want to find that artist. I like him very much.”
Thursday marked the third time that Trump publicly referenced the cover. “What was that all about? The whole thing is crazy. I just want to win for the country,” Trump said. “Some people say, ‘Oh, why don’t you be nice?’ But they’re not nice to me.”
Former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley recently slammed Trump’s attacks against Harris as “whining” and urged the campaign to focus on the liberal policies that Harris has endorsed and times pivoted away from.
When asked about Haley’s comments, Trump appeared agreeable to his former primary rival joining him on the campaign trail.
“Sure,” Trump said when asked about Haley as a campaign surrogate. “I think that we’ve done very well. I think that we’re hitting a nerve. I think this is a different kind of a race. All we have to do is define our opponent as being a communist or a socialist or somebody that’s going to destroy our country.”
The former president then segued into discussing how he defeated the South Carolina lawmaker in her home state during the primary season.
“I beat her in her own state by legendary numbers, and I get along with her fine. I appreciate that she endorsed me and all of that,” he said. “I think, relatively to what they’re doing and how radical they are and how, in many ways how sick they are. I think I’m doing a very calm campaign.”
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
Trump has spent several campaign events attacking Harris but also engaging in rambling moments that diluted the impact of his criticisms. “I’m a very calm person, believe it or not. If I wasn’t, probably wouldn’t be around anymore you know,” he emphasized.
But ultimately, while Trump appreciated Haley’s advice, he said, “I have to do it my way.”
2024-08-15 23:31:00, http://s.wordpress.com/mshots/v1/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonexaminer.com%2Fnews%2Fcampaigns%2Fpresidential%2F3123391%2Ftop-five-takeaways-trump-press-conference-bedminster%2F?w=600&h=450, Former President Donald Trump‘s press conference at his Bedminster golf club in New Jersey featured a roughly 46-minute monologue with frequent attacks against Vice President Kamala Harris while repeating key topics from the campaign stump. This is Trump’s second press conference in about a week as he aims to pressure Harris into sitting down for a,
Former President Donald Trump‘s press conference at his Bedminster golf club in New Jersey featured a roughly 46-minute monologue with frequent attacks against Vice President Kamala Harris while repeating key topics from the campaign stump.
This is Trump’s second press conference in about a week as he aims to pressure Harris into sitting down for a substantial press interview, which she has so far avoided. Last week’s press conference was held at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Florida. The former president claimed Harris is “not smart enough” to face media questioning.
Trump has struggled to adapt to a newly energized Democratic ticket and party after President Joe Biden suspended his campaign last month. The former president, flanked by a table full of food and coffee, blasted Harris as a “radical-left person” who “wants to put price controls all over the place.”
In a surprise moment of kindness toward journalists, Trump praised CNN’s Dana Bash and Jake Tapper for their hosting duties during the June debate against Biden. “I have to say Jake Tapper and Dana Bash were unbelievably straight and honest. I give them a lot of credit for that,” Trump said of the debate where Biden did so poorly he was pressured into bowing out of the race.
Before Trump’s press conference, the Harris campaign mocked the former president in an email with the subject line “Donald Trump To Ramble Incoherently and Spread Dangerous Lies in Public, but at Different Home.”
Citing previous cases where Trump’s preference for incendiary comments overshadowed his message, the campaign warned readers that “Donald Trump intends to deliver another self-obsessed rant full of his own personal grievances to distract from his toxic Project 2025 agenda, unpopular running mate, and increasing detachment from the reality of the voters who will decide this election.”
Here are the Washington Examiner’s five takeaways from the press conference.
The last time Trump spoke with Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was during a 2 1/2 hour meeting at his Mar-a-Lago resort in late July, Trump told reporters Thursday. The assertion rebuts reporting that the two leaders spoke by phone Wednesday about the Gaza hostage and ceasefire deal.
Trump did, however, encourage Netanyahu to hurriedly end the war against Hamas that has claimed the lives of thousands of civilians and led to 115 hostages still in the hands of Hamas.
“He knows what he’s doing. I did encourage him to get this over with,” said Trump. “You want to get it over with. It has to get over with fast but have victory, get your victory, and get it over with. It has to stop. The killing has to stop.”
Officials from the United States, Qatar, Egypt, and Israel are in the midst of high-level negotiations in Doha to bring out a deal that would end the fighting between Israel and Hamas.
One day after early voting in Florida, Trump reverted to denouncing the voting strategy even as the GOP is pushing for the base to embrace early voting.
Trump encouraged people who are struggling in credit card debt to vote for his campaign but segued into attacking early voting. “They should on Nov. 5 or sooner, if it’s early voting, which largely it is which is ridiculous, we should have one-day voting paper ballots,” Trump said. “We should have voter ID, and we should have proof of citizenship because people are voting.”
On Wednesday, Trump cast an early vote ballot in Florida as a convicted felon. Trump was convicted of 34 felonies for falsifying business records, but depending on sentencing in New York and other legal cases, his right to vote could be curtailed.
For weeks, Harris and her running mate, Gov. Tim Walz (D-MN), have poked fun at Trump and his running mate, Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH), via Generation Z-inflected memes, harsh campaign emails, and media appearances brandishing the GOP as “weird.”
These attacks, according to Trump, allow him to lob criticisms right back at Democrats. “I think I’m entitled to personal attacks,” Trump said when asked about a more disciplined approach.
“I don’t have a lot of respect for her. I don’t have a lot of respect for her intelligence, and I think she’ll be a terrible president, and I think it’s very important that we win,” Trump added. “And whether the personal attacks are good, bad, I mean, she certainly attacks me personally. She actually called me weird. ‘He’s weird.’ It was just a sound bite, and she called J.D. and I weird. He’s not weird. He was a great student at Yale. He went to Ohio State, graduated in two years at the top of his class, and all of these different things.”
The GOP has continued to implore Trump to move away from attacks against Harris’s race and gender and focus more on pocketbook issues, to mixed results.
In a Monday interview with Elon Musk on X, Trump claimed that Harris’s Time magazine cover reminded him of his wife and former first lady, Melania. Two days later, Trump brought up the magazine cover again at a rally in Asheville, North Carolina.
“And now they’re putting her on the covers of Time magazine with an artist sketch. They don’t use a picture, they don’t use a picture, they use an artist sketch,” Trump said as the crowd booed. “I want to use that artist. I want to find that artist. I like him very much.”
Thursday marked the third time that Trump publicly referenced the cover. “What was that all about? The whole thing is crazy. I just want to win for the country,” Trump said. “Some people say, ‘Oh, why don’t you be nice?’ But they’re not nice to me.”
Former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley recently slammed Trump’s attacks against Harris as “whining” and urged the campaign to focus on the liberal policies that Harris has endorsed and times pivoted away from.
When asked about Haley’s comments, Trump appeared agreeable to his former primary rival joining him on the campaign trail.
“Sure,” Trump said when asked about Haley as a campaign surrogate. “I think that we’ve done very well. I think that we’re hitting a nerve. I think this is a different kind of a race. All we have to do is define our opponent as being a communist or a socialist or somebody that’s going to destroy our country.”
The former president then segued into discussing how he defeated the South Carolina lawmaker in her home state during the primary season.
“I beat her in her own state by legendary numbers, and I get along with her fine. I appreciate that she endorsed me and all of that,” he said. “I think, relatively to what they’re doing and how radical they are and how, in many ways how sick they are. I think I’m doing a very calm campaign.”
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
Trump has spent several campaign events attacking Harris but also engaging in rambling moments that diluted the impact of his criticisms. “I’m a very calm person, believe it or not. If I wasn’t, probably wouldn’t be around anymore you know,” he emphasized.
But ultimately, while Trump appreciated Haley’s advice, he said, “I have to do it my way.”
, Former President Donald Trump‘s press conference at his Bedminster golf club in New Jersey featured a roughly 46-minute monologue with frequent attacks against Vice President Kamala Harris while repeating key topics from the campaign stump. This is Trump’s second press conference in about a week as he aims to pressure Harris into sitting down for a substantial press interview, which she has so far avoided. Last week’s press conference was held at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Florida. The former president claimed Harris is “not smart enough” to face media questioning. Trump has struggled to adapt to a newly energized Democratic ticket and party after President Joe Biden suspended his campaign last month. The former president, flanked by a table full of food and coffee, blasted Harris as a “radical-left person” who “wants to put price controls all over the place.” In a surprise moment of kindness toward journalists, Trump praised CNN’s Dana Bash and Jake Tapper for their hosting duties during the June debate against Biden. “I have to say Jake Tapper and Dana Bash were unbelievably straight and honest. I give them a lot of credit for that,” Trump said of the debate where Biden did so poorly he was pressured into bowing out of the race. Before Trump’s press conference, the Harris campaign mocked the former president in an email with the subject line “Donald Trump To Ramble Incoherently and Spread Dangerous Lies in Public, but at Different Home.” Citing previous cases where Trump’s preference for incendiary comments overshadowed his message, the campaign warned readers that “Donald Trump intends to deliver another self-obsessed rant full of his own personal grievances to distract from his toxic Project 2025 agenda, unpopular running mate, and increasing detachment from the reality of the voters who will decide this election.” Here are the Washington Examiner’s five takeaways from the press conference. Trump tells Israel’s prime minister to end the war The last time Trump spoke with Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was during a 2 1/2 hour meeting at his Mar-a-Lago resort in late July, Trump told reporters Thursday. The assertion rebuts reporting that the two leaders spoke by phone Wednesday about the Gaza hostage and ceasefire deal. Trump did, however, encourage Netanyahu to hurriedly end the war against Hamas that has claimed the lives of thousands of civilians and led to 115 hostages still in the hands of Hamas. “He knows what he’s doing. I did encourage him to get this over with,” said Trump. “You want to get it over with. It has to get over with fast but have victory, get your victory, and get it over with. It has to stop. The killing has to stop.” Officials from the United States, Qatar, Egypt, and Israel are in the midst of high-level negotiations in Doha to bring out a deal that would end the fighting between Israel and Hamas. Trump calls early voting ‘ridiculous’ One day after early voting in Florida, Trump reverted to denouncing the voting strategy even as the GOP is pushing for the base to embrace early voting. Trump encouraged people who are struggling in credit card debt to vote for his campaign but segued into attacking early voting. “They should on Nov. 5 or sooner, if it’s early voting, which largely it is which is ridiculous, we should have one-day voting paper ballots,” Trump said. “We should have voter ID, and we should have proof of citizenship because people are voting.” On Wednesday, Trump cast an early vote ballot in Florida as a convicted felon. Trump was convicted of 34 felonies for falsifying business records, but depending on sentencing in New York and other legal cases, his right to vote could be curtailed. Trump ‘entitled’ to personal attacks against Harris For weeks, Harris and her running mate, Gov. Tim Walz (D-MN), have poked fun at Trump and his running mate, Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH), via Generation Z-inflected memes, harsh campaign emails, and media appearances brandishing the GOP as “weird.” These attacks, according to Trump, allow him to lob criticisms right back at Democrats. “I think I’m entitled to personal attacks,” Trump said when asked about a more disciplined approach. “I don’t have a lot of respect for her. I don’t have a lot of respect for her intelligence, and I think she’ll be a terrible president, and I think it’s very important that we win,” Trump added. “And whether the personal attacks are good, bad, I mean, she certainly attacks me personally. She actually called me weird. ‘He’s weird.’ It was just a sound bite, and she called J.D. and I weird. He’s not weird. He was a great student at Yale. He went to Ohio State, graduated in two years at the top of his class, and all of these different things.” The GOP has continued to implore Trump to move away from attacks against Harris’s race and gender and focus more on pocketbook issues, to mixed results. Trump keeps commenting on Harris’s Time magazine cover In a Monday interview with Elon Musk on X, Trump claimed that Harris’s Time magazine cover reminded him of his wife and former first lady, Melania. Two days later, Trump brought up the magazine cover again at a rally in Asheville, North Carolina. “And now they’re putting her on the covers of Time magazine with an artist sketch. They don’t use a picture, they don’t use a picture, they use an artist sketch,” Trump said as the crowd booed. “I want to use that artist. I want to find that artist. I like him very much.” Thursday marked the third time that Trump publicly referenced the cover. “What was that all about? The whole thing is crazy. I just want to win for the country,” Trump said. “Some people say, ‘Oh, why don’t you be nice?’ But they’re not nice to me.” Trump’s openness to Nikki Haley Former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley recently slammed Trump’s attacks against Harris as “whining” and urged the campaign to focus on the liberal policies that Harris has endorsed and times pivoted away from. When asked about Haley’s comments, Trump appeared agreeable to his former primary rival joining him on the campaign trail. “Sure,” Trump said when asked about Haley as a campaign surrogate. “I think that we’ve done very well. I think that we’re hitting a nerve. I think this is a different kind of a race. All we have to do is define our opponent as being a communist or a socialist or somebody that’s going to destroy our country.” The former president then segued into discussing how he defeated the South Carolina lawmaker in her home state during the primary season. “I beat her in her own state by legendary numbers, and I get along with her fine. I appreciate that she endorsed me and all of that,” he said. “I think, relatively to what they’re doing and how radical they are and how, in many ways how sick they are. I think I’m doing a very calm campaign.” CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER Trump has spent several campaign events attacking Harris but also engaging in rambling moments that diluted the impact of his criticisms. “I’m a very calm person, believe it or not. If I wasn’t, probably wouldn’t be around anymore you know,” he emphasized. But ultimately, while Trump appreciated Haley’s advice, he said, “I have to do it my way.”, , , https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/AP24228751858841.webp, Washington Examiner, Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/cropped-favicon-32×32.png, https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/feed/, Mabinty Quarshie,
Former President Donald Trump returned to X on Monday evening with an interview with Elon Musk, chairman of the social media platform. It started off with a bumpy rollout that featured delays that prevented the event from beginning on time.
Eventually, after more than 40 minutes, the interview started with more than 1.3 million listening to the conversation between the two men.
During the conversation, Trump described the failed assassination attempt against his life last month as “not pleasant.” Trump had previously claimed that he would stay away from discussing the traumatic attack.
Vice President Kamala Harris was also frequently brought up by Trump as a “border czar,” which the White House has rejected as an official title. Trump also spent some time during the two-hour conversation discussing foreign policy including some of America’s toughest adversaries.
Here are the Washington Examiner‘s top five takeaways from the live interview.
The X interview with Trump was plagued with technology difficulties, with some users allowed to enter the event and others who were met with an image saying that the space was not available.
Musk claimed “a massive DDOS attack on X” was responsible for the delays before updating users that the event would go on with a smaller amount of listeners and the audio posted immediately afterward. The event didn’t start until 42 minutes after the 8 p.m. ET start time.
However, a source told The Verge that a DDOS attack had not hit X and another source said there was a “99 percent” chance that Musk was lying. The Washington Examiner has not independently verified the claims that the attack did not happen.
Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL), a one-time presidential rival to Trump, also faced technical problems that delayed his presidential campaign launch on Twitter in 2023. Trump and his allies harshly criticized DeSantis’s campaign for the rollout, which users on X were quick to point out.
Trump tried to spin the botched start as a positive for Musk. “Congratulations because I see you broke every record in the book,” Trump said. “We view that as an honor.”
A Harris campaign spokesman, Ammar Moussa, taunted the Trump campaign by stating: “Getting some real Ron DeSantis flashbacks.”
The Harris campaign reposted an old Trump post mocking DeSantis’s botched Twitter space event on Truth Social, Trump’s social media platform.
