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What’s happening on the campaign trail today
- Former President Donald Trump returned to the campaign trail today for his first rally since last weekend’s assassination attempt. Trump quickly resumed attacks on President Joe Biden after saying he wanted he wanted to serve as a unifier, calling his political opponent “Crooked Joe.”
- Trump was introduced at the Grand Rapids, Michigan, rally by his running mate, Sen. JD Vance of Ohio, who also criticized his counterpart, Vice President Kamala Harris.
- Biden is in Delaware with Covid as pressure mounts on him to drop his re-election bid. While the Biden campaign insists the president is remaining in the race, members of his family have begun discussing what an exit from his campaign might look like.
- At least 35 congressional Democrats, including four senators, have called on Biden to step aside, with many warning that his candidacy could harm party candidates in down-ballot races.
Biden allies say 'elites' are disenfranchising voters who want the president to stay in
As President Joe Biden faces a wave of new calls from elected officials to end his re-election bid, his political allies are actively exploring ways to publicly demonstrate he still has widespread support among key elements of the Democratic Party’s base, according to three Democrats familiar with the discussions.
The new effort is aimed at turning the pressure campaign against Biden back on party insiders by seizing on anger and frustration among some voters who feel disenfranchised by attempts to push the candidate they cast their ballots for aside, the Democrats said.
Trump leans into divisive rhetoric in first rally since assassination attempt
One week after a bullet nearly took his life, former President Donald Trump delivered a speech filled with divisive rhetoric that was largely in line with his usual tone.
Despite Trump having told reporters that he would pivot to a message of unity, the former president used his Saturday speech in Grand Rapids, Michigan, to call President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris names, refer to Biden’s allies as “thugs,” argue without evidence that Democrats cheated in the 2020 election, and characterize migrants as coming from prisons, jails and mental institutions.
Democrats are gaming out post-Biden options while he insists he’ll stay in the race
Sequestered at his Delaware beach house as he recovers from Covid, Biden got a bit of good news today when it became public that Hillary and Bill Clinton are sticking with him.
But the fact that it is news that the former president and secretary of state are supporting their fellow Democrat — and not even in public but privately — underscored just how isolated Biden has become in his own party, with some saying privately that it is easier to count the number of people still supportive of the president than those who think he should abandon his re-election bid.
Sandy Pensler drops out of Michigan Senate race, endorses Mike Rogers
Businessman Sandy Pensler said from the stage at the Trump rally that he was dropping out of the Michigan Senate race and endorsing fellow Republican Mike Rogers.
"President Trump endorsed Mike Rogers. Tonight, so am I," he said.
The two men shook hands onstage.
If nominated, Rogers, who served as a congressman representing Michigan's 8th Congressional District from 2001 to 2015, will attempt to flip the open Senate seat for Republicans. The race is viewed as very competitive since incumbent Sen. Debbie Stabenow decided not to seek re-election.
Trump back to criticizing Biden
Trump's campaign is back to criticizing Biden and poking at party members who are trying to get him to pass the torch to another Democratic nominee.
The campaign has argued that it does not care who is at the top of the ticket, but a senior adviser said that it prefers Biden to be the nominee because the campaign has been planning for that matchup.
During Trump's speech in Michigan, the former president at first said that the press covered the assassination attempt "fairly," a marked shift from how he usually describes journalists. Minutes later, he turned back to criticizing media.
Rep. Ronny Jackson says he's treated Trump's wound 'daily' in a health update shared by the former president
Rep. Ronny Jackson, R-Texas, has "evaluated and treated" Trump's wound daily following last weekend's assassination attempt, according to a letter written by Jackson and shared by Trump on Truth Social today.
Jackson, who served as White House physician under the Obama and Trump administrations, said in the letter that former president is "doing well, and he is recovering as expected from the gunshot wound sustained last Saturday afternoon."
"I am extremely thankful his life was spared. It is an absolute miracle he wasn’t killed," Jackson added in the letter.
Jackson said that he traveled to Bedminster, Trump's New Jersey golf club, on the night of the incident. The former White House doctor said the bullet came "less than a quarter of an inch" from entering Trump's head and struck the top of his right ear, but no sutures were required.
Following the shooting, Trump was initially treated by medical staff at Butler Memorial Hospital in Butler, Pennsylvania, where he was evaluated and underwent a CT scan. The former president will undergo further evaluations, including a comprehensive hearing exam as needed, according to the letter.
Jackson added that the wound has begun to heal but there is still "intermittent bleeding" requiring a bandage.
Vance says GOP priorities aren't 'radical' at Grand Rapids rally
Vance took the stage at the Grand Rapids, Michigan, rally, trying to present his ticket as not radical, as the Biden campaign aims to paint it as extreme.
"There's nothing radical about stopping the poison and the gangs and the criminals from taking care of our country," Vance said. "We've got to shut down that border, shut down the fentanyl and make America safe for American citizens again."
Trump is expected to take the stage later this afternoon.
Rally outside of White House calls for Biden to 'pass the torch'
"Pass the Torch," a grassroots organization, is holding a rally outside of the White House where people will call on Biden to bow out of the presidential race.
"President Biden has achieved great things," the group's website says. "But Donald Trump is an existential threat, and we need the strongest possible ticket to maximize our chances of defeating him."
One speaker highlighted how Democrats emphasize listening to experts.
"So why would we not listen to the data here for the decision of our lives?" she said, pointing to polling data.
Rallygoers held signs reading "Joe, time to go," and "Please save us from Trump, don't act like Trump."
Around 200 people have RSVP’d for the event.
House Homeland Security Committee chair to visit site of Trump assassination attempt
House Homeland Security Committee Chair Mark Green, R-Tenn., announced a Monday visit to the site of the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump.
Green will travel to Butler, Pennsylvania, alongside a group of 10 committee members to receive a “tour” of the site.
The visit comes as the House Oversight Committee prepares to hear from Secret Service Director Kim Cheatle in a public hearing on Monday morning.