Top Democrat scorched for abandoning Biden as an act of ‘selfish desperation’
California Senate candidate Steve Garvey called the about-face by Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., on President Biden’s re-election bid an act of “selfish desperation” after Schiff realized his Senate campaign had been outraised by more than $1 million.
“Adam Schiff’s recent act of selfish desperation to abandon his presidential nominee has caused a clear reaction from his supporters on his social media,” Garvey, the Republican candidate vying to fill the late Dianne Feinstein’s seat, told Fox News Digital. “It’s now clear to his supporters what has been clear to millions of Americans for years, that Adam Schiff only cares about Adam Schiff, and Californians deserve a senator that puts them above politics.”
Schiff called on Biden to drop out of the 2024 race earlier this week, saying in a statement to Fox News Digital that a “second Trump presidency will undermine the very foundation of our democracy, and I have serious concerns about whether the President can defeat Donald Trump in November.”
Garvey remarked in a social media post this week that it was “not surprising” Schiff called on Biden to step aside “less than 24 hours after it was reported that our campaign out-raised Adam Schiff’s campaign by $1.2 million.”
ADAM SCHIFF CALLS ON BIDEN TO EXIT PRESIDENTIAL RACE AS DEM CONFIDENCE DWINDLES
Garvey said this is the first time in 14 years a Republican statewide candidate in California has surpassed the fundraising of a Democratic candidate.
“It’s understandable that they felt they had to take dramatic action when this news came out,” he added. “When Adam Schiff announced that he believes President Biden shouldn’t seek re-election, it dominated the news cycle for the day, helping in part to bury our fundraising success story.”
Between April 1 and June 30, Garvey reportedly raised $5.4 million to Schiff’s $4.1 million.
Garvey also questioned why Schiff was quick to call on Biden to drop out of the presidential race but did not call on him to resign.
“The question must be asked: If Schiff doesn’t believe Biden can be an effective candidate, why does he believe that he can continue to be an effective president? It’s clear from Schiff’s own words that he is very concerned about his and other down ticket’s chances this November,” Garvey said.
Earlier this week, Schiff praised Biden’s accomplishments while in office, claiming, “Joe Biden has been one of the most consequential presidents in our nation’s history, and his lifetime of service as a Senator, a Vice President, and now as President has made our country better.
“But our nation is at a crossroads,” the California representative warned.
Schiff noted that whether Biden withdraws from the race is the president’s choice, but he added, “I believe it is time for him to pass the torch.”
He also suggested Biden would “secure his legacy of leadership by allowing us to defeat Donald Trump in the upcoming election” if he follows the advice to leave the race.
“But make no mistake, whoever our party ends up nominating, or if the nomination remains with the president, I will do everything I can to help them succeed,” the California Democrat made clear. “There is only one singular goal: defeating Donald Trump. The stakes are just too high.”
SPECIAL COUNSEL ROBERT HUR ‘VINDICATED,’ ‘DESERVES AN APOLOGY’ AFTER BIDEN DEBATE PERFORMANCE: ANALYSTS
In March, Schiff grilled special counsel Robert Hur and defended Biden during a contentious House hearing about his February report that described the president as “a sympathetic, well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory.”
In that February report, Hur said he would bring no criminal charges against the president after a months-long investigation into his alleged improper retention of classified documents related to national security.
Schiff told Hur his report “disparage[d] the president” and insisted Hur knew his report “would have a maximal political impact.”
“Based on our direct interactions with and observations of him, he is someone from whom many jurors will want to identify reasonable doubt,” the report stated. “It would be difficult to convince a jury that they should convict him — by then a former president well into his eighties — of a serious felony that requires a mental state of willfulness.”
Schiff continued to press Hur and accused him of knowing he would start a “political firestorm” with the language he used. Hurr said “politics played no part whatsoever” in the investigation.
“What you did write was deeply prejudicial to the interests of the president. You say it wasn’t political, and yet you must have understood,” Schiff said. “You must have understood the impact of your words. You must have understood the impact of your decision to go beyond the specifics of a particular document, to go to the very general, to your own personal prejudicial, subjective opinion of the president, one you knew would be amplified by his political opponent. When you knew that would influence a political campaign, you had to understand, and you did it anyway. You did it anyway.”
Garvey, a former professional baseball player, will take on Schiff in the Golden State’s Nov. 5 election. The race is considered “Solid Democratic” by nonpartisan political handicapper the Cook Political Report, giving Schiff an edge over his opponent.
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Schiff’s announcement made him the 20th congressional Democrat to urge Biden to exit the race. He is also the most prominent House Democrat to do so.
So far, a combined 35 Democrats from the House and Senate have called on Biden to drop out of the 2024 election.
JD Vance rips Kamala Harris as he joins Trump for first rally after assassination attempt
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Former President Donald Trump declared Saturday that he “took a bullet for democracy” while firing up a crowd of voters in Grand Rapids, Michigan, at his first rally since surviving an assassination attempt last week.
