Biden tells governors he’ll stop hosting events after 8pm as Trump mocks him: live

Joe Biden reportedly told a group of Democratic governors that he needs to work fewer hours and get more sleep as his the president and the White House fight off suggestions that he should end his re-election campaign.

The president also reportedly told the governors that he’s staying in the race, as he outlined his recent foreign travel in the weeks ahead of his dismal debate performance, during which he lost his train of thought, his voice was raspy, and he made several gaffes.

Meanwhile, a gloating Donald Trump posted a video to Truth Social in which he falsely claimed that the embattled president has already quit the race for the White House, referring to him as a “broken down pile of c***” and ridiculing his Vice President Kamala Harris as “pathetic.”

President Biden insisted “I’m not going anywhere” to a crowd at the White House during a Fourth of July event, during which he laid out the stakes of the 2024 election: “We must look at ourselves and ask the question, will we stand for freedom again? Will we stand for democracy?”

Key Points

• Biden campaign uses July 4th to blast Trump for turning U.S. ‘into monarchy’

• Biden admits to Democratic governors he’s tired and needs to work less: ‘It’s just my brain’

• Biden asks Americans to ‘stand up for democracy’ at Fourth of July event

• Trump lashes out at Biden, Harris, and special counsel in July 4 message

• Recap: Biden admits he ‘screwed up’ debate

Biden introduces July 4 concert to crowd outside the White House

01:47 , Alex Woodward

Vice President Kamala Harris introduced Joe Biden to a crowd outside a Fourth of July concert hosted by the White House.

She called him an “extraordinary” president.

“We gotta do what our founders did. We’re a nation of dignity, honor and devotion to one another,” Biden said in extremely brief remarks.

“Folks, it’s all about democracy. It’s all about freedom. It’s all about who we are.”

He walked off stage telling the crowd to “enjoy the fireworks” as they chanted “four more years.”

Biden: ‘I’m not going anywhere'

01:35 , Alex Woodward

As President Biden gave remarks outside the White House for a Fourth of July event on Thursday night, a supporter called out “keep up the fight” and “we need you.”

“You got me man,” he replied. “I’m not going anywhere.”

Biden takes a shot at Trump during White House Fourth of July event

01:30 , Alex Woodward

During a brief speech to military families outside the White House on Thursday, President Biden spoke up for democracy at home and broad, referencing his recent visit to Normandy to commemorate the D-Day anniversary.

At one point, he took a dig at Trump: “I was in a World War I cemetery in France, and ... the former president, didn’t want to go and be up there — which I probably shouldn’t have said.”

“Anyway,” he continued. “We gotta just remember who the hell we are. We’re the United States of America.”

Biden asks Americans to ‘stand up for democracy’ at Fourth of July event

01:25 , Alex Woodward

In scripted remarks outside the White House for a Fourth of July event for military families on Thursday night, the president said: “We must look at ourselves and ask the question, will we stand for freedom again? Will we stand for democracy? Will we stand together as Americans?”

“I believe we will, and we can,” he added.

Biden warns against Trump’s ‘monarchy’ on July 4

01:31 , Alex Woodward

The aftermath of Biden’s debate performance has been an apparently welcome diversion for Donald Trump and his campaign, keeping media attention away from his own streak of unintelligible public statements, questions about his mental fitness, and an off-the-rails agenda that just a few days ago called for “televised military tribunals” for a former congresswoman.

He’s kept a relatively low profile, for him, and appears content to let his Democratic rivals duke out their political future.

Now, Biden is hoping to use the Fourth of July holiday to turn the conversation around:

Biden warns against Trump’s ‘monarchy’ while ex-president gleefully watches the chaos

VIDEO: Biden’s political future being questioned

Friday 5 July 2024 00:00 , Gustaf Kilander

Does Kamala Harris have what it takes to beat Trump if Biden bows out?

Thursday 4 July 2024 23:30 , Andrew Feinberg

With pressure mounting for President Joe Biden to stand aside after his troubling debate performance against Donald Trump, Vice President Kamala Harris has emerged as a surprisingly strong potential challenger to the ex-president.

Harris — the first woman, the first African-American and the first person of Asian descent to serve in the nation’s second-highest office — has been dogged by dismal approval ratings and a policy portfolio that has seen her take on politically tricky issues, like the root causes of an immigration crisis that’s brought hundreds of thousands to the US in recent years.

But she has also spent the last three years building a profile on the world stage, most recently at last month’s Ukraine peace talks in Switzerland. She’s also become the administration’s most prominent messenger on reproductive freedom in the wake of the Supreme Court’s Dobbs ruling, which marked the end of a half-century-old federal right to an abortion. Harris’ “reproductive freedom tour” has taken her to events across the country where she has barnstormed events packed with female and minority voters.

READ MORE:

Does Kamala Harris have what it takes to beat Trump if Biden bows out?

Full story: Biden warns against Trump’s ‘monarchy’ on July 4 while ex-president gleefully watches the chaos

Thursday 4 July 2024 23:04 , Alex Woodward

The aftermath of Biden’s debate performance has been an apparently welcome diversion for Donald Trump and his campaign, keeping media attention away from his own streak of unintelligible public statements, questions about his mental fitness, and an off-the-rails agenda that just a few days ago called for “televised military tribunals” for a former congresswoman.

He’s kept a relatively low profile, for him, and appears content to let his Democratic rivals duke out their political future.

Now, Biden is hoping to use the Fourth of July to turn the conversation around:

Biden warns against Trump’s ‘monarchy’ while ex-president gleefully watches the chaos

Fan cams and coconut trees: Kamala Harris memes are resurrecting the KHive

Thursday 4 July 2024 23:00 , Alex Woodward

The internet has fallen out of the coconut tree.

