Joe Biden is continuing to struggle to instil calm within the Democratic Party following his disastrous debate performance against Donald Trump last week, with Michigan governor Gretchen Whitmer reportedly warning him he cannot win her swing state in November as things stand.
The president, 81, met with his family at Camp David in Maryland over the weekend to discuss his political future in the wake of his frail, confused appearance on the CNN debate stage in Atlanta, Georgia, which only heightened doubts about his cognitive ability and sparked calls for him to drop out of the race for the White House.
Biden’s family reportedly encouraged him to stay the course as he spent Sunday with First Lady Jill Biden, his children, and grandchildren, with the possibility of firing campaign advisers said to have been discussed.
Top Democrats are believed to have been in crisis talks over the last four days amid speculation the party could move to replace Biden with another candidate.
US Vice President Kamala Harris, Transport Secretary Pete Buttigieg, and Governors Whitmer, Gavin Newsom, Wes Moore, and JB Pritzker have all been named as possible emergency successors.
Key Points
Michigan governor warns Biden he can’t win her crucial swing state after debate flop
California governor headlining New Hampshire campaign event, fuelling Biden succession speculation
Biden health concerns raised by staffers on at least 15 occasions, says legendary Watergate reporter
Some Biden campaign donors want their money back
Post-debate poll finds four in 10 Democrats think party should replace Biden as nominee
‘Americans should be scared’: Biden allies issue forceful rhetoric after bad debate performance
13:00 , Joe Sommerlad
President Biden’s re-election campaign has shifted into a full-court press against Trump in response to the incumbent’s disastrous debate performance last week.
On a press call Monday, Biden campaign surrogates including former Capitol Police officer Harry Dunn, Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett and deputy campaign manager Quentin Fulks warned that American democracy would disappear in November if Democrats and concerned Americans did not rally behind the president.
The call was organized in response to the Supreme Court’s decision granting Trump and all US presidents limited immunity from prosecution for official acts.
It also appears to be in response to newfound concerns from his own party that Biden isn’t a strong enough candidate to win the presidential election.
Here’s more from John Bowden and Andrew Feinberg.
‘Americans should be scared’: Biden allies use forceful rhetoric on media call
Biden health concerns raised by staffers on at least 15 occasions, says legendary Watergate reporter
12:30 , Joe Sommerlad
Carl Bernstein was speaking to Anderson Cooper on CNN last night and had some pretty alarming revelations to offer about White House insiders’ deep concerns about the president’s wellbeing.
Legendary journalist @carlbernstein joins Anderson with new reporting on the concerns people close to President Biden have had about his health. pic.twitter.com/sKbX1qzEtO
— Anderson Cooper 360° (@AC360) July 2, 2024
Newsom headlining New Hampshire campaign event, fuelling Biden succession speculation
12:00 , Joe Sommerlad
California governor Gavin Newsom will headline a Democratic campaign event in New Hampshire next Monday, Fox News reports.
The July 8 event is called the “Blue Summer Campaign Kick-Off” and being organised by the New Hampshire House and Senate Democrats and will inevitably heighten speculation that Newsom is preparing to take over his party’s presidential nomination from the ailing Joe Biden.
“We look forward to welcoming Governor Newsom to New Hampshire to campaign on behalf of President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris as we work to once again defeat Donald Trump,” New Hampshire Democratic Party chair Ray Buckley said in a statement.
”Trump has grown increasingly unhinged in his campaign for power," Buckley stressed, arguing that “it’s never been more important to mobilize Democrats across the state to defeat him and re-elect our President, Joe Biden, who has consistently fought for and delivered for New Hampshire.”
Newsom notably stood up for Biden after last week’s disaster in Atlanta, which the California man attended in person, and was rebuked for doing so by the likes of MSNBC pundit Joe Scarborough, who accused him of having his head in the sand.
Some Biden campaign donors want their money back
11:30 , Joe Sommerlad
Top contributors to Biden’s re-election bid are inquiring about having their campaign donations refunded in light of last week’s debate debacle.
Yeesh.
Andrew Feinberg reports.
Biden donors demand their money back after president’s debate performance
Biden slams immunity ruling calling it ‘a terrible disservice’
11:00 , Joe Sommerlad
The president did much better yesterday responding to that shocking Supreme Court ruling, telling the nation it gives the executive office, and possibly Trump, the power “to do whatever he pleases, whenever he wants to do it.”
