Democrat who led DNC revolt against Jimmy Carter makes prediction about Biden
A former Democratic lawmaker who led a failed effort to unseat President Jimmy Carter at the party’s 1980 convention said he expects that President Biden will likely be ousted before next month’s DNC in Chicago.
Former Rep. Mike Barnes, D-Md., told the New York Post Biden could be out in a matter of days.
“I don’t think this is going to go to the Democratic convention in the current posture,” he told The Post in an interview Friday. “I think, I think, Biden will be out probably within the next days.”
The 1980 Democratic convention, held at New York’s Madison Square Garden, saw Carter stave off a challenge from Sen. Ted Kennedy, D-Mass.
Biden has resisted calls to exit the presidential race following his debate performance heavily-criticized debate performance last month and has insisted that he will be the Democratic nominee.
“I think if he goes to the convention wanting the nomination, and all of his troops are working the delegates, he’ll be nominated,” Barnes said.
Delegates are expected to nominate Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris in a virtual roll call sometime before the Aug. 7 deadline to make the Ohio ballot.
Barnes said that concerns about Biden’s age were well-founded.
“I’m 80 years old. I’m in pretty decent shape. I swam a mile yesterday. I played golf the day before, and I’m planning to go to the gym later today for an hour and a half.
“But it would be crazy for me to think about running for President of the United States and being president from now until January 20, 2029,” he added. “Yeah. I mean, this is, this is crazy.”
President Biden came out swinging against former President Donald Trump during his Detroit rally on Friday, while resisting calls for him to exit the presidential race.
Biden noted that he won Michigan in 2020 and pledged to win it again.
“I know him, Donald Trump is a loser,” said Biden.
He the addressed the growing calls for him to exit the race amid concerns over his mental and physical capability.
“Folks I’m the nominee. I’m the nominee,” he said. “In part because 14 million Democrats like you voted for me in the primaries. You made me the nominee. No one else.”
President Biden was speaking to voters in Detroit on Friday in an effort to shore up support and make former President Trump “a loser again.”
He started by referring Detroit’s place in music history, saying “Motown is Joetown” before bashing Trump.
“Donald trump riding around in his golf cart filling out his scorecard before hitting the ball,” he said to cheers from the crowd.
The crowd began chanting “We got Joe’s back” and Lock him up,” referring to Trump.
And I’m going to beat him again.
Criticism from ex-Obama staffers toward President Biden, including calls for him to exit the 2024 presidential race, serve as a stark reminder of the well-known tensions between the former White House duo that go back nearly two decades.
The often testy relationship between Biden and Obama reportedly began shortly after the latter’s election to the Senate in 2004, when both men served on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Obama, according to The New York Times, wasn’t fond of Biden’s often-long-winded speeches to the point where, on one occasion, he passed a note to a colleague reading, “Shoot. Me. Now.”
The pair eventually found themselves facing off for the 2008 Democratic presidential nomination, where Biden, while announcing his campaign, controversially referred to Obama as “the first mainstream African-American who is articulate and bright and clean and a nice-looking guy.”
The intense repercussions from the comment led to an apology from Biden, and Obama telling reporters, “I have no problem with Joe Biden.”
Biden eventually dropped out of the race after a dismal showing in the Iowa caucuses, but was subsequently picked by Obama to be his running mate. The two ultimately defeated Republican nominees John McCain and Sarah Palin.
The first few months of their administration reportedly saw frequent disagreements between the two, including a clash over Obama publicly diminishing Biden while speaking to reporters — which he later agreed with an upset Biden to avoid doing — and eye rolls from the former while the latter spoke during meetings.
Fox News Digital’s Brandon Gillespie contributed to this report.
The Biden campaign is taking a victory lap after his NATO press conference on Thursday, claiming the president not only met expectations but exceeded them.
A Biden campaign official told Fox News Digital that his performance was what voters were looking for, while praising the president’s responses to questions on foreign policy, including the Russia-Ukraine War, China and other foreign affairs topics.
The performance proved that Biden can handle former President Trump, the campaign believes.
Biden, according to the campaign, articulately laid out the economic progress under his watch and discussed complex foreign policy issues in a way that Trump is unable to do.
He was also hit with questions from reporters who pressed him on whether he would step aside amid mounting pressure from members within his own party following his disastrous debate performance last month.
Fox News Digital’s Andrew Mark Miller and Paul Steinhauser contributed to this report.
President Biden’s solo press conference Thursday evening at the NATO summit attracted an estimated 24.2 million people, according to Nielsen data.
The conference was available on eight television networks, including Fox News, all of which carried the press conference live from 7:30 to 8:30 p.m. ET
It came after the NATO Summit in Washington and as questions about Biden mental and physical acuity continue to hound him.
The largest viewership was in the 55 and older demographic, where 19.2 million viewers watched live. Among adults 18-34, the number was just over 1 million, while 3.6 million adults ages 35 to 54 tuned in.
In comparison, Biden’s debate against former President Donald Trump in June drew over 51.3 million total viewers across all broadcast and cable networks.
U.S. Rep. Brad Schneider, D-Il., said he called on President Biden to make the “heroic choice” and exit the presidential race to “pass the baton to the next generation.”
Speaking with “Your World” host Neil Cavuto on Friday, Schneider, said a new generation of leaders are ready to move the country forward.
“And in the Democratic Party, we have a lot of leaders ready to take the mantle and move us forward,” he said. “I think the president has a chance to unite the party, unite the country.”
Schneider is one of more than a dozen Democrats calling for Biden to quit his bid for a second term as question swirl over his mental and physical acuity.
“I was the first of the Illinois delegation four years ago to endorse Joe Biden,” he said. “I thought he would be a great president, and he proved me right.”
Schneider added that Biden press conference on Thursday didn’t convince him to stand by the president.
“it’s not about a single press conference or a debate or a campaign event. It’s about where are we going and who’s best positioned to lead us,” he said. “The president’s done a great job bringing us to where we are. I think he has a chance.”
“But a capstone on his legacy, a legacy that he could be proud of and I believe will leave him as one of the greatest presidents in our nation’s history,” he added. “But it’s time for the next generation to step up, and we have the leaders to decide.”
President Biden continues to have support from Democratic delegates, despite a growing number of elected Democrats calling on him to step aside ahead of the 2024 election amid concern over his age and mental acuity.
Fox News Digital spoke to a handful of Democratic delegates who remain largely supportive of Biden and intend to cast their votes in support of him at the party’s convention next month.
Some also dismissed talk of Vice President Kamala Harris as Biden’s replacement, insisting that she and the president are an unbreakable team.
“I think he did an awesome job last night. I really do,” said Joanne Chesley, a pledged Biden delegate from North Carolina. “His clarity and his spontaneity … just well-informed responses. I was super impressed.”
S did say that she wished that Biden had realized that his age was going to be a potential issue in this election much earlier.
“I have gone from that kind of feeling, wishing that he had, you know, made that decision to say ‘no’ [to] we’ve got a person who really, really cares about this country,” she said. “Despite those occasional flirtations with him stepping aside, I, like I said, come back to looking at what’s best for our country right now. We’re in a very difficult time in our history.”
Fox News Digital’s Kyle Morris contributed to this report.
President Biden and former President Barack Obama speak often and have a close relationship, the White House said Friday.
White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre was asked about the Biden-Obama relationship Friday on Air Force One and whether the pair have talked since last month’s presidential debate.