More than 12,000 people piled into the Van Andel Arena, home to the Grand Rapids Griffins hockey team, to see him and his running mate, Ohio Sen. JD Vance, who are coming off a packed week at the Republican National Convention (RNC) in Milwaukee, where each accepted their respective nominations to appear on the GOP ticket together.
“They keep saying he’s a threat to democracy. I’m saying, ‘’What the hell did I do to democracy?’ Last week I took a bullet for democracy,” Trump said as the crowd cheered, referencing an often used Democrat talking point. “What did I do against democracy? Crazy.”
WATCH: THOUSANDS DESCEND ON MICHIGAN TOWN FOR FIRST TRUMP RALLY SINCE FAILED ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT
Vance spoke ahead of Trump, and dedicated part of his time on stage to slamming Vice President Kamala Harris, asking rallygoers “what the hell” she has ever done and noting his own service as a U.S. Marine.
“I’ve served in the United States Marine Corps … What the hell have you done?” Vance said.
“What has she done other than collect a check from her political offices?” he asked, before going on to talk about his grandmother, who he calls “Mamaw,” and his upbringing.
Harris ripped Vance after his Wednesday speech at the RNC in which he accepted his role on the 2024 ticket.
“It was compelling. It’s a compelling story. But it’s not the full story,” Harris said after Vance’s RNC speech. “Frankly, what is very telling is what he did not talk about on that stage. He did not talk about Project 2025, the 900-page blueprint for a second term. He did not talk about it because their plans are extreme, and they are divisive.”
RNC DELEGATES, GUESTS MAKE PREDICTIONS ABOUT BIDEN’S POLITICAL FUTURE AMID REPORTS HE MIGHT EXIT 2024 RACE
Vance later spoke to rallygoers about the various challenges facing the nation under President Biden’s administration, including the fentanyl crisis, the border crisis and the economy.
Trump took the stage after Vance, beginning his speech by saying that he “shouldn’t be here right now, but something very, something very special happened.” He took a moment to recognize the supporters who were injured or killed at the rally last week.
“We continue to pray for the recovery of the two citizens who were wounded in that evil attack – David Dutch and James Copenhaver, two really incredible people,” the Republican frontrunner said. “We remain in contact and send our deepest respect to the families.”
ALINA HABBA TAKES ON MAJOR ROLE IN TRUMP CAMPAIGN, DISHES ON HIS HIGHLY ANTICIPATED RNC SPEECH
Trump also acknowledged the death of Corey Comparatore, calling him a “hero” for protecting his family from the bullets.
“Corey Comparatore was a brave firefighter who died, [his] funeral [was] yesterday,” Trump said. “Corey was a hero. And we will carry his memory in our hearts for all time.”
Later in his speech, Trump conducted a “poll” with the audience members about who should become the Democratic nominee if President Biden steps down from the race.
“We’re going to do a poll, and it’s going to be a very nice poll and great. Who is your favorite candidate? Who would you like?” Trump said.
GOV. WHITMER TELLS ‘THE VIEW’ SHE NEVER SAID MICHIGAN’S UNWINNABLE FOR BIDEN: ‘CRAZIEST THING TO THINK’
“So who would you like to most run against, if you’re us, if we want to win? Ready? Kamala Harris? Crooked Joe Biden?” Trump asked. The audience booed louder in response to Biden.
Trump also engaged with the crowd on a personal level, and while he was speaking about electric cars, he suddenly recognized an audience member who was a union member.
“Are you the same guy? Yes? No kidding,” Trump said. “Pretty good memory, right? Unlike somebody else that I happen to be running against.”
The Republican then encouraged the worker to get up on stage and joked around with him.
“He’s a serious union guy, a United Auto Workers [worker],” Trump said. “He does not carry guns. Come on up here, look at him. Look at the shape he’s in.”
“I’m glad to see this guy,” the union worker said energetically at the podium. “I told you, we’re gonna get 85 million of us out there to vote for him. So let’s go home from this rally and do our part.”
The former president also slammed Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, calling her a “terrible” leader.
“Well, you have a terrible governor here who did a terrible job. Whitmer — I’d like to run against her, actually,” Trump laughed.
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Michigan is expected to be one of the most closely watched battleground states in November, and could narrowly determine who will serve the American people in the White House for the next four years.
Polls have largely suggested Trump leads Biden in every battleground state, as well as in some states that have trended more Democratic in recent years. That comes as a growing number of Democrats call for Biden to step aside from the 2024 race, in favor of Harris or another candidate.
Hillary Clinton floated as ‘mightiest of all’ Biden replacements
Social media users were surprised by a new column from “The Hill” floating former Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton as the replacement for President Biden’s 2024 candidacy.