Biden: No one is above the law, not even the President of the United States. But today's Supreme Court decision on presidential immunity, that fundamentally changed for all practical purposes. It's a dangerous precedent. pic.twitter.com/8wuWAL5I0v
— Acyn (@Acyn) July 1, 2024
Biden: Once again, it will depend on the character of the men and women who hold that presidency, that are going to define the limits of the power of the presidency because the law will no longer do it. I know I will respect the limits of the presidential powers pic.twitter.com/eIV3DCm2Ya
— Acyn (@Acyn) July 2, 2024
Here’s a full report from Andrew Feinberg.
Biden slams Supreme Court immunity ruling calling it ‘a terrible disservice’
Trump ridicules Biden over debate performance after Supreme Court immunity 'win’
10:30 , Joe Sommerlad
Here’s the latest gloating from the Republican presidential challenger on Truth Social, who continues to slip the knife in after the president’s bad night on Thursday, emboldened by the “BIG WIN” the conservative-majority court handed him yesterday granting him absolute immunity from criminal prosecution for “official” acts carried out from the White House.
Biden’s Debate performance was rated poor, with an arrow pointing left. That means it was Less than Poor. Mine was rated, “the best in the history of Presidential Debates.” In other words, there is a BIG GAP for Crooked Joe to make up, and with his mind and memory completely…
— Donald J. Trump Posts From His Truth Social (@TrumpDailyPosts) July 2, 2024
Crooked Joe Biden spied on my campaign, took money from foreign governments, made some of the worst policy and military decisions in USA history, WEAPONIZED INJUSTICE, and is our WORST PRESIDENT EVER. He is killing our Country, a Total Loser!!! DJT
Donald Trump Truth Social…
— Donald J. Trump Posts From His Truth Social (@TrumpDailyPosts) July 2, 2024
Michigan governor warns Biden he can’t win her crucial swing state after debate flop
10:00 , Joe Sommerlad
Joe Biden is continuing to struggle to instil calm within the Democratic Party following his disastrous debate performance against Donald Trump last week, with Michigan governor Gretchen Whitmer reportedly warning him he cannot win her swing state in November as things stand.
The governor has since emphatically denied saying that but few are convinced.
Anyone who claims I would say that we can’t win Michigan is full of sh*t. Let’s go. https://t.co/1K5E6K7rJu pic.twitter.com/04c3vGfhO5
— Gretchen Whitmer (@gretchenwhitmer) July 1, 2024
Here’s more from James Liddell.
Whitmer warns Biden’s team he can’t win Michigan after debate flop
Trump and MAGA Republicans celebrate ‘big win’ over Supreme Court immunity ruling
09:00 , Martha McHardy
Donald Trump and his allies are celebrating after the Supreme Court ruled that he may have some immunity from prosecution.
In a 6-3 decision released on Monday, the court ruled that former presidents have some immunity from criminal prosecution for “official” actions, meaning that Trump could dodge some charges for his alleged plot to overturn the result of the 2020 election.
However, the court conceded that “not everything the President does is official” and that “the President is not above the law.”
“The President enjoys no immunity for his unofficial acts, and not everything the President does is official. The President is not above the law. But Congress may not criminalize the President’s conduct in carrying out the responsibilities of the Executive Branch under the Constitution,” Chief Justice John Roberts wrote for the majority.
READ MORE:
Trump and MAGA Republicans celebrate ‘big win’ over Supreme Court immunity ruling
‘A law-free zone around the president’: Supreme Court liberal justices denounce ‘nightmare’ immunity ruling
08:00 , Alex Woodward
The Supreme Court’s three liberal justices have warned that their conservative colleagues have turned the president into “a king above the law” after they granted Donald Trump some immunity from criminal prosecution.
Monday’s decision radically and dangerously reshapes the presidency and “makes a mockery” of the Constitution and the idea that “no man is above the law,” according to a furious dissenting opinion from Justice Sonia Sotomayor.
“Never in the history of our Republic has a President had reason to believe that he would be immune from criminal prosecution if he used the trappings of his office to violate the criminal law,” she wrote. “Moving forward, however, all former Presidents will be cloaked in such immunity. If the occupant of that office misuses official power for personal gain, the criminal law that the rest of us must abide will not provide a backstop.”
READ MORE:
Supreme Court liberal justices denounce ‘nightmare’ immunity ruling
More major newspapers’ editorial boards join calls for Biden to drop out of 2024 race
07:00 , Alex Woodward
A growing number of editorial boards for major newspapers have called on Joe Biden to drop out of the 2024 election race in the wake of his disastrous performance at the first debate against Donald Trump.
