At his rally, Trump peddled a conspiracy and characterized Walz as far-left
Lindsey Pipia
Jillian Frankel
Lindsey Pipia and Jillian Frankel
BOZEMAN, MT — At his rally tonight, Trump continued to peddle a conspiracy that President Joe Biden, who dropped his reelection bid in July, will re-enter the race during the Democratic National Convention later this month in Chicago.
“I hear he’s going to make a comeback at the Democrat convention. He’s going to walk into the room and he’s going to say, ‘I want my presidency back. I want another chance to debate Trump. I want another chance,’” Trump said.
He also cast Harris’ running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, as far-left, telling the crowd that Walz ordered tampons be provided in boys’ bathrooms.
“He ordered tampons to be put into boys’ bathrooms. Do we have any children here? Please close your ears. He ordered tampons in boys’ bathrooms, OK?”
Last year, Walz signed alaw that requires period supplieslike pads and tampons to be provided in public school bathrooms for 4th to 12th grade students. According to the text of the law, free menstrual products should be provided to “all menstruating students in restrooms regularly used by students in grades 4 to 12 according to a plan developed by the school district.”
While promoting Montana’s GOP Senate candidate Tim Sheehy, Trump repeatedly criticized incumbent Democratic Sen. Jon Tester, calling him “one of the biggest phonies in American politics,” saying that “he’s got the biggest stomach I have ever seen,” and tying him to Democrats like President Biden, Vice President Harris, Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Sen. Bernie Sanders, an Independent from Vermont who regularly caucuses with Democrats.
Trump continued to tie Harris to concerns about immigration, a salient issue for Republicans even in states far from the southern border. He referenceda 2022 incidentin Bozeman, where an undocumented immigrant fatally stabbed a man.
“Under the so-called border czar Harris, illegal aliens are stampeding into America by the millions and millions,” Trump said. “Every day, Kamala is letting migrant criminals roam free to assault, rape, mutilate and kill our citizens.”
In Trump’s first rally since Harris announced Walz as her running mate, he made an apparent reference to criticism the Minnesota governor has faced over the timing of his departure from the National Guard, while praising Sheehy’s military service.
“He’s highly successful, great education, purple heart recipient, a former Navy SEAL, which is, you know, a big deal. It’s a tough thing to be. A combat veteran at the highest level, a Bronze Star. And he’s got a — his really is valor,” Trump said. “It’s valor for heroism award. You know, the other one talks about valor. He has a different kind of a valor. It’s the opposite.”
At one point, Trump called for a doctor to assist someone in the audience and momentarily paused his remarks, but it was not immediately clear what was wrong with the attendee.
Trump ends Montana rally after hour and a half
Phil Helsel
Former President Donald Trump has wrapped up his rally in Bozeman, Montana, after more than a 90-minute speech.
Trump took the stage at 9:29 p.m. Mountain Time and ended his speech at around 11:11 p.m. He was delayed to the event after his plane suffered mechanical failures, according to the U.S. Secret Service.
Trump said he was there to help the opponent of Democratic Sen. Jon Tester, Republican challenger Tim Sheehy.
Trump takes apparent swipe at Walz at Montana rally
Carly Roman
Trump made an apparent swipe at Walz at his rally in Bozeman, Montana, tonight, seemingly questioning the governor's credibility.
"So when you're commander in chief, you don't go to the run and hide away from the press. You know, they run and they wanna go on a record that's a fake record. They have a fake record, both of them. How 'bout the new guy? How do you like him?" Trump said, an apparent reference to Harris' selection of Walz as her running mate. His question was met with boos from the crowd.
Republicans, led by veteran and vice presidential candidate JD Vance, have attacked Walzover his military record. The Harris-Walz campaign said earlier today that Walz “misspoke” in 2018 when he talked about his handling of weapons “in war.”
Trump was late to the rally after his plane suffered a mechanical issue, according to U.S. Secret Service.
Walz’s Gay-Straight Alliance students remember him as accepting and goofy
Jo Yurcaba
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, and now Vice President Kamala Harris’ running mate, was a high school teacher and football coach in rural Minnesota nearly two decades ago. He also devoted time and energy to help his students create the school’s first Gay-Straight Alliance in 1999, and several students who were part of it remember “Mr. Walz” as goofy and accepting of everyone.
