Biden-district Republicans navigate support for Trump
Republicans who represent congressional districts Biden won in 2020 are starting to slowly jump on the Trump train.
One lawmaker, Rep. Nick LaLota, R-N.Y., offered his full-throated endorsement last week. He represents a district Biden won by less than 1 point in 2020, according to a Daily Kos Elections analysis.
But other House Republicans in Biden seats seem more hesitant to officially throw their support behind Trump, saying generally that they’ll support the party's eventual nominee.
Yesterday, Rep. Don Bacon, R-Neb., who represents a district Biden won by over 6 points, told the Nebraska Examiner at a Douglas County Republican Party event in Omaha that he would “support the conservative position.”
That was after he told attendees at the event, “I commit to the nominee.”
Bacon stopped short of fully endorsing Trump, just like Reps. John Duarte, R-Calif., and Brandon Williams, R-N.Y.
Duarte, who represents a district Biden won in 2020 by over 10 points, told Axios this week, “I expect to ultimately endorse Donald Trump for president.”
Williams, who represents a district Biden won by over 7 points in 2020, wrote on social media this week that “President Trump will be the Republican nominee for president. … And I have always said our nominee will have my full support to turn this country around.”
Haley campaign says it raised $1 million after Trump's donor threat
Haley's campaign confirmed to NBC News that it has raised $1 million since Trump threatened to blacklist her donors.
Trump wrote on Truth Social last night that anyone who makes a contribution to the Haley campaign “from this moment forth, will be permanently barred from the MAGA camp.”
Haley's campaign responded today by selling T-shirts that read: “BARRED. PERMANENTLY.”
Biden visits another firehouse
Biden made an unscheduled stop at a firehouse in Superior, Wisconsin, today — his third to a local fire department in two months.
The International Association of Fire Fighters — the biggest firefighters union in the country — continues to sit out any endorsement in the presidential election, even though it was the first to endorse Biden’s run in 2020.
Biden visited Superior Fire Department Local 74 today after his remarks at Earth Rider Brewery. Ever the retail politician, he went to thank the first responders and drop off coffee and baked goods. He spent several minutes chatting with the firefighters and taking selfies.
Biden was joined for the visit by Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers and Democratic Sens. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota and Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin.
Biden has long been a fan of firefighters. He visited with departments in Philadelphia and Allentown, Pennsylvania, in the past couple of months, and he has touted the funding his administration has provided for their line of work.
The White House has insisted that Biden’s recent events at firehouses are not an attempt to win the coveted IAFF endorsement.
Last month, White House spokesperson Robyn Patterson said Biden was “proud” to travel to Philadelphia to present a check for millions of dollars to support the firefighters there.
“President Biden was proud to travel to Philadelphia ... to announce millions of dollars in support for these heroes, just as he’s proud to have spent his career fighting for fire fighters and their families,” Patterson said at the time.
Biden takes digs at Trump in trip promoting infrastructure projects
SUPERIOR, Wis. — Looking to shore up his support in the upper Midwest, Biden visited the Wisconsin-Minnesota border today to showcase the sort of road and bridge improvements he said his predecessor never accomplished in office.
Biden spoke at a brewery here that stands to benefit from a planned $1 billion project to replace the more than 60-year-old Blatnik Bridge connecting Superior to Duluth, Minnesota.
His visit was a two-for-one proposition, putting him at the junction of two crucial states that he captured in 2020 and will need to win again if he’s to prevail in an expected rematch with Trump in November.
“The Midwest is coming back,” Biden said at Earth Rider Brewery, standing in front of a row of stainless steel cylinders used to ferment beer.
Colorado Democrats introduce a pair of election bills on AI regulations and fake elector schemes
Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold unveiled a package of proposed laws today designed to safeguard elections in the state, including a measure that would tackle the use of artificial intelligence and deepfakes in campaigns, as well as one that would criminalize fake elector schemes.
One proposed bill would require any media featuring the use of AI or deepfakes to feature disclosures.
The bill would also allow any candidate for public office who will appear on the ballot and is targeted by such media to sue any people who publish it for relief or damages.
“The deepfake disclosure bill will ensure Coloradans know if a political communication featuring a candidate or officeholder is manipulated by requiring a disclaimer on all communications that feature deepfakes or AI generated media,” Griswold, a Democrat, said at a news conference. “Colorado will be one of the first states in the nation to address the use of AI against candidates and elected officials.”
Colorado is at least the 14th state this year where lawmakers have introduced legislation to combat the threats AI and deepfakes can pose to political campaigns.