The day after the debate, The New York Times’ editorial board suggested that the president should leave the race “to serve his country,” based on his own argument that Trump presents a serious threat to American democracy.
“At Thursday’s debate, the president needed to convince the American public that he was equal to the formidable demands of the office he is seeking to hold for another term,” the board wrote. “Voters, however, cannot be expected to ignore what was instead plain to see: Mr Biden is not the man he was four years ago.”
READ MORE:
More major newspapers’ editorial boards join calls for Biden to drop out of 2024 race
State Department spokesman not ‘aware’ of any concerns raised by foreign leaders after shaky Biden debate
06:00 , John Bowden
A State Department spokesman joined the list of surrogates for the president facing uncomfortable questions about the president’s performance at last Thursday’s debate during the agency’s daily briefing on Monday.
Vedant Patel was grilled by reporters in the room over whether the agency was aware of criticisms or concerns raised by foreign leaders or their representatives in the wake of the president’s shaky appearance onstage in Atlanta, where he seemingly forgot his point at times, sounded hoarse and whispery, and rambled off track while answering questions.
Patel told reporters that he was not aware of any such concerns being raised privately by foreign leaders even as reporters pressed him with public examples.
READ MORE:
State officials not ‘aware’ of any concerns raised by foreign leaders about Biden
Some Biden campaign donors reportedly want their money back
05:15 , Andrew Feinberg
Top contributors to President Joe Biden’s re-election bid are inquiring about having their campaign donations refunded after the 81-year-old chief executive delivered a meandering and tottering performance at his first 2024 election debate with Donald Trump last week.
During the 90-minute session at CNN’s studios in Atlanta last week, Biden had trouble forming coherent answers to questions at times and on several occasions lost his train of thought. In doing so, he realized the worst fears of allies and supporters who have, until now, pushed back on allegations that the oldest man to ever serve as president is simply too old to serve another four-year term.
Biden campaign manager Julie Chavez Rodriguez told donors in a private campaign call over the weekend that over $33 million had been raised in the days since the debate, with hundreds of new applications from potential volunteers coming in as well.
READ MORE:
Some Biden campaign donors want their money back
VIDEO: John Fetterman defends Joe Biden debate flub amid calls for president to drop out of the race
04:30 , Gustaf Kilander
Appeals court allows part of Biden student loan repayment plan to go forward
03:30 , Annie Ma
A federal appeals court has allowed the U.S. Education Department to move ahead with a plan to lower monthly payments for millions of student loan borrowers, putting on hold a ruling last week by a lower court.
The ruling from the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals puts back on track a central part of President Joe Biden‘s efforts to address student debt — a rule that lowers from 10% of discretionary income to 5% the amount that some borrowers qualifying for a repayment plan need to pay.
The reduced payment threshold was set to take effect July 1, but federal judges in Kansas and Missouri last week blocked much of the administration’s student loan repayment plan in two separate rulings. The appeals court ruling on Sunday means the department can move ahead with the reduced payments already calculated.
READ MORE:
Appeals court allows part of Biden student loan repayment plan to go forward
VIDEO: What's next for Trump prosecutions after SCOTUS immunity ruling
02:30 , Gustaf Kilander
The Supreme Court’s ‘dangerous’ decision shields Trump from criminal prosecution. Where do his cases stand now?
01:30 , Alex Woodward
The Supreme Court’s monumental decision on whether Donald Trump is shielded from criminal prosecution for his actions in office will likely derail his election interference trial.
On Monday, the court’s conservative majority ruled in a 6-3 decision that Trump is immune from prosecution for “official” acts performed as president, as outlined in the indictment against him.
It will now be up to the lower federal court judge overseeing the case to hold hearings on whether the allegations – including Trump’s alleged conspiracy to overturn Joe Biden’s victory and a pressure campaign aimed at his vice president and state officials – constitute “official” or “unofficial” acts.
The Supreme Court flatly stated that “there is no immunity for unofficial acts” under the presidency.
READ MORE:
SCOTUS’s ‘dangerous’ decision shields Trump from criminal prosecution. Now what?
VIDEO: SCOTUS Decision: Did Trump get immunity?
Tuesday 2 July 2024 00:30 , Gustaf Kilander
A Supreme Court victory and a Democrat meltdown — yet Trump is still complaining
Monday 1 July 2024 23:30 , Eric Garcia
Former president Donald Trump got almost everything he could have wanted in the past week and a half.