Jacob Reitan, now an LGBTQ activist and lawyer, was a founding member of the GSA at Mankato West High School in Mankato, Minnesota, about 80 miles southwest of Minneapolis. He said Walz and his wife, also a teacher at the school, provided vital support during Reitan’s formative years.
“Both Tim and Gwen were incredibly supportive of their gay students, and they modeled values of inclusivity and respect,” Reitan, 42, told MSNBC this week. “I was bullied in high school. [Their values] helped not just me, but it also, I think, helped the bully. It showed the bully a better path forward, and I can think of no one better than Tim Walz to show that better path forward for America.”
Read the full story here.
George Floyd’s brother endorses Harris-Walz, says Minnesota governor is ‘built for this’
Pilar Melendez
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz was just a year into his first term when in May of 2020 a Minneapolis police officer killed George Floyd by kneeling on his neckfor nearly nine minutes,spurring protests across the state and the nation.
ToPhilonise Floyd, Walz’s compassion and dedication to ensure accountability for his older brother’s murder — and for other police brutality victims in Minnesota — is one of things that make him worthy of being the next vice president of the United States.
Read the full story here.
Harris briefly addresses cease-fire deal when her remarks are interrupted
Zoë Richards
Harris' remarks at her campaign rally in Phoenix tonight were briefly interrupted by chants that appeared to be about the Israel-Hamas war.
Harris paused briefly and said that a "fight for our democracy" includes "respecting the voices" of dissent.
"Let me just say this, on topic of what I think I’m hearing over there," Harris said. "I have been clear: now is the time to get a cease-fire deal and get the hostage deal done."
She added that she and Biden "are working around the clock every day" to reach a deal and bring home hostages who remain captive in Gaza.
Trump takes aim at Joe Rogan after he praised RFK Jr. on his podcast
Zoë Richards
Trump took aim at Joe Rogan in a Truth Social post this afternoon after the podcast host said yesterday that he was a “fan” of Robert F. Kennedy.
"It will be interesting to see how loudly Joe Rogan gets BOOED the next time he enters the UFC Ring??? MAGA2024," Trump wrote.
Rogan has provided commentary for the Ultimate Fighting Championship since 2002.
Rogan said on his podcast "The Joe Rogan Experience" yesterday that Kennedy was “the only one that makes sense to me,”describing the independent presidential candidate as "reasonable and intelligent."
Rogan tried to clarify his comments in a post on X today, saying, "For the record, this isn’t an endorsem*nt." In the same post, he praised Trump's actions last month amid his assassination attempt, saying the raised fist and words "fight," uttered by the former president "is one of the most American f------ things of all time."
Walz quips about crowd size in apparent jab at Trump
Zoë Richards
Walz appeared to mock Trump at tonight's campaign's rally in Phoenix.
In talking about the large crowds at previous Harris-Walz rallies, the Minnesota governor quipped, "It’s not as if anybody cares about crowd sizes or anything."
Trump yesterday talked about his supporters, saying, "Nobody has spoken to crowds bigger than me."
The former president then compared his “Stop the Steal” rally on Jan. 6, 2021, to Martin Luther King Jr.'s “I Have a Dream” speech on the National Mall in 1963.
Sen. Mark Kelly praises Walz's military record amid GOP criticism
Zoë Richards
Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona spoke ahead of Harris and Walz at a rally in Phoenix and praised the Minnesota governor's military record.
Walz "served honorably in uniform for decades," Kelly said, adding that Harris' running mate "has brought that experience to everything he has done since--fighting for our service members, fighting for veterans, and fighting for military families."
The comments come as Republicans and Vance have attacked Walz's military record.
Kelly, who was on the short list of VP candidates for Harris, also contrasted Walz with Trump, saying the former president "has zero respect for any of us who have worn the uniform."
Tim Walz ‘misspoke’ when he discussed using weapons ‘in war,’ campaign says
Kelly O'Donnell
Zoë Richards
Kelly O'Donnell and Zoë Richards
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz “misspoke” in a 2018 video circulated by the Harris campaign earlier this week that included the vice presidential candidate talking about his handling of weapons “in war,” a campaign spokesperson said Friday.