The outlet’s opinion contributor, Pablo O’Hana authored a piece on Saturday titled, “Ready for Round 2: Why we Need Hillary more than ever.” It argued that the former U.S. Secretary of State, who already lost the presidency to former President Trump in 2016, is the most suitable person to replace Biden as calls for him to suspend his re-election camp grow.
The piece turned heads on social media, with people like senior Trump advisor Jason Miller theorizing that there must be some weight behind this claim. “SHE’S RUNNING!!!” he declared.
GOV. WHITMER TELLS ‘THE VIEW’ SHE NEVER SAID MICHIGAN’S UNWINNABLE FOR BIDEN: ‘CRAZIEST THING TO THINK’
In the column, O’Hana wrote, “The strongest argument against replacing President Joe Biden as the 2024 Democratic nominee is the notion that no suitable successor exists. But there is, and not just a good one but one of the most qualified people ever to run for the office: Hillary Rodham Clinton.”
He even asserted that Clinton is “perhaps the mightiest of all” alternatives to Biden, arguing that she is “younger than both Biden and Trump,” has “an unparalleled resume and an unmatched depth of experience,” and is a strong advocate “for children’s rights and health care.”
The author even went so far as to say that there are “millions” of voters who regret not voting for her in 2016 and want a do-over.
“These swing-back voters are crucial to winning; Clinton can turn past regrets into proactive support by being a powerful reminder of the stakes of straying in 2024.”
O’Hana concluded his piece, declaring, “The Democrats have a seasoned, savvy and adaptable candidate in Hillary Clinton. Without the burden of incumbency, she can run on a platform of stability, restoration and progress, with the credibility of her lifetime in public service and proven leadership. In her candidacy, we might just find our best chance to retain the White House and transcend the gladiatorial spectacle of politics.”
DO THESE POTENTIAL BIDEN REPLACEMENTS HAVE WHAT IT TAKES TO BEAT TRUMP?
The piece got some attention on X. In his post, Miller added, “These opinion pieces don’t happen organically – Crooked is on the move!!!”
Conservative commentator Alex Sheppard remarked on the piece, stating, “If so, this is great news for Trump. She is the least likable politician of all time.”
Former cop and law enforcement consultant Deon Joseph replied to Miller’s post, stating, “Oh hell no. Definitely voting for Trump Now.”
User @TheMagaHulk wrote, “Hillary and Kamala are the only two desperate enough to run against Trump this election, especially after Saturday.”
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Trump donor who gave $1M to family of firefighter killed at rally identified
The donor recognized by President Trump during his Republican National Convention (RNC) address Thursday night for contributing $1 million to the family of the man killed during a Trump rally has been identified as Florida attorney Dan Newlin.
A spokesperson for Newlin confirmed to FOX Business that the injury attorney gave the seven-figure sum to the family of 50-year-old retired fire chief Corey Comperatore, who died after being shot while shielding his wife and daughter during the assassination attempt on Trump last Saturday at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.
During his speech on Thursday, Trump honored Comperatore, as well as the two other victims critically injured in the shooting, James Copenhaver, 70, and David Dutch, 57, before recognizing the donations to a GoFundMe he authorized for their loved ones.
GOFUNDME ‘AUTHORIZED’ BY TRUMP FOR BUTLER, PA, VICTIMS EXCEEDS $5M; ELON MUSK DONATES $100K
“I am very proud to say that over the past few days we’ve raised $6.3 million for the families of David, James and Corey, including from a friend of mine… Right here, I just got it, $1 million,” Trump said, holding up a check. “From Dan Newlin, thank you, Dan.”
Trump emphasized that no amount of money could compensate for the loss of Comperatore’s life or the injuries Copenhaver and Dutch sustained.
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He then held a moment of silence in honor of Comperatore.
Biden taunted with unfiltered message splashed on truck near beach house
A truck with a billboard that urged those closest to President Biden to help him step down from the presidential race was seen driving near his Reboboth Beach house in Delaware on Saturday.
The billboard’s message, written like an email on the back of the truck, said it was an “urgent memo.”
“To: Biden family, friends, allies, staff,” it continued with the “Subject: It’s your responsibility.”
“In this moment, as he considers his future, President Biden should hear the truth from the people who have always had his back,” it said.
The side of the truck had the same message along with a black and white photo of the president.
Biden is recuperating from the coronavirus at the beach house.
Rep. Adam Schiff calling on President Biden to drop out of the presidential race this week is a sign of “selfish desperation” on his part, Schiff’s Republican opponent Steve Garvey told Fox News Digital.
Garvey pointed out that Schiff’s message to Biden came just as it was revealed that Garvey had outraised his Democratic opponent by more than $1 million.