Not only did President Joe Biden’s performance at the debate on Thursday evening in Atlanta send the Democratic Party into a collective panic — with some even speculating that the party would need to replace the president — but Trump has received legal rulings that have benefited him and his political movement.
Nevertheless, because he is who he is, he can’t help but continue to air his grievances.
On Monday, the Supreme Court ruled that presidents have some immunity from criminal prosecution. That decision will all but guarantee a delay in Trump’s criminal case on charges that he plotted to overturn the 2020 election results. It’s just what his team wanted: there’s now unlikely to be a decision until after the 2024 presidential election, when it can’t affect what happens in November.
READ MORE:
A Supreme Court victory and a Democrat meltdown — yet Trump is still complaining
VIDEO: Lawyer weighs in on Trump's immunity following Supreme Court opinion
Monday 1 July 2024 23:00 , Gustaf Kilander
Gretchen Whitmer slams suggestion Biden can’t win Michigan: ‘Full of s***'
Monday 1 July 2024 22:45 , Gustaf Kilander
Anyone who claims I would say that we can’t win Michigan is full of sh*t. Let’s go. https://t.co/1K5E6K7rJu pic.twitter.com/04c3vGfhO5
— Gretchen Whitmer (@gretchenwhitmer) July 1, 2024
Louisiana now requires the 10 Commandments to be displayed in classrooms. It’s not the only terrifying state law
Monday 1 July 2024 22:30 , Gustaf Kilander
Louisiana Republican Governor Jeff Landry signed a law mandating that the Ten Commandments — yes, “thou shalt not commit adultery” etc — be displayed in every public school classroom in the state.
Landry has been pushing a hard-right Christian agenda since coming into office six months ago, and the culture war he’s waging also encompasses crackdowns on abortion rights and criminal justice.
At the bill signing ceremony in Lafayette on 19 June, Landry said: “If you want to respect the rule of law, you’ve got to start from the original lawgiver, which was Moses.”
The move has prompted widespread criticism from Democrats and it has already led to legal challenges from civil liberties groups.
Landry also signed other bills, mandating that transgender students be addressed using the pronouns on their birth certificates and that schools be allowed to hire chaplains. Last month, the state enacted a law classifying abortion pills as dangerous controlled substances.
READ MORE:
The 10 Commandments must be on display and it’s not the only terrifying state law
Biden slams Trump for setting ‘new record for the most lies told in a single debate’
Monday 1 July 2024 22:05 , Gustaf Kilander
Donald Trump set a new record for the most lies told in a single debate. pic.twitter.com/XEbMz0vqgx
— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) July 1, 2024
‘Biden was bad’: Jen Psaki calls debate prep criticism ‘absurd’
Monday 1 July 2024 21:50 , Gustaf Kilander
There are a lot of important discussions and debates about this political moment we are in and the path forward, but the notion that the issue at the debate was the prep process done by people like @RonaldKlain and Anita Dunn who have successfully prepped many candidates…
— Jen Psaki (@jrpsaki) July 1, 2024
Giuliani spokesperson calls bankruptcy proceedings ‘partisan and politically motivated’
Monday 1 July 2024 21:35 , Kelly Rissman and Gustaf Kilander
Last month, the judge in former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani’s bankruptcy case slammed his failure to comply with deadlines and inability to keep bookkeepers to manage his “mess” of financial records.
Giuliani’s bookkeeping was heavily criticized during a three-hour-long hearing in his high-profile Chapter 11 bankruptcy case. Judge Sean Lane also heard heated arguments from Giuliani’s creditors, who want a trustee to seize control of his finances and force the disgraced mayor to file monthly operating reports on time.
“There are reasons to be concerned here,” the bankruptcy court judge declared, conceding that the former mayor’s records appear to be a “mess.”
“At a certain point, a failure to comply with [court] orders means my voice will take on a decided edge,” the judge warned at the time. “If people don’t obey court orders, it’s a profound problem.”
On Monday, a spokesperson for Giuliani said: “Mayor Giuliani is simply following available options to combat an entirely partisan and politically motivated proceeding. Make no mistake, this is directly connected to the Biden regime’s ongoing efforts to take down President Trump and anyone willing to stand up against them.
“I can promise you this. No matter what they do, they can’t take away Mayor Giuliani’s most important assets— integrity, courage and love for America. And just like Steve Bannon and others, they’re trying to silence Mayor Giuliani. Well, good luck with that.”