The clarification comes after Republicans, led by veteran and vice presidential candidate JD Vance, have attacked Walzover his military record.
Read the full story here.
Harris and Walz stop by Phoenix campaign office
Caryn Littler
Harris and Walz dropped by the North Phoenix coordinated campaign office to meet with volunteers making signs, who they then invited invited to join them in the motorcade to the rally.
“Aw, ‘Momala,’” Harris said reading a sign that made mention of her step kids’ nickname for her.
The vice president laughed when she saw on person’s “Coconut > Orange” sign. That supporter said she likes the vice president’s past “fall from a coconut tree” remark, which has since gone viral.
The vice president talked about her political campaigns at the beginning of her career and volunteers stuffing envelopes.She said she wanted to come to say, “Thank you.”
Harris and Walz took a selfie in front of a large “Kamala and Coach” sign at the end of their visit.
Jill Stein recruiting Palestinian Americans for her running mate position
Alex Seitz-Wald
Green Party nomineeJill Steinhas been recruiting Palestinian Americans to be her vice presidential running mate, as she looks to exploit the community’s frustrations with Democrats’ support for Israel in its war in Gaza.
Two potential candidates told NBC News today that they've had multiple conversations with Stein about the job. A spokesperson for a third potential candidate, the Democratic mayor of Dearborn, Michigan, Abdullah Hammoud, confirmed Stein asked him if he was willing to be considered for the job — before realizing Hammoudis too young to be constitutionally eligible.
Stein isplanning to announceher running mate next Friday. It’s unclear if she has made her decision yet. The Stein campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Read the full story here.
Trump plane suffered mechanical issue before landing, Secret Service says
+3
Kelly O'Donnell
Jake Traylor
Tom Winter
Zoë Richards
Kelly O'Donnell, Jake Traylor, Tom Winter and Zoë Richards
Former President Donald Trump’s plane landed in Billings, Montana, on Friday night after suffering a mechanical issue, according to the U.S. Secret Service.
The Secret Service said the plane’s mechanical problem was not related to any security issue.
Read the full story here.
RFK Jr. says he'll be on the ballot in all 50 states
Annemarie Bonner
Katherine Koretski
Annemarie Bonner and Katherine Koretski
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said he will be on the ballots in all 50 states. But, as of now, he is only officially on the ballot in 15 states, according to ballot access tracking by NBC News.
"I'm in this race to the end and I'm in it to win it," he said this afternoon on Fox News. "That's my objective and that's my mission."
Kennedy's public poll numbers are dropping, from around 9% or 10% in national surveys before Biden dropped out, and they're about half that level now. He also has not had a public event since July 9.
Mitch McConnell lays out priorities for possible GOP trifecta
Nick Konopka
Isabelle Schmeler
Nick Konopka and Isabelle Schmeler
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said today that tax cuts, judges, and the border would be top priorities for Republicans if they control Congress and the White House next year.
"The first thing I think we would do is to try to extend the Trump tax cuts from 2017," McConnell said during a conservative conference hosted by media personality Erick Erickson. "And we'd start filling judges."
McConnell, who announced in February that he would step down as the Republican leader in the Senate at the end of the year, added he believes that whoever succeeds him as the top GOP senator will "have complete confidence in at least those two things."
He also called the border "an administrative failure of gargantuan proportions," and said there is an obligation to address it, along with taxes and judges.
Arizona Republicans ask Supreme Court to allow law requiring proof of citizenship to vote
Daniel Barnesis reporting from the federal courthouse.
Zoë Richards
Daniel Barnes and Zoë Richards
The leaders of Arizona's Republican-controlled Legislature and the Republican National Committee have asked the Supreme Court for an emergency order allowing the state to enforce a law that requires proof of citizenship to vote.
A divided panel of the 9th Circuit previously blocked the law from being enforced in the battleground state, affirming an earlier injunction by a district court.
“The district court’s injunction is an unprecedented abrogation of the Arizona Legislature’s sovereign authority to determine the qualifications of voters and structure participation in its elections,” lawyers for the Republican applicants wrote in their filing with the Supreme Court.
The filing was submitted to Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan, who handles emergency requests from the 9th Circuit. She has requested a response to the application from activist groups that sued over the Arizona law. That response isdue on Aug. 16.