“Wow! The DeSanctus TWITTER launch is a DISASTER! His whole campaign will be a disaster,” Trump wrote in a post to Truth Social, which the Harris campaign shared. “WATCH!”
After the event was successfully relaunched, it continued without issue. However, some X users were quick to comment that Trump sounded off at times during the interview, with many claiming he sounded as if he was speaking with a lisp. Kamala HQ, a campaign account for Harris, also amplified the speculation, saying he was “slurring” in a post on X.
However, Trump’s campaign dismissed the claims, according to the Daily Beast.
“Must be your ears,” the Trump campaign told the outlet.
The former president gave another extended account of that nearly fatal event in Butler, Pennsylvania, which would lead Musk to endorse him a few days later. Trump called the moment “surreal” and claimed that his faith had grown deeper due to his survival.
“The bigger miracle was that I was looking in the exact direction of the shooter, and so it hit, it hit me at an angle that was far less than any other angle,” Trump recounted. “So that was the miracle, that was for those people who believe in God, I think we got to all start thinking about that, you have to, you know, I’m a believer. Now, I’m more of a believer, I think.”
Trump also praised the doctors who treated him as “incredible” and claimed it took “courage” for Secret Service officers to cover him after a bullet flew by his ear, nearly hitting him.
“It was a miracle if I hadn’t turned my head, I would not be talking to you right now, as much as I like you,” Trump told Musk later on.
Trump claimed that he will return to Butler in October in a defiant gesture toward the attempt on his life.
The former president reprised a familiar line of attack against Harris by repeatedly referring her as a “liar” for rejecting the term “border czar” which Democrats have claimed was never her title. In March 2021, Biden tapped Harris as head of an effort to handle the migration crisis at the southern border and address its root cause.
“In fact, I think most people who are illegal immigrants are actually good but, but you can’t tell the difference unless there’s a solid vetting of who comes across the border,” Musk said. “Is that? Does that represent your position?”
“I say it very simply. They have to come in legally,” Trump said. “Because, look, Kamala was the border czar. Now she’s denying it.”
The Harris campaign released a new ad on immigration this week claiming she would be “tougher” on border control. Trump dismissed the ad in his conversation with Musk.
“And I saw an ad just before I got on the air. I’m walking over here, and I saw an ad by Kamala saying how she is going to provide border security,” Trump said. “Where has she been for three and a half years? For three and a half years?”
The former president also needled Harris for her lack of questioning from the press since she became the Democratic nominee for president. “Kamala wouldn’t have this conversation,” Trump said. “Kamala can’t because she’s not too smart.”
Later in the interview, Trump claimed that Harris’s cover feature on Time Magazine reminded him of his wife Melania.
Trump has repeatedly warned that World War III could explode if international crises aren’t resolved. In an anecdote told to Musk, Trump detailed a conversation he had with Russian President Vladimir Putin warning him not to invade Ukraine.
“I know Putin very well. I got along with him very well. He respected me,” Trump said. “And it’s just one of those things. And … we would talk a lot about Ukraine. It was the apple of his eye. But I said, don’t ever do it. Don’t ever do it.”
In another anecdote Trump told Putin: “I said, Don’t do it. You can’t do it, Vladimir, you do it. It’s going to be a bad day. You cannot do it.”
“He said, ‘no way. And I said, ‘way’,” Trump recounted.
Putin wasn’t the only world leader with questionable ethics that Trump praised. “I know Putin, I know President Xi, I know Kim Jong Un of North Korea. I know every one of them,” Trump said. “And let me tell you, people say, ‘Oh, this is terrible.’ … I’m not saying anything good or bad. They’re at the top of their game, they’re tough, they’re smart, they’re vicious, and they’re going to protect their country.”
Trump bragged that Kim Jong Un aka “rocket man,” according to the former president, told him he had a red button on his desk.
“I said I have a red button on my desk too but my red button is much bigger and my red button works,” Trump said.
If reelected to a second term, Trump promised to build an Iron Dome system in the U.S. comparable to Israel’s Iron Dome.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
The Iron Dome is a missile defense system that Israel created in 2006 in the aftermath of the conflict with Hezbollah. It can protect against incoming short-range weapons but building one to protect the U.S. is not practical due to high costs, experts have warned.
“One of the things we’re going to do is we’re going to build an Iron Dome over us. You know Israel has it. We’re going to have the best Iron Dome in the world,” Trump said. “We need it and we’re going to make it all in the United States. We’re going to have protection because it just takes one maniac to start something.”
2024-08-13 03:53:00, http://s.wordpress.com/mshots/v1/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonexaminer.com%2Fnews%2Fcampaigns%2Fpresidential%2F3118777%2Ffive-takeaways-trump-x-conversation-elon-musk-marred-rocky-start%2F?w=600&h=450, Former President Donald Trump returned to X on Monday evening with an interview with Elon Musk, chairman of the social media platform. It started off with a bumpy rollout that featured delays that prevented the event from beginning on time. Eventually, after more than 40 minutes, the interview started with more than 1.3 million listening,
Former President Donald Trump returned to X on Monday evening with an interview with Elon Musk, chairman of the social media platform. It started off with a bumpy rollout that featured delays that prevented the event from beginning on time.
Eventually, after more than 40 minutes, the interview started with more than 1.3 million listening to the conversation between the two men.
During the conversation, Trump described the failed assassination attempt against his life last month as “not pleasant.” Trump had previously claimed that he would stay away from discussing the traumatic attack.
Vice President Kamala Harris was also frequently brought up by Trump as a “border czar,” which the White House has rejected as an official title. Trump also spent some time during the two-hour conversation discussing foreign policy including some of America’s toughest adversaries.
Here are the Washington Examiner‘s top five takeaways from the live interview.
The X interview with Trump was plagued with technology difficulties, with some users allowed to enter the event and others who were met with an image saying that the space was not available.
Musk claimed “a massive DDOS attack on X” was responsible for the delays before updating users that the event would go on with a smaller amount of listeners and the audio posted immediately afterward. The event didn’t start until 42 minutes after the 8 p.m. ET start time.
However, a source told The Verge that a DDOS attack had not hit X and another source said there was a “99 percent” chance that Musk was lying. The Washington Examiner has not independently verified the claims that the attack did not happen.
Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL), a one-time presidential rival to Trump, also faced technical problems that delayed his presidential campaign launch on Twitter in 2023. Trump and his allies harshly criticized DeSantis’s campaign for the rollout, which users on X were quick to point out.
Trump tried to spin the botched start as a positive for Musk. “Congratulations because I see you broke every record in the book,” Trump said. “We view that as an honor.”
A Harris campaign spokesman, Ammar Moussa, taunted the Trump campaign by stating: “Getting some real Ron DeSantis flashbacks.”
The Harris campaign reposted an old Trump post mocking DeSantis’s botched Twitter space event on Truth Social, Trump’s social media platform.
“Wow! The DeSanctus TWITTER launch is a DISASTER! His whole campaign will be a disaster,” Trump wrote in a post to Truth Social, which the Harris campaign shared. “WATCH!”
After the event was successfully relaunched, it continued without issue. However, some X users were quick to comment that Trump sounded off at times during the interview, with many claiming he sounded as if he was speaking with a lisp. Kamala HQ, a campaign account for Harris, also amplified the speculation, saying he was “slurring” in a post on X.
However, Trump’s campaign dismissed the claims, according to the Daily Beast.
“Must be your ears,” the Trump campaign told the outlet.
The former president gave another extended account of that nearly fatal event in Butler, Pennsylvania, which would lead Musk to endorse him a few days later. Trump called the moment “surreal” and claimed that his faith had grown deeper due to his survival.
“The bigger miracle was that I was looking in the exact direction of the shooter, and so it hit, it hit me at an angle that was far less than any other angle,” Trump recounted. “So that was the miracle, that was for those people who believe in God, I think we got to all start thinking about that, you have to, you know, I’m a believer. Now, I’m more of a believer, I think.”
Trump also praised the doctors who treated him as “incredible” and claimed it took “courage” for Secret Service officers to cover him after a bullet flew by his ear, nearly hitting him.
“It was a miracle if I hadn’t turned my head, I would not be talking to you right now, as much as I like you,” Trump told Musk later on.
Trump claimed that he will return to Butler in October in a defiant gesture toward the attempt on his life.
The former president reprised a familiar line of attack against Harris by repeatedly referring her as a “liar” for rejecting the term “border czar” which Democrats have claimed was never her title. In March 2021, Biden tapped Harris as head of an effort to handle the migration crisis at the southern border and address its root cause.
“In fact, I think most people who are illegal immigrants are actually good but, but you can’t tell the difference unless there’s a solid vetting of who comes across the border,” Musk said. “Is that? Does that represent your position?”
“I say it very simply. They have to come in legally,” Trump said. “Because, look, Kamala was the border czar. Now she’s denying it.”
The Harris campaign released a new ad on immigration this week claiming she would be “tougher” on border control. Trump dismissed the ad in his conversation with Musk.
“And I saw an ad just before I got on the air. I’m walking over here, and I saw an ad by Kamala saying how she is going to provide border security,” Trump said. “Where has she been for three and a half years? For three and a half years?”
The former president also needled Harris for her lack of questioning from the press since she became the Democratic nominee for president. “Kamala wouldn’t have this conversation,” Trump said. “Kamala can’t because she’s not too smart.”
Later in the interview, Trump claimed that Harris’s cover feature on Time Magazine reminded him of his wife Melania.
Trump has repeatedly warned that World War III could explode if international crises aren’t resolved. In an anecdote told to Musk, Trump detailed a conversation he had with Russian President Vladimir Putin warning him not to invade Ukraine.
“I know Putin very well. I got along with him very well. He respected me,” Trump said. “And it’s just one of those things. And … we would talk a lot about Ukraine. It was the apple of his eye. But I said, don’t ever do it. Don’t ever do it.”
In another anecdote Trump told Putin: “I said, Don’t do it. You can’t do it, Vladimir, you do it. It’s going to be a bad day. You cannot do it.”
“He said, ‘no way. And I said, ‘way’,” Trump recounted.
Putin wasn’t the only world leader with questionable ethics that Trump praised. “I know Putin, I know President Xi, I know Kim Jong Un of North Korea. I know every one of them,” Trump said. “And let me tell you, people say, ‘Oh, this is terrible.’ … I’m not saying anything good or bad. They’re at the top of their game, they’re tough, they’re smart, they’re vicious, and they’re going to protect their country.”
Trump bragged that Kim Jong Un aka “rocket man,” according to the former president, told him he had a red button on his desk.
“I said I have a red button on my desk too but my red button is much bigger and my red button works,” Trump said.
If reelected to a second term, Trump promised to build an Iron Dome system in the U.S. comparable to Israel’s Iron Dome.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
The Iron Dome is a missile defense system that Israel created in 2006 in the aftermath of the conflict with Hezbollah. It can protect against incoming short-range weapons but building one to protect the U.S. is not practical due to high costs, experts have warned.
“One of the things we’re going to do is we’re going to build an Iron Dome over us. You know Israel has it. We’re going to have the best Iron Dome in the world,” Trump said. “We need it and we’re going to make it all in the United States. We’re going to have protection because it just takes one maniac to start something.”
, Former President Donald Trump returned to X on Monday evening with an interview with Elon Musk, chairman of the social media platform. It started off with a bumpy rollout that featured delays that prevented the event from beginning on time. Eventually, after more than 40 minutes, the interview started with more than 1.3 million listening to the conversation between the two men. During the conversation, Trump described the failed assassination attempt against his life last month as “not pleasant.” Trump had previously claimed that he would stay away from discussing the traumatic attack. Vice President Kamala Harris was also frequently brought up by Trump as a “border czar,” which the White House has rejected as an official title. Trump also spent some time during the two-hour conversation discussing foreign policy including some of America’s toughest adversaries. Here are the Washington Examiner‘s top five takeaways from the live interview. Musk claims cyber attack delayed the event as Harris campaign pokes fun The X interview with Trump was plagued with technology difficulties, with some users allowed to enter the event and others who were met with an image saying that the space was not available. Musk claimed “a massive DDOS attack on X” was responsible for the delays before updating users that the event would go on with a smaller amount of listeners and the audio posted immediately afterward. The event didn’t start until 42 minutes after the 8 p.m. ET start time. There appears to be a massive DDOS attack on 𝕏. Working on shutting it down. Worst case, we will proceed with a smaller number of live listeners and post the conversation later.— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) August 13, 2024 However, a source told The Verge that a DDOS attack had not hit X and another source said there was a “99 percent” chance that Musk was lying. The Washington Examiner has not independently verified the claims that the attack did not happen. Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL), a one-time presidential rival to Trump, also faced technical problems that delayed his presidential campaign launch on Twitter in 2023. Trump and his allies harshly criticized DeSantis’s campaign for the rollout, which users on X were quick to point out. Trump tried to spin the botched start as a positive for Musk. “Congratulations because I see you broke every record in the book,” Trump said. “We view that as an honor.” A Harris campaign spokesman, Ammar Moussa, taunted the Trump campaign by stating: “Getting some real Ron DeSantis flashbacks.” The Harris campaign reposted an old Trump post mocking DeSantis’s botched Twitter space event on Truth Social, Trump’s social media platform. “Wow! The DeSanctus TWITTER launch is a DISASTER! His whole campaign will be a disaster,” Trump wrote in a post to Truth Social, which the Harris campaign shared. “WATCH!” After the event was successfully relaunched, it continued without issue. However, some X users were quick to comment that Trump sounded off at times during the interview, with many claiming he sounded as if he was speaking with a lisp. Kamala HQ, a campaign account for Harris, also amplified the speculation, saying he was “slurring” in a post on X. However, Trump’s campaign dismissed the claims, according to the Daily Beast. “Must be your ears,” the Trump campaign told the outlet. Trump recounts failed assassination attempt The former president gave another extended account of that nearly fatal event in Butler, Pennsylvania, which would lead Musk to endorse him a few days later. Trump called the moment “surreal” and claimed that his faith had grown deeper due to his survival. “The bigger miracle was that I was looking in the exact direction of the shooter, and so it hit, it hit me at an angle that was far less than any other angle,” Trump recounted. “So that was the miracle, that was for those people who believe in God, I think we got to all start thinking about that, you have to, you know, I’m a believer. Now, I’m more of a believer, I think.” Trump also praised the doctors who treated him as “incredible” and claimed it took “courage” for Secret Service officers to cover him after a bullet flew by his ear, nearly hitting him. “It was a miracle if I hadn’t turned my head, I would not be talking to you right now, as much as I like you,” Trump told Musk later on. Trump claimed that he will return to Butler in October in a defiant gesture toward the attempt on his life. Trump slams Harris for ‘border czar’ role The former president reprised a familiar line of attack against Harris by repeatedly referring her as a “liar” for rejecting the term “border czar” which Democrats have claimed was never her title. In March 2021, Biden tapped Harris as head of an effort to handle the migration crisis at the southern border and address its root cause. “In fact, I think most people who are illegal immigrants are actually good but, but you can’t tell the difference unless there’s a solid vetting of who comes across the border,” Musk said. “Is that? Does that represent your position?” “I say it very simply. They have to come in legally,” Trump said. “Because, look, Kamala was the border czar. Now she’s denying it.” The Harris campaign released a new ad on immigration this week claiming she would be “tougher” on border control. Trump dismissed the ad in his conversation with Musk. “And I saw an ad just before I got on the air. I’m walking over here, and I saw an ad by Kamala saying how she is going to provide border security,” Trump said. “Where has she been for three and a half years? For three and a half years?” The former president also needled Harris for her lack of questioning from the press since she became the Democratic nominee for president. “Kamala wouldn’t have this conversation,” Trump said. “Kamala can’t because she’s not too smart.” Later in the interview, Trump claimed that Harris’s cover feature on Time Magazine reminded him of his wife Melania. Trump recounts anecdote with Putin over Ukraine Trump has repeatedly warned that World War III could explode if international crises aren’t resolved. In an anecdote told to Musk, Trump detailed a conversation he had with Russian President Vladimir Putin warning him not to invade Ukraine. “I know Putin very well. I got along with him very well. He respected me,” Trump said. “And it’s just one of those things. And … we would talk a lot about Ukraine. It was the apple of his eye. But I said, don’t ever do it. Don’t ever do it.” In another anecdote Trump told Putin: “I said, Don’t do it. You can’t do it, Vladimir, you do it. It’s going to be a bad day. You cannot do it.” “He said, ‘no way. And I said, ‘way’,” Trump recounted. Putin wasn’t the only world leader with questionable ethics that Trump praised. “I know Putin, I know President Xi, I know Kim Jong Un of North Korea. I know every one of them,” Trump said. “And let me tell you, people say, ‘Oh, this is terrible.’ … I’m not saying anything good or bad. They’re at the top of their game, they’re tough, they’re smart, they’re vicious, and they’re going to protect their country.” Trump bragged that Kim Jong Un aka “rocket man,” according to the former president, told him he had a red button on his desk. “I said I have a red button on my desk too but my red button is much bigger and my red button works,” Trump said. Trump Iron Dome pledge If reelected to a second term, Trump promised to build an Iron Dome system in the U.S. comparable to Israel’s Iron Dome. CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER The Iron Dome is a missile defense system that Israel created in 2006 in the aftermath of the conflict with Hezbollah. It can protect against incoming short-range weapons but building one to protect the U.S. is not practical due to high costs, experts have warned. “One of the things we’re going to do is we’re going to build an Iron Dome over us. You know Israel has it. We’re going to have the best Iron Dome in the world,” Trump said. “We need it and we’re going to make it all in the United States. We’re going to have protection because it just takes one maniac to start something.”, , , https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Trump-news-conference-.webp, Washington Examiner, Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/cropped-favicon-32×32.png, https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/feed/, Mabinty Quarshie,
Former President Donald Trump‘s live “unscripted” interview with Elon Musk on X on Monday evening was plagued by a cyberattack, according to the X owner.