Speculation that President Joe Biden will hang up his re-election campaign has triggered a wave of semi-ironic online support for Vice President Kamala Harris, with fan cams set to songs from Charli XCX and memes that riff on a string of memorable quotes from her last few years in office.

The “KHive” — the online grassroots stan-culture army of earnest supporters who fueled online rage and enthusiastic support for Harris when she launched her 2020 run for the presidency — was resurrected overnight. Now Americans are quickly become coconut-pilled, Kamala maxxing, “existing in context” and “unburdened by what has been.”

READ MORE:

Fan cams and coconut trees: Kamala Harris memes are resurrecting the KHive

How the Supreme Court’s immunity ruling opened the door for a shocking question: Can presidents kill their rivals?

Thursday 4 July 2024 22:30 , Alex Woodward

Can a president order a rival’s assassination and get away with it?

It was an absurd hypothetical raised by an appeals court judge to point out the literally unbelievable and dangerous consequences of the legal argument from Donald Trump’s attorneys.

But it landed as a shocking warning from a Supreme Court justice in an earthquaking decision this week that shields Trump from accountability for crimes committed in office.

There has never been any legal precedent that would give a president such authority. But according to legal scholars, attorneys and the Supreme Court’s liberal justices, the decision has seemingly opened the door to question whether the commander in chief can commit legal murder.

READ MORE:

A shocking question at the Supreme Court: Can presidents kill their rivals?

Six other presidents didn’t run for another term. Here’s what happened then

Thursday 4 July 2024 22:00 , Gustaf Kilander

President Joe Biden is in the fight for his political life, having acknowledged that the next few days are crucial to convincing the American public that he’s the right person to lead the country for the next four years.

The crisis comes after Biden’s dismal debate performance on June 27, when he appeared frail, his voice raspy, and during which he made several gaffes and appeared to lose his train of thought.

In public, he has insisted that he’s still in the race and that he’s confident that he can beat former president Donald Trump even as his predecessor is pulling away in poll after poll.

But there’s precedent for declining to run for a second term and stepping aside. Most recently, and possibly most famously, back in 1968.

READ MORE:

Six other presidents didn’t run for another term. Here’s what happened then

VIDEO: US elections: White House says zero chance Biden will withdraw

Thursday 4 July 2024 21:30 , Gustaf Kilander

Virginia school board member who admitted to boozing in the Capitol gets jail time for Jan 6 riot

Thursday 4 July 2024 21:00 , Graig Graziosi

A member of a Virginia school board who bragged about drinking beer inside the Capitol during the Jan. 6 riot will spend 12 days behind bars for storming the halls of Congress.

Miles Adkins, 39, has pleaded guilty to two federal misdemeanors in connection with the riot and has been sentenced to 12 days in prison — only to be served on weekends — plus two years of probation and fines and restitution.

Despite his guilty plea, Adkins told NBC News4 that he refuses to capitulate to the demands of community members who want him to step down from his position on the Frederick County Public Schools board.

“You’re gonna need a bigger wrecking ball to get me out of there,” he told a reporter.

READ MORE:

Virginia school board member who stormed Capitol and boozed up inside is sentenced

Video reveals Trump saying ‘broken down pile of c***’ Biden is ‘quitting’ White House race

Thursday 4 July 2024 20:30 , Joe Sommerlad

Donald Trump has branded Joe Biden a “broken down pile of c**p” and Vice President Kamala Harris “pathetic” as he claims the embattled president has already quit the White House race.

In a video posted to his Truth Social platform, the Republican presidential candidate is seen slouched behind the wheel of a golf buggy alongside his teenage son Barron Trump and declaring to an unidentified third party: “How did I do with the debate the other night? I kicked that old, broken down pile of c**p.

“He just quit, you know – he’s quitting the race... and that means we have Kamala. I think she’s going to be better,” Trump mutters sarcastically.

Trump goes on to lay into Harris, deriding the prospect of her succeeding Biden on the ticket.

“She’s so pathetic, she’s so f***ing bad. Can you imagine... dealing with [Vladimir] Putin, the president of China – who’s a fierce person, he’s a fierce man, a very tough guy...” he adds, before driving off across the green.

READ MORE:

Video reveals Trump saying ‘broken down pile of c***’ Biden is ‘quitting’ race

Biden campaign uses July 4th to blast Trump for turning U.S. ‘into monarchy’

Thursday 4 July 2024 20:29 , Gustaf Kilander

In an email, the Biden campaign told supporters that, “This July fourth, Donald Trump wants to make America a monarchy again.”

Biden campaign

Biden admits to Democratic governors he’s tired and needs to work less: ‘It’s just my brain’

Thursday 4 July 2024 20:22 , James Liddell, Alex Woodward

President Joe Biden reportedly told a group of Democratic governors on Wednesday that he needs more sleep, wants to wrap up his days by 8 p.m., and joked that while his health is in good shape, “it’s just my brain.”

The president also revealed that he had a brief medical check-up after last week’s debate — shortly after the White House told reporters that Biden had not seen a doctor since.

A group of 20 governors met with Biden at the White House on Wednesday night as mounting concerns about his mental fitness have followed a faltering performance at his first debate against Donald Trump, which the president blamed on both a cold and jet lag.

READ MORE:

Biden tells Democrats he had a medical check-up after debate disaster

Impeach, expand, investigate: How Democrats in Congress are trying to rein in the Supreme Court

Thursday 4 July 2024 20:00 , Alex Woodward

Two centuries after the constitution’s authors warned against an “elected king” in the executive office, the Supreme Court kicked off the week of the Fourth of July with a sweeping decision on presidential immunity that Justice Sonia Sotomayor said will create “a king above the law.”

Democrats in Congress have introduced several pieces of legislation to overhaul the Supreme Court, from codes of ethics to attempts to block precedent-shredding decisions that will have profound effects on government and society. They’re likely to fail.