“Adam Schiff’s recent act of selfish desperation to abandon his presidential nominee has caused a clear reaction from his supporters on his social media,” Garvey, the Republican candidate vying to fill the late Dianne Feinstein’s seat, told Fox News Digital. “It’s now clear to his supporters what has been clear to millions of Americans for years, that Adam Schiff only cares about Adam Schiff, and Californians deserve a senator that puts them above politics.”
Schiff told Fox News Digital that a “second Trump presidency will undermine the very foundation of our democracy, and I have serious concerns about whether the President can defeat Donald Trump in November.”
Earlier this week, Schiff said: “Joe Biden has been one of the most consequential presidents in our nation’s history, and his lifetime of service as a Senator, a Vice President, and now as President has made our country better. But our nation is at a crossroads.”
He added that he believed it was time for the president to “pass the torch” but said he will strenuously try to get the nominee, whether it’s the president or not, elected come November.
It was a change in rhetoric from Schiff who in February questioned special counsel Robert Hur saying in his classified documents report that Biden could come off to a jury as a “sympathetic, well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory.”
Schiff told Hur his report “disparage[d] the president” and insisted Hur knew his report “would have a maximal political impact,” which Hur denied.
Click here to read more of this story by Kyle Morris on Fox News Digital.
Kyle Morris contributed to this report.
Some Democratic donors are reportedly privately vetting several possible vice-presidential picks in case President Biden drops his bid for reelection and Vice President Kamala Harris becomes the nominee.
The effort is not part of the Democratic National Committee or the Biden campaign, according to the Washington Post, citing four sources.
The committee is vetting Democrats such as Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper and Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer – but it’s unclear if any of the politicians are involved in the effort themselves.
A person close to Kelly said they aren’t aware of any outside donors attempting to vet him as a vice presidential pick, but said when he’s heard from supporters asking him to vie for a national office, “what they are hearing back is, Kelly supports Biden and Harris.”
The donors might not be allowed to deal directly with a potential Harris campaign, however, because of election laws, meaning the donors might have to reveal their vetting findings publicly. This could be an issue as vetting is usually a confidential process.
The donors are reportedly trying to get a jump on the vetting process with only 108 days until the election on Nov. 5.
Biden’s campaign so far has said he plans to stay in the race and is “in it to win it.”
A new column from “The Hill” argued that Hillary Clinton might be the “mightiest” Democratic candidate who can replace Biden on the party’s presidential ticket.
An op-ed in “The Hill” on Saturday titled “Ready for Round 2: Why we Need Hillary more than ever” has raised some eyebrows.
“The strongest argument against replacing President Joe Biden as the 2024 Democratic nominee is the notion that no suitable successor exists. But there is, and not just a good one but one of the most qualified people ever to run for the office: Hillary Rodham Clinton,” opinion contributor Pablo O’Hana wrote.
Of course, Clinton lost to former President Trump in 2016.The piece caught senior Trump advisor Jason Miller’s eye with him writing on social media: “SHE’S RUNNING!!! These opinion pieces don’t happen organically – Crooked is on the move!!!”
O’Hana argued that Clinton is “perhaps the mightiest of all” alternatives to Biden because she is “younger than both Biden and Trump,” has “an unparalleled resume and an unmatched depth of experience,” and is a strong advocate “for children’s rights and health care.”
He added, “Clinton can turn past regrets” on the part of voters who didn’t cast their ballot for her “into proactive support by being a powerful reminder of the stakes of straying in 2024.”
Most Democrats seem to have coalesced around the idea of Vice President Kamala Harris as the Democratic nominee if Biden were to drop out.
Click here to read this article by Gabriel Hays on Fox News Digital.
Hunter Biden has remained one of his father’s most ardent supporters, but some have alleged that he is merely angling for pardons in two cases brought against him.
Fox News Digital exclusive photos show Hunter Biden out and about in Los Angeles while his father, President Joe Biden, remained hunkered down on the other side of the country, battling to save his legacy.
The younger Biden, who has reportedly been closely advising his father as a chorus of key Democrats have called on him to end his re-election bid, was seen shopping Friday and leaving the home of “Sugar Bro” Kevin Morris, the entertainment lawyer who funded his defense in a recent criminal trial.
President Biden has reportedly relied heavily on his troubled Yale Law School graduate son and his wife, first lady Jill Biden, as he has tried to fend off claims he is not mentally fit to serve another four years as president.
The calls reached a crescendo following his disastrous performance in his June 27 debate against former President Donald Trump, the Republican nominee.
Click here to read more of this article by Peter Aitken on Fox News Digital.
Holding signs like “We love you but it’s time,” “Country over candidacy” and “You promised us a bridge, don’t give us a wall,” dozens of Democrats and progressives chanted “Pass the Torch” at a rally outside of the White House Saturday afternoon.
The group was urging President Biden to drop out of the presidential race so another Democrat can replace him to go up against former President Trump in November.
Despite the rainy weather, impassioned speakers talked about the importance of beating Trump and having the best candidate in place to do so.