“So I can’t speak to it any interaction of late, of recent in like the last couple of days, what I can say, look, obviously the this president was the vice president to the former president for eight years,” Jean-Pierre said. “They have a respectful, very close relationship, and the president is, you know, very proud to have that relationship. So I can’t speak to a conversation of late of recent. And I know,, they, they, they speak often.”
Her remarks came after former President Trump said that Obama and Biden “hate each other” and that Obama prefers Vice President Kamala Harris.
“OBAMA NEVER RESPECTED BIDEN, THOUGHT HE WAS DUMB, AND A TOTAL LIGHTWEIGHT,” Trump wrote in all caps on Truth Social. “WILL BE AN INTERESTING COUPLE OF WEEKS. OBAMA WANTS HIM OUT, WANTS V.P. HARRIS IN!”
The Biden campaign received a jump in donations following the president’s Thursday night press conference at a NATO Summit.
“Since last night, we’re seeing strong support across our coalition. But most importantly, we’re seeing with our grassroots base,” Campaign Communications Director Michael Tyler said. “We have close to 40,000 donations last night alone. Donations exploded during the president’s press conference. In fact, we had seven times, our average during the press conference.”
Tyler didn’t say how much in campaign contributions was received but the outpouring comes amid concerns that Biden fundraising pool is quickly drying up.
Major donors have decided to withhold contributions until Biden drops out of the race.
“This is a massive, massive problem,” one Democratic official told Politico. “Right now, we should be scaling up, doubling and tripling our goals as we head into the fall. But we’re cratering.”
The sources said grassroots fundraising is also being impacted by Biden’s disastrous debate performance against former President Trump.
Fox News Digital’s Anders Hagstrom contributed to this report.
First lady Jill Biden’s former press secretary blasted the White House communications team, saying they live in an “alternate universe” after a senior official praised President Biden’s performance durign a Thursday NATO press conference.
“There are two different versions of reality in my party right now, Michael LaRosa, who served as first lady Jill Biden’s press secretary, wrote on X in response to a post from Republican communicator Sarah Matthews criticizing the White House’s Senior Deputy Press Secretary, Andrew Bates.
“The below is an alternate universe that MOST of us Dems are NOT actually living in,” he wrote. “Being coherent in his FIRST ‘big boy press conference’ of 2024 is not exactly the bar most of us are looking for…. but clearly it’s the bar for Biden set by his own staff … and that is pretty ‘f—ing’ terrifying.”
Matthews had criticized Bates for a post on X he made following Biden’s highly anticipated NATO press conference
where the senior staffer said, “To answer the question on everyone’s minds: No, Joe Biden does not have a doctorate in foreign affairs. He’s just that f—ing good.”
Fox News Digital’s Andrew Mark Miller contributed to this report.
Former President Trump
on Friday urged President Biden to take a cognitive test to prove he’s up to the task of being the commander-in-chief.
Trump also said he would accompany Biden and also take the test.
“For the first time we’ll be a team, and do it for the good of the Country,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform. “And from now on, all Presidential candidates should be mandated to take a Cognitive Test and Aptitude Test, regardless of their age!!!”
Biden is resisting calls from Democrats to exit his presidential run amid questions and concerns about his physical and mental acuity. Trump has been one of his loudest critics.
The Biden campaign hit back at former President Trump on Friday with a video montage showing Trumps’ own mishaps on the campaign trail.
The nearly two-minute video showed Trump saying Biden defeated former President Barack Obama, and getting the names of several lawmakers confused.
“Here is a montage of a feeble Trump confusing names over and over and over again,” the Biden-Harris X account posted.
One clip shows Trump referring to Apple CEO Tim Cook and “Tim Apple” and the name of Paradise, California, which was devastated by wildfires in 2018 as “Pleasure.”
He also appeared to confuse former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and GOP presidential candidate Nikki Haley and mistakenly called Sioux City, Iowa, Sioux Falls.
Trump has repeatedly argued that Biden isn’t physically and mentally up tot the task of being president.
Biden has so far pushed back against a chorus of calls from within the Democratic Party for him to step aside and end his 2024 re-election campaign.
Donald Trump’s presidential campaign and allies see President Biden‘s highly anticipated and much-scrutinized Thursday news conference as a win for the former president.
“It appears Biden did enough to convince his apologists that he should remain on the ballot, but he also reinforced what the American people know. Their lives are being hurt by his weakness and failure on a daily basis,” a Trump campaign official, who asked for anonymity to speak more freely, told Fox News Digital after Thursday night’s press conference.
As the president continues to push back against a rising chorus of calls from within the Democratic Party for him to step aside and end his 2024 re-election campaign following last month’s disastrous debate performance with Trump, the news conference didn’t appear to do any further damage. But it’s also doubtful it will stem the growing movement to urge Biden to drop out of the race.
The Trump has argued that Biden, 81, isn’t physically or mentally capable of serving as president.
On Thursday, after Biden mistakenly referred to Vice President Kamala Harris as “Vice President Trump,” Trump’s social media account quickly shared a clip of the moment, with the former president writing, “Great job, Joe!”
Fox News Digital’s Paul Steinhauser contributed to this report.
Some major Democratic donors have told the largest pro-Biden super PAC that roughly $90 million in pledges will continue to be put on hold if President Biden remains atop the ticket.
The New York Times reported the news, citing conversations with two people who have been briefed on the discussions.
The frozen contributions to the Future Forward super PAC include multiple eight-figure commitments, according to the two people. One donors said they had been holding off on their contribution following Biden debate performance.
The freeze in donations comes as Biden is under increasing pressure from some Democrats and advisors to exit the presidential race.
Future Forward has already announced $250 million in TV and digital advertisements slated to begin at the end of the Democratic National Convention next month.
House Rep. Mike Levin, D-Calif., is the latest Democrat to join the growing list of lawmakers from within the party to call on President Biden to step aside from this year’s presidential race and “pass the torch.”
“Like so many of you, I was naturally concerned about President Biden’s performance in the recent debate,” Levin said in a statement. “Since then, I’ve made my opinions known in the appropriate manner with House Democratic leadership and my colleagues. And I called upon all Americans to give the President a window to make an expeditious decision about his candidacy.”
In the weeks since Biden’s debate performance, Levin has connected with his constituents and supporters. He called Biden an “outstanding leader” whom he has a “deep respect” for.
“I have deep respect for President Biden’s five plus decades of public service and incredible appreciation for the work we’ve done together these last three and a half years.” he said. “But I believe the time has come for President Biden to pass the torch.“
“We must prevail against the incalculable threat Donald Trump poses to the American institutions of freedom and democracy,” added Levin. “Donald Trump actively seeks a bleak authoritarianism and the overthrow of the values which have guided us towards justice and prosperity for nearly two and a half centuries.”
Three sources confirmed to Fox News on Friday that President Biden
will hold a virtual meeting with members of the New Dems Coalition this weekend, which includes numerous House Democrats that have called for him to drop his re-election bid.
The New Dems are a group of about 100 more moderate-leaning House Democrats, many of whom represent vulnerable districts. More than half of the 18 Congressional Democrats who have called for Biden to step aside so far are members of this group, including Rep. Brad Schneider, D-Ill., Rep. Pat Ryan, D-N.Y., and Rep. Angie Craig, D-Minn.
The call with the New Dems appears to be part of a series of meetings Biden is having over concerns about the viability of his re-election campaign. Biden has already met with the Congressional Black Caucus and Congressional Hispanic Caucus this week, and the Progressive Caucus is also working on setting up a meeting with him.
Fox News’ Kelly Phares and Tyler Olson contributed to this report.