READ MORE:

How Democrats in Congress are trying to reign in the conservative Supreme Court

VIDEO: Trump 'veepstakes' heats up as running mate pick looms

Thursday 4 July 2024 19:30 , Gustaf Kilander

Trump lashes out at Biden, Harris, and special counsel in July 4 message

Thursday 4 July 2024 19:15 , Gustaf Kilander

Donald Trump on Truth Social

Netflix co-founder and major Democratic donor calls for Biden to exit race

Thursday 4 July 2024 19:00 , James Liddell

Billionaire Democratic donor and Netflix co-founder Reed Hastings has called for Joe Biden to drop out of the presidential race after his dismal debate showing against Donald Trump last week.

In what marks a major blow to his reelection campaign, Hastings, 63, has became one of the party’s first, and most pivotal, benefactors to call on the 81-year-old president to step aside.

The entrepreneur, who has an estimated net worth of $4.8bn, told The New York Times: “Biden needs to step aside to allow a vigorous Democratic leader to beat Trump and keep us safe and prosperous.”

Hastings, who co-founded the streaming giant in 1997, and his wife Patty Quillin have donated more than $20m to the Democrats in recent years, including $1.5m to Biden in his 2020 bid for office.

READ MORE:

Netflix co-founder and major Democratic donor calls for Biden to exit race

Biden tells governors he needs to work less and sleep more

Thursday 4 July 2024 18:51 , Gustaf Kilander

Biden told a group of Democratic governors that he needs to work fewer hours and get more sleep, which includes limiting events after 8pm, two people who took part in the meeting told The New York Times.

The president’s Wednesday comments revealed that Biden is admitting to the fatigue that comes with the job during a meeting meant to sure up support within his party.

Biden also told the governors that he’s staying in the race. He outlined his recent foreign travel in the weeks ahead of his dismal debate performance on 27 June, during which he lost his train of thought, his voice was raspy, and he made several gaffes.

Biden said on several occasions on Wednesday that he had not been listening to his staff about his schedule.

Hawaii Governor Josh Green, a physician, asked Biden about his health, to which Biden said his health is fine.

“It’s just my brain,” he added.

Biden campaign chair Jen O’Malley Dillon said Biden had said, “All kidding aside.”

“He was clearly making a joke,” she told The Times.

White House issues readout of call between Biden and Netanyahu

Thursday 4 July 2024 18:45 , Gustaf Kilander

White House

How the Supreme Court’s immunity ruling opened the door for a shocking question: Can presidents kill their rivals?

Thursday 4 July 2024 18:30 , Joe Sommerlad

It was an absurd hypothetical raised by an appeals court judge to point out the literally unbelievable and dangerous consequences of the legal argument from Donald Trump’s attorneys.

But it landed as a shocking warning from a Supreme Court justice in an earthquaking decision this week that shields Trump from accountability for crimes committed in office.

There has never been any legal precedent that would give a president such authority.

But according to legal scholars, attorneys and the Supreme Court’s liberal justices, the decision has seemingly opened the door to question whether the commander in chief can commit legal murder.

Alex Woodward reports.

A shocking question at the Supreme Court: Can presidents kill their rivals?

Recap: Biden admits he ‘screwed up’ debate

Thursday 4 July 2024 18:00 , Joe Sommerlad

Here’s another look at our top story today.

“I had a bad night," the president told Wisconsin radio host Earl Ingram in an interview that aired this morning.

"And the fact of the matter is that I screwed up. I made a mistake.

“That’s 90 minutes on stage, look at what I’ve done in three-and-a-half years.”

Biden also used the interview to talk up his efforts on behalf of the Black community, declaring: “I picked a Black woman to be my vice president.

“I’ve appointed the first Black woman to be a Supreme Court justice. I’ve appointed more Black judges, more Black women judges, than every other president in American history combined."

On Trump’s treatment of the same demographic, the president said: “I’m sorry to get so worked up.

“But he is just — he’s terrible things in the community, and he has about as much interest and concern for Black, minority communities as the man on the moon does.”

Here’s more from Andrew Feinberg.

Biden admits he ‘screwed up’ debate — but insists he can still ‘beat’ Trump

‘If you raise problems in parts of Bidenworld, it can be deemed disloyal’

Thursday 4 July 2024 17:30 , Joe Sommerlad

Here’s an interesting insight into the ongoing West Wing psychodrama from CNN’s pundits this morning.

McCarthy complains Biden offered him cookies

Thursday 4 July 2024 17:00 , Joe Sommerlad

Kevin McCarthy, the former Republican House speaker – ousted by his own side, lest we forget – was busy telling Fox News yesterday he found it “depressing” whenever the president of the United States offered him cookies in the White House, a weird remark that attracted a number of withering responses of which the following was unquestionably the most devastating.

‘Mr Gorbachev, tear down this coconut tree!’ Kamala memes explode amid Biden anxiety

Thursday 4 July 2024 16:40 , Joe Sommerlad

Alex Woodward surveys a resurgent “KHive”, the irony-poisoned jokers and exhausted voters who are only semi-ironically calling for a President Harris to take the stage before it’s too late.

Confused? Just remember you exist in the context of all in which you live and what came before you.

Or, you know, just watch this joyous thread.

Fan cams and coconut trees: Kamala Harris memes are resurrecting the KHive

GoFundMe for Stormy Daniels tops $800k as she reveals threats over Trump conviction

Thursday 4 July 2024 16:20 , Joe Sommerlad

A GoFundMe campaign for Stormy Daniels has raised more than $800,000 in the eight days since it launched in order to help the adult film star deal with the fallout of speaking out against Donald Trump.