“We need Biden to pass the torch to the next generation of Democrats,” one speaker told the crowd,” adding that they would be “committed to doing everything we can do to stop Donald Trump” by uniting the party and voting for Democrats.
The speaker added it would be very uniting to see the “leader of the party hand over their power for the greater good.”
Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., voiced her support for Vice President Harris to “unite the party” should President Biden decide to ultimately leave the Democrat ticket.
“If President Biden decides to step back, we have Vice President Kamala Harris, who is ready to step up to unite the party, to take on Donald Trump, and to win in November,” Warren said during an appearance Saturday on MSNBC.
Warren stressed that “Joe Biden is our nominee” and that he has a “big decision to make,” but that Harris gives her “a lot of hope.”
“Kamala has led the charge in order to fight back against the Republicans that want a nationwide abortion ban, and, look, if you’re running against a convicted felon, then a prosecutor like Kamala is really a good person to make that case,” Warren added.“
No matter what happens, I will be out there fighting for Democrats. I believe we’re going to come together and we’re going to win in November.”
The White House issued a fresh update on President Biden’s health, assuring that his condition continues to improve even as symptoms persist.“
He is still experiencing a loose, non-productive cough and hoarseness, but his symptoms continue to improve steadily,” Kevin O’Connor, Physician to the President, wrote in a letter to White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre.
“His pulse, blood pressure, respiratory rate and temperature remain absolutely normal,” O’Connor noted. “His oxygen saturation continues to be excellent on room air. His lungs remain clear.”
The update on his vitals indicates no fever, which during the COVID-19 pandemic indicated a worsening condition.
The new variant of the virus the president contracted accounts for 33.3% of new cases in the United States, according to O’Conner.
“The President continues to tolerate treatment well and will continue PAXLOVID as planned,” he wrote, noting it is Biden’s sixth dose of treatment. “He continues to perform all his presidential duties.”
Rep. Mark Takano, D-Calif., has added his voice to the growing number of elected Democrats calling for President Biden to drop out of the race and “pass the torch to Kamala Harris.”
“Perhaps no President in my lifetime has accomplished more in a single term or been as decent a human being as Joe Biden,” Takano, the Ranking Member of the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, wrote in a statement posted on social media platform X.
“President Biden’s greatest accomplishment remains saving democracy in 2020,” Tanako continued. “He can and must do so again in 2024 – by passing the torch to Vice President Harris as the Democratic Party Presidential nominee.”
“It has become clear to me that the demands of a modern campaign are now best met by the Vice President, who can seamlessly transition into the role as our party’s standard bearer,” he insisted.
“Joe, I love and respect you, but he stakes are too high to fail. It’s time to pass the torch to Kamala,” Takano stressed.
In a post on Truth Social, former President Donald Trump blasted President Biden as the “WORST PRESIDENT IN THE HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES” and took shots at the various legal cases against him, most of which have been dismissed or delayed.
“He has created a horrible precedent for the future,” Trump wrote. “Democrat appointed Judges and Prosecutors, together with local D.A.’s and Attorney Generals, have played the game with them.”
“Based on the opinion of legal scholars and experts, they had no good case out of the many against me, but of all their cases, their best shot was the documents case, a complete HOAX, in Florida,” Trump insisted.
“They illegally RAIDED MY HOUSE, Mar-a-Lago, in that one,” he added. “Well, that case was just THROWN OUT IN FULL IN THAT IT WAS UNCONSTITUTIONAL. THE OTHERS ARE ON WEAK GROUNDS, including those where we have Crooked Judges and Prosecutors.”
Trump denounced the whole effort as a “Political Witch Hunt” and demanded that Biden insist on dropping ever case to run a “FAIR AND OPEN CAMPAIGN.”
The Biden campaign is looking to tap some star power as the president returns to the campaign trail, roping in David Letterman to headline a fundraiser on July 29.
Hawaii Gov. Josh Green will join the former “Late Night” host in stumping for donors at the house of a Biden family friend on Martha’s Vineyard in Massachusetts.
Biden and first lady Jill Biden will attend the event as well as part of a fundraising gauntlet the president plans to hit as he sees out the month ahead of his planned certification by the DNC.
The Associated Press reported that Biden will have 10 fundraisers over the last 10 days of July.
Green told the Associated Press that he expects Biden to stay in the race, but if he does step down then Vice-President Kamala Harris will likely get the nod to succeed him.
“I think the president stays in this race unless he feels that it is not winnable, or he feels that he has to hear other voices in his inner circle that he shouldn’t run,” Green said. “If the president felt that he wasn’t up to it and truly not up to it, he would step down.”
Sen. J.D. Vance, R-Ohio, has pushed the argument that a President Biden unfit to seek a second term is also unfit to remain in office for the last months of his current administration.