The technical difficulties prevented at least some users from accessing the conversation, instead being shown an image saying that the space was not available.
Nearly 20 minutes after the interview was set to start, Musk claimed in a post on X that the event was plagued by a “massive DDOS attack” and that the platform was working on shutting the X Space down.
“There appears to be a massive DDOS attack on 𝕏. Working on shutting it down. Worst case, we will proceed with a smaller number of live listeners and post the conversation later.”
The interview’s technological problems are reminiscent of Gov. Ron DeSantis’s (R-FL) botched presidential campaign rollout last year during a Twitter Spaces interview, leading to Trump allies mocking his campaign.
Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) was among the people who voiced concern online before claiming that he was “finally in now. Funky hold music playing.”
On Monday morning, Trump posted to X for the first time since Aug. 24, 2023, when he shared a picture of his mugshot after he was processed and released from an Atlanta jail in the aftermath of a state indictment over allegations he attempted to overturn Georgia’s 2020 election results.
The 2 1/2-minute video post touted his first administration’s legacy before featuring media reports on Trump’s federal indictments and the FBI’s search at his Mar-a-Lago resort in August 2022.
“They’re not coming after me. They’re coming after you, and I just happen to be standing in their way, and I will never be moving,” Trump is heard saying in the ad. “On Nov. 5, 2024, justice will be done. We will take back our country, and we will make America great again!”
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
The Harris campaign slammed Musk as Trump’s “billionaire sugar daddy” in an email sent out two hours before the live interview.
2024-08-13 00:27:00, http://s.wordpress.com/mshots/v1/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonexaminer.com%2Fnews%2Fcampaigns%2Fpresidential%2F3118678%2Ftrump-live-interview-elon-musk-met-technical-difficulties%2F?w=600&h=450, Former President Donald Trump‘s live “unscripted” interview with Elon Musk on X on Monday evening was plagued by a cyberattack, according to the X owner. The technical difficulties prevented at least some users from accessing the conversation, instead being shown an image saying that the space was not available. Nearly 20 minutes after the interview was set to,
Former President Donald Trump‘s live “unscripted” interview with Elon Musk on X on Monday evening was plagued by a cyberattack, according to the X owner.
The technical difficulties prevented at least some users from accessing the conversation, instead being shown an image saying that the space was not available.
Nearly 20 minutes after the interview was set to start, Musk claimed in a post on X that the event was plagued by a “massive DDOS attack” and that the platform was working on shutting the X Space down.
“There appears to be a massive DDOS attack on 𝕏. Working on shutting it down. Worst case, we will proceed with a smaller number of live listeners and post the conversation later.”
The interview’s technological problems are reminiscent of Gov. Ron DeSantis’s (R-FL) botched presidential campaign rollout last year during a Twitter Spaces interview, leading to Trump allies mocking his campaign.
Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) was among the people who voiced concern online before claiming that he was “finally in now. Funky hold music playing.”
On Monday morning, Trump posted to X for the first time since Aug. 24, 2023, when he shared a picture of his mugshot after he was processed and released from an Atlanta jail in the aftermath of a state indictment over allegations he attempted to overturn Georgia’s 2020 election results.
The 2 1/2-minute video post touted his first administration’s legacy before featuring media reports on Trump’s federal indictments and the FBI’s search at his Mar-a-Lago resort in August 2022.
“They’re not coming after me. They’re coming after you, and I just happen to be standing in their way, and I will never be moving,” Trump is heard saying in the ad. “On Nov. 5, 2024, justice will be done. We will take back our country, and we will make America great again!”
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
The Harris campaign slammed Musk as Trump’s “billionaire sugar daddy” in an email sent out two hours before the live interview.
, Former President Donald Trump‘s live “unscripted” interview with Elon Musk on X on Monday evening was plagued by a cyberattack, according to the X owner. The technical difficulties prevented at least some users from accessing the conversation, instead being shown an image saying that the space was not available. Nearly 20 minutes after the interview was set to start, Musk claimed in a post on X that the event was plagued by a “massive DDOS attack” and that the platform was working on shutting the X Space down. “There appears to be a massive DDOS attack on 𝕏. Working on shutting it down. Worst case, we will proceed with a smaller number of live listeners and post the conversation later.” The interview’s technological problems are reminiscent of Gov. Ron DeSantis’s (R-FL) botched presidential campaign rollout last year during a Twitter Spaces interview, leading to Trump allies mocking his campaign. Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) was among the people who voiced concern online before claiming that he was “finally in now. Funky hold music playing.” Trump’s interview with Elon Musk tonight appears to be having technical difficulties. When trying to access the X space users are met with a screen that says the space is “not available.” pic.twitter.com/RuekmzLU8G — Hailey Bullis (@HaileyBullis1) August 13, 2024 On Monday morning, Trump posted to X for the first time since Aug. 24, 2023, when he shared a picture of his mugshot after he was processed and released from an Atlanta jail in the aftermath of a state indictment over allegations he attempted to overturn Georgia’s 2020 election results. The 2 1/2-minute video post touted his first administration’s legacy before featuring media reports on Trump’s federal indictments and the FBI’s search at his Mar-a-Lago resort in August 2022. “They’re not coming after me. They’re coming after you, and I just happen to be standing in their way, and I will never be moving,” Trump is heard saying in the ad. “On Nov. 5, 2024, justice will be done. We will take back our country, and we will make America great again!” CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER pic.twitter.com/tf87iebMdN — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 12, 2024 In subsequent posts, Trump asked, “Are you better off now than you were when I was president?” and released a video post slamming Harris as a “SAN FRANCISCO RADICAL.“ The Harris campaign slammed Musk as Trump’s “billionaire sugar daddy” in an email sent out two hours before the live interview., , , https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/AP22353838000088.jpg.optimal.jpg, Washington Examiner, Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/cropped-favicon-32×32.png, https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/feed/, Mabinty Quarshie,
The 2024 presidential race that appeared headed for a GOP victory has now transformed into a dead heat since Vice President Kamala Harris replaced President Joe Biden as the Democratic presidential nominee late last month.
With the addition Tuesday of Gov. Tim Walz (D-MN) as Harris’s running mate, the newly minted Democratic ticket is operating at full-steam ahead of the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, and polls and donors are shifting in its favor.
In less than two weeks, Harris raised the record-breaking $310 million in July, while the announcement of Walz as her vice president netted the campaign another $36 million in 24 hours as the pair jetted off on a tour of the crucial battleground states. But the GOP pounced at any chance to lambaste the campaign.
Former President Donald Trump and his vice presidential candidate, Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH), staged a two-pronged approach against Democrats.
Vance also embarked on an unofficial tour of the battlegrounds, often appearing in the same states as Harris and Walz while attacking them for ducking press scrutiny. Meanwhile, Harris and Walz took repeated jabs at the GOP ticket during the kickoff tour in Philadelphia on Tuesday.
Trump announced a surprise press conference Thursday where he, too, blasted Harris for not taking press questions and challenged the vice president to three debates. Harris only agreed to one.
After a contentious week of attacks and counterattacks, the Washington Examiner reranked the battleground states according to which would be the hardest for the vice president to win.
Popular Gov. Roy Cooper (D-NC) took himself out of the running to join Harris’s ticket, citing fears that Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson (R-NC), known for making controversial statements, would attempt to serve as governor if Cooper were campaigning out of the state.
Cooper will have his hands full trying to deliver the Tarheel State for Democrats, given that the last time it voted blue was during the 2008 election.
The Trump campaign isn’t taking the state for granted as it began ad spending last week, and Trump held his first campaign rally in Charlotte, North Carolina, three days after Biden suspended his campaign.
“Basically, she’s a very bad person, and she shouldn’t be running for president. She is a threat to democracy, a true threat to democracy. She’ll destroy our nation,” Trump told supporters.
The Harris campaign later launched a new initiative for Republicans who are backing the vice president in several battleground states, including North Carolina.
Last week, the Washington Examiner ranked Michigan as the seventh-hardest battleground for Harris to win, citing a RealClearPolitics poll average that showed Harris leading Trump in the state by two percentage points and a Bloomberg News/Morning Consult survey that showed Trump trailing Harris by 11 percentage points, 53% to 42%.
But events this week have brought back to the forefront tensions in the Democratic Party over U.S. support for Israel as it battles Hamas. The party’s progressive members have accused Israel of committing genocide against Palestinians living in Gaza.
It all came to a head during a Harris rally in Detroit on Wednesday evening when pro-Palestinian activists interrupted the event. Harris attempted to smooth out the disruption by saying, “I am speaking now.”
But after growing frustration, the vice president quipped: “If you want Donald Trump to win, then say that. Otherwise, I’m speaking.”
The crowd of supporters cheered her on as she gave a steely look.
Detroit is home to a significant number of Arab-American and Muslim voters who could organize an anti-Harris campaign if the tensions surrounding the Middle East war continue.
Gov. Josh Shapiro (D-PA) was the other top candidate on Harris’s running mate short list aside from Walz, but questions about his ambition may have likely cost him the job.
Nevertheless, Shapiro claimed he would campaign on behalf of the Democratic ticket to deliver Pennsylvania and its 19 electoral votes for Democrats.
“I am going to continue to pour my heart and soul into serving you every single day as your governor,” said Shapiro at the Philadelphia rally. “And I’m going to be working my tail up to make sure we make Kamala Harris and Tim Walz the next leaders of the United States of America.”
Harris’s willingness to skip Shapiro also suggests her campaign’s comfort that the state is winnable. A FiveThirtyEight poll average has Harris leading Trump, 45.5% to 44.5%, in the Keystone State. But a RealClearPolitics average shows Trump leading Harris, 48.4% to 46.6%.
Pennsylvania has received the most political ad spending of all the battleground states since Biden suspended his campaign, according to AdImpact. Spending in support of Harris reached $18.6 million, while spending in support of Trump hit $19.9 million, totaling a combined share of $38.5 million in the state over the last few weeks.
In choosing Walz to join the ticket, Harris also snubbed Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ), although that could have more to do with Democrats not wanting to give up a coveted Senate seat as they fight to hold on to control of the Senate.
The energy propelling Harris gave some hope to the party that the sunbelt battlegrounds were now in contention. And new polling suggests they may be correct. The Cook Political Report rated Arizona as one of the three states that had changed from “Lean Republican” to a “toss-up,” a worrying sign for the Trump campaign.
The Harris campaign previously touted the endorsement of border town mayors in the state. Arizona Mesa Mayor John Giles is co-chairing a Republican task force for Harris along with former Republican state Rep. Robin Shaw.
New polling released Thursday from the HighGround Public Affairs survey found that Harris holds 44.4% support in Arizona, while Trump holds 41.6%, within the survey’s margin of error of plus or minus 4.38%.
Harris and Walz are set to campaign in Arizona late Friday evening while Trump stumps in Montana with Republican Senate candidate Tim Sheehy, who is hoping to unseat Sen. Jon Tester (D-MT).
Harris leads Trump by two percentage points, 47% to 45%, in Nevada, according to the Bloomberg poll, while the RealClearPolitics average in Nevada shows Trump leading Harris by four percentage points.
Yet, Nevada was also one of the states the Cook Political Report changed from a “Lean Republican” rating to a “toss-up.”
Seizing that momentum, Harris will make her seventh visit to the state Saturday. In a Friday memo, Dan Kanninen, the battleground states director for Harris, touted the 13 campaign offices and nearly 100 staff in the state, as well as the 600 volunteers who signed up after Biden’s withdrawal.
Nevada is the youngest and most diverse state out of all the battlegrounds, playing to the vice president’s advantage as a biracial woman.
“The first large survey of Latino voters with Harris as the presumptive nominee showed her strong support with Latino voters presents a “key weakness” for Donald Trump,” wrote Kanninen. “Harris leads Trump with Latinos by 55-37 in the battleground states and is viewed favorably by Latinos in Nevada by 44 points (69-25), the highest of any battleground state.”
Georgia is the third state the Cook Political Report changed from a “Lean Republican” rating to a “toss-up.” This follows the University of Virginia’s Crystal Ball, which also moved Georgia back to the “toss-up” category, claiming Harris is performing better than Biden.
Biden won the state in 2020, breaking Republican dominance at the presidential level for the first time since 1992. As Harris crisscrosses the nation to shore up support, she can rely on aid from Sens. Jon Osoff (D-GA) and Raphael Warnock (D-GA) to help her quest to keep Georgia blue.
Trump’s repeated attacks on popular Gov. Brian Kemp (R-GA) and his wife, Marty Kemp, last week may not help him win the state as Republicans try to move the party past the tensions the two leaders hold against one another.
“Without me, he wouldn’t be governor. I got him elected. He was doing terribly,” Trump boasted at a press conference Thursday about the governor. “With that being said, I hope we can repair it, but if we don’t, the people are still the people, and they’re going to vote.”
Harris and Trump are virtually tied in the Badger State, according to a recent Marquette University Law School poll. But in a RealClearPolitics average, Harris is narrowly leading Trump by 0.5%
At a campaign rally in Eau Claire on Wednesday, Harris and Walz addressed a crowd of 12,000 supporters. Walz honed in on his midwestern credentials. (Wisconsin was also the first campaign rally Harris attended after Biden exited the race.)