Daniels – real name Stephanie Clifford – was the star witness at the Republican presidential candidate’s hush money trial this spring, which ended with Trump being convicted on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records in order to hide a $130,000 payment to silence her in the days before the 2016 election about an alleged sexual encounter in 2006.

Trump is set to be sentenced by Judge Juan Merchan on September 18, after he was granted a delay as he seeks to overturn his conviction in in light of the Supreme Court’s recent immunity ruling.

In a new interview on MSNBC this week, Daniels revealed she has received numerous threats from Trump supporters since testifying against him in the Manhattan trial, including on Facebook “from people in my own community” and from strangers warning “they were going to rape everybody in my family, including my young daughter, before they killed them”.

“Trump is trying to make, I believe, trying to make an example out of me,” she told Rachel Maddow.

Here’s our report.

GoFundMe for Stormy Daniels tops $800k as she reveals threats over Trump conviction

Jill Biden is still Joe’s biggest supporter – and she’s ‘all in’ for him staying in the race

Thursday 4 July 2024 16:00 , Joe Sommerlad

The 73-year-old Dr Jill has publicly painted a rosy picture of her husband’s performance in the debate, at odds with almost everyone else’s version of events.

“Joe you did such a great job,” she proclaimed in its immediate aftermath last Thursday, before adding: “You answered every question!”

In the days since, she has remained steadfast – both in public and in private – in her belief that he should remain in the race.

“[We] will not let those 90 minutes define the four years he’s been president,” Dr Biden told Vogue earlier this week.

Here’s James Liddell again with a look at the first lady’s role in this whole mess.

Jill Biden is ‘all in’ for Joe staying in the race

Biden tells Democrats he had a medical check-up after disastrous debate as he tries to keep party on side

Thursday 4 July 2024 15:40 , Joe Sommerlad

Here’s a little more on a line I mentioned earlier from the president’s call with governors – his revelation that he had a medical exam in the aftermath of last week’s events in Georgia and was given the all-clear.

James Liddell has this report.

Biden tells Democrats he had a medical check-up after debate disaster

Truth Social: Trump celebrates Independence Day by posting four-year-old clip of Mount Rushmore speech

Thursday 4 July 2024 15:20 , Joe Sommerlad

Who’s up for some pandemic nostalgia? No, me neither.

Although perhaps the above is preferable to what he posted earlier, a nasty video of a robbery on a train (in which two of the assailants are wearing red baseball caps) accompanied by a declaration that: “Biden Migrant Crime gets bloodier by the day.”

You can see that one here if you must.

Noem says Americans can’t relate to Harris

Thursday 4 July 2024 15:00 , Joe Sommerlad

Conservatives seem to absolutely despise “cackling” Kamala Harris but if there’s one person who should probably keep quiet about being “relatable”, it’s South Dakota governor Kristi Noem, who assumed that telling the world she had murdered her dog would be a guaranteed vote-winner.

How would replacing Biden actually work?

Thursday 4 July 2024 14:30 , Joe Sommerlad

Although the president’s campaign insists he is “absolutely not dropping out”, here is Eric Garcia with a look at the mechanics of replacing him at the top of the Democratic presidential ticket, just in case.

What happens if Biden drops out of the race?

DNC committee member proposes alternative way to replace Biden

Thursday 4 July 2024 14:00 , Joe Sommerlad

James Zogby, a former adviser to Jesse Jackson and Bernie Sanders, has proposed a plan to have an open contest for the Democratic presidential nomination after the incumbent’s disastrous appearance in the first debate last week, writes Eric Garcia.

DNC committee member proposes alternative way to replace Biden

Biden insiders think there’s ‘no question’ Harris will move to top of ticket

Thursday 4 July 2024 13:30 , Joe Sommerlad

Campaign staffers are preparing to shift their focus to elevating, then electing, vice president Kamala Harris, sources have told The Independent, even as Biden vehemently denies any intention to stand aside.

Here’s the latest from Andrew Feinberg.

Biden insiders think there’s ‘no question’ Kamala Harris will move to top of ticket

‘Everybody wants him to quit’: Democrats continue to pounce on Biden as doubts swirl over his political future

Thursday 4 July 2024 13:00 , Joe Sommerlad

Despite the president’s best efforts, senior Democrats remain in “panic mode” after Biden insisted he would not abandon his presidential re-election campaign despite serious concerns growing over his mental fitness for office.

Anonymous lawmakers described the situation facing Biden and the Democratic party in a pointed interview with Politico.

“Everybody wants him to quit. There’s a sense of despair,” the unnamed lawmaker told the outlet.

“I think people don’t understand how we get out of this hole. And we’re hurtling toward losing to Trump.

“All my text chains in Congress go from a dark humor to ‘let’s take action’… I don’t find any discernible group of people who actually believe we’re going to win with Joe Biden.”

Mike Bedigan has the latest.

Democrats continue to pounce on Biden as doubts swirl over his political future

Michelle Obama is the only Democrat who can beat Trump, new poll finds

Thursday 4 July 2024 12:30 , Joe Sommerlad

The former first lady remains a popular choice for a Democratic presidential run among voters and beat Trump 50 per cent to 39 per cent in a new Reuters/Ipsos poll published on Wednesday.

The same survey found Kamala Harris, Gavin Newsom and Gretchen Whitmer all narrowly losing out to the loudmouthed Republican felon in hypothetical matchups.

Obama has repeatedly declined any further involvement in politics and a spokesperson repeated that line to NBC yesterday, commenting:  “As former first lady Michelle Obama has expressed several times over the years, she will not be running for president.

“It’s got to be in your soul, because it is so important. It is not in my soul.”

Here’s Martha McHardy on the threat Obama would pose to Trump if she changed her mind.

Could Michelle Obama replace Biden – and beat Trump?