A second proposed bill would create criminal statutes and penalties for anyone who creates or conspires to create a fake slate of presidential electors or who serves as a fake elector.
The bill is designed to prevent the kind of scheme allies of Trump undertook in states like Michigan, Nevada and Wisconsin after the 2020 presidential race.
The law would make those crimes punishable by up to one year in prison.
“Fake electoral slates spread across the country during the attempted stealing of the 2020 presidential race,” Griswold said. “Trying to steal a presidential election through these schemes should be clearly illegal.”
Trump cites allegations of improper relationship in effort to dismiss Georgia election charges
ATLANTA — Trump moved today to adopt a motion to dismiss the election interference charges against him in Georgia, with his lawyer pointing to an alleged improper romantic relationship between Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis and special prosecutor Nathan Wade.
Trump’s lead defense counsel for the case requested a dismissal of the indictment against the former president and disqualification of Wade, Willis and her office from the case, while alleging that she “wrongfully inserted racial animus” into the case during a recent speech.
“Although this Court may not have the authority to disbar DA Willis, it certainly does have the power to dismiss the indictment and to disqualify her, the special prosecutors she hired and her office from any further involvement in this case or any related matter, and should do so here,” Trump attorney Steve Sadow said in the court filing.
Trump cancels tomorrow's visit to Arizona
Arizona Republican Party spokesperson Dajana Zlatičanin confirmed to NBC News that Trump will no longer travel to Arizona tomorrow for the state party’s “freedom fest,” which he had been set to headline.
Zlatičanin also said the event is canceled in its entirety.
Jeff DeWit resigned as chair of the Arizona GOP yesterday after an audiotape revealed that he offered Kari Lake, a Republican candidate for the U.S. Senate in the state, lucrative job opportunities to put her political ambitions on ice.
Trump campaign spokesman Steven Cheung tells NBC News that the former president will appear in court for closing arguments tomorrow in the E. Jean Carroll defamation damages trial.
A look back: The general election field hasn’t been set before early March
The GOP is stuck in a push and pull between Trump and his allies calling for the party to anoint him the presidential nominee after victories in Iowa and New Hampshire, and Haley and her supporters who want the party to play on.
Looking back at past nominating fights, one thing is clear: The Republican and Democratic presidential nominees haven’t been effectively set this early at any point since the modern primary/caucus calendar began in 1976.
The earliest we’ve seen the field set in recent history was in 2004, when Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry became the apparent nominee after his Super Tuesday victories on March 2; his top rival, North Carolina Sen. John Edwards, dropped out the following day. Other Democrats, including Ohio Rep. Dennis Kucinich and civil-rights activist and future MSNBC host Al Sharpton, remained in the race, but they only accumulated a small handful of delegates.
The 2008 GOP primary came to a close at a similar spot on the calendar, after Arizona Sen. John McCain’s victories in the March 4 contests (nicknamed “Super Tuesday II”) prompted McCain’s top rival, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, to end his bid. McCain visited the White House the following day and received the endorsement of President George W. Bush, who referred to McCain as “the nominee of the Republican Party.”
Pro-Haley super PAC says it narrowly outraised Trump's in second half of 2023
SFA Fund Inc., the main super PAC backing Haley, told NBC News it raised $50.1 million in the second half of 2023, narrowly outraising Trump's super PAC over the same time period.
SFA Fund did not provide any donor names or other details about its finances, and it is not possible to confirm the figure until the super PAC files its year-end financial disclosure, which is due Jan. 31.
Earlier today, the pro-Trump super PAC, MAGA Inc., told Politico it raised $46 million in the back half of 2023, with the biggest contributions coming from megadonor Timothy Mellon and former Trump Cabinet official Linda McMahon.
The New York Times was first to report SFA Fund's fundraising figures.
Trump briefly testifies in E. Jean Carroll damages trial, clashes with judge
Trump took the witness stand in a federal courthouse today in New York City, where he testified for just under five minutes in the damages trial for E. Jean Carroll’s defamation case against him.
The former president was limited in what he could say but still called Carroll’s accusation “false” — a claim the judge ordered stricken from the record.
Asked whether he ever instructed anyone to hurt Carroll, he said, “I just wanted to defend myself, my family and frankly the presidency.” Asked whether he stood by his claims in a 2022 deposition that her allegations were a hoax, Trump said, “100%.”
His defense rested after the brief testimony, and closing arguments are scheduled for tomorrow morning.