Virgin Group Founder Richard Branson said Friday that it’s time for President Biden to “consider what’s at stake and step back from another run.”
“Whether in politics or in business, a true hallmark of forward-looking leadership is to build a lasting legacy, and that includes knowing when to hand over the baton to a younger generation that can take over and move the country and humanity forward,” Branson said in a statement.
“For him, standing down now wouldn’t have to mean the end of a lifetime in public service, either. He could still do enormous good in the world,” Branson continued. “But his desire to carry on has created a dangerous distraction from the issues this presidential race should really focus on. It’s not too late to make the right decision now and step aside – for America, and for the free world.”
Colorado Gov. Jared Polis has told Fox News Senior Correspondent Alicia Acuna on Friday that “something needs to change” regarding President Biden’s re-election bid.
Polis, speaking on the sidelines of the National Governors Association meeting in Salt Lake City, said he didn’t watch Biden’s press conference last night, but said instead of “one debate” or “one press conference” that “it’s really a question of what’s the winning strategy” in November.
When asked about a New York Times report stating that Polis told Biden during a recent meeting of Democrat governors that he has heard a “groundswell of wishes from various people that Mr. Biden would end his campaign,” Polis told Fox News “When you’re down a few points, something needs to change.
“So, whether that’s the strategy, whether that’s the message, whether that’s the candidate. Look, I think we’re open to all those possibilities,” he continued.
When asked point blank if he thinks President Biden should step aside, Polis said “I think he’s in the process of showing the American people that he’s the candidate that can win. I think what I want is not too different than what many Americans want. I want to make sure that we can protect American democracy.”
Fox News’ Jamie Vera contributed to this report.
Congress’ first week back in session since President Biden’s disastrous debate performance brought with it a mountain of media scrutiny for his fellow Democrats – much to the relief of House Republicans who have grown used to being mobbed by reporters for much of this term.
“We have really passed the baton of overthrowing political norms to the Democrats who are now running toward the greatest overthrow I’ve ever seen,” one House GOP aide told Fox News Digital.
Party leaders hoped members would lie low this week to avoid making news as Democrats wrestled with demanding their own presidential nominee off the ballot less than six months away from the election, according to a House Republican granted anonymity to discuss it.
Meanwhile, a second House GOP aide cautioned, “All Republicans need to do is keep our heads down and stay out of it.”
Ex-Obama adviser David Axelrod said that President Biden is increasingly trailing former President Trump in the battleground states, making it an open question as to whether he should step down.
“He really needs a royal flush to win this race,” Axelrod said on CNN Friday.
Multiple media figures and Biden allies have called on the president to withdraw from the race after a shaky debate performance last month.
“The president’s been behind for 10 months, consistently in this data” Axelrod said. “[According to] deeper data that the analytics people look at, he is now behind in all the battleground states and in some cases, well behind, beyond the margin of error.”
“So, yes, of course he can win,” Axelrod said. “Anyone can win. But given the stakes, and I think this is what those Democratic officials are thinking, given the stakes, the fact that he can win is not a persuasive argument. The question is: what are the odds that he would win, and would we have a better chance with someone else? That‘s the question everybody is pondering.”
California Gov. Gavin Newsom has told CBS that he is “all in” on President Biden’s re-election bid despite frequently getting messages asking him to consider running himself for the Democratic nomination.
“You’re not just a surrogate, you are somebody who is getting text messages and emails every day to consider running. How do you handle all of that?” Robert Costa asked Newsom in a clip of an upcoming ‘CBS Sunday Morning’ interview.
“Delete, delete, delete, delete. Thank you, delete. Rinse, repeat. I’m all in, no daylight,” Newsom responded.
“You never even engage in it privately?” Costa asked.
“No I don’t, absolutely not. I know one thing, everything you do in private becomes public. Even private thoughts seem to manifest publicly, so not a chance,” Newsom said.
The Biden campaign team is attempting to rally staffers as President Biden faces continued calls to withdraw from the race following his disastrous debate performance.
“We had two very, very, very hard weeks, very bad weeks,” Biden campaign chair Jen O’Malley Dillon told staff on a call, as reported by Axios. “I told you I’d level with you, they’ve been bad f—— weeks,” she said.
Reports of both White House and campaign staffers feeling demoralized and “miserable” about Biden’s candidacy have grown dramatically in recent weeks.
“This two-week window has really sucked, and it is hard, there is no doubt about it. And it’s hard for all of us because we are doing the job,” she told staffers.
“If we can get through these two weeks that we’re living through, we can get through anything,” she said.
NBA Hall of Famer Charles Barkley called on President Biden to “pass the torch” ahead of the 2024 presidential election amid concerns that he is not mentally fit to seek re-election following his disastrous performance in last month’s debate.
Barkley, who announced his plans to retire from television next year following the completion of the 2024-2025 NBA season, spoke about the current climate of politics during an appearance on CNBC on Thursday.
“I just feel sadness,” Barkley said from the American Century Championship, a celebrity golf tournament in Lake Tahoe, Nevada.
“You got the greatest country in the world – and I have nothing but admiration and respect for President Biden, but it’s time for him to pass the torch to a younger generation. He’s been a great person, a great man – this ain’t something I’m saying now, I’ve said it like a year ago. It’s time for him to pass the torch.”
First term Congresswoman Brittany Pettersen has just joined the ranks of House Democrats calling for President Biden to abandon his re-election bid.
Pettersen issued a statement Friday saying that “I have deep admiration and love for Joe Biden and all he has done for our country, which is why this decision is so painful, but my son and my constituents can’t suffer the consequences of inaction at this critical moment.
“Joe Biden saved our country once, and I’m joining the growing number of people in my district and across the country to ask him to do it again,” she added. “Please pass the torch to one of our many capable Democratic leaders so we have the best chance to defeat Donald Trump, who is the greatest threat to the foundation of this country that we have ever seen.”
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., has sent a letter to House Democrats Friday revealing that he met with President Biden privately last night.
The development comes as a growing number of House Democrats have been pushing for Biden to drop out of the presidential race, with one going so far as saying that Biden should resign immediately.
“Over the past several days, House Democrats have engaged in a thoughtful and extensive discussion about the future of our country, during a time when freedom, democracy and the economic well-being of everyday Americans are on the line. Our discourse has been candid, clear-eyed and comprehensive,” Jeffries said in the letter.
“On behalf of the House Democratic Caucus, I requested and was graciously granted a private meeting with President Joe Biden. That meeting occurred yesterday evening,” he continued. “In my conversation with President Biden, I directly expressed the full breadth of insight, heartfelt perspectives and conclusions about the path forward that the Caucus has shared in our recent time together.
“As House Democrats have done throughout this Congress, we will continue to work in the best interests of everyday Americans,” Jeffries added.
Fox News’ Chad Pergram contributed to this report.
Former New York Gov. George Pataki told ‘Fox & Friends’ on Friday that he believes New York is a battleground state between Biden and Trump.
“It’s a long time since anybody asked me if New York is a battleground state, but this year I’m getting asked it a lot. And I think it’s because it is,” the Republican said.
“For that to happen you need a number of different things. First is you need Democratic voters – a million Democratic voters – to look at their party, look at their candidates and say ‘we are screwing up royally,’” Pataki said.
“And you have that,” he continued. “You have the chaos at the top of the Democratic ticket, you have inflation, you have the migrant crisis in New York City and now in the suburbs and it’s leading a lot of Democrats to say ‘hey wait a second, maybe my party has let me down and I could try something different.’”