Biden’s interview with George Stephanopolous ‘could last just 15 minutes’

Thursday 4 July 2024 12:00 , Joe Sommerlad

The president’s forthcoming interview with the respected ABC News anchor has been hastily arranged in the aftermath of debategate to give Biden an opportunity to reassure voters about his fitness and will see Stephanopolous join him in Wisconsin as he campaigns in the crucial swing state to record the sit down.

But, according to The Daily Beast, their heart-to-heart, due to be filmed for Friday evening’s edition of World News Tonight, could last just a quarter of an hour.

That said, the White House has bluntly stated in response to the story: “False. The interview will be longer.”

But exactly how long – 15 minutes and one second? 30 minutes? An hour? – remains a mystery.

Here’s more on that from Martha McHardy.

How Biden’s ‘make or break’ interview with ABC News could fall short

Biden admits he ‘screwed up’ debate in Milwaukee radio interview

Thursday 4 July 2024 11:30 , Joe Sommerlad

“I had a bad night," the president told Wisconsin radio host Earl Ingram yesterday in a pre-recorded interview set to air this morning, according to The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

"And the fact of the matter is that I screwed up. I made a mistake.

“That’s 90 minutes on stage, look at what I’ve done in three-and-a-half years.”

Biden also used the interview, which lasted 20 minutes, to talk up his efforts on behalf of the Black community, declaring: “I picked a Black woman to be my vice president.

“I've appointed the first Black woman to be a Supreme Court justice. I've appointed more Black judges, more Black women judges, than every other president in American history combined."

On Trump’s treatment of the same demographic, the president said: “I’m sorry to get so worked up.

“But he is just — he's terrible things in the community, and he has about as much interest and concern for Black, minority communities as the man on the moon does.”

Here’s more from Andrew Feinberg.

Biden admits he ‘screwed up’ debate — but insists he can still ‘beat’ Trump

Biden and Harris hosting Fourth of July barbecue for serving military personnel

Thursday 4 July 2024 11:00 , Joe Sommerlad

This is what the president had to say yesterday about the coming of Independence Day 2024.

Today, he and the vice president are hosting a barbecue for active-duty military service members and their families on the South Grounds of the White House.

Let’s hope Robert F Kennedy Jr is not invited! “Sorry Bobby, no one wants to try your dog steaks... ”

In the evening, the president and the first lady will host a Fourth of July celebration on the South Lawn for serving military, veterans, caregivers and survivors, with Biden due to deliver remarks before viewing a fireworks display over the National Mall.

Democratic governors pledge to back Biden after meeting with president

Thursday 4 July 2024 10:30 , Joe Sommerlad

Kathy Hochul, Wes Moore and Tim Walz, the governors of New York, Maryland and Minnesota, met with the embattled president at the White House yesterday and came out insisting they’re confidence had been restored, declaring emphatically: “We’ve got his back.”

Here’s Alex Lang’s report.

Democratic governors pledge to back Biden after meeting with president

Watch: White House says Biden ‘staying in the race’ for re-election

Thursday 4 July 2024 10:00 , Joe Sommerlad

Here’s Biden’s press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre reiterating the president’s position.

White House says Biden ‘staying in the race’ for re-election

Biden insists ‘I’m not leaving’ as allies prepare for campaign end

Thursday 4 July 2024 09:30 , Joe Sommerlad

Contrary to Trump’s lies, President Joe Biden has insisted to his campaign staff that no one is pushing him out and that he’s “not leaving” his re-election campaign after multiple reports suggested on Wednesday that he is preparing to drop out if he fails crucial campaign tests in the days and weeks ahead.

“Let me say this as clearly as I possibly can, as simply and straightforward as I can: I am running,” he reportedly told campaign staff on a call yesterday.

“No one’s pushing me out,” he said. “I’m not leaving. I’m in this race to the end and we’re going to win.”

Alex Woodward reports.

Biden insists ‘I’m not leaving’ while allies prepare for end of his campaign

Trump falsely claims ‘broken down’ Biden is quitting White House race and derides ‘pathetic’ Harris

Thursday 4 July 2024 09:00 , Joe Sommerlad

Good morning – and happy Fourth of July!

Donald Trump has posted a video to his Truth Social platform in which he is seen falsely claiming that embattled president Joe Biden has already quit the 2024 race for the White House and deriding the prospect of vice president Kamala Harris succeeding him.

The Republican presidential candidate is seen slouched behind the wheel of a golf buggy alongside his teenage son Barron Trump and declaring to an unidentified third party: “How did I do with the debate the other night? I kicked that old, broken down pile of c***.

“He just quit, you know – he’s quitting the race... and that means we have Kamala. I think she’s going to be better,” Trump mutters sarcastically.

“She’s so pathetic, she’s so f***ing bad. Can you imagine... dealing with [Vladimir] Putin, the president of China – who’s a fierce person, he’s a fierce man, a very tough guy...” he adds, before driving off across the green.

Here’s our story.

Video reveals Trump saying ‘broken down pile of c***’ Biden is ‘quitting’ race

VIDEO: Broke Billionaire? Trump Delays Personal Financial Disclosures

Thursday 4 July 2024 08:00 , Gustaf Kilander

Biden insists ‘I’m not leaving’ while allies prepare for end of his campaign

Thursday 4 July 2024 07:00 , Alex Woodward

President Joe Biden has insisted to his campaign staff that no one is pushing him out and that he’s “not leaving” his re-election campaign after multiple reports have suggested that he is preparing to drop out if he fails crucial campaign tests in the days and weeks ahead.

“Let me say this as clearly as I possibly can, as simply and straightforward as I can: I am running,” he reportedly told campaign staff on a call on Wednesday.

“No one’s pushing me out,” he said. “I’m not leaving. I’m in this race to the end and we’re going to win.”