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
Vance and Harris had a near-encounter Wednesday when they were both at the Wisconsin airport tarmac.
“I just wanted to check out my future plane,” Vance quipped to reporters. “I also wanted to go say hello to the vice president and ask her why she refuses to answer questions from the media.”
2024-08-10 10:00:00, http://s.wordpress.com/mshots/v1/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonexaminer.com%2Fnews%2Fcampaigns%2Fpresidential%2F3116467%2Fswing-state-scorecard-walz-harris-battleground-rankings%2F?w=600&h=450, The 2024 presidential race that appeared headed for a GOP victory has now transformed into a dead heat since Vice President Kamala Harris replaced President Joe Biden as the Democratic presidential nominee late last month. With the addition Tuesday of Gov. Tim Walz (D-MN) as Harris’s running mate, the newly minted Democratic ticket is operating,
The 2024 presidential race that appeared headed for a GOP victory has now transformed into a dead heat since Vice President Kamala Harris replaced President Joe Biden as the Democratic presidential nominee late last month.
With the addition Tuesday of Gov. Tim Walz (D-MN) as Harris’s running mate, the newly minted Democratic ticket is operating at full-steam ahead of the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, and polls and donors are shifting in its favor.
In less than two weeks, Harris raised the record-breaking $310 million in July, while the announcement of Walz as her vice president netted the campaign another $36 million in 24 hours as the pair jetted off on a tour of the crucial battleground states. But the GOP pounced at any chance to lambaste the campaign.
Former President Donald Trump and his vice presidential candidate, Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH), staged a two-pronged approach against Democrats.
Vance also embarked on an unofficial tour of the battlegrounds, often appearing in the same states as Harris and Walz while attacking them for ducking press scrutiny. Meanwhile, Harris and Walz took repeated jabs at the GOP ticket during the kickoff tour in Philadelphia on Tuesday.
Trump announced a surprise press conference Thursday where he, too, blasted Harris for not taking press questions and challenged the vice president to three debates. Harris only agreed to one.
After a contentious week of attacks and counterattacks, the Washington Examiner reranked the battleground states according to which would be the hardest for the vice president to win.
Popular Gov. Roy Cooper (D-NC) took himself out of the running to join Harris’s ticket, citing fears that Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson (R-NC), known for making controversial statements, would attempt to serve as governor if Cooper were campaigning out of the state.
Cooper will have his hands full trying to deliver the Tarheel State for Democrats, given that the last time it voted blue was during the 2008 election.
The Trump campaign isn’t taking the state for granted as it began ad spending last week, and Trump held his first campaign rally in Charlotte, North Carolina, three days after Biden suspended his campaign.
“Basically, she’s a very bad person, and she shouldn’t be running for president. She is a threat to democracy, a true threat to democracy. She’ll destroy our nation,” Trump told supporters.
The Harris campaign later launched a new initiative for Republicans who are backing the vice president in several battleground states, including North Carolina.
Last week, the Washington Examiner ranked Michigan as the seventh-hardest battleground for Harris to win, citing a RealClearPolitics poll average that showed Harris leading Trump in the state by two percentage points and a Bloomberg News/Morning Consult survey that showed Trump trailing Harris by 11 percentage points, 53% to 42%.
But events this week have brought back to the forefront tensions in the Democratic Party over U.S. support for Israel as it battles Hamas. The party’s progressive members have accused Israel of committing genocide against Palestinians living in Gaza.
It all came to a head during a Harris rally in Detroit on Wednesday evening when pro-Palestinian activists interrupted the event. Harris attempted to smooth out the disruption by saying, “I am speaking now.”
But after growing frustration, the vice president quipped: “If you want Donald Trump to win, then say that. Otherwise, I’m speaking.”
The crowd of supporters cheered her on as she gave a steely look.
Detroit is home to a significant number of Arab-American and Muslim voters who could organize an anti-Harris campaign if the tensions surrounding the Middle East war continue.
Gov. Josh Shapiro (D-PA) was the other top candidate on Harris’s running mate short list aside from Walz, but questions about his ambition may have likely cost him the job.
Nevertheless, Shapiro claimed he would campaign on behalf of the Democratic ticket to deliver Pennsylvania and its 19 electoral votes for Democrats.
“I am going to continue to pour my heart and soul into serving you every single day as your governor,” said Shapiro at the Philadelphia rally. “And I’m going to be working my tail up to make sure we make Kamala Harris and Tim Walz the next leaders of the United States of America.”
Harris’s willingness to skip Shapiro also suggests her campaign’s comfort that the state is winnable. A FiveThirtyEight poll average has Harris leading Trump, 45.5% to 44.5%, in the Keystone State. But a RealClearPolitics average shows Trump leading Harris, 48.4% to 46.6%.
Pennsylvania has received the most political ad spending of all the battleground states since Biden suspended his campaign, according to AdImpact. Spending in support of Harris reached $18.6 million, while spending in support of Trump hit $19.9 million, totaling a combined share of $38.5 million in the state over the last few weeks.
In choosing Walz to join the ticket, Harris also snubbed Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ), although that could have more to do with Democrats not wanting to give up a coveted Senate seat as they fight to hold on to control of the Senate.
The energy propelling Harris gave some hope to the party that the sunbelt battlegrounds were now in contention. And new polling suggests they may be correct. The Cook Political Report rated Arizona as one of the three states that had changed from “Lean Republican” to a “toss-up,” a worrying sign for the Trump campaign.
The Harris campaign previously touted the endorsement of border town mayors in the state. Arizona Mesa Mayor John Giles is co-chairing a Republican task force for Harris along with former Republican state Rep. Robin Shaw.
New polling released Thursday from the HighGround Public Affairs survey found that Harris holds 44.4% support in Arizona, while Trump holds 41.6%, within the survey’s margin of error of plus or minus 4.38%.
Harris and Walz are set to campaign in Arizona late Friday evening while Trump stumps in Montana with Republican Senate candidate Tim Sheehy, who is hoping to unseat Sen. Jon Tester (D-MT).
Harris leads Trump by two percentage points, 47% to 45%, in Nevada, according to the Bloomberg poll, while the RealClearPolitics average in Nevada shows Trump leading Harris by four percentage points.
Yet, Nevada was also one of the states the Cook Political Report changed from a “Lean Republican” rating to a “toss-up.”
Seizing that momentum, Harris will make her seventh visit to the state Saturday. In a Friday memo, Dan Kanninen, the battleground states director for Harris, touted the 13 campaign offices and nearly 100 staff in the state, as well as the 600 volunteers who signed up after Biden’s withdrawal.
Nevada is the youngest and most diverse state out of all the battlegrounds, playing to the vice president’s advantage as a biracial woman.
“The first large survey of Latino voters with Harris as the presumptive nominee showed her strong support with Latino voters presents a “key weakness” for Donald Trump,” wrote Kanninen. “Harris leads Trump with Latinos by 55-37 in the battleground states and is viewed favorably by Latinos in Nevada by 44 points (69-25), the highest of any battleground state.”
Georgia is the third state the Cook Political Report changed from a “Lean Republican” rating to a “toss-up.” This follows the University of Virginia’s Crystal Ball, which also moved Georgia back to the “toss-up” category, claiming Harris is performing better than Biden.
Biden won the state in 2020, breaking Republican dominance at the presidential level for the first time since 1992. As Harris crisscrosses the nation to shore up support, she can rely on aid from Sens. Jon Osoff (D-GA) and Raphael Warnock (D-GA) to help her quest to keep Georgia blue.
Trump’s repeated attacks on popular Gov. Brian Kemp (R-GA) and his wife, Marty Kemp, last week may not help him win the state as Republicans try to move the party past the tensions the two leaders hold against one another.
“Without me, he wouldn’t be governor. I got him elected. He was doing terribly,” Trump boasted at a press conference Thursday about the governor. “With that being said, I hope we can repair it, but if we don’t, the people are still the people, and they’re going to vote.”
Harris and Trump are virtually tied in the Badger State, according to a recent Marquette University Law School poll. But in a RealClearPolitics average, Harris is narrowly leading Trump by 0.5%
At a campaign rally in Eau Claire on Wednesday, Harris and Walz addressed a crowd of 12,000 supporters. Walz honed in on his midwestern credentials. (Wisconsin was also the first campaign rally Harris attended after Biden exited the race.)
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
Vance and Harris had a near-encounter Wednesday when they were both at the Wisconsin airport tarmac.
“I just wanted to check out my future plane,” Vance quipped to reporters. “I also wanted to go say hello to the vice president and ask her why she refuses to answer questions from the media.”
, The 2024 presidential race that appeared headed for a GOP victory has now transformed into a dead heat since Vice President Kamala Harris replaced President Joe Biden as the Democratic presidential nominee late last month. With the addition Tuesday of Gov. Tim Walz (D-MN) as Harris’s running mate, the newly minted Democratic ticket is operating at full-steam ahead of the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, and polls and donors are shifting in its favor. In less than two weeks, Harris raised the record-breaking $310 million in July, while the announcement of Walz as her vice president netted the campaign another $36 million in 24 hours as the pair jetted off on a tour of the crucial battleground states. But the GOP pounced at any chance to lambaste the campaign. Former President Donald Trump and his vice presidential candidate, Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH), staged a two-pronged approach against Democrats. Vance also embarked on an unofficial tour of the battlegrounds, often appearing in the same states as Harris and Walz while attacking them for ducking press scrutiny. Meanwhile, Harris and Walz took repeated jabs at the GOP ticket during the kickoff tour in Philadelphia on Tuesday. Trump announced a surprise press conference Thursday where he, too, blasted Harris for not taking press questions and challenged the vice president to three debates. Harris only agreed to one. After a contentious week of attacks and counterattacks, the Washington Examiner reranked the battleground states according to which would be the hardest for the vice president to win. Vice President Kamala Harris, Democratic presidential nominee, and her running mate, Gov. Tim Walz (D-MN), speak at a campaign rally in Philadelphia, Tuesday, Aug. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Joe Lamberti) 1. North Carolina Popular Gov. Roy Cooper (D-NC) took himself out of the running to join Harris’s ticket, citing fears that Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson (R-NC), known for making controversial statements, would attempt to serve as governor if Cooper were campaigning out of the state. Cooper will have his hands full trying to deliver the Tarheel State for Democrats, given that the last time it voted blue was during the 2008 election. The Trump campaign isn’t taking the state for granted as it began ad spending last week, and Trump held his first campaign rally in Charlotte, North Carolina, three days after Biden suspended his campaign. “Basically, she’s a very bad person, and she shouldn’t be running for president. She is a threat to democracy, a true threat to democracy. She’ll destroy our nation,” Trump told supporters. The Harris campaign later launched a new initiative for Republicans who are backing the vice president in several battleground states, including North Carolina. 2. Michigan Last week, the Washington Examiner ranked Michigan as the seventh-hardest battleground for Harris to win, citing a RealClearPolitics poll average that showed Harris leading Trump in the state by two percentage points and a Bloomberg News/Morning Consult survey that showed Trump trailing Harris by 11 percentage points, 53% to 42%. But events this week have brought back to the forefront tensions in the Democratic Party over U.S. support for Israel as it battles Hamas. The party’s progressive members have accused Israel of committing genocide against Palestinians living in Gaza. It all came to a head during a Harris rally in Detroit on Wednesday evening when pro-Palestinian activists interrupted the event. Harris attempted to smooth out the disruption by saying, “I am speaking now.” But after growing frustration, the vice president quipped: “If you want Donald Trump to win, then say that. Otherwise, I’m speaking.” The crowd of supporters cheered her on as she gave a steely look. Detroit is home to a significant number of Arab-American and Muslim voters who could organize an anti-Harris campaign if the tensions surrounding the Middle East war continue. 3. Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro (D-PA) speaks before Vice President Kamala Harris, Democratic presidential nominee, and her running mate, Gov. Tim Walz (D-MN), during a campaign event in Philadelphia, Tuesday, Aug. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Joe Lamberti) Gov. Josh Shapiro (D-PA) was the other top candidate on Harris’s running mate short list aside from Walz, but questions about his ambition may have likely cost him the job. Nevertheless, Shapiro claimed he would campaign on behalf of the Democratic ticket to deliver Pennsylvania and its 19 electoral votes for Democrats. “I am going to continue to pour my heart and soul into serving you every single day as your governor,” said Shapiro at the Philadelphia rally. “And I’m going to be working my tail up to make sure we make Kamala Harris and Tim Walz the next leaders of the United States of America.” Harris’s willingness to skip Shapiro also suggests her campaign’s comfort that the state is winnable. A FiveThirtyEight poll average has Harris leading Trump, 45.5% to 44.5%, in the Keystone State. But a RealClearPolitics average shows Trump leading Harris, 48.4% to 46.6%. Pennsylvania has received the most political ad spending of all the battleground states since Biden suspended his campaign, according to AdImpact. Spending in support of Harris reached $18.6 million, while spending in support of Trump hit $19.9 million, totaling a combined share of $38.5 million in the state over the last few weeks. 4. Arizona In choosing Walz to join the ticket, Harris also snubbed Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ), although that could have more to do with Democrats not wanting to give up a coveted Senate seat as they fight to hold on to control of the Senate. The energy propelling Harris gave some hope to the party that the sunbelt battlegrounds were now in contention. And new polling suggests they may be correct. The Cook Political Report rated Arizona as one of the three states that had changed from “Lean Republican” to a “toss-up,” a worrying sign for the Trump campaign. The Harris campaign previously touted the endorsement of border town mayors in the state. Arizona Mesa Mayor John Giles is co-chairing a Republican task force for Harris along with former Republican state Rep. Robin Shaw. New polling released Thursday from the HighGround Public Affairs survey found that Harris holds 44.4% support in Arizona, while Trump holds 41.6%, within the survey’s margin of error of plus or minus 4.38%. Harris and Walz are set to campaign in Arizona late Friday evening while Trump stumps in Montana with Republican Senate candidate Tim Sheehy, who is hoping to unseat Sen. Jon Tester (D-MT). 5. Nevada Harris leads Trump by two percentage points, 47% to 45%, in Nevada, according to the Bloomberg poll, while the RealClearPolitics average in Nevada shows Trump leading Harris by four percentage points. Yet, Nevada was also one of the states the Cook Political Report changed from a “Lean Republican” rating to a “toss-up.” Seizing that momentum, Harris will make her seventh visit to the state Saturday. In a Friday memo, Dan Kanninen, the battleground states director for Harris, touted the 13 campaign offices and nearly 100 staff in the state, as well as the 600 volunteers who signed up after Biden’s withdrawal. Nevada is the youngest and most diverse state out of all the battlegrounds, playing to the vice president’s advantage as a biracial woman. “The first large survey of Latino voters with Harris as the presumptive nominee showed her strong support with Latino voters presents a “key weakness” for Donald Trump,” wrote Kanninen. “Harris leads Trump with Latinos by 55-37 in the battleground states and is viewed favorably by Latinos in Nevada by 44 points (69-25), the highest of any battleground state.” 6. Georgia Georgia is the third state the Cook Political Report changed from a “Lean Republican” rating to a “toss-up.” This follows the University of Virginia’s Crystal Ball, which also moved Georgia back to the “toss-up” category, claiming Harris is performing better than Biden. Biden won the state in 2020, breaking Republican dominance at the presidential level for the first time since 1992. As Harris crisscrosses the nation to shore up support, she can rely on aid from Sens. Jon Osoff (D-GA) and Raphael Warnock (D-GA) to help her quest to keep Georgia blue. Trump’s repeated attacks on popular Gov. Brian Kemp (R-GA) and his wife, Marty Kemp, last week may not help him win the state as Republicans try to move the party past the tensions the two leaders hold against one another. “Without me, he wouldn’t be governor. I got him elected. He was doing terribly,” Trump boasted at a press conference Thursday about the governor. “With that being said, I hope we can repair it, but if we don’t, the people are still the people, and they’re going to vote.” 7. Wisconsin Harris and Trump are virtually tied in the Badger State, according to a recent Marquette University Law School poll. But in a RealClearPolitics average, Harris is narrowly leading Trump by 0.5% At a campaign rally in Eau Claire on Wednesday, Harris and Walz addressed a crowd of 12,000 supporters. Walz honed in on his midwestern credentials. (Wisconsin was also the first campaign rally Harris attended after Biden exited the race.) CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER Vance and Harris had a near-encounter Wednesday when they were both at the Wisconsin airport tarmac. “I just wanted to check out my future plane,” Vance quipped to reporters. “I also wanted to go say hello to the vice president and ask her why she refuses to answer questions from the media.”, , , https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/kamala-harris-tim-walz-rally-philly.webp, Washington Examiner, Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/cropped-favicon-32×32.png, https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/feed/, Mabinty Quarshie,
Former President Donald Trump‘s wide-ranging and, at points, rambling press conference Thursday snatched back media attention from Vice President Kamala Harris‘s campaign, which has dominated the national attention with the announcement of Gov. Tim Walz (D-MN) as her running mate.