President Biden is facing fresh criticism as he heads to Detroit Friday for a campaign event.
“Today’s visit to Detroit doesn’t change the fact that Joe Biden has failed Michiganders at every opportunity,” Michigan Republican Party Chairman Pete Hoekstra said in a statement. “His obsession with electric vehicles is guaranteed to cripple the community and put Michiganders out of work. Joe Biden has proven time and time again that he is wrong for Michigan.”
“Joe Biden will sleepwalk through his trip to Detroit. But Michiganders will not be dreaming when they see how the Biden-Harris economic policies have made it harder for families to put food on the table or afford to provide for their children,” added Team Trump Michigan Communications Director Victoria LaCivita.
At Friday’s stop in Detroit, President Biden will discuss policy proposals he hopes to enact in the first 100 days of a second White House term, his campaign told The New York Times.
Fox News’ Kirill Clark contributed to this report.
President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris are defying critics calling for the president to step away from the 2024 presidential race by launching a full offensive aimed at tying former President Trump to the Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025 platform.
The effort comes amid Trump’s attempt to distance himself from Project 2025, a highly scrutinized initiative that’s been portrayed as a blueprint for a future Republican administration to restructure many parts of the U.S. government. Trump has described elements of the plan as “ridiculous” and “abysmal.”
“Donald Trump’s Project 2025 team is stacked with the same extremists who helped him rip away women’s freedoms, round up and deport Latinos, and undermine our democracy in his first term,” Biden campaign spokeswoman Sarafina Chitika told Fox News Digital.
“If Trump wins this election, his Project 2025 allies will work around the clock to make sure he can go even further to ban abortion nationwide, gut Social Security and Medicare, and rule as a ‘dictator on day one.’ Donald Trump and Project 2025 are one and the same — and voters are going to make sure they both lose this November.”
Although it’s not officially associated with Trump’s campaign, Chitika’s use of the term “Trump’s Project 2025 team” is a reference to the individuals who created the initiative in 2023 largely having previously held roles within the former president’s administration, including Paul Dans, who directed the project and served as Trump’s White House Liaison to the Office of Personnel Management.
Rep. Gerry Connolly, D-Va., hinted during a CNN interview on Thursday that the Democratic Party may need to consider another nominee to stop former President Trump from retaking the White House.
A growing number of Democratic officials and party leaders have called for President Biden to step aside and let another candidate become their 2024 nominee after his widely panned performance in June’s presidential debate. One plan that has been floated is Vice President Kamala Harris replacing Biden atop the ticket.
CNN host Manu Raju spoke to Connolly about this proposal, noting, “The New York Times is reporting just now that the Biden campaign is conducting private polling testing Kamala Harris, and seeing how she does in a matchup against Trump.”
“I‘m not going to make a judgment as to whether that‘s wise or not. It‘s clearly an option that needs to be on the table,” Connolly said.
Towards the end of the interview, Raju asked, “Next week, will Joe Biden still be your candidate next week?”
“I don’t know, events are unfolding very fast and, you know, I want to create space for the president and the White House to make a careful, reflective, and patriotic decision,” Connolly said.
Ron Klain, a former White House chief of staff in the Biden administration, wrote on X Friday that “with yesterdays press conf and this new poll, it’s time to end the freak out and unite behind the Democratic nominee and the only person who has ever beaten Trump.”
Klain highlighted a new national NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist poll that found President Biden has taken a slight 50% to 48% lead over former President Trump in a head-to-head matchup.
However, the same poll also found that when third-party candidates are factored into the race, Trump leads Biden 43% to 42%, NPR reports.
Former House Speaker Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., publicly supports President Biden as he faces calls to withdraw from the 2024 presidential election. But in private, she is reportedly encouraging lawmakers to continue to put pressure on Biden to reconsider his decision to run for re-election, according to reports.
A number of House Democrats told The Hill that Pelosi is advising members in their conference against rallying to Biden before there is a broader discussion over whether he is the best candidate to defeat former President Trump. While she has not called on Biden to step aside, Pelosi is reportedly telling vulnerable lawmakers in swing districts to do so if they think that will help them win re-election.
“I did have a conversation with her, she is very concerned,” one House Democratic lawmaker told The Hill. “It’s not like she’s like, ‘We’re sticking with this guy.'”
EXCLUSIVE: Make America Great Again Inc., a top super PAC supporting former President Trump’s 2024 White House campaign, says it raked in $104 million during the April-June second quarter of 2024 fundraising.
And in figures shared first with Fox News on Friday, MAGA Inc. highlighted that it has nearly $114 million cash-on-hand in its coffers.
The announcement from MAGA Inc. comes a week and a half after Trump’s campaign showcased that it and the Republican National Committee hauled in a staggering $331 million in the past three months, topping the massive $264 million raked in by President Biden’s re-election campaign and the Democratic National Committee during the second quarter.
Trump’s haul was fueled in part by a fundraising surge following the former president’s history-making guilty verdicts this spring in his criminal trial.
The super PAC announced a month ago that it would spend $100 million this summer on a major ad blitz in the key battleground states in support of the former president.
North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum told ‘Fox & Friends’ on Friday morning that President Biden is surrounded by “co-conspirators” who are trying to hide his actual condition from the public in a “Soviet-style” manner.
Burgum, speaking following Biden’s NATO press conference last night, said “America can’t unsee what they saw in the debate and they can’t unsee what they saw in this press conference and certainly there is confusion going on, but the bigger confusion is that he may confused that he is actually capable of doing the job.
“We know that he is surrounded by people that are co-conspirators in this thing” Burgum continued, noting that Biden’s condition has been “hidden” from the public “almost in an old, Soviet-style thing.”
“Like ‘hey our leader is fine’ but though actually he is not. And of course now you see media, you see the elites, you see Hollywood all turning on him,” Burgum said.
Burgum is a contender to be former President Trump’s running mate on the Republican ticket. When asked Friday if Trump has decided on his VP pick, Burgum said “Nobody knows except President Trump.”
A new national NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist poll has found that President Biden has taken a slight 50% to 48% lead over former President Trump in a head-to-head matchup.
The results also found that no other mainstream Democrat that has been floated as a potential replacement for Biden on the Democrat ticket — if the 81-year-old eventually drops out of the race — performs better than him against Trump.
Almost two-thirds of the 1,300 respondents said they believe Biden is not mentally fit to be president, including nearly 4 in 10 Democrats.
The poll also found that when third-party candidates are factored into the race, Trump leads Biden 43% to 42%, NPR reports.
Former President Donald Trump maintains a lead over President Biden
following the latter’s disastrous debate performance last month, according to a new Pew Research Center survey.
According to the poll, Trump currently holds an approval rating of 44%, while Biden trails with 40% — with Trump leading Biden by double digits on three key issues.
Approximately 68% of respondents told Pew Research that they are generally unsatisfied with their available choices for the presidential election.
The report published Thursday is Pew’s first to come out since Biden’s confused and sometimes unintelligible performance at the first 2024 presidential debate.
Trump’s advantage over Biden comes from his dominant position on three issues important to voters: immigration, the economy and foreign policy.
Trump holds a 17 point lead over Biden on immigration policy (52-35%), a 14 point lead over Biden on economic policy (54-40%), and a 10 point lead on foreign policy (49-39).
Rep. Jim Clyburn, D-S.C., admitted to NBC on Friday that President Biden is not the same person as he was two years ago.