The president reportedly admitted that he will have to end his re-election campaign if he cannot convince voters that he is up for the job after his flailing performance at last week’s debate against Donald Trump.

A key ally to the president told The New York Times that while Mr Biden remains committed to the race, his next several crucial public appearances could shape his plans for 2024.

READ MORE:

Biden insists ‘I’m not leaving’ while allies prepare for end of his campaign

How the Supreme Court’s immunity ruling opened the door for a shocking question: Can presidents kill their rivals?

Thursday 4 July 2024 06:00 , Alex Woodward

Can a president order a rival’s assassination and get away with it?

It was an absurd hypothetical raised by an appeals court judge to point out the literally unbelievable and dangerous consequences of the legal argument from Donald Trump’s attorneys.

But it landed as a shocking warning from a Supreme Court justice in an earthquaking decision this week that shields Trump from accountability for crimes committed in office.

There has never been any legal precedent that would give a president such authority. But according to legal scholars, attorneys and the Supreme Court’s liberal justices, the decision has seemingly opened the door to question whether the commander in chief can commit legal murder.

READ MORE:

A shocking question at the Supreme Court: Can presidents kill their rivals?

VIDEO: How much does charisma matter in politics and should it?

Thursday 4 July 2024 05:00 , The Independent

Some of Biden’s wealthiest donors are privately turning on the president

Thursday 4 July 2024 04:00 , Gustaf Kilander

Some of Joe Biden’s biggest donors are privately turning their backs on him - but most of them are keeping their powder dry, worrying that any move against the president may backfire, according to The New York Times.

Late on Tuesday, donors were monitoring the most recent polls following Biden’s dismal debate performance last week against Trump, where he mumbled and appeared to lose his train of thought at times.

The Times reported on Wednesday that Biden has told an ally that he may end his re-election campaign if he cannot convince voters over the next few days that he’s up to the job.

READ MORE:

Some of Biden’s wealthiest donors are privately turning on the president

Biden insiders think there’s ‘no question’ Kamala Harris will move to top of ticket

Thursday 4 July 2024 03:00 , Andrew Feinberg

Campaign staffers are preparing to shift their focus to elevating, then electing, Vice President Kamala Harris, sources have told The Independent, even as Joe Biden vehemently denies any intention to stand aside from the 2024 election race.

A steady stream of Democrats have begun calling for Biden to withdraw his candidacy after he spent the 90-minute face-off against former President Donald Trump delivering a number of rambling, nonsensical answers and appearing to lose his train of thought on multiple occasions, leaving supporters aghast at his condition.

White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre spent much of Wednesday’s press briefing telling reporters that it is Biden’s intention to stay in, and he reportedly told campaign staff on a conference call earlier in the day that he intends to remain on the ballot in this year’s election. A Biden campaign spokesperson, Seth Schuster, told The Independent that Biden is “absolutely not dropping out.”

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Biden insiders think there’s ‘no question’ Kamala Harris will move to top of ticket

Obama privately told allies that he’s concerned about Biden’s path to re-election

Thursday 4 July 2024 02:00 , Ariana Baio

Barack Obama has privately raised concerns about Joe Biden’s path to re-election after his shaky debate performance, a sharp deviation from his public comments.

The former president has told allies that he is worried about Democrats’ ability to defeat Donald Trump in November and has warned Biden in recent months about the challenges ahead, according toThe Washington Post.

Before the first presidential debate last week, Obama reminded his friend and former vice president about the stakes of the campaign. This echoes his long-held concerns about Trump’s political strength going into the 2024 election, the report says.

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Obama privately told allies that he’s concerned about Biden’s path to re-election

VIDEO: Democrats concerned over Biden's wellbeing

Thursday 4 July 2024 01:00 , Gustaf Kilander

DNC committee member proposes alternative way to replace Biden

Thursday 4 July 2024 00:00 , Eric Garcia

One member of the Democratic National Committee has proposed a method to replace President Joe Biden, should he decide to not seek re-election.

Insiders told The Independent that they believe there is “no question” Vice President Kamala Harris would receive the baton if Biden chose not to run in November. The White House strongly denied that the president is considering bowing out of the race, however.

This scramble comes after Biden’s poor performance against former president Donald Trump during last week’s debate in Atlanta.

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DNC committee member proposes alternative way to replace Biden

How would replacing Biden actually work? DNC memo outlines a possibility

Wednesday 3 July 2024 23:00 , Eric Garcia

President Joe Biden seemed to give mixed signals about the future of his presidential campaign after his poor performance during last Thursday’s debate. While the campaign jumped to announce that it had outraised Donald Trump’s campaign in June, pulling in $127 million to Trump’s $118 million, it was also clear that rumors were swirling about whether Biden could effectively continue in the race.

One clear sign emerged on Wednesday that Biden is at least weighing the idea of stepping aside: he and Vice President Kamala Harris lunched and Harris received the President’s Daily Brief, which she only receives occasionally alongside the president.

Not long after that, Democratic insiders told The Independent’s Andrew Feinberg that they believe it’s a case of when, not if Harris goes to the top of the ticket, saying they think there’s “no question” it will happen.

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What happens if Biden drops out of the race?

What was on Kamala Harris' schedule today?

Wednesday 3 July 2024 22:49 , Gustaf Kilander

Georgia election workers who won $148M judgment against Giuliani want his bankruptcy case thrown out

Wednesday 3 July 2024 22:30 , Dave Collins

Rudy Giuliani‘s creditors, including two former Georgia election workers who won a $148 million defamation judgment against him, are opposing his attempt to convert his bankruptcy into a liquidation, saying they’ll likely ask that the case be thrown out instead because of what they call his flouting of bankruptcy laws.

The comments came Wednesday during a status hearing on Zoom before U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Sean Lane in White Plains, New York.