“Everyone calling on Joe Biden to stop running without also calling on him to resign the presidency is engaged in an absurd level of cynicism,” Vance wrote on social media platform X.
“If you can’t run, you can’t serve,” Vance stressed. “He should resign now.”
Vance joins the calls from other Republicans who over the past week have tried to make the push to get Biden off the ticket one and the same as getting Biden out of office.
Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., on Friday argued that “if he’s not going to be their nominee because he’s not up to it, how can he be our president for the next six months?”
“If there’s something wrong with you that doesn’t allow you to run for president, how can you still be there as president?” Rubio told Politico. “If they’re going to remove him as nominee, they’ve got to remove him as president, and that’s really bad for our country.”
President Biden plans to return to the campaign trail as soon as possible, with plans to visit Georgia and Texas in the coming days.
Axios reported that Biden has started laying out his travel plans as he recovers from COVID-19 at his Delaware beach house in Rehoboth. He has resisted calls from his party to step down, with his communications team holding a remote press conference on Saturday to push the argument for a second Biden presidency.
The calls for Biden to step down has drawn over 30 sitting Democrat congressmembers
: Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, on Friday urged Biden to “end his campaign,” arguing that “our full attention must return to these important issues.”
One senior Democrat official told Axios that the entire issue feels “stuck” at the moment, adding that it’s “not to say it’s going to stay stuck.”
Senior officials are pushing Biden to make a final decision over the weekend and have continued arguing with Biden advisers as to why bowing out would best serve the good of the party.
“It’s a fairly universal sentiment internally that we have reached the end of the road,” one Biden aide admitted, noting that some key hold outs will keep fighting to keep Biden in the race.
The rulemaking body of the Democratic National Convention is preparing to vote on President Biden as the party’s presidential nominee.
The Democratic National Convention’s Rules Committee members voted Friday for a virtual roll call on Aug. 7 to certify Biden’s victory, despite widespread upset over what many call visible mental decline.
The nearly 200 committee members will meet again on or before July 26 to formally adopt the virtual roll call format.
The vote itself will be held in the first week of August and is thus far expected to serve as a rubber stamp on the Biden campaign;
President Biden’s campaign is planning fundraising events that extend through to the end of the month.
The Biden-Harris ticket is holding a fundraiser on July 29th in Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts that will feature special guests talk show legend David Letterman and Hawaiian Gov. Josh Green.
President Biden and first lady Jill Biden will be in attendance.
Green, who has been governor of Hawaii since 2022, is a personal friend of the Bidens. The governor is among the administration’s closest political allies.
“We support the President, the V.P. and the Democratic Party, in good and tough times because he has been there for us as a family and a state,” Green told the Associated Press.
With the Democratic Party set to follow through on plans for an early roll call nominating Biden as their presidential candidate, this fundraiser is further proof of the campaign’s commitment to staying on the ballot.
Vice President Kamala Harris spoke on the phone with approximately 300 major Democratic Party donors on Friday, telling them there was nothing to worry about within President Biden’s campaign, despite the media kerfuffle.
“I will start by sharing something with all of you, something I believe in my heart of hearts. It is something I feel strongly you should all hear and should take with you when you leave, and tell your friends too,” Harris told the donors, according to multiple reports. “We are going to win this election. We are going to win.”
Harris spoke to donors via video for approximately five minutes, championing the Biden administration and sharply criticizing former President Donald Trump’s rhetoric at the Republican National Convention.
“Let me be clear: Trump’s convention this week was one big attempt to distract people,” Harris reportedly told donors. “He wants to distract attention away from his record and his Project 2025 plan. Can you believe they put it in writing? It is further empirical evidence that the stakes of this election couldn’t be higher.”
The call was intended to quell fears among party donors that backlash against Biden from within his party could prove disastrous for his campaign.
Biden has been consistent and clear that he intends to stay in the race and run against Trump in November as the Democratic Party nominee.
The Biden campaign took a swipe at “anonymous” sources that have relayed concerns from within the Democratic Party about the president’s candidacy as questions continue about his physical and mental state.
Campaign Spokesperson Kevin Munoz highlighted Biden TV interviews this past week and support from Black women and Hispanic groups, while linking Trump to the conservative Project 2025 agenda, which has been portrayed as a blueprint for a future Republican administration, which he has disavowed.
“Donald Trump and Republicans – despite claims of a ‘new tone – their message is the same: Revenge and retribution,” Munoz said in a memo released Friday evening highlighting why Biden should stay in the race. “Their convention focused on bowing down to Putin, mass deportation, and inflicting their Project 2025 agenda on the American people.”
Biden scrapped several campaign events this week after contracting COVID-19. He is self-isolating in Delaware. Meanwhile, Vice President Kamala Harris is on the campaign trial.
“And as we’ve said before, President Biden is excited to get back on the campaign trail as soon as he can,” he added.