In their filing, the RNC and the Arizona Legislature asked the court to rule on their request byAug. 22— the state deadline to print ballots for the general election.
Michigan's top Senate candidates are victims of 'swatting' hoaxes at their homes
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Ben Kamisar
Ava Kelley
Jillian Frankel
Ben Kamisar, Ava Kelley and Jillian Frankel
Republican former Rep. Mike Rogers and Democratic Rep. Elissa Slotkin, who will face each other in the fall in one of the nation's pivotal Senate races, appear to have been victims of "swatting" incidents at their homes in Michigan.
A spokesperson for Slotkin said this morning that police responded to a false threat sent by email, while noting that Slotkin wasn't home at the time and police "confirmed no one was in danger."
"This is the latest in a disturbing trend of swatting incidents targeting members of Congress," spokesperson Lynsey Mukomel said in a statement. "Congresswoman Slotkin is deeply grateful for the swift and professional response by law enforcement to this unfortunate incident, and that U.S. Capitol Police will be following up to investigate and hopefully hold accountable those responsible."
Swatting is when someone makes a false threat that triggers a significant police response to someone’s home.
Hours later, Rogers spokesman Chris Gustafson confirmed that Rogers' family was targeted by a "swatting attempt at their home."
No one was home at the time, Gustafson said, and "thankfully no one at the home was harmed."
He also noted that Rogers had been a victim of swatting in 2013, and that the news about Slotkin adds to the "deeply concerning trend of political violence that has quickly become the norm."
"This kind of violence cannot be tolerated, and it is our hope that those responsible will be quickly prosecuted and held accountable," Gustafson said.
Smartmatic executives indicted for allegedly bribing Philippine official
Jane C. Timm
Two executives at Smartmatic, a voting machine company, were indicted yesterday in Florida for allegedly bribing officials in the Philippines to secure contracts ahead of the 2016 election there,the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Southern District of Florida announced.
Smartmatic president Roger Piñate and another executive, Jorge Miguel Vasquez, wereindicted on chargesthat they laundered money across the world — including through Florida — to pay an estimated $1 million in bribes to a Philippine official in order to secure contracts surrounding their 2016 election.
Read the full story here.
Judge approves special counsel's request for an extension to propose next steps in Trump case
Daniel Barnesis reporting from the federal courthouse.
Rebecca Shabad
Daniel Barnes and Rebecca Shabad
Reporting from Washington
U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan today approved a request from special counsel Jack Smith to allow for more time to propose the next steps in the government’s election interference case against former President Donald Trump.
The decision came a day after Smith and fellow prosecutors asked the judge to delay the deadline to offer a new timetable in the case until Aug. 30.
Chutkan had given prosecutors and Trump’s legal team until today to submit a joint status report including a timeline for pretrial proceedings ahead of a scheduled Aug. 16 status conference.
Read the full story here.
Willie Brown says Trump helicopter story never happened
Gabe Gutierrez
Reporting from Washington, D.C.
Trump told a remarkable story yesterday about a near-death experience that is now under scrutiny. NBC News spoke with former San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown by phone today.
Asked about Brown, who dated Vice President Kamala Harris in the ‘90s, Trump said: “I know Willie Brown very well. In fact, I went down in a helicopter with him, we thought maybe this is the end. We were in a helicopter going to a certain location together, and there was an emergency landing. This was not a pleasant landing and Willie was a little concerned.”
“He told me terrible things about her,” Trump added.
Brown, however, said that didn't happen.
“I laughed,” he said. “I just assumed that he was on a helicopter with somebody Black and he just made a mistake and thought it was me.”
As to whether he ever told Trump anything "terrible" about Harris, Brown said, "of course not.”
Trump did ride in a helicopter with Jerry Brown, then-governor of California during wildfires in 2018. A representative for Jerry Browndisputed Trump’s account of that chopper ride, saying “there was no emergency landing and no discussion of Kamala Harris.
Harris goes after Trump on mifepristone access
Daniel Arkin
Harris pounced on Trump's apparent openness to banning the abortion pill mifepristone. The new attack comes after Trump, speaking to reporters yesterday, would not rule out revoking access to the pill, one of the two drugs used in medication abortions.