The former New York mayor and Donald Trump adviser filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization in December, days after the former election workers, Ruby Freeman and her daughter, Wandrea “Shaye” Moss, won their defamation case. They said Giuliani’s targeting of them because of Trump’s lies about the 2020 election being stolen led to death threats that made them fear for their lives.

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Georgia election workers who won $148M judgment against Giuliani want his bankruptcy case thrown out

‘I am not a church boy,’ RFK Jr says after ex-nanny claims he assaulted her in 1998

Wednesday 3 July 2024 22:00 , Maroosha Muzaffar

Independent presidential candidate Robert F Kennedy Jr has defended himself against allegations of sexual assault by a former babysitter saying, “I am not a church boy.”

Kennedy spoke on the Breaking Points podcast after former babysitter Eliza Cooney alleged he assaulted her at his home in 1998, according to a Vanity Fair article.

“The article is a lot of garbage,” Kennedy said.

“Listen, I have said this from the beginning. I am not a church boy. I am not running like that,” he added. “I had a very, very rambunctious youth. I said in my announcement speech that I have so many skeletons in my closet that if they could all vote, I could run for king of the world.”

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‘I am not a church boy,’ RFK Jr says after ex-nanny claims he assaulted her in 1998

Second House Democrat calls for Biden to step aside

Wednesday 3 July 2024 21:33 , Gustaf Kilander

A second House Democrat has called for President Joe Biden to step aside.

Rep Raúl Grijalva of Arizona told The New York Times: “If he’s the candidate, I’m going to support him, but I think that this is an opportunity to look elsewhere.”

He added: “What he needs to do is shoulder the responsibility for keeping that seat — and part of that responsibility is to get out of this race.”

Right-wing leader warns of ‘second American Revolution’ that will remain ‘bloodless if the left allows it to be’

Wednesday 3 July 2024 21:30 , Kelly Rissman

The president of the right-wing Heritage Foundation made a cryptic threat to the “radical left” while warning of a second “revolution” sweeping the country.

“We are in the process of the second American Revolution, which will remain bloodless if the left allows it to be,” Heritage Foundation President Kevin Roberts told Real America’s Voice on Tuesday.

The conservative think tank Roberts helms is behind Project 2025, a right-wing roadmap for a potential second Trump administration that would grant the president unprecedented control over federal agencies and empower Trump loyalists. It’s stated aim is “to start undoing the damage the Left has wrought and build a better country for all Americans in 2025.”

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Right-wing leader offers ominous warning of ‘second American Revolution’

VIDEO: Biden Seeks to Reassure Amid Debate Critique and Fitness Doubts

Wednesday 3 July 2024 21:00 , Gustaf Kilander

Biden had scheduled naps during debate prep after he blames jet lag for disastrous performance

Wednesday 3 July 2024 20:30 , Mike Bedigan, Andrew Feinberg, Gustaf Kilander

Joe Biden claims his poor performance at last week’s presidential debate was due to being tired after traveling “around the world a couple of times” in the days before the debate.

The 81-year-old said he “almost fell asleep on stage” during his Thursday clash with Donald Trump.

Biden was exhausted from back-to-back trips to Europe, prompting his team to cut his debate preparation sessions by two days to allow him to rest at his Delaware beach house. The preparations lasted for six days, never beginning before 11am and Biden was afforded time for a nap in the afternoon each day, one source told The Times.

It comes as many, including those from his party, have further questioned the president’s cognitive ability and whether he would be up to the role for four more years, should he be re-elected in November.

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Biden had scheduled naps during debate prep after he blames jet lag

Trump campaign issues statement on ‘total collapse’ of the Democrats

Wednesday 3 July 2024 20:18 , Gustaf Kilander

Chris LaCivita and Susie Wiles / Trump campaign

Press secretary reiterates that Biden isn’t dropping out

Wednesday 3 July 2024 20:13 , Alex Woodward and Gustaf Kilander

White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre was asked on Wednesday why she didn’t mention Biden’s grueling travel schedule yesterday when she simply said his poor debate performance was because of a cold.

“That is my bad. That is definitely part of the explanation of what occurred. I did know that. I was so focused on the cold so that’s what I wanted to talk about,” she said during a press briefing.

Asked about what occurred at today’s lunch between Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, Jean-Pierre said: “They regularly have lunch. I’m not going to get into private conversations.”

She reiterated that Biden isn’t dropping out.

“He traveled, and then he got a cold,” she added.

Biden was in France in early June, in Italy on June 12, in Los Angeles for a fundraiser on June 15, then back in Washington on June 16. The debate was nearly two weeks after that.

Asked if Biden feels like he let people down, the press secretary said, “He’s very sensitive to how people feel … He has that IQ … to feel people’s pains, feel people’s concern … That’s what makes this president so unique”

How the Supreme Court’s immunity ruling opened the door for a shocking question: Can presidents kill their rivals?

Wednesday 3 July 2024 20:00 , Alex Woodward

Can a president order a rival’s assassination and get away with it?

It was an absurd hypothetical raised by an appeals court judge to point out the literally unbelievable and dangerous consequences of the legal argument from Donald Trump’s attorneys.

But it landed as a shocking warning from a Supreme Court justice in an earthquaking decision this week that shields Trump from accountability for crimes committed in office.

There has never been any legal precedent that would give a president such authority. But according to legal scholars, attorneys and the Supreme Court’s liberal justices, the decision has seemingly opened the door to question whether the commander in chief can commit legal murder.

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A shocking question at the Supreme Court: Can presidents kill their rivals?