Supreme Court grants Trump immunity for ‘official’ acts in landmark ruling that will delay trial
Monday 1 July 2024 21:20 , Ariana Baio, Alex Woodward
Former presidents have some immunity from criminal prosecution for official actions, the Supreme Court ruled on Monday – extending the delay in the criminal case against Donald Trump on charges he plotted to overturn his 2020 presidential election loss, and all but ending prospects he could be tried before the November election.
In a 6-3 decision released on Monday, the court rejected Trump’s suggestion of total immunity but said some of the actions laid out in the federal election interference indictment related to his official acts and are protected.
“The president enjoys no immunity for his unofficial acts, and not everything the president does is official. The president is not above the law. But Congress may not criminalize the president’s conduct in carrying out the responsibilities of the executive branch under the constitution,” Chief Justice John Roberts wrote for the majority.
The court’s conservative majority granted him “presumptive immunity” for actions that the former president claims were in the “outer perimeter” of his official duties.
READ MORE:
SCOTUS grants Trump immunity for ‘official’ acts in ruling that will delay trial
VIDEO: Biden campaign raises $27M in days since lackluster debate performance
Monday 1 July 2024 20:50 , Gustaf Kilander
‘Americans should be scared’
Monday 1 July 2024 20:20 , Oliver O'Connell
President Joe Biden’s re-election campaign has shifted into a full-court press against Donald Trump in response to the incumbent’s disastrous debate performance last week.
On a press call Monday, Biden campaign surrogates including former Capitol Police officer Harry Dunn, Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett, and deputy campaign manager Quentin Fulks warned that American democracy would disappear in November if Democrats and concerned Americans did not rally behind the president. The call was organized in response to the Supreme Court’s decision granting Trump and all US presidents limited immunity from prosecution for official acts. It also appears to be in response to newfound concerns from his own party that Biden isn’t a strong enough candidate to win the presidential election.
Notably, the Biden campaign team only took questions from four journalists on the call, only one of whom was a White House beat reporter.
John Bowden and Andrew Feinberg report from Washington, DC.
‘Americans should be scared’: Biden allies use forceful rhetoric on media call
Hunter Biden sues Fox News for defamation
Monday 1 July 2024 19:50 , Oliver O'Connell
Hunter Biden is suing the Fox News network, just a little over a year after the right-wing news channel was forced to reach a historic settlement and admitted its anchors had spread false claims about a voting machine company to please its pro-Trump audience.
John Bowden reports.
Hunter Biden sues Fox News for defamation
Whitmer warns Biden’s team he can’t win Michigan after debate flop
Monday 1 July 2024 19:20 , Oliver O'Connell
Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer has warned that PresidentJoe Biden’s chances of winning the state are now over following his dismal debate performance last week.
Biden had hoped to silence critics who have questioned his age and mental sharpness when he took on Donald Trump on stage during the first televised debate of the 2024 election on Thursday evening.
But instead of putting concerns to rest, the 81-year-old reinforced the stereotype with a bumbling, stumbling performance that is said to have left members of his party divided on whether he is the right candidate to run for the White House.
James Liddell reports.
Whitmer warns Biden’s team he can’t win Michigan after debate flop
Monday 1 July 2024 18:50 , Oliver O'Connell
If Biden stepped down as the Democratic candidate, who could replace him?
Monday 1 July 2024 18:20 , Joe Sommerlad
US vice president Kamala Harris, transport secretary Pete Buttigieg and state governors Gavin Newsom, Gretchen Whitmer, Wes Moore and JB Pritzker have all been named as possible emergency successors.
John Bowden reports.
If Biden stepped down as Democratic candidate, who could replace him?
‘I’m still processing what happened’: Democrats stew over Biden’s performance
Monday 1 July 2024 17:50 , Joe Sommerlad
Here’s Eric Garcia with a roundup of the reaction to last week’s debate from Capitol Hill.
‘I’m still processing what happened’: Democrats on Biden’s debate performance
Biden’s debate debacle against Trump watched by 51m viewers
Monday 1 July 2024 17:20 , Joe Sommerlad
Last week’s presidential debate was watched by 51.27m viewers, according to CNN.
he 90-minute event, which took place in Atlanta, Georgia, was hosted by that network but carried live by 22 of its competitors.
CNN said on Friday that the debate drew the highest audience on its network with 9.53m viewers, followed by 9.276m on right-wing Fox News.