"Donald Trump’s abortion bans unleashed a health care crisis for women across our nation," Harris tweeted. She was referring to the fact that Trump appointed three of the six conservative Supreme Court justices who voted to overturn Roe v. Wade in the landmark Dobbs decision.
"Now, he has made clear that he’d use the federal government to rip away access to medication abortion, effectively banning abortion nationwide," Harris added. "We will not let him."
In response to a question from NBC News about whether he would take steps like directing the Food and Drug Administration to revoke access to mifepristone, the former president said: "You could do things that .... would supplement — absolutely — those things are pretty open and humane."
Trump’s comments at his press conference appeared to be a shift from his position in June, when hesaid at a CNN debate: “I will not block it.”
Pence distances himself from Trump's GOP
Ben Kamisar
Former Vice President Pence made clear that he wants to distance himself from the way Trump has shaped the Republican Party. And he, again, refused to endorse the former president or say he'd vote for him in November.
Pence told attendees at The Gathering 2024, a conservative conference hosted by media personality Erick Erickson, that he could "never" vote for Harris. But he immediately pivoted to an argument that conservatives need to embrace their values, adding that while he's "staying out of the presidential campaign," he has core ideological issues with some of the ways Trump is shaping the GOP.
He panned the "growing abandonment of our allies on the world stage that’s taken hold in parts of our party," amid Trump's criticism of NATO and international concerns that another presidential term for Trump would jeopardize American support for Ukraine in its war against Russia.
He blasted the party "marginalizing the right to life," specifically pointing to the 2024 Republican platform, which Trump and his campaign took ownership of and scrapped language backing a federal abortion ban.
And he repeated his disagreement with how Trump called for him to "set aside my oath to support and defend the Constitution and acted in a way that would have overturned the election."
The comments come as the Harris campaign has been rolling out endorsem*nts from Republicans in the hopes of trying to woo Trump critics onto their side. The list includes a handful of former elected Republicans and Trump staffers, but other Trump critics, like Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp, continue to reiterate their support for the ticket despite their disagreements with the former president.
Trump signals openness to banning abortion pill
Garrett Haake
Alexandra Marquez
Garrett Haake and Alexandra Marquez
During a news conference at his Mar-a-Lago resort yesterday, former President Donald Trump would not rule outrevoking access to mifepristone, one of the two drugs used in medication abortions.
“You could do things that .... would supplement — absolutely — those things are pretty open and humane,” Trump said in response to a question from NBC News about whether he would take steps like directing the Food and Drug Administration to revoke access to mifepristone.
“There are many things on a humane basis that you can do outside of that,” Trump added, saying that “you also have to give a vote” to people about abortion.
Trump’s comments appeared to be a shift from his position in June, when the former presidentsaid at a CNN debate: “I will not block it.”
Read the full story here.
Gov. Brian Kemp says he still plans to support Trump
Rebecca Shabad
Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp said at an event hosted by conservative Erick Erickson that he will still support Trump in November despite the former president's attacks on him.
"Despite all of that noise, my position has not changed," said Kemp, who added that he previously said that he was going to“support the nominee” before the GOP presidential primary even started.
Kemp said that he's going to use his political operation to win in Georgia "despite past grievances" and help GOP candidates win up and down the ballot.
"Regardless of, you know, all the different things that have happened, we cannot afford four more years of the Biden-Harris agenda," he said. "And now, the Harris-Walz agenda, which I think would be even more radical than the Biden-Harris agenda is."
Last weekend, Trump railed against Kemp, who didn't aid Trump's effort in 2020 to overturn the presidential election results. Trump said in a Truth Social post that the governor is a "bad guy" and criticized Kemp's wife, Marty, for not endorsing Trump for president.
RFK Jr.'s recent endorsem*nts
Katherine Koretski
Daniel Arkin
Katherine Koretski and Daniel Arkin
Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s independent presidential campaign is fading on the trail and in the polls. But the long-shot contender has nonetheless recently racked up a few endorsem*nts from media figures known for their anti-establishment or right-wing views.