“You’re traveling with him next week, you’ve spent more time with the president than just about anybody else in the House, is this the same Joe Biden that we saw two years ago?” interviewer Craig Melvin asked Clyburn, who had endorsed Biden in the 2020 presidential race.
“Well, look, I grew up in…” Clyburn started to say before he was asked again “Is it the same Joe Biden?”
“No,” Clyburn said emphatically, adding that “I’m not the same Jim Clyburn that I was four years ago.”
Clyburn later said he doesn’t think Biden, physically, is the same as he was during the last presidential election cycle.
“Mentally, I do think so,” Clyburn declared. “He is still grasping what this country is all about.”
“He has one of the best minds that I have ever been around,” Clyburn also said about Biden. “I would hope that we will focus on the substance of this man, rather than these sometimes, misspoken words and phrases, and how he has run this country.”
Critics said President Biden’s Thursday press conference was the “worst possible outcome” for Democrats as turmoil within their party continues.
“This is gonna end in the worst possible place for Democrats. Several verbal gaffes. Does nothing to quell nerves. Yet nothing sufficient enough for Democrats to break out the political long needle on his candidacy tonight,” Ruthless podcast host Josh Holmes said.
“So far this is a very similar Goldilocks performance to Biden’s ABC News interview: not bad enough to open the floodgates, but not good enough to silence the critics. A frustrating spot for Dems,” National Journal Hotline editor Kirk A. Bado said.
“Trump, RNC benefit, while Democrats waiting to release statements hardest hit,” The Spectator editor-at-large Ben Domenech added on X, former known as Twitter.
“This presser going to be a Rorschach test that doesn’t lead to definitive action on its own,” said Kyle Saunders, political science professor at Colorado State University. “The problem is that this isn’t fatality bad, it’s just not that good either. Right in that no win zone. Exactly what the Ds did not need.”
Pennsylvania voters Rich Cupka and Kale Ogunbor joined ‘Fox & Friends First’ on Friday to react to President Biden’s press conference last night, describing it as “not inspiring at all.”
Cupka, a business owner, said he believes undecided voters in Pennsylvania were not swayed by Biden’s performance.
“He called Donald Trump his vice president… it’s not inspiring at all,” Cupka said.
Ogunbor, a Penn State student and Campus Reform correspondent, criticized Biden’s comments last night in which the President said “most presidential historians give me credit for having accomplished more than most any president since [Lyndon B.] Johnson and maybe before that.”
“I think President Biden is historic probably for the wrong reasons, given his most recent debate performance,” she said. “Ultimately, the president also joined TikTok thinking that was going to woo over my generation – but we are smarter than that. We realize that most of the people who are our age cannot afford homes, the economy is not the way it was pre-covid.
First Lady Jill Biden is campaigning Friday in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich reacted to President Biden’s highly-anticipated press conference at the 2024 NATO Summit on Thursday, saying the commander-in-chief made it clear that he’s not stepping away from the 2024 race.
Blagojevich told Fox News host Jesse Watters on “Jesse Watters Primetime” he believes Biden will stay in the race despite growing calls from members of his own party to step aside.
“The only way they can get a new candidate is if [Biden] willingly agrees, if he willingly agrees to step aside. He’s made it clear that he’s going to run. It sure looks like all the indications are that he’s going to run,” the former governor said.
Blagojevich added that Democrats are in a “real bind” because millions of people have already voted in state primaries for Biden to be their party’s nominee, but actor George Clooney, Hollywood elites and others are saying he should withdraw.
“What’s happened to the Democratic Party is really a question of whether they’re going to stand with the working people that supposedly they’re for, which they’ve actually abandoned, or whether they’re going to listen to their Hollywood Wall Street financiers and Silicon Valley billionaires with regard to what they want,” he told Watters.
President Biden faced a wave of mockery online after he introduced Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Thursday as “President Putin.”
“And now I want to hand it over to the president of Ukraine, who has as much courage as he has determination,” Biden said at a NATO conference on Thursday in Washington, D.C. “Ladies and gentlemen, President Putin.” Biden seemed to realize his embarrassing verbal stumble mentioning Russian President Vladimir Putin, and came back to the lectern to correct himself.
“President Putin? He’s going to beat President Putin. President Zelenskyy. I’m so focused on beating Putin,” he said. “We got to worry about it. Anyway, Mr. President.”
Commentators across social media responded with mockery and dread about America’s commander-in-chief is mixing up world leaders on a global stage.
“Anyone else might be able to explain this away, but he’s making way too many mistakes to not take a hit for this gaffe,” former Governor of Wisconsin Scott Walker wrote. “@JoeBiden was not fit to be President in 2020, nor is he now.”
The Spectator contributing editor Stephen L. Miller mused about the prospect of being “a fly on the wall of the House Democrats watching when this happened… right off the bat.”
Several Democrats and progressives rushed to the defense of President Biden as he fielded questions from reporters at the NATO summit about his mental acuity and whether he has what it takes to be successful in the 2024 race for the White House.
“To answer the question on everyone’s minds: No, Joe Biden does not have a doctorate in foreign affairs. He’s just that f—ing good,” White House deputy press secretary Andrew Bates wrote in a post to X.
Amid growing calls from members of his own party for him to step aside in the presidential election, Biden dismissed the notion he’s “slowing down” and insisted at a press conference Wednesday evening he was “determined on running” in this year’s election.
“Am I getting the job done? Can you name me somebody who’s got more major pieces of legislation passed in 3½ years? I created 2,000 jobs just last week. So, if I slow down, I can’t get the job done,” Biden said. “That’s a sign that I shouldn’t be doing it. But there’s no indication of that yet. None.”
U.S. Rep. Eric Sorensen of Illinois on Thursday became the 17th Democratic lawmaker to publicly call on President Biden to drop out of the presidential race.
In a statement posted on X, Sorensen praised Biden for having dedicated the “bulk of his life” in public service. He noted that Biden ran for president in 2020 “with the purpose of putting country over party.”
“Today, I am asking him to do that again,” Sorensen said.
Sorensen stressed the importance of having a candidate “who will communicate a positive vision for every person in this country” and had “the strength and wisdom needed to lead us through the worst storms.”
“Every day, I remain committed to the people of Central and Northwestern Illinois. I believe our best days are still ahead,” Sorensen said. “And today, I am hopeful President Biden will step aside in his campaign for president.”
Who will Trump pick as his VP? Betting markets show a clear favorite
It’s anyone’s guess who former President Trump might choose as his running mate in 2024, and the bets are flying.
As of Friday, Ohio Sen. JD Vance was the clear favorite to become the Republicans’ vice presidential nominee, followed by North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum across three betting markets — but there is plenty of chance that Trump could pick a wild card.
Traders on prediction platform PolyMarket give Vance a 45% chance of becoming Trump pick and a 26% shot for Burgum. Florida Sen. Marco Rubio sits in third place in the running with 10%, followed by South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott and Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin, both of whom have odds of 8%.
TRUMP DROPS MAJOR HINT ON HIS RUNNING MATE, AND TIMING OF ANNOUNCEMENT
On PredictIt, Vance was seen as having a 44% chance to Burgum’s 18% and Rubio’s 12% odds. BetUS.com put Vance at 44%, as well, but Burgum had better odds on that site at 30% implied probability, while Rubio was at 12.5%.
Tim Williams, director of public relations for BetUS, said that while Vance and Burgum are favored in terms of the odds, they are not necessarily favored in terms of the betting action the market is seeing.
Williams explained that despite his long 90-to-1 odds, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has seen a notable number of wagers as Trump’s potential VP pick, and so has Scott, who would pay out at 18-to-1.
