Biden expected to hold virtual meetings with lawmakers today
Biden doesn't have any public events on his schedule today, but he'll hold multiple meetings with Democratic lawmakers, according to sources familiar with the matter.
One of the meetings will be with the Congressional Progressive Caucus, followed by one with the more moderate New Democrat Coalition.
The meetings come as Democratic lawmakers continue to express doubts about whether Biden should remain at the top of the ticket for November.
Connecticut Democratic Gov. Ned Lamont backs lawmaker’s call for Biden to step aside
Connecticut Democratic Gov. Ned Lamont on Friday stopped short of calling for Biden to step aside as the Democratic nominee, but backed Democratic Rep. Jim Himes’ decision to suggest that Biden should step aside.
At a press conference following an unrelated event in West Haven, Connecticut, Lamont told reporters that he and Himes are “very simpatico,” but that “I’m probably not a press release, petition type of guy, but I understood totally what he did and how he did it.”
In a statement on Thursday, Himes said, “We must put forth the strongest candidate possible to confront the threat posed by Trump’s promised MAGA authoritarianism,” and added, “I no longer believe that is Joe Biden.”
Asked about these comments at the conference on Friday, Lamont added that he and Himes “agree on an awful lot of stuff. Maybe we try and influence the decision in different ways, but I think we come to the same conclusion.”
In a statement to NBC News, Julia Bergman, a spokesperson for Lamont, said that the governor has always been clear that it’s ultimately Biden’s decision whether or not he steps aside.
She added that Lamont is leaving shortly for a weeklong economic development trip to Germany and won’t be commenting further about Biden at this time.
Lamont is the first Democratic governor to come close to calling for Biden to step aside as the party’s nominee.
Trump teases his VP pick timing and names 4 finalists
Former President Donald Trump on Friday said that he’d like to announce his vice presidential running mate next week, potentially during the Republican National Convention, and named four key allies as potential picks.
“I’d love to do it during the convention, which would be you know, or just slightly before the convention, like Monday, love to do it on Tuesday or Wednesday, actually, but for a lot of complex reasons that you people understand, pretty much don’t do that,” Trump told “The Clay Travis & Buck Sexton Show.”
Trump has been in no rush to reveal his running mate, more than happy to cede the spotlight to the Democratic Party, which is embroiled in the fallout of President Joe Biden’s rough debate performance. The former president has a rally scheduled for Saturday evening in western Pennsylvania.
Trump indicated, as NBC News has reported previously, that his VP short list includes GOP Sens. Marco Rubio of Florida and JD Vance of Ohio and North Dakota GOP Gov. Doug Burgum. He also named Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., as having been “fierce and great” during a recent television appearance.
Trump to hold rally in Pennsylvania today
Trump will hold a rally in the crucial swing state of Pennsylvania tonight, his second campaign rally this week.
The rally in Butler, in the western part of the state, comes a day after he teased his vice presidential pick and named the four top contenders: Sens. Marco Rubio of Florida, JD Vance of Ohio and Tim Scott of South Carolina, and Gov. Doug Burgum of North Dakota.
Kamala Harris to deliver remarks in Philadelphia today
Vice President Kamala Harris is set to deliver remarks today in Philadelphia as the keynote speaker of the Asian and Pacific Islander American Vote Presidential Town Hall.
Here's what you missed last night: Biden holds energetic rally in Detroit
Biden returned to the campaign trail yesterday with stops in the battleground state of Michigan, capped by a rally where he made forceful remarks defending his candidacy to a raucous crowd of supporters.
His energetic performance at the rally in Detroit came as a steady stream of Democratic lawmakers have called for Biden to leave the race.
During his speech, Biden outlined his priorities for the first 100 days of a second term, which included codifying protections from Roe v. Wade, expanding Social Security and banning assault weapons — all goals that would require congressional support.