Kennedyposted a video on Aug. 2 announcing an endorsem*nt from Russell Brand, the actor and comedian who has voiced contrarian and conspiratorial opinions in recent years. The high-profile podcast host Joe Rogan said yesterday he was a "fan" of Kennedy. This morning, the right-wing podcast host Tim Pool tweeted: "Ok I’m voting for RFK Jr now," though he later said he was joking.
Harris campaign releases new ad touting her border security work
Aaron Gilchrist
The Harris campaign released a new ad today focused on border security as Trump and his allies continue to attack her over her role in the Biden administration.
The ad, "Tougher," will run in Arizona and Nevada just as the ticket visits those states today and tomorrow.
Democrats' messaging largely has focused on Trump tanking the bipartisan border bill earlier this year, though she has in recent weeks leaned into her experience on the issue. An ad released last week compared the two head-to-head on immigration-related issues. This ad doesn’t mention Trump.
The ad touts Harris as a border state prosecutor who took on drug cartels and jailed gang members and as a VP who backed the bipartisan border bill. It also says that as president, she will hire thousands more border agents and crack down on fentanyl and human trafficking.
It ends with the tagline: “Fixing the border is tough… so is Kamala Harris.”
Trump spokesman on apparent Jerry Brown-Willie Brown mix-up: ‘He has a lot of amazing stories’
Elleiana GreenElleiana Green is a Digital Politics intern with NBC News
Asked about Trump appearing to mix up Jerry Brown and Willie Brown yesterday, Trump campaign spokesman Karoline Leavitt told Newsmax this morning that the former president "has a lot of amazing stories."
"I would just refer you to President Trump's statement and what he said yesterday. The president has a lot of amazing stories from his life," she said. "As we all know, he was a businessman and a celebrity for decades prior to entering politics."
During yesterday's press briefing at Mar-a-Lago, Trump claimed he went down in a helicopter with former San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown, seemingly confusing him with former California Gov. Jerry Brown.
Firewall issues delayed Detroit’s primary election results
Jane C. Timm
Detroit election workers had to drive election results across the county on Tuesday night after the state primary, delaying the reporting of unofficial results on election night.
The delays were due to a faulty firewall, said Dorian Tyus, a spokesman for the Wayne County Clerk’s Office. The issue kept local clerks from electronically submitting their results, which meant they had to physically transport the vote tallies into downtown Detroit.
Read the full story here.
Biden and Harris to travel to Maryland for a joint event next week
Rachel Gurevich
Biden and Harris will travel to Maryland on Thursday for their first joint event together since the president dropped out of the race.
The pair will "discuss the progress they are making to lower costs for the American people," the White House said in a statement.
Biden and Harris last publicly appeared together while welcoming the three American detainees returned from Russia in a historic prisoner swap.
Oldest Latino civil rights group announces its first presidential endorsem*nt for Harris-Walz
Suzanne Gamboa
The 95-year-old League of United Latin American Citizens has endorsed Harris and Walz, breaking with its past practice of not formally supporting any political candidates.
The historic endorsem*nt of the Democratic presidential ticket is the first for the civil rights group, which formed in 1929 to protect the rights of Americans of Mexican descent. LULAC leaders announced the endorsem*nt first to NBC News and plan to join Harris and Walz at a rally in Las Vegas tomorrow.
“We are proud to endorse Kamala Harris and Tim Walz because of the real issues facing Latino communities and all Americans across the nation; we can trust them to do what is right for our community and the country,” Domingo Garcia, chairman of LULAC Adelante PAC and LULAC’s immediate past president, said in a statement.
Read the full story here.
Wisconsin voters weigh in on Harris, Trump and how they'll decide a key swing state
Ben Kamisar
Wisconsin was decided by just 20,000 votes in 2020, remains deeply divided politically and is expected once again to be one of the most important states in this fall’s presidential matchup between Trump and Harris.
That’s why MSNBC political analyst Elise Jordan traveled to the state to host four recent focus groups with Wisconsin voters, digging into what matters to voters on the ground, how they see the candidates and what might move people to change their minds in the final months of the 2024 campaign.
Read the full story here.
Trump appears to confuse former Mayor Willie Brown with former Gov. Jerry Brown
Zoë Richards
Rebecca Shabad
Zoë Richards and Rebecca Shabad
Trump yesterday appeared to confuse former San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown with former California Gov. Jerry Brown in recounting what he characterized as a near-death experience.