In making his case, Munoz highlighted the Republican National Convention that concluded Thursday in Milwaukee.
“Attendees brandished signs calling for ‘Mass Deportations Now,’ while an architect of Trump’s cruel family separation policy took center stage during the convention’s primetime slot,” he said.
“JD Vance, the poster child for Project 2025’s extremism, was unveiled as Trump’s running mate and, in becoming Trump’s vice presidential nominee, doubled down on a future of abortion bans, worse access to health care, and higher costs for middle-class Americans,” added Munoz.
Authorities release new report on would-be assassin who tried to kill Trump
An official cause and manner of death has been released for former President Trump’s would-be assassin, Thomas Matthew Crooks.
Crooks died of a gunshot wound to the head, the Butler County Coroner’s Office told Fox News Digital Saturday. His manner of death was ruled a homicide.
The 20-year-old was pronounced dead in Butler County, where he fired five rounds at a Trump rally July 13 and nicked the former president in the ear before he was “neutralized” 26 seconds later.
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A post-mortem examination was completed in neighboring Allegheny County, where Crooks lived in Bethel Park, the Butler County Coroner’s Office said. Fox News Digital has reached out to that county’s office for comment.
It is unclear what happened to Crooks’ body after the examination. Fox News Digital has been unable to reach his family for comment.
Although investigators have not yet determined his motive, a picture of the 20-year-old man who attempted to assassinate former President Trump is becoming more clear as his former classmates come forward with their impressions.
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Few people clapped when slender, bespectacled Thomas Matthew Crooks was handed his diploma at his graduation from Bethel Park High School in 2022, a YouTube video of the ceremony shows.
Former peers who have spoken out since he was shot dead by Secret Service agents July 13 have characterized the Pennsylvania resident as a quiet loner.
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Julianna Grooms, who graduated one year after Crooks, told The Wall Street Journal, “People would say he was the student who would shoot up the school,” that he was bullied and that he was an “easy target.”
But a classmate who rode the school bus with Crooks and whose sister was close with the shooter told Fox News Digital he had been mischaracterized by classmates who are “making up” the “most random information.”
“He didn’t talk a lot, but when he was talked to, he would make good conversation,” the former Bethel Park High School student, who graduated a year behind Crooks, said Friday night. “He was easy to talk to. He would make good conversation. He was very chill, very humble.
“He had friends. He had friends on the bus, in class,” the classmate said. “Not a lot of people knew him, but the ones that did never had a negative experience with him.
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“You definitely have to be crazy to do what he did, but I was so surprised when I found out it was him.”
Suspect arrested after authorities thwart deadly plot detailed in chilling words
BETHEL PARK, Penn – A Florida man was accused of making “written threats to kill” former President Trump and Sen. JD Vance and their families just days after a Pennsylvania man attempted to assassinate the 45th president.
The Jupiter Police Department announced that 68-year-old Michael M. Wiseman was arrested on Friday for charges for written threats to kill.
Authorities alleged that Wiseman wrote threats against the Republican presidential nominee and vice presidential nominee on his Facebook account and also made to members of the Trump and Vance families.
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The police department said it was notified of the threats, including bodily harm, by multiple members of the community.
Jupiter, Florida is about 20 miles, or an approximately 30-minute drive, north of Trump’s Mar-a-Lago home in Palm Beach.
“JPD coordinated the investigation with the United States Secret Service and the Palm Beach County State Attorney’s Office,” the department said. “JPD officers took Wiseman into custody without incident.”
The threat came just days after Trump was shot at in a shocking attempt on the president’s life at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.
On Saturday, July 13, as Trump was talking about immigration, the first shot from the would-be assassin was fired.
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Corey Comperatore, a firefighter, father and big fan of Trump, was shot in the head and killed.
Two other people — David Dutch, 57, and James Copenhaver, 74 — were critically wounded.
On Sunday, the FBI identified the gunman as Thomas Matthew Crooks.
He was 20 years old and lived in Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, about 50 miles from the rally site.
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He graduated with an associate’s degree in engineering from a local community college and worked at a nursing and rehabilitation center.
So far, investigators have not revealed Crooks’ motive.
Amazon makes major change to hit show following Trump assassination attempt
Amazon Prime Video has added a disclaimer to “The Boys” season finale condemning political violence following the assassination attempt against former President Trump.
“The season finale of ‘The Boys’ contains scenes of fictional political violence, which some viewers may find disturbing, especially in light of the injuries and tragic loss of life sustained during the assassination attempt on former President Trump,” the disclaimer begins.
Prime Video noted that the newest season of the violent, superhero satire was filmed in 2023 and any similarities to real-world events are “coincidental and unintentional.”
“Amazon, Sony Picture Television and the producers of ‘The Boys’ reject, in the strongest terms, real-world violence of any kind,” the disclaimer concludes.
