What to watch on the campaign trail today
- Vice President Kamala Harris continued her swing state blitz a stop in Phoenix alongside her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz. Harris was briefly interrupted by protesters, prompting her to say “respecting the voices” of dissent was part of the "fight for our democracy."
- Former President Donald Trumpwas delayed for his rally in Bozeman, Montana, after his plane suffered mechanical failures, according to the U.S. Secret Service.
- Trump and Harris independently confirmed they had agreed to a Sept. 10 debate. Trump said he'd agreed to a total of three debates, and Harris signaled openness to participating in additional debates.
At his rally, Trump peddled a conspiracy and characterized Walz as far-left
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 a law that requires period supplies like 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 referenced a 2022 incident in 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
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
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 Walz over 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
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.”
George Floyd’s brother endorses Harris-Walz, says Minnesota governor is ‘built for this’
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 neck for nearly nine minutes, spurring protests across the state and the nation.
To Philonise 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.
Harris briefly addresses cease-fire deal when her remarks are interrupted
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
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 endorsement." 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
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
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
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 Walz over his military record.