Trump denounced Harris’s lack of questioning from the press and trashed her first presidential run in 2020 while challenging his Democratic rival to three presidential debates this campaign cycle.
Trump also embraced Elon Musk, the billionaire owner of X, who endorsed him for president.
“He’s very worried about the country,” Trump said about Musk. “And I don’t know if it’s good for him politically to have supported me, although I think we have a vast majority of this country does support me, but Elon, more than almost anybody I know.”
Here are the top seven takeaways from Trump’s roughly one-hour Mar-a-Lago press conference.
After previously canceling a planned September presidential debate, Trump challenged Harris to three debates Thursday. Fox News would host the first debate on Sept. 4, ABC News would host the second debate on Sept. 10, and NBC News would host the third debate on Sept. 25.
“The other side has to agree to the terms. They may or may not agree. I don’t know if they’re going to agree,” said Trump.
Harris has only agreed to the Sept. 10 debate on ABC News. Her campaign did not respond to comment from the Washington Examiner on the two other debates.
Trump debated President Joe Biden on June 27, but after a disastrous performance from Biden, Democrats pressured him to step down. Less than a month later, Biden suspended his campaign and endorsed Harris.
Over the course of the one-hour conference, Trump repeatedly attacked Harris for not participating in any press conferences since she became the Democratic nominee and routinely insulted her intelligence.
“She hasn’t done an interview, she can’t do an interview, she’s barely competent, and she can’t do an interview,” Trump goaded Harris after announcing the three debates.
“She’s not doing any news conference. You know why she’s not doing it because she can’t do a news conference,” Trump later added as he taunted Harris about her failed 2020 presidential run against Biden. “She doesn’t know how to do a news conference. She’s not smart enough to do a news conference, and I’m sorry. We need smart people to lead this country.”
His comments questioning Harris’s intelligence may prove concerning for GOP leadership, which has pushed members to attack the vice president on policy above all else.
The remarks were notable given his embrace of Clinton, his former Democratic rival in 2016.
“So I’ve run against Hillary, and I’ve run against various other people. I would say that in terms of intelligence, Hillary was far superior,” Trump said. “I would say that Hillary was smart. She was her own worst enemy in many ways, but she was smart, very smart.”
Later on, he claimed that he avoided persecuting Clinton after defeating her in the 2016 election.
“You know, with Hillary Clinton, I could have done things to her that would have made your head spin,” Trump said when asked about pardoning Hunter Biden. “I thought it was a very bad thing. Take the wife of a president of the United States and put her in jail, and then I see the way they treat me. That’s the way it goes. But I was very protective of her. Nobody would understand that, but I was.”
Perhaps the most puzzling part of Trump’s remarks came when discussing the size of his campaign rallies — specifically the crowd of people who gathered on Jan. 6, 2021, for the “Stop the Steal” rally before storming the Capitol.
“The biggest crowd I’ve ever spoken to before was that day, and I’ll tell you, it’s very hard to find a picture of that crowd,” Trump said.
He then went on to compare the crowd to the number of people who attended the March on Washington, where Martin Luther King Jr. gave his famous “I Have a Dream” speech.
“Nobody’s spoken to crowds bigger than me. If you look at Martin Luther King, when he did his speech, his great speech, and you look at ours, same real estate, same everything, same number of people, if not, we had more,” Trump said. “And they said he had a million people, but I had 25,000 people.”
The crowd size debate came up in the context of Harris, who has been filling arenas since the president bowed out and she became the Democratic presidential nominee.
The Aug. 28, 1963, march saw roughly 250,000 descend on the capital, making it the biggest march on civil rights at the time. In comparison, the Associated Press reported 10,000 people were at the Jan. 6 rally.
Trump’s comments could harm his ability to woo black voters, who he claims are more receptive to his campaign.
“I was doing very well with black voters, and I still am. I seem to be doing very well with black males. This is according to polls,” Trump bragged.
As Harris continues on her battleground state tour this week, Trump’s schedule has remained relatively light with Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH), Trump’s running mate, bearing the brunt of the campaign schedule.
When questioned about his light schedule, Trump first called the question “stupid.”
“Because I’m leading by a lot and because I’m letting their convention go through,” Trump said. “And I’m campaigning a lot. I’m doing tremendous amounts of taping here. We have commercials that are at a level I don’t think that anybody’s ever done before.”
Harris narrowed the polling gap against Trump in just two weeks, with some battleground states polling in her favor. The Democratic National Convention will begin on Aug. 19, but Trump could announce new rallies between now and then.
The Harris campaign dismissed Trump’s remarks in an email sent out Thursday afternoon.
“Donald Trump took a break from taking a break to put on some pants and host a p̶r̶e̶s̶s̶ ̶c̶o̶n̶f̶e̶r̶e̶n̶c̶e̶ public meltdown,” the email read. “He hasn’t campaigned all week. He isn’t going to a single swing state this week. But he sure is mad Kamala Harris and Tim Walz are getting big crowds across the battlegrounds.”
The former president pushed back against claims from Joe Biden, who, in a forthcoming interview with CBS News set to air Sunday, said he’s “not confident at all” Trump would agree to a peaceful transfer if he lost the 2024 election.
“Of course, there’ll be a peaceful transfer, and there was last time,” Trump said. “And there will be a peaceful transfer. I just hope we’re going to have honest elections, that’s all.”
He also claimed that “The people of January 6 were treated very unfairly.”
In the past, the former president has warned if he loses the election, there will be a “bloodbath.” Trump famously challenged the results of the 2020 election, which resulted in federal and state indictments from special counsel Jack Smith and Fulton County, Georgia, district attorney Fani Willis. Trump has denied all wrongdoing.
In a moment that is sure to be used by Democrats, Trump appeared to downplay the electoral impact of abortion access. The abortion matter, according to Trump, has “very much tempered down.”
“I think that abortion has become much less of an issue … it’s actually going to be a very small issue,” he later added.
Reproductive health access is among the top matters for the Harris-Walz ticket. Harris became the president’s top surrogate defending access to abortion as Trump has bragged about the Supreme Court knocking down Roe v. Wade in June 2022.
Trump has attempted to minimize the effect of abortion on elections by not embracing a federal abortion ban, much to the consternation of social conservatives. But Democrats have still worked to tie Trump to horror stories of women facing life-harming pregnancies in the wake of 2022.
Trump told reporters gathered at Mar-a-Lago that he starting “to agree a lot more” with marijuana legalization.
“You know it’s being legalized all over the country. Florida has something coming up. I’ll be making a statement about that fairly soon,” Trump teased when asked about the Biden administration’s stance on cannabis.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
Florida’s Adult Personal Use of Marijuana amendment will appear on the November ballot. If 60% of voters approve the measure, it will go into effect almost as soon as March 2025 and allow adults 21 and older to possess marijuana for nonmedicinal reasons.
“But as we legalize it throughout the country, whether that’s a good thing or a bad thing, it’s awfully hard to have people all over the jails that are in jail right now for something that’s legal,” Trump continued. “So I think obviously there’s a lot of sentiment to doing that.”
Cannabis stocks have risen in the aftermath of Trump’s comments.
2024-08-08 21:18:00, http://s.wordpress.com/mshots/v1/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonexaminer.com%2Fnews%2Fcampaigns%2Fpresidential%2F3115563%2Ftakeaways-trump-mar-a-lago-press-conference%2F?w=600&h=450, Former President Donald Trump‘s wide-ranging and, at points, rambling press conference Thursday snatched back media attention from Vice President Kamala Harris‘s campaign, which has dominated the national attention with the announcement of Gov. Tim Walz (D-MN) as her running mate. Trump denounced Harris’s lack of questioning from the press and trashed her first presidential run,
Former President Donald Trump‘s wide-ranging and, at points, rambling press conference Thursday snatched back media attention from Vice President Kamala Harris‘s campaign, which has dominated the national attention with the announcement of Gov. Tim Walz (D-MN) as her running mate.
Trump denounced Harris’s lack of questioning from the press and trashed her first presidential run in 2020 while challenging his Democratic rival to three presidential debates this campaign cycle.
Trump also embraced Elon Musk, the billionaire owner of X, who endorsed him for president.
“He’s very worried about the country,” Trump said about Musk. “And I don’t know if it’s good for him politically to have supported me, although I think we have a vast majority of this country does support me, but Elon, more than almost anybody I know.”
Here are the top seven takeaways from Trump’s roughly one-hour Mar-a-Lago press conference.
After previously canceling a planned September presidential debate, Trump challenged Harris to three debates Thursday. Fox News would host the first debate on Sept. 4, ABC News would host the second debate on Sept. 10, and NBC News would host the third debate on Sept. 25.
“The other side has to agree to the terms. They may or may not agree. I don’t know if they’re going to agree,” said Trump.
Harris has only agreed to the Sept. 10 debate on ABC News. Her campaign did not respond to comment from the Washington Examiner on the two other debates.
Trump debated President Joe Biden on June 27, but after a disastrous performance from Biden, Democrats pressured him to step down. Less than a month later, Biden suspended his campaign and endorsed Harris.
Over the course of the one-hour conference, Trump repeatedly attacked Harris for not participating in any press conferences since she became the Democratic nominee and routinely insulted her intelligence.
“She hasn’t done an interview, she can’t do an interview, she’s barely competent, and she can’t do an interview,” Trump goaded Harris after announcing the three debates.
“She’s not doing any news conference. You know why she’s not doing it because she can’t do a news conference,” Trump later added as he taunted Harris about her failed 2020 presidential run against Biden. “She doesn’t know how to do a news conference. She’s not smart enough to do a news conference, and I’m sorry. We need smart people to lead this country.”
His comments questioning Harris’s intelligence may prove concerning for GOP leadership, which has pushed members to attack the vice president on policy above all else.
The remarks were notable given his embrace of Clinton, his former Democratic rival in 2016.
“So I’ve run against Hillary, and I’ve run against various other people. I would say that in terms of intelligence, Hillary was far superior,” Trump said. “I would say that Hillary was smart. She was her own worst enemy in many ways, but she was smart, very smart.”
Later on, he claimed that he avoided persecuting Clinton after defeating her in the 2016 election.
“You know, with Hillary Clinton, I could have done things to her that would have made your head spin,” Trump said when asked about pardoning Hunter Biden. “I thought it was a very bad thing. Take the wife of a president of the United States and put her in jail, and then I see the way they treat me. That’s the way it goes. But I was very protective of her. Nobody would understand that, but I was.”
Perhaps the most puzzling part of Trump’s remarks came when discussing the size of his campaign rallies — specifically the crowd of people who gathered on Jan. 6, 2021, for the “Stop the Steal” rally before storming the Capitol.
“The biggest crowd I’ve ever spoken to before was that day, and I’ll tell you, it’s very hard to find a picture of that crowd,” Trump said.
He then went on to compare the crowd to the number of people who attended the March on Washington, where Martin Luther King Jr. gave his famous “I Have a Dream” speech.
“Nobody’s spoken to crowds bigger than me. If you look at Martin Luther King, when he did his speech, his great speech, and you look at ours, same real estate, same everything, same number of people, if not, we had more,” Trump said. “And they said he had a million people, but I had 25,000 people.”
The crowd size debate came up in the context of Harris, who has been filling arenas since the president bowed out and she became the Democratic presidential nominee.
The Aug. 28, 1963, march saw roughly 250,000 descend on the capital, making it the biggest march on civil rights at the time. In comparison, the Associated Press reported 10,000 people were at the Jan. 6 rally.
Trump’s comments could harm his ability to woo black voters, who he claims are more receptive to his campaign.
“I was doing very well with black voters, and I still am. I seem to be doing very well with black males. This is according to polls,” Trump bragged.
As Harris continues on her battleground state tour this week, Trump’s schedule has remained relatively light with Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH), Trump’s running mate, bearing the brunt of the campaign schedule.
When questioned about his light schedule, Trump first called the question “stupid.”
“Because I’m leading by a lot and because I’m letting their convention go through,” Trump said. “And I’m campaigning a lot. I’m doing tremendous amounts of taping here. We have commercials that are at a level I don’t think that anybody’s ever done before.”
Harris narrowed the polling gap against Trump in just two weeks, with some battleground states polling in her favor. The Democratic National Convention will begin on Aug. 19, but Trump could announce new rallies between now and then.
The Harris campaign dismissed Trump’s remarks in an email sent out Thursday afternoon.
“Donald Trump took a break from taking a break to put on some pants and host a p̶r̶e̶s̶s̶ ̶c̶o̶n̶f̶e̶r̶e̶n̶c̶e̶ public meltdown,” the email read. “He hasn’t campaigned all week. He isn’t going to a single swing state this week. But he sure is mad Kamala Harris and Tim Walz are getting big crowds across the battlegrounds.”
The former president pushed back against claims from Joe Biden, who, in a forthcoming interview with CBS News set to air Sunday, said he’s “not confident at all” Trump would agree to a peaceful transfer if he lost the 2024 election.
“Of course, there’ll be a peaceful transfer, and there was last time,” Trump said. “And there will be a peaceful transfer. I just hope we’re going to have honest elections, that’s all.”
He also claimed that “The people of January 6 were treated very unfairly.”
In the past, the former president has warned if he loses the election, there will be a “bloodbath.” Trump famously challenged the results of the 2020 election, which resulted in federal and state indictments from special counsel Jack Smith and Fulton County, Georgia, district attorney Fani Willis. Trump has denied all wrongdoing.
In a moment that is sure to be used by Democrats, Trump appeared to downplay the electoral impact of abortion access. The abortion matter, according to Trump, has “very much tempered down.”
“I think that abortion has become much less of an issue … it’s actually going to be a very small issue,” he later added.
Reproductive health access is among the top matters for the Harris-Walz ticket. Harris became the president’s top surrogate defending access to abortion as Trump has bragged about the Supreme Court knocking down Roe v. Wade in June 2022.