But perhaps most notable so far, Williams noted, is the unusual number of wagers BetUS has received this week on Kevin Faulconer, a not-so-well-known former mayor of San Diego who currently sits at 100-to-1 odds.
TRUMP’S ODDS OF WINNING PRESIDENCY SOAR AS BIDEN FACES GROWING SCRUTINY
“We received a significant number of wagers over the last 72 hours on Faulconer, so much so that oddsmakers temporarily suspended betting on Mr. Faulconer while they investigated the possible reason for the sudden interest in the former San Diego mayor,” Williams told FOX Business. “And we’re not just talking San Diego here, wagers were coming in from New York, Florida, and even Washington D.C.”
Williams noted that Faulconer was the GOP mayor of a very liberal city and is considered a moderate Republican — fiscally conservative and socially liberal. Years ago, he spoke about his vision for the “new California Republican.”
BetUS’s oddsmakers were unable to explain the unusual wagering activity for Faulconer to become Trump’s VP pick, so wagering on the candidate has been re-enabled.
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“Whether or not the betting action we have seen on Faulconer is simply wishful thinking by bettors wanting to see a more socially moderate Republican VP in the White House, or someone knows something we don’t is anyone’s guess,” Williams concluded.
Hunter Biden spotted leaving ritzy restaurant moments before famous anti-Biden Dem
Hunter Biden was spotted leaving a swanky Malibu, California restaurant shortly before comedian Rosie O’Donnell, who recently joined a growing number of Democrats saying that President Biden should end his reelection bid, The Sun first reported.
The 54-year-old first son and convicted felon was seen leaving Nobu, a trendy celebrity hotspot, on Thursday evening just minutes before President Joe Biden was scheduled to deliver his remarks at the NATO summit.
Biden was seen sporting a dress shirt and khakis while O’Donnel was seen wearing casual shorts. It’s unclear if the two met inside the restaurant.
BIDEN STUMBLES OVER ZELENSKYY INTRODUCTION, CALL UKRAINIAN LEADER ‘PRESIDENT PUTIN’
The pictures were snapped just before the president participated in his highly-anticipated NATO summit in Washington D.C.
The president’s participation in the summit and a subsequent press conference came as the 81-year-old attempted to repair his public perception after his disastrous debate performance that left Democratic donors, like O’Donnell, looking to ditch Biden.
“Joe Biden- thank u for all u have give our country – time to pass the torch – now- and for God’s sake Democrats, GET IT TOGETHER b4 it’s too late,” O’Donnell wrote in an Instagram post, with an image of California Governor Gavin Newsom, following the presidential debate.
While responding to a comment about whether Biden was fit to run, O’Donnell replied, “I believe we will have a better chance to defeat Trump with another candidate.”
Another user said the debate was not a call to replace him, but she responded, “It’s time.”
O’Donnell’s public commentary that President Biden should step down and refuse the Democratic nomination comes as a growing number of celebrities look to urge the elderly president to pass the torch.
Long-time supporters, like author Stephen King and actor George Clooney, have called on Biden to step down.
“Joe Biden has been a fine president, but it’s time for him – in the interests of the America he so clearly loves – to announce he will not run for re-election,” King wrote on X.
5 TAKEAWAYS FROM BIDEN’S COMEBACK PRESS CONFERENCE
Clooney’s response came later in a New York Times opinion piece titled I Love Joe Biden. But We Need a New Nominee.
“I love Joe Biden. As a senator. As a vice president and as president. I consider him a friend, and I believe in him. Believe in his character. Believe in his morals. In the last four years, he’s won many of the battles he’s faced,” Clooney wrote.
“But the one battle he cannot win is the fight against time. None of us can. It’s devastating to say it, but the Joe Biden I was with three weeks ago at the fund-raiser was not the Joe ‘big F-ing deal’ Biden of 2010. He wasn’t even the Joe Biden of 2020. He was the same man we all witnessed at the debate.”
Biden has bucked calls to drop out, vowing to remain in the race as his campaign and the White House ramp up his number of public events in an apparent effort to quell concerns the president isn’t up for another four-year term in the Oval Office.
BIDEN PRESSING ON WITH ‘FULL BORE’ SCHEDULE, DESPITE ADMISSION HE NEEDS TO SLOW ‘PACE’
Biden’s NATO introduction of Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy included an embarrassing gaffe that mistakenly called the Eastern European president “President Putin.”
“And now I want to hand it over to the president of Ukraine, who has as much courage as he has determination,” Biden said, before starting to leave the podium. “Ladies and gentlemen, President Putin.”
Biden seemed to realize his embarrassing verbal stumble mentioning Russian President Vladimir Putin, and attempted to quickly correct himself.
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“He’s going to beat President Putin. President Zelenskyy. I’m so focused on beating Putin,” he said. “We got to worry about it. Anyway, Mr. President.”
Following his botched introduction, Biden conducted what the White House called a “big boy” press conference – his first solo press conference this year.
Silicon Valley entrepreneur makes major accusation against Democratic Party elites
Craft Ventures co-founder David Sacks, a prominent Silicon Valley Trump supporter, accused Democratic elites of staging a “coup” against President Biden.
Biden continues to face intense pressure to step aside in favor of a younger option atop the Democratic Party’s presidential ticket in the wake of his debate debacle. High-profile Democrats, Hollywood royalty, former Obama staffers and liberal cable news pundits have all called for Biden to drop out, but a new 538 poll using economic and demographic data to explore likely election outcomes still considers Biden the favorite.
“538 still has Biden as the favorite to win reelection. Yet a cabal of party operatives plot to remove him on the grounds that he can’t win. This is a coup against the president,” Sacks said on X, reposting an election forecast showing Biden has a 51% chance of defeating Trump.
TRUMP LANDS ENDORSEMENT OF TOP INVESTOR WHO HOSTED $12 MILLION SAN FRANCISCO FUNDRAISER FOR FORMER PRESIDENT
Sacks’ claim came hours after Axios published a detailed report saying that “very-connected Democrats, mostly veterans of the Obama and Clinton administrations, are plotting hourly to get [Biden] to withdraw quickly.”
“They’re commissioning polls, lobbying former presidents, organizing donors and taking the fight to Biden in a very public way. They’re the unofficial Committee to Unelect the President. The mission: Push Biden out of the presidential race — the sooner, the better,” Axios reported.
“This loose anti-Biden network is growing by the day — and is circulating polls showing Democrats would shoot from sure losers to big winners with a new ticket,” Axios continued. “Some donors are talking of a massive financial commitment to any non-Biden presidential ticket.”
DAVID AXELROD SAYS BIDEN NEEDS A ‘ROYAL FLUSH’ TO WIN AGAINST TRUMP
Last month, Sacks held a Trump fundraiser at his multimillion-dollar home in the tony Pacific Heights neighborhood of San Francisco. A couple of hours before the fundraiser, Sacks took to social media to formally endorse Trump.
“I give to many, but endorse few. But today I am giving my endorsement to our 45th President, Donald J. Trump, to be our 47th President. My reasons rest on four main issues that I think are vital to American prosperity, security, and stability – issues where the Biden administration has veered badly off course and where I believe President Trump can lead us back,” Sacks wrote on X.
Sacks said that “the voters have experienced four years of President Trump and four years of President Biden. In tech, we call this an A/B test.”
“With respect to economic policy, foreign policy, border policy, and legal fairness, Trump performed better. He is the President who deserves a second term,” he said on social media.