During a news conference from his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida, Trump said he once flew with Willie Brown in a helicopter that “went down” when he was asked about Harris’ past relationship with the former mayor and whether he thought the relationship had played a role in her career path.
“In fact, I went down in a helicopter with him. We thought maybe this is the end. We were in a helicopter going to a certain location together, and there was an emergency landing. This was not a pleasant landing, and Willie was, he was a little concerned,” Trump said. “So I know him. I know him pretty well.”
Read the full story here.
Harris-Walz campaign touts Harris’ background in new ad
Nnamdi Egwuonwu
The Harris-Walz campaign released a new ad this morning touting Harris’ background, saying she had a middle-class upbringing and contrasting that with Trump's.
“Kamala Harris knows what it’s like to be middle class. It’s why she’s determined to lower health care costs and make housing more affordable,” a narrator says in the 30-second spot. “Donald Trump has no plan to help the middle class, just more tax cuts for bill billionaires.”
The new ad, “Knows,” is part of a $50 million paid media buy the campaign launched last month to target battleground state voters ahead of the Democratic National Convention.
Harris in recent weeks has sought to tout her upbringing, incorporating an anecdote about her work at a McDonald's into her campaign stump speech and often reflecting on her experience being raised by a single mother. The new advertisem*nt refers to both.
“She grew up in a middle-class home. She was the daughter of a working mom, and she worked at McDonald’s while she got her degree,” the ad narrator says.
Harris’ late mother, Shyamala Gopalan, was a biomedical scientistat theLawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. Her father, Donald J. Harris, is a professor at Stanford University. They divorced when Harris was 7 years old.
Harris has said “building up the middle class” would be a “defining goal” of her presidency should she win. She has backed policies she has framed as easing financial burdens on middle-class people, including increased access to affordable health care and child care.
She often refers to Project 2025, which her campaign has sought to tie to Trump, as “a plan to weaken the middle class.” Trump denies having any affiliation with Project 2025.
The new ad is one of several the Harris campaign has released over the last two weeks. Yesterday, she released a 60-secondbiographical spotdetailing her rise to the vice presidency, and last month, she releasedan advertisem*ntattacking Trump for his role blocking a bipartisan border security bill from passing.
Trump says he wants to face Harris in 3 debates in September
Alexandra Marquez
Garrett Haake
Alexandra Marquez and Garrett Haake
Trump said yesterday he would be open to debating Harris three times next month.
Speaking at a news conference at his Mar-a-Lago resort, Trump said that “I think it’s very important to have debates” and that he had accepted invitations from NBC News, Fox News and ABC News.
Read the full story here.
Harris softens Biden’s dark warnings about the state of democracy for a more ‘joyful’ message
Peter Nicholas
Reporting from Washington
Gone are Joe Biden’s dark warnings about the life-and-death stakes for American democracy.
Instead, Kamala Harris talks animatedly about protecting abortion rights and capping drug costs, lowering inflation and boosting the middle class.
Whereas Biden dwelled on the MAGA movement’s threat to democracy, Harris is delivering a sunnier vision of a nation made up of “neighbors, not enemies.”
Less than three weeks after Biden pulled out of the presidential race, his successor is in the early stages of retooling his campaign message, making it her own.
Harris is differentiating herself from Biden, amplifying positions that reflect her own priorities and commitment to running what she calls a “joyful” campaign. She expects to roll out more defined plans for what she’d do at the start of a presidential term, giving voters a clearer picture of how she would govern, people close to her said.
Read the full story here.
What's Trump doing today?
Olivia Palombo
The Trump campaign is pounding the pavement with two stops in Montana today.
The former president will first deliver remarks at a dinner fundraiser hosted by North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum in Big Sky. He will then rally supporters in Bozeman.
He won Montana in 2020 and it is not viewed as competitive in the coming election.
What is Harris doing today?
Olivia Palombo
Harris and her running mate, Gov. Tim Walz, will rally in Phoenix today as part of their seven-state campaign trail blitz.
After Walz was announced as Harris' vice presidential pick Tuesday, the pair embarked on a swing state campaign tour, with key stops scheduled in battleground states Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Michigan, Georgia and Arizona.