Trump has attempted to minimize the effect of abortion on elections by not embracing a federal abortion ban, much to the consternation of social conservatives. But Democrats have still worked to tie Trump to horror stories of women facing life-harming pregnancies in the wake of 2022.
Trump told reporters gathered at Mar-a-Lago that he starting “to agree a lot more” with marijuana legalization.
“You know it’s being legalized all over the country. Florida has something coming up. I’ll be making a statement about that fairly soon,” Trump teased when asked about the Biden administration’s stance on cannabis.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
Florida’s Adult Personal Use of Marijuana amendment will appear on the November ballot. If 60% of voters approve the measure, it will go into effect almost as soon as March 2025 and allow adults 21 and older to possess marijuana for nonmedicinal reasons.
“But as we legalize it throughout the country, whether that’s a good thing or a bad thing, it’s awfully hard to have people all over the jails that are in jail right now for something that’s legal,” Trump continued. “So I think obviously there’s a lot of sentiment to doing that.”
Cannabis stocks have risen in the aftermath of Trump’s comments.
, Former President Donald Trump‘s wide-ranging and, at points, rambling press conference Thursday snatched back media attention from Vice President Kamala Harris‘s campaign, which has dominated the national attention with the announcement of Gov. Tim Walz (D-MN) as her running mate. Trump denounced Harris’s lack of questioning from the press and trashed her first presidential run in 2020 while challenging his Democratic rival to three presidential debates this campaign cycle. Trump also embraced Elon Musk, the billionaire owner of X, who endorsed him for president. “He’s very worried about the country,” Trump said about Musk. “And I don’t know if it’s good for him politically to have supported me, although I think we have a vast majority of this country does support me, but Elon, more than almost anybody I know.” Here are the top seven takeaways from Trump’s roughly one-hour Mar-a-Lago press conference. Trump agrees to debate Harris After previously canceling a planned September presidential debate, Trump challenged Harris to three debates Thursday. Fox News would host the first debate on Sept. 4, ABC News would host the second debate on Sept. 10, and NBC News would host the third debate on Sept. 25. “The other side has to agree to the terms. They may or may not agree. I don’t know if they’re going to agree,” said Trump. Harris has only agreed to the Sept. 10 debate on ABC News. Her campaign did not respond to comment from the Washington Examiner on the two other debates. Trump debated President Joe Biden on June 27, but after a disastrous performance from Biden, Democrats pressured him to step down. Less than a month later, Biden suspended his campaign and endorsed Harris. Trump knocks Harris for avoiding press but praises Hillary Clinton Over the course of the one-hour conference, Trump repeatedly attacked Harris for not participating in any press conferences since she became the Democratic nominee and routinely insulted her intelligence. “She hasn’t done an interview, she can’t do an interview, she’s barely competent, and she can’t do an interview,” Trump goaded Harris after announcing the three debates. “She’s not doing any news conference. You know why she’s not doing it because she can’t do a news conference,” Trump later added as he taunted Harris about her failed 2020 presidential run against Biden. “She doesn’t know how to do a news conference. She’s not smart enough to do a news conference, and I’m sorry. We need smart people to lead this country.” His comments questioning Harris’s intelligence may prove concerning for GOP leadership, which has pushed members to attack the vice president on policy above all else. The remarks were notable given his embrace of Clinton, his former Democratic rival in 2016. “So I’ve run against Hillary, and I’ve run against various other people. I would say that in terms of intelligence, Hillary was far superior,” Trump said. “I would say that Hillary was smart. She was her own worst enemy in many ways, but she was smart, very smart.” Later on, he claimed that he avoided persecuting Clinton after defeating her in the 2016 election. “You know, with Hillary Clinton, I could have done things to her that would have made your head spin,” Trump said when asked about pardoning Hunter Biden. “I thought it was a very bad thing. Take the wife of a president of the United States and put her in jail, and then I see the way they treat me. That’s the way it goes. But I was very protective of her. Nobody would understand that, but I was.” Former President Donald Trump, Republican presidential nominee, speaks to reporters during a news conference at his Mar-a-Lago estate Thursday, Aug. 8, 2024, in Palm Beach, Florida. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon) Trump compares crowd size to March on Washington Perhaps the most puzzling part of Trump’s remarks came when discussing the size of his campaign rallies — specifically the crowd of people who gathered on Jan. 6, 2021, for the “Stop the Steal” rally before storming the Capitol. “The biggest crowd I’ve ever spoken to before was that day, and I’ll tell you, it’s very hard to find a picture of that crowd,” Trump said. He then went on to compare the crowd to the number of people who attended the March on Washington, where Martin Luther King Jr. gave his famous “I Have a Dream” speech. “Nobody’s spoken to crowds bigger than me. If you look at Martin Luther King, when he did his speech, his great speech, and you look at ours, same real estate, same everything, same number of people, if not, we had more,” Trump said. “And they said he had a million people, but I had 25,000 people.” The crowd size debate came up in the context of Harris, who has been filling arenas since the president bowed out and she became the Democratic presidential nominee. The Aug. 28, 1963, march saw roughly 250,000 descend on the capital, making it the biggest march on civil rights at the time. In comparison, the Associated Press reported 10,000 people were at the Jan. 6 rally. Trump’s comments could harm his ability to woo black voters, who he claims are more receptive to his campaign. “I was doing very well with black voters, and I still am. I seem to be doing very well with black males. This is according to polls,” Trump bragged. Trump explains why he’s not campaigning as much As Harris continues on her battleground state tour this week, Trump’s schedule has remained relatively light with Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH), Trump’s running mate, bearing the brunt of the campaign schedule. When questioned about his light schedule, Trump first called the question “stupid.” “Because I’m leading by a lot and because I’m letting their convention go through,” Trump said. “And I’m campaigning a lot. I’m doing tremendous amounts of taping here. We have commercials that are at a level I don’t think that anybody’s ever done before.” Harris narrowed the polling gap against Trump in just two weeks, with some battleground states polling in her favor. The Democratic National Convention will begin on Aug. 19, but Trump could announce new rallies between now and then. The Harris campaign dismissed Trump’s remarks in an email sent out Thursday afternoon. “Donald Trump took a break from taking a break to put on some pants and host a p̶r̶e̶s̶s̶ ̶c̶o̶n̶f̶e̶r̶e̶n̶c̶e̶ public meltdown,” the email read. “He hasn’t campaigned all week. He isn’t going to a single swing state this week. But he sure is mad Kamala Harris and Tim Walz are getting big crowds across the battlegrounds.” Trump says there will be a peaceful transfer if he loses The former president pushed back against claims from Joe Biden, who, in a forthcoming interview with CBS News set to air Sunday, said he’s “not confident at all” Trump would agree to a peaceful transfer if he lost the 2024 election. “Of course, there’ll be a peaceful transfer, and there was last time,” Trump said. “And there will be a peaceful transfer. I just hope we’re going to have honest elections, that’s all.” He also claimed that “The people of January 6 were treated very unfairly.” In the past, the former president has warned if he loses the election, there will be a “bloodbath.” Trump famously challenged the results of the 2020 election, which resulted in federal and state indictments from special counsel Jack Smith and Fulton County, Georgia, district attorney Fani Willis. Trump has denied all wrongdoing. Trump downplays abortion problems In a moment that is sure to be used by Democrats, Trump appeared to downplay the electoral impact of abortion access. The abortion matter, according to Trump, has “very much tempered down.” “I think that abortion has become much less of an issue … it’s actually going to be a very small issue,” he later added. Reproductive health access is among the top matters for the Harris-Walz ticket. Harris became the president’s top surrogate defending access to abortion as Trump has bragged about the Supreme Court knocking down Roe v. Wade in June 2022. Trump has attempted to minimize the effect of abortion on elections by not embracing a federal abortion ban, much to the consternation of social conservatives. But Democrats have still worked to tie Trump to horror stories of women facing life-harming pregnancies in the wake of 2022. Trump appears in favor of marijuana legalization Trump told reporters gathered at Mar-a-Lago that he starting “to agree a lot more” with marijuana legalization. “You know it’s being legalized all over the country. Florida has something coming up. I’ll be making a statement about that fairly soon,” Trump teased when asked about the Biden administration’s stance on cannabis. CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER Florida’s Adult Personal Use of Marijuana amendment will appear on the November ballot. If 60% of voters approve the measure, it will go into effect almost as soon as March 2025 and allow adults 21 and older to possess marijuana for nonmedicinal reasons. “But as we legalize it throughout the country, whether that’s a good thing or a bad thing, it’s awfully hard to have people all over the jails that are in jail right now for something that’s legal,” Trump continued. “So I think obviously there’s a lot of sentiment to doing that.” Cannabis stocks have risen in the aftermath of Trump’s comments., , , https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Trump-challenges-Harris-to-debates-.webp, Washington Examiner, Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/cropped-favicon-32×32.png, https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/feed/, Mabinty Quarshie,
Vice President Kamala Harris became the official Democratic nominee for president Monday evening, marking the first time in American history a woman of color is leading a major-party ticket after results from the party’s virtual roll call were released.
The overwhelming majority, 99% of the pledged and automatic delegates, threw their support for Harris, according to Democratic National Committee chairman Jaime Harrison and convention chairwoman Minyon Moore.
“Vice President Harris has historic momentum at her back as we embark on the final steps in officially certifying her as our Party’s nominee,” the pair said in a joint statement sent late Monday night.
Following the official results, convention secretary Jason Rae will certify the roll call, and then Harris and her running mate will accept the nomination, which Moore will certify.
Harris achieved the feat in roughly two weeks, quickly seizing on the momentum of President Joe Biden’s decision to suspend his campaign last month and galvanizing Democrats to donate in historic sums to her burgeoning campaign. Her campaign raised $310 million in July, more than double the nearly $139 million that former President Donald Trump’s campaign raised in the same time period.
No other Democrat challenged Harris for the nomination after Biden and the rest of the party leaders coalesced around her 2024 bid, deftly avoiding the unwanted brokered convention.
On Friday, Harris secured the necessary delegates to become the party’s presumptive nominee after earning the majority of the convention delegates. The virtual roll call began Thursday at 9 a.m. ET but at 1:16 p.m. ET the next day the vice president had won 2,350 votes, cementing her status as the party’s next leader.
Once a former San Francisco district attorney, Harris rose to become the state’s attorney general before becoming the junior senator from California and then joining Biden’s 2020 campaign as his running mate, making her the nation’s highest-ranking woman politician when the pair were inaugurated in January 2021.
Harris, who is black and Indian, became the second woman to lead a major-party ticket after Hillary Clinton accomplished the feat in 2016 before losing the election to Trump. She is also the second black person to lead a major-party ticket after former President Barack Obama became the nominee in 2008 and then again in 2012. Harris cinched the nomination 52 years after Shirley Chisholm, the first black woman to run for the Democratic presidential nomination, launched her campaign.
Normally, Harris would have secured the nomination during the Democratic National Convention scheduled to start Aug. 19 and go through Aug. 22 in Chicago.
But fearing complications from state ballot deadline certifications, Democrats continued with the virtual roll call before the convention commences. There is an expected ceremonial roll call that will take place in Chicago. Biden, once expected to be the crown jewel at the DNC, is scheduled to give the opening remarks on the first night of the convention.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
The vice president is also weighing announcing her running mate, who will join her on a seven-state battleground tour beginning on Tuesday in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
She spent the weekend interviewing candidates on the shortlist, including Govs. Andy Beshear (D-KY), J.B. Pritzker (D-IL), Josh Shapiro (D-PA), and Tim Walz (D-MN), as well as Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ) and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg.
Since Harris has consolidated the Democratic Party to support her campaign, some national polls have moved the race to either a toss-up or shown Harris erasing the narrow lead Trump once had over Biden. The sunbelt battleground states including Arizona, Nevada, and Georgia are now in play for Democrats.
2024-08-06 04:16:00, http://s.wordpress.com/mshots/v1/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonexaminer.com%2Fnews%2Fcampaigns%2Fpresidential%2F3110625%2Fkamala-harris-makes-history-as-the-first-woman-of-color-to-lead-a-major-party-ticket%2F?w=600&h=450, Vice President Kamala Harris became the official Democratic nominee for president Monday evening, marking the first time in American history a woman of color is leading a major-party ticket after results from the party’s virtual roll call were released. The overwhelming majority, 99% of the pledged and automatic delegates, threw their support for Harris, according to,
Vice President Kamala Harris became the official Democratic nominee for president Monday evening, marking the first time in American history a woman of color is leading a major-party ticket after results from the party’s virtual roll call were released.
The overwhelming majority, 99% of the pledged and automatic delegates, threw their support for Harris, according to Democratic National Committee chairman Jaime Harrison and convention chairwoman Minyon Moore.
“Vice President Harris has historic momentum at her back as we embark on the final steps in officially certifying her as our Party’s nominee,” the pair said in a joint statement sent late Monday night.
Following the official results, convention secretary Jason Rae will certify the roll call, and then Harris and her running mate will accept the nomination, which Moore will certify.
Harris achieved the feat in roughly two weeks, quickly seizing on the momentum of President Joe Biden’s decision to suspend his campaign last month and galvanizing Democrats to donate in historic sums to her burgeoning campaign. Her campaign raised $310 million in July, more than double the nearly $139 million that former President Donald Trump’s campaign raised in the same time period.
No other Democrat challenged Harris for the nomination after Biden and the rest of the party leaders coalesced around her 2024 bid, deftly avoiding the unwanted brokered convention.
On Friday, Harris secured the necessary delegates to become the party’s presumptive nominee after earning the majority of the convention delegates. The virtual roll call began Thursday at 9 a.m. ET but at 1:16 p.m. ET the next day the vice president had won 2,350 votes, cementing her status as the party’s next leader.
Once a former San Francisco district attorney, Harris rose to become the state’s attorney general before becoming the junior senator from California and then joining Biden’s 2020 campaign as his running mate, making her the nation’s highest-ranking woman politician when the pair were inaugurated in January 2021.
Harris, who is black and Indian, became the second woman to lead a major-party ticket after Hillary Clinton accomplished the feat in 2016 before losing the election to Trump. She is also the second black person to lead a major-party ticket after former President Barack Obama became the nominee in 2008 and then again in 2012. Harris cinched the nomination 52 years after Shirley Chisholm, the first black woman to run for the Democratic presidential nomination, launched her campaign.
Normally, Harris would have secured the nomination during the Democratic National Convention scheduled to start Aug. 19 and go through Aug. 22 in Chicago.
But fearing complications from state ballot deadline certifications, Democrats continued with the virtual roll call before the convention commences. There is an expected ceremonial roll call that will take place in Chicago. Biden, once expected to be the crown jewel at the DNC, is scheduled to give the opening remarks on the first night of the convention.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
The vice president is also weighing announcing her running mate, who will join her on a seven-state battleground tour beginning on Tuesday in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
She spent the weekend interviewing candidates on the shortlist, including Govs. Andy Beshear (D-KY), J.B. Pritzker (D-IL), Josh Shapiro (D-PA), and Tim Walz (D-MN), as well as Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ) and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg.
Since Harris has consolidated the Democratic Party to support her campaign, some national polls have moved the race to either a toss-up or shown Harris erasing the narrow lead Trump once had over Biden. The sunbelt battleground states including Arizona, Nevada, and Georgia are now in play for Democrats.