Sacks will be speaking at the Republican National Convention next week.
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Judge tosses Alec Baldwin’s criminal case amid trial in stunning victory for actor
SANTE FE, N.M. – A Santa Fe judge Friday dismissed the involuntary manslaughter case against Alec Baldwin for the fatal shooting of Halyna Hutchins on the set of the film “Rust” after ruling that the prosecution concealed evidence from his legal team.
Baldwin cupped his face in his hands and wept as Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer dismissed the case with prejudice, meaning the charge cannot be brought against the actor again.
“The state’s willful withholding of this information was intentional and deliberate,” Sommer said. “If this conduct does not rise to the level of bad faith, it certainly comes so near to bad faith as to show signs of scorching prejudice.”
The judge added: “There is no way for the court to right this wrong.”
FATAL TIMELINE IN ALEC BALDWIN ‘RUST’ SHOOTING THAT LED TO ACTORS INVOLUNTARY MANSLAUGHTER CHARGE
After the judge’s ruling, prosecutor Kari Morrissey spoke with the media outside the courthouse.
“I’m disappointed because I believe that the importance of the evidence was misconstrued by the defense attorneys, but I have to respect the court’s decision,” Morrissey said.
ALEC BALDWIN “RUST” TRIAL LIVE UPDATES
WATCH: SPECIAL PROSECUTOR SPEAKS TO PRESS FOLLOWING DISMISSAL OF ‘RUST’ CASE
Baldwin’s brother Stephen was in court every day of the trial showing his support. After Baldwin’s major win in court, Stephen had one thing to say when asked for comment by Fox News Digital.
“I got one word,” Stephen said as he got into a car, “scorching. Scorching.”
WATCH: STEPHEN BALDWIN REACTS TO BROTHER ALEC’S CASE BEING DISMISSED
The third full day of the trial in the First Judicial District Court opened with defense attorney Luke Nikas accusing the state of withholding evidence that prop distributor Seth Kenney was the source of the live ammunition.
The move prompted the Santa Fe judge to send the jury home so she could hold an 11th hour hearing, which led to lead prosecutor Kari Morrissey calling herself as a witness.
Morrissey emphasized on the stand that she never believed that the evidence in question, which came from ex-Arizona police officer Troy Teske, was exculpatory because the ammunition turned over to law enforcement never left the state of Arizona before the fatal shooting on the “Rust” set.
“I decided not to take any steps to collect this ammunition because it was in Arizona, had never come to New Mexico and didn’t match the live rounds on the set of ‘Rust,'” Morrissey testified.
The defense team argued investigators and prosecutors concealed evidence related to the source of ammunition linked to the accidental shooting death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of the film “Rust” in 2021.
Armorer Hannah Gutierrez Reed was convicted of loading a live round into a revolver, which Baldwin fired, killing Hutchins and wounding director Joel Souza.
During her trial on March 6, Teske, who is also a family friend of Gutierrez Reed’s father, walked into the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office and delivered a collection of rounds to crime scene technician Marissa Poppell.
He said the rounds came from Kenney and matched the bullet that killed Hutchins.
Poppell admitted Friday at the hearing that she didn’t inventory the evidence from Teske under the “Rust” case, but instead under a different case number. The defense also didn’t receive a supplemental report on the new evidence.
WATCH: ALEC BALDWIN RETURNS TO HOTEL AFTER JUDGE DISMISSED ‘RUST’ SHOOTING CASE
Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Corporal Alexendria Hancock, the lead investigator on the case admitted this decision was made in consultation with prosecutors and her supervisors.
“Okay. So you, you all had discussions about what to do with what he dropped off?” asked Judge Sommer.
“Yes,” she replied.
“And you all agreed to put it in the separate file?” the judge pressed. “Yes,” she answered. The evidence was also not stored with the other evidence for the case, she said.
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Defense attorneys appeared to have learned about the ammunition Teske turned over from body camera footage that captured him walking into the sheriff’s office. At the time, he told Poppell that he had critical evidence and offered to give a statement.
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Morrissey told the court earlier in the day that the first time she saw the supplemental report, which was allegedly withheld from the defense, was that morning.
The stunning blow to the prosecution team, which had been working on the case for more than three years, arrived after the state had called only seven witnesses.
Trump VP finalist under scrutiny for past abortion comments
Past abortion remarks by Sen. J.D. Vance, R-Ohio, resurfaced online this week as he could potentially join former President Trump’s 2024 ticket.
Vance, a former Trump critic who’s since become a staunch ally of the 45th president, took heat from Democrats during his 2022 U.S. Senate campaign for statements that one fact-checker determined were taken out of context by his Democratic opponent, Tim Ryan. The old story popped up this week on Drudge Report, the famed news aggregator that once supported but later turned against Trump.
In 2021, Vance defended a Texas law that banned most abortions after six weeks of pregnancy. Asked by Spectrum News in Columbus, Ohio, at the time whether he supported abortion exceptions for cases of rape and incest, he disagreed with the question’s premise and said “two wrongs don’t make a right.”
“At the end of day, we are talking about an unborn baby. What kind of society do we want to have? A society that looks at unborn babies as inconveniences to be discarded? … It’s not whether a woman should be forced to bring a child to term, it’s whether a child should be allowed to live, even though the circumstances of that child’s birth are somehow inconvenient or a problem to the society,” Vance said.
SEN. VANCE CLASHES WITH CNN’S BLITZER OVER TRUMP CONVICTIO: ‘END OF THE COUNTRY AS WE KNOW IT’
“The question to me is really about the baby,” Vance added, according to the Washington Post. “We want women to have opportunities, we want women to have choices, but, above all, we want women and young boys in the womb to have a right to life.”
During an Ohio Senate debate in 2022, Ryan accused Vance of saying rape was “inconvenient.”
“J.D., you called rape ‘inconvenient.’ Right?” Ryan said. “Rape is not inconvenient. It’s a significant tragedy, and he thinks we should have Ohio state law which says if you’re raped or pregnant through incest, you should be forced to have the baby.”
Vance fired back that he never called rape “inconvenient,” and claimed Ryan knew that was a false statement. He said at the debate he was pro-life with “reasonable exceptions.” He also said that year he supported Sen. Lindsey Graham’s, R-S.C., proposed 15-week abortion ban that included exceptions for rape, incest and the mother’s life.
He went on to frame Ryan as an extremist himself on abortion and for flip-flopping on the issue. He later beat Ryan in the hotly contested race by six points. Since then, Vance has reportedly ascended to become one of the top contenders for Trump’s vice presidential pick.
SENATE DEMS TEST WHETHER ABORTION CAN BREAK THROUGH TALK OF BIDEN CONCERNS
PolitiFact reviewed Ryan’s comments at the time and concluded, “Vance did not directly say ‘rape is inconvenient.’ But when he was asked whether laws should allow people to get abortions if they were victims of rape or incest, he suggested that society should not view a pregnancy or birth resulting from rape or incest as ‘inconvenient.'”
This week, a CNN fact-check dinged President Biden’s campaign for falsely framing Vance’s past remarks praising the Heritage Foundation as a full-throated endorsement of “Project 2025,” a lengthy proposed policy document that’s come under fierce criticism from the Left in recent weeks and includes a proposed national abortion ban.
Last year, Vance called a successful referendum in Ohio to enshrine abortion access a “gut punch” and urged Republicans to do a better job of winning voter trust on the issue. In December, he told CNN he supported exceptions for “life of the mother, for rape, and so forth.”