Meanwhile, ABC News drew 9.21m viewers and MSNBC got 4.122m.
However, the number of people watching dropped more than 30 per cent from 2020 when 73m tuned in the first presidential debate between Biden and Trump.
Graeme Massie has more.
51 million viewers tune in for Biden’s debate debacle against Trump
Cheney reacts after Trump reposts account accusing her of ‘treason’ and demanding 'televised military tribunals’
Monday 1 July 2024 16:50 , Joe Sommerlad
The former chair of the House select committee that investigated January 6 and Wyoming GOP congresswoman says her old party’s presumptive presidential nominee, is not even “a stable adult”, let alone fit to govern.
Donald - This is the type of thing that demonstrates yet again that you are not a stable adult—and are not fit for office. https://t.co/AXES2YkD95
— Liz Cheney (@Liz_Cheney) July 1, 2024
First lady appears on cover of Vogue
Monday 1 July 2024 16:30 , Joe Sommerlad
Well, I guess that’s one way for the Biden camp to respond to its present state of crisis.
Jill Biden is on the July cover of Vogue. Just dropped this AM.https://t.co/sIDNKmZ8EZ pic.twitter.com/FS8M4UrJl1
— Alex Thompson (@AlexThomp) July 1, 2024
Steve Bannon must report to prison today after Supreme Court rejects last-ditch appeal
Monday 1 July 2024 16:10 , Joe Sommerlad
Away from the immunity ruling, the Supreme Court is also responsible for another big Trumpworld story today: the former president’s ex-White House strategist Steve Bannon being ordered to report to prison today after the court rejected his final attempt to stall his four-month sentence on Friday.
The justices denied the far-right podcaster’s emergency request to stay out of jail while he continues his appeal.
Bannon was found in contempt of Congress after defying subpoenas to give evidence to the House select committee investigating the January 6 attack on the Capitol.
As you can imagine, he’s not taking it well.
If you are interested in a dopamine injection, here is Steve Bannon’s farewell rant before he reports to prison. pic.twitter.com/BLWgrnu43V
— Ron Filipkowski (@RonFilipkowski) June 29, 2024
Meanwhile, things are not going swimmingly for Marjorie Taylor Greene either as she protests Bannon turning himself in outside the jail in Danbury, Connecticut.
Marge Greene is outside the federal prison in Danbury waiting for Steve Bannon’s turn-in, but so was Anarchy Princess with a sign (@SatireAP) pic.twitter.com/yjO4NqJiDL
— Ron Filipkowski (@RonFilipkowski) July 1, 2024
"Lock him up! Lock him up!" -- Steve Bannon and Marjorie Taylor Greene are trying to hold a news conference right now and it's not going well pic.twitter.com/5AvgXGcqxM
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) July 1, 2024
Alex Woodward has more on Bannon’s fall from, er, grace, I guess...
Steve Bannon must report to prison after Supreme Court rejects last-ditch appeal
Trump hails Supreme Court ruling as ‘BIG WIN’
Monday 1 July 2024 15:50 , Joe Sommerlad
Writing on Truth Social just now, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee reacted to the immunity verdict by declaring in trademark all-caps:
“BIG WIN FOR OUR CONSTITUTION AND DEMOCRACY. PROUD TO BE AN AMERICAN!”
Follow our dedicated Supreme Court blog for the latest as Trump granted partial immunity
Monday 1 July 2024 15:45 , Joe Sommerlad
For all the reaction to that monumental decision from the highest court in the United States, you can follow our dedicated liveblog with Oliver O’Connell via the link below.
Right here, we’ll be sticking with all things Biden and the Democratic crisis arising from last week’s debate fiasco.
Supreme Court awards Donald Trump some immunity from prosecution: Live updates
Breaking: US Supreme Court awards Trump some immunity from prosecution
Monday 1 July 2024 15:40 , Joe Sommerlad
Trump, and any future president, has total immunity from criminal prosecution for official actions, the US Supreme Court has just ruled in one of the most consequential cases for the American presidency in the history of the office.
In a 6-3 decision released on Monday, the court said that the Constitution gives presidents total immunity covering official acts – but not private.
“Under our constitutional structure of separated powers, the nature of presidential power entitles a former president to absolute immunity from criminal prosecution for actions within his conclusive and preclusive constitutional authority,” Chief Justice John Roberts wrote.
The ruling, issued at the tail end of the Supreme Court’s term, will delay the state and federal trials the former president faces as prosecutors and defense attorneys determine which crimes Trump is immune from.