, Vice President Kamala Harris became the official Democratic nominee for president Monday evening, marking the first time in American history a woman of color is leading a major-party ticket after results from the party’s virtual roll call were released. The overwhelming majority, 99% of the pledged and automatic delegates, threw their support for Harris, according to Democratic National Committee chairman Jaime Harrison and convention chairwoman Minyon Moore. “Vice President Harris has historic momentum at her back as we embark on the final steps in officially certifying her as our Party’s nominee,” the pair said in a joint statement sent late Monday night. Following the official results, convention secretary Jason Rae will certify the roll call, and then Harris and her running mate will accept the nomination, which Moore will certify. Harris achieved the feat in roughly two weeks, quickly seizing on the momentum of President Joe Biden’s decision to suspend his campaign last month and galvanizing Democrats to donate in historic sums to her burgeoning campaign. Her campaign raised $310 million in July, more than double the nearly $139 million that former President Donald Trump’s campaign raised in the same time period. No other Democrat challenged Harris for the nomination after Biden and the rest of the party leaders coalesced around her 2024 bid, deftly avoiding the unwanted brokered convention. On Friday, Harris secured the necessary delegates to become the party’s presumptive nominee after earning the majority of the convention delegates. The virtual roll call began Thursday at 9 a.m. ET but at 1:16 p.m. ET the next day the vice president had won 2,350 votes, cementing her status as the party’s next leader. Once a former San Francisco district attorney, Harris rose to become the state’s attorney general before becoming the junior senator from California and then joining Biden’s 2020 campaign as his running mate, making her the nation’s highest-ranking woman politician when the pair were inaugurated in January 2021. Harris, who is black and Indian, became the second woman to lead a major-party ticket after Hillary Clinton accomplished the feat in 2016 before losing the election to Trump. She is also the second black person to lead a major-party ticket after former President Barack Obama became the nominee in 2008 and then again in 2012. Harris cinched the nomination 52 years after Shirley Chisholm, the first black woman to run for the Democratic presidential nomination, launched her campaign. Normally, Harris would have secured the nomination during the Democratic National Convention scheduled to start Aug. 19 and go through Aug. 22 in Chicago. But fearing complications from state ballot deadline certifications, Democrats continued with the virtual roll call before the convention commences. There is an expected ceremonial roll call that will take place in Chicago. Biden, once expected to be the crown jewel at the DNC, is scheduled to give the opening remarks on the first night of the convention. CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER The vice president is also weighing announcing her running mate, who will join her on a seven-state battleground tour beginning on Tuesday in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She spent the weekend interviewing candidates on the shortlist, including Govs. Andy Beshear (D-KY), J.B. Pritzker (D-IL), Josh Shapiro (D-PA), and Tim Walz (D-MN), as well as Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ) and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. Since Harris has consolidated the Democratic Party to support her campaign, some national polls have moved the race to either a toss-up or shown Harris erasing the narrow lead Trump once had over Biden. The sunbelt battleground states including Arizona, Nevada, and Georgia are now in play for Democrats., , , https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/ap-kamala-harris-event-080224.webp, Washington Examiner, Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/cropped-favicon-32×32.png, https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/feed/, Mabinty Quarshie,
Vice President Kamala Harris’s emergence as the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee against former President Donald Trump has turbocharged a race that once looked predestined for the GOP.
Harris is closing in on Trump in several national polls, where the former president used to lead President Joe Biden by five to six percentage points before Biden exited the 2024 race.
In the two weeks since Harris consolidated the Democratic Party behind her presidential campaign, she has broken fundraising records by raising $310 million in July and ending the month with $377 million cash on hand. Harris far outraised Trump, who brought in $138.7 million and ended the month with $327 cash on hand.
Before Harris announces her running mate decision next week, the Washington Examiner ranked the battleground states according to which would be the hardest for the vice president to win.
The path to the White House for both parties will likely include winning Pennsylvania, perhaps the most important battleground state. But recent polling suggests Harris may have more work to do in convincing skeptical voters to support her presidential campaign.
A new Bloomberg News/Morning Consult survey released Tuesday showed Trump leading Harris by four percentage points, 50% to 46%, in Pennsylvania. Another poll commissioned by the Democratic super PAC Progress Action Fund but conducted by Public Policy Polling showed Harris trailing Trump, 48% to 47%, with 5% undecided in the race.
Gov. Josh Shapiro (D-PA) could join Harris’s ticket as her running mate in order to shore up the state’s support during the November election.
North Carolina last voted for a Democratic president in 2008 when former President Barack Obama ran for office. But Democrats are hoping they can flip the state giving them an added boost in the quest for 270 electoral votes.
But the Bloomberg poll showed Trump is still leading Harris by two percentage points, 48% to 46%.
A RealClearPolitics poll average in North Carolina also shows Trump leading Harris by nearly six percentage points, further dampening hopes for Democrats. The Cook Political Report rates the state as lean Republican in the presidential matchup.
However, the Trump campaign recently increased its ad spending in the state starting Thursday. Trump held his first campaign rally in Charlotte, North Carolina, after Biden announced he was suspending his campaign, suggesting the former president is not taking the state for granted.
Gov. Roy Cooper (D-NC) was among the possible running mate contenders for Harris but took himself out of the race, fearing that Republican Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson would declare himself acting governor if Cooper were on the campaign trail with Harris.
With Harris on top of the Democratic ticket, there has been much hope that she could help the party in the Sunbelt battleground states. Yet, polling in Arizona remains mixed, with the vice president reinvigorating voters, but Trump is still leading.
A RealClearPolitics average of the state shows Trump besting Harris by a little over four percentage points. An Emerson College/The Hill poll from last week showed Trump again in the lead over Harris, 49% to 44%. Yet the Bloomberg poll shows Harris in the lead by two percentage points, 49% to 47%.
Harris and her soon-to-be-announced running mate will hold a rally in Arizona next Friday as part of her battleground state tour. Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ) could have joined the ticket as her vice president by then with the hope that he can deliver the state in November.
Similar to Arizona, Nevada is another western swing state Harris will need to win to secure her first term as president. According to the Bloomberg poll, she leads Trump by two percentage points, 47% to 45%. But the RealClearPolitics average in Nevada shows Trump leading Harris by four percentage points.
However, the last time the state voted for a Republican presidential candidate was in 2004, when former President George W. Bush won the White House.
Harris will make her seventh visit to Nevada this year when she and her running mate visit Las Vegas next week. Nevada is the most diverse state among the battlegrounds, which could help Harris as the nation’s first female vice president who identifies as both black and southeast Asian.
After shoring up most of the Democratic Party’s support for her presidential bid, Harris traveled to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, for her first campaign rally last week.
The Cook Political Report rates Wisconsin as a toss-up, and Trump leads the vice president by only 0.2% according to a RealClearPolitics state average. She also leads Trump by two percentage points, according to the Bloomberg survey, and tied with Trump at 47% in the state according to the Emerson College poll, giving Harris more of a chance to make a mark on voters.
Wisconsin, along with Michigan and Pennsylvania, makes up the “blue wall,” which, if Harris wins, will likely guarantee victory in November.
Biden’s 2020 win in Georgia marked the first time since 1992 that a Democratic president had won the state. Harris seeks to replicate this victory by leaning on popular Democratic leaders in the state.
At an Atlanta, Georgia, rally, the campaign featured Sens. Raphael Warnock (D-GA) and Jon Ossoff (D-GA), former gubernatorial nominee Stacey Abrams, and a performance by rapper Megan Thee Stallion.
Harris then challenged Trump to meet her on the debate stage after he appeared to pull out from previously scheduled debates.
“Well, Donald,” Harris said. “I do hope you’ll reconsider. Meet me on the debate stage … because, as the saying goes, if you’ve got something to say, say it to my face.”
According to the Bloomberg poll, Harris and Trump are tied at 47% in Georgia, giving another indication that the state, also part of the sun belt, could be in play for the vice president.
Harris might have the best shot of winning Michigan among all the battleground states. A RealClearPolitics poll average shows Harris leading Trump in the state by two percentage points, 48.3% to 46.3%. She also leads him by 11 percentage points in the Bloomberg poll, 53% to 42%.
But looming over the state is the more than 101,000 people who voted uncommitted during the Democratic primary in February when Biden was still leading the ticket. It is unclear whether those votes will support Harris in November.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
Should Harris walk the fine line between supporting Israel’s right to self-defense while condemning unnecessary civilian deaths against Palestinians living in Gaza, it could help her definitively win the state.
The Cook Political Report ranks the state as a toss-up.
2024-08-03 11:00:00, http://s.wordpress.com/mshots/v1/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonexaminer.com%2Fnews%2Fcampaigns%2Fpresidential%2F3108920%2Fswing-state-scorecard-kamala-harris-2024-battlegrounds%2F?w=600&h=450, Vice President Kamala Harris’s emergence as the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee against former President Donald Trump has turbocharged a race that once looked predestined for the GOP. Harris is closing in on Trump in several national polls, where the former president used to lead President Joe Biden by five to six percentage points before Biden,
Vice President Kamala Harris’s emergence as the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee against former President Donald Trump has turbocharged a race that once looked predestined for the GOP.
Harris is closing in on Trump in several national polls, where the former president used to lead President Joe Biden by five to six percentage points before Biden exited the 2024 race.
In the two weeks since Harris consolidated the Democratic Party behind her presidential campaign, she has broken fundraising records by raising $310 million in July and ending the month with $377 million cash on hand. Harris far outraised Trump, who brought in $138.7 million and ended the month with $327 cash on hand.
Before Harris announces her running mate decision next week, the Washington Examiner ranked the battleground states according to which would be the hardest for the vice president to win.
The path to the White House for both parties will likely include winning Pennsylvania, perhaps the most important battleground state. But recent polling suggests Harris may have more work to do in convincing skeptical voters to support her presidential campaign.
A new Bloomberg News/Morning Consult survey released Tuesday showed Trump leading Harris by four percentage points, 50% to 46%, in Pennsylvania. Another poll commissioned by the Democratic super PAC Progress Action Fund but conducted by Public Policy Polling showed Harris trailing Trump, 48% to 47%, with 5% undecided in the race.
Gov. Josh Shapiro (D-PA) could join Harris’s ticket as her running mate in order to shore up the state’s support during the November election.
North Carolina last voted for a Democratic president in 2008 when former President Barack Obama ran for office. But Democrats are hoping they can flip the state giving them an added boost in the quest for 270 electoral votes.
But the Bloomberg poll showed Trump is still leading Harris by two percentage points, 48% to 46%.
A RealClearPolitics poll average in North Carolina also shows Trump leading Harris by nearly six percentage points, further dampening hopes for Democrats. The Cook Political Report rates the state as lean Republican in the presidential matchup.
However, the Trump campaign recently increased its ad spending in the state starting Thursday. Trump held his first campaign rally in Charlotte, North Carolina, after Biden announced he was suspending his campaign, suggesting the former president is not taking the state for granted.
Gov. Roy Cooper (D-NC) was among the possible running mate contenders for Harris but took himself out of the race, fearing that Republican Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson would declare himself acting governor if Cooper were on the campaign trail with Harris.
With Harris on top of the Democratic ticket, there has been much hope that she could help the party in the Sunbelt battleground states. Yet, polling in Arizona remains mixed, with the vice president reinvigorating voters, but Trump is still leading.
A RealClearPolitics average of the state shows Trump besting Harris by a little over four percentage points. An Emerson College/The Hill poll from last week showed Trump again in the lead over Harris, 49% to 44%. Yet the Bloomberg poll shows Harris in the lead by two percentage points, 49% to 47%.
Harris and her soon-to-be-announced running mate will hold a rally in Arizona next Friday as part of her battleground state tour. Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ) could have joined the ticket as her vice president by then with the hope that he can deliver the state in November.
Similar to Arizona, Nevada is another western swing state Harris will need to win to secure her first term as president. According to the Bloomberg poll, she leads Trump by two percentage points, 47% to 45%. But the RealClearPolitics average in Nevada shows Trump leading Harris by four percentage points.
However, the last time the state voted for a Republican presidential candidate was in 2004, when former President George W. Bush won the White House.
Harris will make her seventh visit to Nevada this year when she and her running mate visit Las Vegas next week. Nevada is the most diverse state among the battlegrounds, which could help Harris as the nation’s first female vice president who identifies as both black and southeast Asian.
After shoring up most of the Democratic Party’s support for her presidential bid, Harris traveled to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, for her first campaign rally last week.
The Cook Political Report rates Wisconsin as a toss-up, and Trump leads the vice president by only 0.2% according to a RealClearPolitics state average. She also leads Trump by two percentage points, according to the Bloomberg survey, and tied with Trump at 47% in the state according to the Emerson College poll, giving Harris more of a chance to make a mark on voters.
Wisconsin, along with Michigan and Pennsylvania, makes up the “blue wall,” which, if Harris wins, will likely guarantee victory in November.
Biden’s 2020 win in Georgia marked the first time since 1992 that a Democratic president had won the state. Harris seeks to replicate this victory by leaning on popular Democratic leaders in the state.
At an Atlanta, Georgia, rally, the campaign featured Sens. Raphael Warnock (D-GA) and Jon Ossoff (D-GA), former gubernatorial nominee Stacey Abrams, and a performance by rapper Megan Thee Stallion.
Harris then challenged Trump to meet her on the debate stage after he appeared to pull out from previously scheduled debates.
“Well, Donald,” Harris said. “I do hope you’ll reconsider. Meet me on the debate stage … because, as the saying goes, if you’ve got something to say, say it to my face.”
According to the Bloomberg poll, Harris and Trump are tied at 47% in Georgia, giving another indication that the state, also part of the sun belt, could be in play for the vice president.
Harris might have the best shot of winning Michigan among all the battleground states. A RealClearPolitics poll average shows Harris leading Trump in the state by two percentage points, 48.3% to 46.3%. She also leads him by 11 percentage points in the Bloomberg poll, 53% to 42%.
But looming over the state is the more than 101,000 people who voted uncommitted during the Democratic primary in February when Biden was still leading the ticket. It is unclear whether those votes will support Harris in November.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
Should Harris walk the fine line between supporting Israel’s right to self-defense while condemning unnecessary civilian deaths against Palestinians living in Gaza, it could help her definitively win the state.
The Cook Political Report ranks the state as a toss-up.