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The episode, originally titled “Assassination Run,” has been renamed. The episode was released with the new title, “The Boys Season 4 Finale.” It features an assassination attempt against the show’s president-elect.
Season five of “The Boys” will be the show’s final installment.
Showrunner Eric Kripke has been outspoken about his opposition to Trump, and “The Boys” has been described by critics and fans as an unsubtle allegory criticizing Trumpism and right-wing politics.
“I clearly have a perspective, and I’m not shy about putting that perspective in the show,” Kripke told The Hollywood Reporter. “Anyone who wants to call the show ‘woke’ or whatever, that’s OK. Go watch something else. But I’m certainly not going to pull any punches or apologize for what we’re doing.”
Last Saturday’s assassination attempt against Trump that left one person dead and two others seriously wounded also caused Channel 4 in the UK to pull an episode of “The Simpsons.”
The episode “Lisa the Iconoclast” is from the show’s seventh season and follows Lisa as she attempts to tell Springfield residents the truth about her hometown’s founder. At one point, a law enforcement officer can be seen aiming at her as she stands at a podium.
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This is not the first time a television show has been pulled or altered because of real-world events.
The Joss Whedon supernatural drama “Buffy the Vampire” postponed two episodes of its third season that involved school violence in the aftermath of the Columbine massacre.
The “Hannibal” series starring Mads Mikkelsen completely removed its fourth episode following the Sandy Hook shooting. The episode never aired on television but has since been placed on streaming platforms. The plot involved a woman who was manipulating kids to murder their families.
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Billionaire tech CEO makes admission about Democratic party with jab at Trump
Billionaire Palantir CEO Alex Karp said this week that he is “not thrilled” with the direction the Democratic Party is taking, but he will still be “voting against Trump.”
The remarks from Karp were featured in a Friday article by the Financial Times, which questioned whether Silicon Valley tech investors were shifting their support from President Biden to former President Donald Trump ahead of the 2024 presidential election.
“People who innovate are fleeing. It is an intellectual mistake that the progressive wing doesn’t engage,” Karp said. “I personally am not thrilled by the direction [of the Democratic Party], but how far can they go before I reconsider? I am voting against Trump.”
Highlighted by the outlet as a “major Biden donor,” Karp appeared to share concerns that the Democratic Party’s liberal agenda may be too much to bear for many Americans and Democrats in Silicon Valley.
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“Political correctness in the party is a huge problem, the Democrats can’t yet understand the cost of it,” he added in his comments to the outlet.
The remarks from Karp come amid a growing number of calls from elected Democrats for Biden to withdraw from the 2024 race.
Karp has repeatedly spoken out against progressive activists in recent months, describing wokeness as the main threat to his tech company and America, overall earlier this year.
The outspoken executive made the statement during an earnings call in May, noting that his company, which specializes in making software for data collection, had seen strong growth in the latest period because it champions Western values while other companies and institutions have suffered for embracing progressive ideology.
“I think the central risk to Palantir and America and the world is a regressive way of thinking that is corrupting and corroding our institutions that calls itself ‘progressive,’ but actually — and is called ‘woke’ — but is actually a form of a thin pagan religion,” Karp said at the time.
“There are lots of questions about why we are so active in defending the values of the West, that our belief that the West is a superior way to live, and our ways of organizing around that are the reason why our products are transformative,” he added.
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Karp continued, “The reason why we have the best people in the world; the reason why a Palantir degree, as it were, is much more valuable than an Ivy League degree.”
He went on, stating that “the Ivy Leagues” have “embraced the thin and new woke religion, otherwise, viewed as an intellectual cause, but in fact, is a way of organizing things so that the greatest institutions of our time disappear and turn into discriminatory dysfunction.”
Karp called Palantir a “counter-example” to companies that have embraced wokeness, adding, “I’m super proud of the results. We are going to continue to execute, especially in the U.S.”
“That is a real danger to our society, and it is a real danger to Palantir if we allow — if we don’t discuss these things,” he said, concluding his point.
Karp was quick to speak out against the anti-Israel agitators that have been active on college campuses across the country since the Oct. 7 attack against Israel by Hamas.
During a Reagan National Defense Forum panel discussion last December, Karp called out American companies for not speaking out in support of Israel following the attack. “As far as I can tell, there are only three companies that have been publicly pro-Israel on Oct. 7,” he said, naming Palantir, Booz Allen and Anduril Industries.
Addressing business leaders who have dropped the ball on the subject, he urged, “We have to do better.”
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That same month, Palantir announced via social media platform X that it was prioritizing hiring Jewish college students once they graduate.
“Students on campuses are terrified and have been instructed by administrators to hide their Judaism. We are launching an initiative for students who because of antisemitism fear for their safety on campus and need to seek refuge outside traditional establishments of higher education. They are welcome to join Palantir, and we are setting aside 180 positions for them immediately. More details to follow shortly,” read the post.