But the justices’ long-awaited decision already benefits Trump because it has caused delays in proceedings – likely pushing those trials until after November’s election, which he could well win.
Here’s the very latest from Ariana Baio and Alex Wooward.
Supreme Court awards Donald Trump immunity from crimes under an official act
Post-debate poll finds four in 10 Democrats think party should replace Biden as 2024 nominee
Monday 1 July 2024 15:33 , Joe Sommerlad
Joe Biden should be removed as the Democratic Party’s 2024 presidential nominee following his disastrous debate performance against Donald Trump, according to 41 per cent of Democratic voters surveyed in a new poll by USA Today/Suffolk University, the latest blow to his ailing campaign.
Joe Biden's core Democratic support takes big hit after debate, exclusive poll shows https://t.co/C7HAZSBJW4
— USA TODAY Politics (@usatodayDC) July 1, 2024
Do debates matter? History hints at whether Biden could still recover
Monday 1 July 2024 15:00 , Joe Sommerlad
Nearly everyone agrees — including Biden himself — that he botched the first debate of the 2024 presidential election, but the question remains as to how much a debate performance matters when it comes to reclaiming the White House.
History shows the 81-year-old Democrat could still recover, writes Kelly Rissman.
Do debates matter? History hints at whether voters will forgive Biden’s rough night
Biden sees presidential odds fall while Harris rises after debate
Monday 1 July 2024 14:40 , Oliver O'Connell
The president’s odds of remaining the 2024 Democratic nominee have fallen in the wake of last week’s debate debacle, according to one sports-betting website.
While Biden is still the favored candidate and US vice president Kamala Harris remains far behind, her odds jumped after the debate, according to Oddschecker.
Biden’s odds dropped by roughly 40 per cent between last week and Friday morning.
Meanwhile, Harris saw her odds nearly double over the same period.
Here’s more from Katie Hawkinson.
Biden sees presidential odds fall while Kamala Harris rises hours after debate
Trump asks if Biden is ‘choker’ or ‘cognitive mess'
Monday 1 July 2024 14:28 , Oliver O'Connell
Donald Trump has lashed out at Joe Biden in his latest Truth Social post about Thursday’s presidential debate.
The former president wrote:
Only three things could have been the reason that Crooked Joe Biden, the worst President in the history of the United States, failed so badly at the debate on Thursday night. THEY WERE: 1) “TRUMP WAS REALLY GREAT!” In all fairness, and I say in complete and total modesty, many, on both sides of the political spectrum, have said it was the greatest single debate performance in the long and storied history of Presidential Debates. Thank you! 2) CROOKED JOE “CHOKED” LIKE A DOG. 3) JOE IS A COGNITIVE MESS! It could be combinations of all three, but ask yourself this question, as a proud citizen of the United States of America (which no longer means a thing, to many, as millions of people flow into our Country, totally unchecked and unvetted!), would you rather have a President who is a CHOKER, or a President who is a COGNITIVE MESS??? Also, did my Debate Performance play a role in Joe’s total “disembowelment” before the World? Our Fake Historians over at CNN & MSDNC would like to know???
Philadelphia Inquirer calls on Trump to drop out, not Biden
Monday 1 July 2024 14:00 , Joe Sommerlad
Here’s a contrary opinion from the newspaper of record in the key swing state of Pennsylvania.
A headline in the Philadelphia Inquirer that we should see every other major newspaper publishing pic.twitter.com/2O32LSKlRl
— Luke Beasley (@lukepbeasley) June 29, 2024
The entire Philadelphia Inquirer editorial is worth reading as it lists the many reasons why Donald Trump is too dangerous to serve a 2nd term.
But these last 5 paragraphs explaining why Joe Biden is not only the better alternative to Trump, but why he's up to the job?
— TrumpsTaxes (@TrumpsTaxes) June 29, 2024
Trump veep candidate claims Republican’s departure from the White House was ‘smooth transition'
Monday 1 July 2024 13:30 , Joe Sommerlad
North Dakota governor Doug Burgum and senators JD Vance, Marco Rubio and Tim Scott all joined the Sunday shows to try to shift the blame from the Republican candiate after he was accused of spreading lies about abortion, his record in office and the economy during Thursday’s debate.
Burgum, in particular, absolutely outdid himself.