, Vice President Kamala Harris’s emergence as the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee against former President Donald Trump has turbocharged a race that once looked predestined for the GOP. Harris is closing in on Trump in several national polls, where the former president used to lead President Joe Biden by five to six percentage points before Biden exited the 2024 race. In the two weeks since Harris consolidated the Democratic Party behind her presidential campaign, she has broken fundraising records by raising $310 million in July and ending the month with $377 million cash on hand. Harris far outraised Trump, who brought in $138.7 million and ended the month with $327 cash on hand. Before Harris announces her running mate decision next week, the Washington Examiner ranked the battleground states according to which would be the hardest for the vice president to win. 1. Pennsylvania Vice President Kamala Harris visits William Cramp Elementary School on Monday, April 8, 2024, in Philadelphia. Harris went to Pennsylvania, a battleground state, to promote debt relief in a meeting with city and school employees in Philadelphia. (Alejandro A. Alvarez/The Philadelphia Inquirer via AP) The path to the White House for both parties will likely include winning Pennsylvania, perhaps the most important battleground state. But recent polling suggests Harris may have more work to do in convincing skeptical voters to support her presidential campaign. A new Bloomberg News/Morning Consult survey released Tuesday showed Trump leading Harris by four percentage points, 50% to 46%, in Pennsylvania. Another poll commissioned by the Democratic super PAC Progress Action Fund but conducted by Public Policy Polling showed Harris trailing Trump, 48% to 47%, with 5% undecided in the race. Gov. Josh Shapiro (D-PA) could join Harris’s ticket as her running mate in order to shore up the state’s support during the November election. 2. North Carolina Vice President Kamala Harris speaks at a campaign event in Greensboro, North Carolina, Thursday, July 11, 2024. (AP Photo/Chuck Burton) North Carolina last voted for a Democratic president in 2008 when former President Barack Obama ran for office. But Democrats are hoping they can flip the state giving them an added boost in the quest for 270 electoral votes. But the Bloomberg poll showed Trump is still leading Harris by two percentage points, 48% to 46%. A RealClearPolitics poll average in North Carolina also shows Trump leading Harris by nearly six percentage points, further dampening hopes for Democrats. The Cook Political Report rates the state as lean Republican in the presidential matchup. However, the Trump campaign recently increased its ad spending in the state starting Thursday. Trump held his first campaign rally in Charlotte, North Carolina, after Biden announced he was suspending his campaign, suggesting the former president is not taking the state for granted. Gov. Roy Cooper (D-NC) was among the possible running mate contenders for Harris but took himself out of the race, fearing that Republican Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson would declare himself acting governor if Cooper were on the campaign trail with Harris. 3. Arizona Vice President Kamala Harris speaks during a Biden-Harris campaign event at El Rio Neighborhood Center in Tucson, Arizona, Friday, April 12, 2024. (Grace Trejo/Arizona Daily Star via AP) With Harris on top of the Democratic ticket, there has been much hope that she could help the party in the Sunbelt battleground states. Yet, polling in Arizona remains mixed, with the vice president reinvigorating voters, but Trump is still leading. A RealClearPolitics average of the state shows Trump besting Harris by a little over four percentage points. An Emerson College/The Hill poll from last week showed Trump again in the lead over Harris, 49% to 44%. Yet the Bloomberg poll shows Harris in the lead by two percentage points, 49% to 47%. Harris and her soon-to-be-announced running mate will hold a rally in Arizona next Friday as part of her battleground state tour. Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ) could have joined the ticket as her vice president by then with the hope that he can deliver the state in November. 4. Nevada Vice President Kamala Harris speaks to people protesting for higher minimum wage outside of a McDonald’s in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher) Similar to Arizona, Nevada is another western swing state Harris will need to win to secure her first term as president. According to the Bloomberg poll, she leads Trump by two percentage points, 47% to 45%. But the RealClearPolitics average in Nevada shows Trump leading Harris by four percentage points. However, the last time the state voted for a Republican presidential candidate was in 2004, when former President George W. Bush won the White House. Harris will make her seventh visit to Nevada this year when she and her running mate visit Las Vegas next week. Nevada is the most diverse state among the battlegrounds, which could help Harris as the nation’s first female vice president who identifies as both black and southeast Asian. 5. Wisconsin A pedestrian walks along the sidewalk past a sign in support of Kamala Harris on Tuesday, July 30, 2024, in Madison, Wisconsin. (AP Photo/Kayla Wolf) After shoring up most of the Democratic Party’s support for her presidential bid, Harris traveled to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, for her first campaign rally last week. The Cook Political Report rates Wisconsin as a toss-up, and Trump leads the vice president by only 0.2% according to a RealClearPolitics state average. She also leads Trump by two percentage points, according to the Bloomberg survey, and tied with Trump at 47% in the state according to the Emerson College poll, giving Harris more of a chance to make a mark on voters. Wisconsin, along with Michigan and Pennsylvania, makes up the “blue wall,” which, if Harris wins, will likely guarantee victory in November. 6. Georgia Vice President Kamala Harris waves during a campaign rally, Tuesday, July 30, 2024, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/John Bazemore) Biden’s 2020 win in Georgia marked the first time since 1992 that a Democratic president had won the state. Harris seeks to replicate this victory by leaning on popular Democratic leaders in the state. At an Atlanta, Georgia, rally, the campaign featured Sens. Raphael Warnock (D-GA) and Jon Ossoff (D-GA), former gubernatorial nominee Stacey Abrams, and a performance by rapper Megan Thee Stallion. Harris then challenged Trump to meet her on the debate stage after he appeared to pull out from previously scheduled debates. “Well, Donald,” Harris said. “I do hope you’ll reconsider. Meet me on the debate stage … because, as the saying goes, if you’ve got something to say, say it to my face.” According to the Bloomberg poll, Harris and Trump are tied at 47% in Georgia, giving another indication that the state, also part of the sun belt, could be in play for the vice president. 7. Michigan Vice President Kamala Harris speaks at a campaign event, Wednesday, July 17, 2024, in Kalamazoo, Michigan. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio) Harris might have the best shot of winning Michigan among all the battleground states. A RealClearPolitics poll average shows Harris leading Trump in the state by two percentage points, 48.3% to 46.3%. She also leads him by 11 percentage points in the Bloomberg poll, 53% to 42%. But looming over the state is the more than 101,000 people who voted uncommitted during the Democratic primary in February when Biden was still leading the ticket. It is unclear whether those votes will support Harris in November. CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER Should Harris walk the fine line between supporting Israel’s right to self-defense while condemning unnecessary civilian deaths against Palestinians living in Gaza, it could help her definitively win the state. The Cook Political Report ranks the state as a toss-up. , , , https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/kamala-harris-strategy.webp, Washington Examiner, Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/cropped-favicon-32×32.png, https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/feed/, Mabinty Quarshie,
Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump sought to limit the impact that vice presidential nominee J.D. Vance‘s comments about Democratic women without children would have on his campaign against Vice President Kamala Harris.
In a largely chaotic panel at the National Association of Black Journalists’s conference Wednesday in Chicago, Trump claimed that he did not know of Vance’s comments about “childless cat ladies” before he selected him as his running mate.
“No, I know this: He is very family-oriented, and he thinks family is a great thing,” Trump told a panel consisting of ABC’s Rachel Scott, Fox News’s Harris Faulkner, and Semafor’s Kadia Goba. “I know people with families, I know people with great families, I know people with very troubled families, and I also know people with no families. They didn’t meet the right person. Things happen. You go through life, you don’t meet the right person.”
After more questioning from Scott and Goba, Trump reiterated the comment “He strongly believes in family.”
“What he’s saying is that he thinks the family experience is a very important thing,” Trump elaborated. “It’s a very good thing. But that doesn’t mean that if you grow up and you grow older and you don’t meet somebody that would be wonderful to meet and would have been good that that’s a bad thing. He’s not saying that.”
Later on, Trump sought to flip the script, saying that Democrats were the ones who are struggling to appeal to families.
“I think that the Democrat Party is really the one that has the problem. I think they’re radical on abortion because they’re allowing abortion in the ninth month,” Trump said before the moderators claimed that abortion at that late stage is illegal in every state.
Trump was again asked if his campaign supports Vance’s statement that people with children should have more votes than a person without children.
“Well no,” he responded. “But it’s not something I have ever heard before.”
Vance has faced steep backlash for his comments since joining Trump’s ticket during the Republican National Convention earlier in July, which Faulkner questioned the former president about.
“I chose him because he’s a very strong believer in work and the working man and woman, and especially the working man and woman who have been treated very unfairly,” Trump said.
Vance is the author of the popular book Hillbilly Elegy, which was produced as a movie in 2020. Trump pointed to the Ohio senator’s ability to appeal to working-class people in the Midwest, a critical area he needs to win to be elected president again.
“He’s a very smart guy, without the benefit of having a family that has contacts, like a father that was well connected,” Trump said. “He got into Yale Law School. He’s somebody that was born in a rough situation. Most of the people know that situation because it was very well-documented in his book. And I have a lot of respect for somebody that can get into Yale and become one of the best students in Yale that meets a young woman at Yale who was also outstanding and getting married. They have a beautiful family.”
But when Faulkner asked if Vance would be ready on Day One, Trump equivocated in his response and did not completely answer yes.
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“I’ve always had great respect for him and for the other candidates too,” Trump started. “But I will say this, and I think this is well-documented: Historically, the vice president, in terms of the election, does not have any impact. I mean, virtually no impact. You have two or three days where there’s a lot of commotion as to who, like you’re having it on the Democrat side, who it’s going to be, and then that dies down, and it’s all about the presidential pick. Virtually never has it mattered.
“Historically, the choice of a vice president makes no difference,” Trump continued. “You’re voting for the president, and you can have a vice president who’s outstanding in every way. And I think J.D is, I think that all of them would have been but, but you’re not voting that way. You’re voting for the president. You’re voting for me. If you like me, I’m going to win. If you don’t like me, I’m not going to win.”
2024-07-31 20:26:00, http://s.wordpress.com/mshots/v1/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonexaminer.com%2Fnews%2Fcampaigns%2Fpresidential%2F3106473%2Ftrump-downplays-vance-childless-cat-ladies-comments%2F?w=600&h=450, Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump sought to limit the impact that vice presidential nominee J.D. Vance‘s comments about Democratic women without children would have on his campaign against Vice President Kamala Harris. In a largely chaotic panel at the National Association of Black Journalists’s conference Wednesday in Chicago, Trump claimed that he did not know,
Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump sought to limit the impact that vice presidential nominee J.D. Vance‘s comments about Democratic women without children would have on his campaign against Vice President Kamala Harris.
In a largely chaotic panel at the National Association of Black Journalists’s conference Wednesday in Chicago, Trump claimed that he did not know of Vance’s comments about “childless cat ladies” before he selected him as his running mate.
“No, I know this: He is very family-oriented, and he thinks family is a great thing,” Trump told a panel consisting of ABC’s Rachel Scott, Fox News’s Harris Faulkner, and Semafor’s Kadia Goba. “I know people with families, I know people with great families, I know people with very troubled families, and I also know people with no families. They didn’t meet the right person. Things happen. You go through life, you don’t meet the right person.”
After more questioning from Scott and Goba, Trump reiterated the comment “He strongly believes in family.”
“What he’s saying is that he thinks the family experience is a very important thing,” Trump elaborated. “It’s a very good thing. But that doesn’t mean that if you grow up and you grow older and you don’t meet somebody that would be wonderful to meet and would have been good that that’s a bad thing. He’s not saying that.”
Later on, Trump sought to flip the script, saying that Democrats were the ones who are struggling to appeal to families.
“I think that the Democrat Party is really the one that has the problem. I think they’re radical on abortion because they’re allowing abortion in the ninth month,” Trump said before the moderators claimed that abortion at that late stage is illegal in every state.
Trump was again asked if his campaign supports Vance’s statement that people with children should have more votes than a person without children.
“Well no,” he responded. “But it’s not something I have ever heard before.”
Vance has faced steep backlash for his comments since joining Trump’s ticket during the Republican National Convention earlier in July, which Faulkner questioned the former president about.
“I chose him because he’s a very strong believer in work and the working man and woman, and especially the working man and woman who have been treated very unfairly,” Trump said.
Vance is the author of the popular book Hillbilly Elegy, which was produced as a movie in 2020. Trump pointed to the Ohio senator’s ability to appeal to working-class people in the Midwest, a critical area he needs to win to be elected president again.
“He’s a very smart guy, without the benefit of having a family that has contacts, like a father that was well connected,” Trump said. “He got into Yale Law School. He’s somebody that was born in a rough situation. Most of the people know that situation because it was very well-documented in his book. And I have a lot of respect for somebody that can get into Yale and become one of the best students in Yale that meets a young woman at Yale who was also outstanding and getting married. They have a beautiful family.”
But when Faulkner asked if Vance would be ready on Day One, Trump equivocated in his response and did not completely answer yes.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
“I’ve always had great respect for him and for the other candidates too,” Trump started. “But I will say this, and I think this is well-documented: Historically, the vice president, in terms of the election, does not have any impact. I mean, virtually no impact. You have two or three days where there’s a lot of commotion as to who, like you’re having it on the Democrat side, who it’s going to be, and then that dies down, and it’s all about the presidential pick. Virtually never has it mattered.
“Historically, the choice of a vice president makes no difference,” Trump continued. “You’re voting for the president, and you can have a vice president who’s outstanding in every way. And I think J.D is, I think that all of them would have been but, but you’re not voting that way. You’re voting for the president. You’re voting for me. If you like me, I’m going to win. If you don’t like me, I’m not going to win.”
, Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump sought to limit the impact that vice presidential nominee J.D. Vance‘s comments about Democratic women without children would have on his campaign against Vice President Kamala Harris. In a largely chaotic panel at the National Association of Black Journalists’s conference Wednesday in Chicago, Trump claimed that he did not know of Vance’s comments about “childless cat ladies” before he selected him as his running mate. “No, I know this: He is very family-oriented, and he thinks family is a great thing,” Trump told a panel consisting of ABC’s Rachel Scott, Fox News’s Harris Faulkner, and Semafor’s Kadia Goba. “I know people with families, I know people with great families, I know people with very troubled families, and I also know people with no families. They didn’t meet the right person. Things happen. You go through life, you don’t meet the right person.” After more questioning from Scott and Goba, Trump reiterated the comment “He strongly believes in family.” “What he’s saying is that he thinks the family experience is a very important thing,” Trump elaborated. “It’s a very good thing. But that doesn’t mean that if you grow up and you grow older and you don’t meet somebody that would be wonderful to meet and would have been good that that’s a bad thing. He’s not saying that.” Later on, Trump sought to flip the script, saying that Democrats were the ones who are struggling to appeal to families. “I think that the Democrat Party is really the one that has the problem. I think they’re radical on abortion because they’re allowing abortion in the ninth month,” Trump said before the moderators claimed that abortion at that late stage is illegal in every state. Trump was again asked if his campaign supports Vance’s statement that people with children should have more votes than a person without children. “Well no,” he responded. “But it’s not something I have ever heard before.” Vance has faced steep backlash for his comments since joining Trump’s ticket during the Republican National Convention earlier in July, which Faulkner questioned the former president about. “I chose him because he’s a very strong believer in work and the working man and woman, and especially the working man and woman who have been treated very unfairly,” Trump said. Vance is the author of the popular book Hillbilly Elegy, which was produced as a movie in 2020. Trump pointed to the Ohio senator’s ability to appeal to working-class people in the Midwest, a critical area he needs to win to be elected president again. “He’s a very smart guy, without the benefit of having a family that has contacts, like a father that was well connected,” Trump said. “He got into Yale Law School. He’s somebody that was born in a rough situation. Most of the people know that situation because it was very well-documented in his book. And I have a lot of respect for somebody that can get into Yale and become one of the best students in Yale that meets a young woman at Yale who was also outstanding and getting married. They have a beautiful family.” But when Faulkner asked if Vance would be ready on Day One, Trump equivocated in his response and did not completely answer yes. CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER “I’ve always had great respect for him and for the other candidates too,” Trump started. “But I will say this, and I think this is well-documented: Historically, the vice president, in terms of the election, does not have any impact. I mean, virtually no impact. You have two or three days where there’s a lot of commotion as to who, like you’re having it on the Democrat side, who it’s going to be, and then that dies down, and it’s all about the presidential pick. Virtually never has it mattered. “Historically, the choice of a vice president makes no difference,” Trump continued. “You’re voting for the president, and you can have a vice president who’s outstanding in every way. And I think J.D is, I think that all of them would have been but, but you’re not voting that way. You’re voting for the president. You’re voting for me. If you like me, I’m going to win. If you don’t like me, I’m not going to win.”, , , https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Trump-speaks-at-NABJ.webp, Washington Examiner, Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/cropped-favicon-32×32.png, https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/feed/, Mabinty Quarshie,
