Here's the latest from the 2024 campaign trail:
- Former President Donald Trump will rally in Las Vegas, Nevada, one day after a jury ordered him to pay $83.3 million in damages to E. Jean Carroll.
- Vice President Kamala Harris will step out onto the campaign trail, hosting a get-out-the-vote rally just a mile away from Trump's event.
- Rep. Dean Phillips, former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley and President Joe Biden will all host events in South Carolina ahead of next month's primaries.
Harris to announce new SBA rule allowing Americans with criminal records to take out loans
Kamala Harris will announce a new Small Business Administration rule concerning eligibility for certain loans during her visit to Las Vegas.
The vice president will "announce a forthcoming Small Business Administration rule that will make Americans with a criminal record who have served their time eligible for SBA loan programs that help individuals start and run small businesses," a White House official said.
She will be joined by SBA Administrator Isabella Guzman and Rep. Steven Horsford, who is seeking re-election as representative for Nevada's 4th Congressional District.
Kari Lake claims she has no more secret recordings
Arizona Senate candidate Kari Lake in an interview with NBC News on Saturday claimed that the recorded conversation she had with former Arizona GOP Chair Jeff DeWit is the only conversation she secretly recorded.
“Yes,†said Lake, when asked if that was the only private conversation she’s secretly recorded. “And you know what, I didn’t break any laws,†added Lake.Â
Arizona is a one-party consent state when it comes to private conversations — only one person needs to be aware that a conversation is being recorded.
“When somebody comes to your house and says, ‘I have to talk to you in person, I can’t say it over the phone,’ then you know what? You need to record that,†said Lake.
DeWit released a statement on Wednesday, claiming Lake’s team threatened to release another incriminating tape, which might contradict Lake’s assertion that it was the only conversation she’s secretly recorded.
Asked why the audio recording was released 10 months after the initial conversation, Lake said she’s been talking about the conversation publicly since it happened. “I brought it up the next day in a massive speech at CPAC. I described it exactly how it happened. And I have mentioned it since that day, dozens and dozens of times,†said Lake.
Biden's South Carolina remarks to highlight 'promises he's kept to Black Americans'
Biden's remarks later today at the South Carolina Democratic Party's "First in the Nation" dinner will "highlight the promises he’s made and the promises he’s kept for Black Americans," according to the Biden campaign.
"In his remarks, the President will emphasize the importance of South Carolina holding the first presidential nominating contests, which takes the long overdue step of elevating Black voices to the front of the process," the campaign said in a statement.
"President Biden will also drive home the stark choice — particularly for communities of color — voters will face this November between his record of delivering for working families and Donald Trump’s extreme, chaotic and divisive record that was a disaster for Black communities," the statement continued.
Biden will be joined by Rep. Jim Clyburn, the Biden-Harris campaign co-chair and a South Carolina representative whose endorsement was instrumental in helping Biden win South Carolina's primary in 2020 and ultimately launching him to the Democratic presidential nomination. Democratic National Committee Chair Jaime Harrison, Rep. Ro Khanna, and Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Marcia Fudge will also be in attendance.
New Hampshire was the state that held the earliest Democratic presidential primary until this cycle, when the DNC reshuffled the calendar to award the "first in the nation" title to South Carolina. New Hampshire held its primary on Tuesday anyway — ahead of South Carolina's contest next month — but the DNC responded by announcing that no delegates would be awarded to the winner of that contest. Biden won the New Hampshire primary on a write-in campaign, NBC News projected, giving him a largely symbolic victory and cementing his front-runner status in the race.
Haley campaign trolls Trump, Biden on age
In a continuation of Haley’s efforts to tie Biden and Trump together on age and questions about cognitive ability, her campaign “unveiled a game†called “Who Said It — Biden or Trump?†in a memo today.
Some of the included quotes include, “Thank you all. God bless you all. And let’s go — let’s go lick the world,†which Biden said last April, and, “Ding ding ding ding. They’ve only got 17 seconds to figure this whole thing out, right? Boom. OK. Missile launch. Pshoow boom,†a depiction of missile defense systems offered by Trump at a New Hampshire rally on Monday.
Groups spent record $4.2 billion in 2023 lobbying federal lawmakers, report says
Interest groups spent a record $4.2 billion lobbying federal lawmakers in 2023, led by the pharmaceutical and health products industries, according to a new report by OpenSecrets.
According to the D.C.-based nonprofit, which tracks money in politics, “health companies spent more than any other sector in 2023 with federal lobbying spending topping $739 million for the year.â€
Haley to stump in her home state
Haley will rally in South Carolina later today, turning her attention to her home state's primary following her NBC News-projected second-place finish in the New Hampshire primary.
The former South Carolina governor will stop by Mauldin High School as her campaign blankets the airwaves with new ads that emphasize her South Carolina roots.
Trump to rally at baseball field in Las Vegas
Trump will hit the campaign trail in Las Vegas, hosting his first rally since a jury ordered him to pay $83.3 million in damages to E. Jean Carroll.
The former president will deliver remarks at a "Commit to Caucus" rally at Big League Dreams Las Vegas, a baseball and softball field.
While Haley is likely to win Nevada’s primary on Feb. 6, Trump is instead participating in the state’s caucuses on Feb. 8. The caucus results are the only ones that count for awarding delegates at the Republican National Convention this summer, but state law mandates that Nevada holds a primary, prompting the state to hold both contests this year.
Harris to rally with union workers in Las Vegas
Kamala Harris will host a get-out-the-vote event in Las Vegas later today to mark the first day of early voting in the state’s Feb. 6 Democratic primary.
The vice president will rally at IBEW Local 357, the local chapter of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers. She will be joined by Rep. Steven Horsford, D-Nev., who is running for re-election.