Vance’s recent abortion comments have put him more in line with Trump, such as agreeing with the former president’s stance on abortion law being determined by individual states since the repeal of Roe v. Wade.
“Donald Trump is the pragmatic leader here. He’s saying most abortion policy is going to be decided by the states. We want to make it easier and more affordable for young women and parents to have families to begin with,” Vance told “Meet the Press” on Sunday.
Vance also said this week he supported the Supreme Court’s opinion on Americans having access to the abortion medication mifepristone.
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Vance’s office declined comment when reached by Fox News Digital.
Sharon Stone, 66, recreates ‘Basic Instinct’ scene in lingerie and heels
Sharon Stone is channeling her inner “Basic Instinct” character, Catherine Tramell.
On Thursday, the famed actress – who rose to fame in the 1990s with breakthrough roles in “Basic Instinct” and “Casino” – posted a photo of herself recreating an iconic scene from the Paul Verhoeven-directed hit film.
In the photo posted to Instagram, Stone wore a red, laced lingerie ensemble and crossed her legs while sitting in a luxurious white and gold chair. Paired with strappy blue heels and a chunky white-pearled necklace, Stone gazed into the camera lens with a slight smirk.
SHARON STONE’S ROLES IN ‘BASIC INSTINCT’, ‘CASINO’ AND ‘TOTAL RECALL’ LAUNCHED THE ACTRESS’ SUCCESSFUL CAREER
“BASICALLY ….YOURS,” she captioned the post.
The post resembles the iconic “Basic Instinct” scene in which her character was being interrogated by the police.
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Fans were quick to share their thoughts on the comparison and offer Stone plenty of praise.
“Sharon is a timeless muse!” one user wrote. “Her beauty and confidence are simply stunning.”
“This is what we want to see more, women of a certain age bold and daring,” another wrote.
Earlier this year, the actress opened up about how “expensive” it is to be a Hollywood actress.
“It’s very expensive to be famous,” Stone told InStyle for their Confidence Issue. “You go out to dinner, and there’s 15 people at the table, and who gets the check? You get the $3,000 dinner check every single time.”
During an appearance on U.K.’s “Good Morning Britain” in May, Stone spoke about how her career significantly pivoted from acting to activism after suffering the “near-death experience” over 20 years ago.
“I went to the first hospital and had an MRI and had this near-death experience and then was transferred to a specialized hospital. I continued to bleed into my brain for nine days before my best friend convinced [the doctors] to look again,” she said. “Thank God they did, because they realized what was going on and how it had happened and were able to repair it at the last moment.”
“It was really one of those beautiful miracles,” she added. “Of course I’m a different person. I have an invisible disability. People can help you when they see you are walking with crutches, but when you are having a bit of a problem with brain function, people don’t know that you need help with that.”
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The actress, who has now spent over 20 years as an activist for the World Health Organization, said her first step of recovery lasted about “seven years.”
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“That’s a long time to lose your momentum,” she said.
“In seven years, you’re no longer the flavor of the time, you no longer have box office heat, the same people you were working with are no longer in power anymore,” she added. “Everything changes, and people don’t really care about that person anymore. It’s like going back to your old job seven years later … you don’t just walk back into your job and think nothing’s changed.”
“I was sort of hurt that the world moved on without me,” she admitted. “But I’ve kind of gotten over it now.”
In a recent interview with The Hollywood Reporter, the mom of three said she’s no longer holding onto any bitterness.
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“I decided to stay present and let go,” she said. “I decided not to hang onto being sick or to any bitterness or anger. If you bite into the seed of bitterness, it never leaves you. But if you hold faith, even if that faith is the size of a mustard seed, you will survive.”
“So, I live for joy now,” she added. “I live for purpose.”
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Aaron Rodgers might have let it slip that the Jets could make a blockbuster trade
Aaron Rodgers may have had a Freudian slip.
The New York Jets quarterback was playing at the American Century Championships in Lake Tahoe earlier this week when he appeared to reveal he will be playing with one of the best wide receivers he’s ever played with “again.”
Rodgers and Davante Adams were teammates eight years in Green Bay, becoming one of the best duos in modern history.
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Adams was traded to the Las Vegas Raiders ahead of the 2022 season, and then the Packers sent Rodgers to the Jets a year later.
Now we have to wonder if a reunion is coming.
“I love Davante. Can’t wait to play with him,” Rodgers said, adding “again” after a slight pause.
Adams said Thursday Rodgers is “in [his] ear” about a reunion, and Jets running back Breece Hall may be in on the discussion.
COACHING LEGEND MONTE KIFFIN, LANE’S FATHER, DIES AT 84
“Hey, you never know. We’re always talking, we’re always scheming. I’m on board,” Hall said on Friday’s “Up & Adams.” “With him, Garrett [Wilson] and Mike Williams, just pick your poison.
“Either they beat you or I do.”
Rodgers has continued to speak highly of Adams, even after their respective departures. Over his last five seasons, Adams has averaged 119 receptions for 1,489 yards and 13 touchdowns per 17 games.
Perhaps Adams would be on the trade market, or even a Jet by now, had the Raiders not retained Antonio Pierce, who got the nod as the team’s interim head coach after the firing of Josh McDaniels.
Adams’ 1,144 receiving yards were his lowest since his 997 in 2019. Through his first three games last year, he had 322, including 172 in Week 3, but he failed to reach the 80-yard mark for six straight weeks afterward.
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He reminded everyone what he is capable of doing in Week 17, when he caught 13 passes for 126 yards and two touchdowns.
The Raiders are not much of a contender, and the Jets surely are. Where there’s smoke, there’s usually fire.
Livvy Dunne reacts to Paul Skenes getting pulled from potential no-hitter bid
Like many Pittsbrugh Pirates fans, LSU gymnast Livvy Dunne would’ve liked to see boyfriend Paul Skenes pitch a no-hitter in Thursday’s win over the Milwaukee Brewers, but she respects the decision.
On the red carpet before the ESPYs, Dunne told Sports Illustrated that seeing the rookie phenom come so close in just his 11th major league start would definitely have been something worthwhile.
But she admitted that pulling him after pitching a no-hitter through the seventh inning was the best decision.
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“You know what, it would have been a cool accolade to say that you threw a no-hitter in your rookie year,” she said. “But also, you gotta make that arm last long, so I don’t blame them.”
Pittsburgh manager Derek Shelton explained after the game that the decision had less to do with the pitch count and more to do with what Skenes’ body was saying.
“He was tired,” he said. “It really didn’t have anything to do with the pitch count. Everybody makes it about pitch counts – it was about where he was at. It was about trusting your eyes, trusting him.”
ROOKIE PHENOM PAUL SKENES PULLED FROM NO-HIT BID FOR SECOND TIME THIS SEASON
“They did a good job of wearing him down,” Shelton continued. “He gave us everything he had.”
Skenes’ incredible start to his MLB career has paid off. On Friday, National League All-Star manager Torey Lovullo called Skenes during an interview on the “Dan Patrick Show” to tell him that he would be the starting pitcher in next week’s game.
“You represent so many great things that this game craves. It’s such a great story. The way you’ve come on the scene, the way you’ve done it with such humbleness – it’s noticeable. And I’ll be honored to be your manager, and I’m going to be honored to be watching you throw your first pitch – super excited about that.”
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As Lovullo put it, the hype around Skenes is well earned. And Dunne couldn’t agree more.
“I’m a little biased,” she said when asked whether she thought he was the “best pitcher” in the league. “Yes.”
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