This actually made me throw my phone. It’s so insane https://t.co/1QoKfdnZfa
— Zerlina Maxwell (@ZerlinaMaxwell) June 30, 2024
Is the VP job great enough to give away all of your integrity to land it? I worked at the White House for 3 years. I’d say no. https://t.co/yIuRe2FfzP
— Michael McFaul (@McFaul) July 1, 2024
Trump tells Biden to ‘get the hell out of here’ at lie-filled rally
Monday 1 July 2024 13:00 , Joe Sommerlad
For balance, here’s Alex Woodward on Trump’s “victory lap” in Virginia following the debate.
The former president used his latest rally to argue that the upcoming election isn’t about whether the clearly-struggling Biden can “survive a 90-minute debate” but whether America can survive another four years under his leadership, suggesting that the country might not “survive another five months.”
Trump tells Biden to ‘get the hell out of here’ at lie-filled rally
Biden comes out swinging for Trump after debate disaster
Monday 1 July 2024 12:30 , Joe Sommerlad
Hours after the first presidential debate, where he struggled to keep up with Trump’s avalanche of lies and couldn’t string together coherent sentences,a visibly energized Joe Biden acknowledged the previous night’s failures in fired-up remarks to a raucous rally crowd in North Carolina on Friday.
“I know I’m not a young man, to state the obvious,” he said at the end of his remarks in Raleigh.
“Folks, I don’t walk as easy as I used to. I don’t speak as well as I used to. I don’t debate as well as I used to. But I know what I do know. I know how to tell the truth. I know right from wrong. I know how to to this job.
“I know what millions of Americans do: When you get knocked down you get back up.”
Andrew Feinberg and Alex Woodward have this report.
Biden targets Trump’s lies after debate disaster: ‘I know how to tell the truth’
Pelosi attacks Trump and says he might have ‘dementia’ after Biden’s rocky debate
Monday 1 July 2024 12:00 , Joe Sommerlad
Former House speaker Nancy Pelosi went on the attack on Sunday, coming to the defense of Joe Biden following his disastrous debate performance last week.
Pelosi, responding to calls from some Democrats and newspaper editorial boards for Biden to step aside and polling showing that a clear majority of Americans believe that he does not have the mental faculties to be president, pivoted to attacking the Republican candidate instead.
“There are healthcare professionals who think that Trump has dementia,” she told CNN.
“If we’re just talking about mental acuity, let’s be fair about it. Not even that he lies, that he doesn’t know the truth.”
Here’s what Trump thought of her remarks, by the way.
Crazy Nancy Pelosi, who the other day was exposed by her daughter, a filmmaker, as being fully responsible for the lack of security on January 6th, which is, in my opinion, more cognitively impaired than Crooked Joe Biden. I just watched her do an interview, and she was way… pic.twitter.com/wfGrcHK7kp
— Donald J. Trump Posts From His Truth Social (@TrumpDailyPosts) July 1, 2024
John Bowden has more.
Pelosi attacks Trump and says he might have ‘dementia’ after Biden’s rocky debate
Biden clan tries to blame campaign staff for disastrous debate performance
Monday 1 July 2024 11:30 , Joe Sommerlad
The president’s family has blamed his campaign team for his disastrous debate performance on Thursday, questioning whether top advisers should be fired while insisting he should remain in the White House race.
James Liddell has more.
Biden clan tries to blames campaign staff for disastrous debate performance
Raskin admits Democrats are having ‘serious’ talks about dropping Biden
Monday 1 July 2024 11:00 , Joe Sommerlad
One of the president’s most influential allies in the House of Representatives, Jamie Raskin, became the first elected Democrat to admit to a news program on the record this weekend that his party is having “serious conversations” about whether Joe Biden should continue as the Democrats’ presidential nominee.
Raskin appeared for an interview with Ali Velshi on MSNBC and explained that the party would be unified in the fall — whether it was behind Biden, or another nominee he indicated the party could possibly choose before then.
“Obviously, there was a big problem with Joe Biden’s debate performance,” Raskins said.
“And there’s also just a tremendous reservoir of affection and love for Joe Biden in our party. So this makes it a difficult situation for everybody, but there are very honest and serious, rigorous, conversations taking place at every level of our party.
“One thing I can tell you is that regardless of what President Biden decides, our party is going to be unified... And so whether he’s the candidate or someone else is the candidate, he is going to be the keynote speaker at our convention, he will be the figure that we rally around to move forward and beat the forces of authoritarianism and reaction in the country.”
John Bowden reports.
Raskin says Democrats are having ‘serious’ talks about nominee being ‘someone else’