Trump lashes out at Biden over Iran

Wednesday 3 July 2024 19:30 , Gustaf Kilander

Donald Trump on Truth Social

Biden insists ‘I’m not leaving’ while allies prepare for end of his campaign

Wednesday 3 July 2024 19:12 , Alex Woodward

President Joe Biden has insisted to his campaign staff that no one is pushing him out and that he’s “not leaving” his re-election campaign after multiple reports have suggested that he is preparing to drop out if he fails crucial campaign tests in the days and weeks ahead.

“Let me say this as clearly as I possibly can as simply and straightforward as I can: I am running,” he reportedly told campaign staff on a call on Wednesday.

“No one’s pushing me out,” he said. “I’m not leaving. I’m in this race to the end and we’re going to win.”

The presdident reportedly admitted that he will have to end his re-election campaign if he cannot convince voters that he is up for the job after his flailing performance at last week’s debate against Donald Trump.

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Biden insists ‘I’m not leaving’ while allies prepare for end of his campaign

Trump moves ahead of Biden in new CBS post-debate poll

Wednesday 3 July 2024 19:00 , Eric Garcia

A new poll from CBS News shows that Donald Trump has taken a slight lead over President Joe Biden. The former president slightly trailed Biden last month.

The poll comes after Biden’s lackluster debate performance against Trump in Atlanta, which sent Democrats into a panic. Some Democrats have even speculated that Biden might need to be replaced.

CBS News surveyed 2,826 registered voters between in the days after the debate between June 28 and July 2, with a margin of error of 2.3 points.

The poll showed that 51 per cent of voters would pick Trump compared to 48 percent of voters who would pick Biden. The numbers are a reversal from last month, when 50 percent of voters said that they would pick Biden and 49 percent said they would pick Trump. That poll came days after a jury in New York found the former president guilty on 34 criminal charges of falsifying business records as part of a conspiracy to corruptly influence the 2016 election results.

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Trump moves ahead of Biden in new poll after disastrous debate

Biden: ‘I’m not leaving. I’m in this race to the end'

Wednesday 3 July 2024 18:54 , Gustaf Kilander

On a campaign call on Wednesday, President Joe Biden said, “Let me say this as clearly as I possibly can, as simply and straightforward as I can: I am running … no one’s pushing me out,” according to Politico.

He added: “I’m not leaving. I’m in this race to the end and we’re going to win.”

Biden staffers preparing to move Kamala Harris to the top of the ticket: ‘It’s a case of when, not if’

Wednesday 3 July 2024 18:51 , Andrew Feinberg

Staffers working on President Biden’s re-election effort are preparing for the campaign to elevate Vice President Kamala Harris to the top of the ticket. Sources say Biden will step aside but finish out his term after his disastrous debate performance against Donald Trump nearly one week ago.

One Democratic strategist who worked on Biden’s 2020 campaign and still speaks regularly to senior campaign officials told The Independent on Wednesday that there’s “no question” that Harris would be passed the torch.

They said campaign officials have been counseling prominent Democrats to refrain from explicitly calling for Biden to withdraw his candidacy in favor of letting him make the decision on his own.

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Biden insiders: ‘It’s a case of when, not if’ Kamala Harris steps up

Trump leads by six points among likely voters, poll shows

Wednesday 3 July 2024 18:50 , Gustaf Kilander

Trump now leads Biden by six points among likely voters, according to a New York Times/Siena College poll.

The poll comes after Biden’s debate debacle last week which reignited concerns that he’s too old to govern.

The former president is ahead by 49 to 43 percent – increasing his lead by three points compared to the previous week, ahead of the debate.

Among registered voters, Trump’s lead is eight points – 49 to 41 percent.

Meanwhile, 74 percent of voters see Biden as too old to be president, an increase of five points since the debate.

VIDEO: How Trump has molded the RNC to fit his MAGA agenda

Wednesday 3 July 2024 18:40 , Gustaf Kilander

Biden and Harris take part in call to rally White House staff

Wednesday 3 July 2024 18:25 , Gustaf Kilander

Who could replace Joe Biden? Debate performance has Democrats in crisis talks

Wednesday 3 July 2024 18:20 , John Bowden

“Sleepy” Joe Biden gave the Democratic Party a wake-up call last week. And the concerns about the incumbent president’s age and mental fitness are not going away.

Last week’s debate in Altanta, Georgia, was the president’s shot to bat away concerns about whether he can effectively serve a second term, one that would end well into his 80s.

Instead, apparently battling a cold, Biden appeared raspy and hoarse onstage, forgetting words at times and at other points seemingly losing track of his point altogether.

Democratic sources who spoke to The Independent and a wide range of other media outlets immediately after the debate were in panic mode, with some openly fretting about whether it was possible for their party to do the unthinkable: replace a sitting, incumbent president on the ticket after he breezed through primary season virtually uncontested.

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Who could replace Joe Biden? Debate performance has Democrats in crisis talks

White House chief attempts to rally staffers during all-hands meeting after debate debacle

Wednesday 3 July 2024 18:06 , Gustaf Kilander

During an all-hands meeting on Wednesday, White House Chief of Staff Jeff Zients said President Joe Biden “didn’t have a great night but that was one night and what we all know is he is a great president,” in reference to the debate.

“Put your head down. Execution. Execution. Execution,” he added, according to Axios. “At the same time, hold your head high. There’s so much the President has accomplished for the American people.”

Zients continued: “As almost everybody knows ... I’m obsessed with teams ... we need to stay together as a team and have each other’s back.”

“The president and his team have been through the highest of highs and the lowest of lows, and you know what? That will continue, and the only way to get through it is as a team,” he said. “There’s so much to be proud of and so much more we can do together”

“This is a period of intense noise out there. People are looking for chatter. Tune it out,” he added.

Zients quoted Biden’s words from the day after the debate – “When you get knocked down, you get back up.”

“That’s what he is doing and that’s what we all need to do ... follow the president’s lead,” Zients said, according to The Washington Post.