This newsletter was originally sent out via email to our Ground Game subscribers on July 15, 2024. You can subscribe at any time at apnews.com/newsletters.
Plus, the veepstakes nears its conclusion and Biden calibrates how to navigate a changed campaign
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By Meg Kinnard
July 15, 2024 08:22:16 AM
By Meg Kinnard
July 15, 2024 08:22:16 AM
Donald Trump and his allies will begin their four-day convention in Milwaukee ready to “fight,” as the bloodied former president cried out while Secret Service agents rushed him to safety on Saturday. The attempted assassination has shaken the country and filled this week's Republican National Convention with anger and anxiety.
Welcome to this week’s edition of AP Ground Game.
THE HEADLINES
Corey Lewandowski is seen on the screen of a cellphone during a walkthrough at the 2024 Republican National Convention, Sunday, July 14, 2024, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)
The RNC goes on after the Trump rally shooting
Republican Party chairman Michael Whatley says the convention’s programming would not be changed in the wake of the Saturday shooting, which killed one rallygoer and seriously injured two more. The four-day agenda, he said, will feature more than 100 speakers overwhelmingly focused on kitchen-table issues and Trump’s plans to lift everyday working Americans.
There is normal convention business to complete. Beyond voting to formally give Trump the nomination, elected delegates from across the nation will also update the GOP’s official policy platform for the first time since 2016. The scaled-down platform proposal is just 16 pages.
The platform doesn't include an explicit call for a national abortion ban, two years after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade and ended a federally guaranteed right to abortion. That's because the Trump campaign wants to avoid giving Democrats material on a key issue for the left. Read more.
Of note:
Perhaps most importantly, Trump will use the convention to unveil his highly anticipated choice for vice president, which could come as soon as Monday. Some Republicans believe the pick will take on more importance than it would have otherwise given the new threats to Trump’s life. His top three contenders are North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, Ohio Sen. JD Vance, and Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, all of whom are expected to speak this week.
Related reads ➤
Trump heads to convention as authorities investigate motive, security in assassination attempt
Republicans are gathering in Milwaukee to nominate Donald Trump again. Here’s what to expect
Deeply Democratic Milwaukee wrestles with hosting Trump and the Republican National Convention
Do political conventions still matter?
Trump’s veepstakes goes down to the wire
It remains unclear the extent to which the shooting Saturday at his Pennsylvania rally has changed Trump’s thinking about what matters when it comes to choosing a potential second-in-command.
But his choice now carries considerably more gravity than it had before then. If a bullet had struck just a millimeter or two to the right, Trump would likely have been killed or seriously injured, putting in stark relief the significance of a position that is a heartbeat away from the presidency.
Trump has made clear his preference would be to dramatically reveal his pick live at the convention — something the ratings-obsessed former president has said would make the proceedings more “interesting” and “exciting.” Read more.
Of note:
That dramatic sort of reveal is later than usual for recent cycles, but hardly unprecedented. In 1980, Ronald Reagan negotiated with former President Gerald Ford for hours during the Republican convention but settled on his former primary rival George H.W. Bush when those discussions collapsed – cutting it so close that his decision came less than 24 hours before he formally accepted the GOP nomination.
Related reads ➤
Here is how the attempted assassination of former President Trump unfolded
Authorities hunt for clues, but motive of man who tried to assassinate Donald Trump remains elusive
Biden acknowledges election-year tensions
President Joe Biden and his team had been grappling with how to calibrate their path forward after the weekend attack on the very person he's trying to defeat in November.
In a prime-time national address from the Oval Office on Sunday – his third address to the nation since Saturday – Biden acknowledged the passions of an election year, and that he and Republicans offer different policy visions, but implored Americans to “recommit” to resolving their differences peacefully.
Biden also warned that political tensions were being flamed by a balkanized media environment and exploited by American enemies, an assertion that came hours after FBI Deputy Director Paul Abbate said agents have seen increasingly violent rhetoric online since the attack at the Trump rally. Read more.
Of note:
Briefed in the White House Situation Room earlier Sunday, Biden also condemned the attempted assassination of his predecessor as “contrary to everything we stand for as a nation,” adding that he was ordering an independent security review of how such an attack could have happened.
Related reads ➤
Biden says ‘everybody must condemn’ attack on Trump and later speaks with ex-president
Condemnation of Trump rally shooting crosses party lines, and blame game and calls for probe begin
The Secret Service is investigating how a man who shot and injured Trump was able to get so close
TRAIL PHOTO
Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump pumps his fist as he is helped off the stage at a campaign event in Butler, Pa., on Saturday, July 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
ON THE CALENDAR
The RNC is ongoing all week, with Trump’s acceptance speech planned for Thursday. His yet-unnamed pick for vice presidential running mate is expected to speak on Wednesday night.
Biden participates in an interview with NBC on Monday, then heads to Las Vegas, where he will do an interview with BET and address the NAACP National Convention on Tuesday before an economic summit. Biden also addresses the UnidosUS Annual Conference and participates in a campaign event on Wednesday before heading back to Washington.
CANDIDATE CHECK
He was bleeding from the head after a barrage of bullets flew through his rally when Secret Service agents gave the go-ahead that it was safe to move from the stage. But Trump had something he needed to do. Read more.
Biden is on a public and private blitz to shake off concerns about his cognitive capacities. But with public doubts about his fitness to serve unabating, Biden’s every move is now under a withering microscope as any potential stumble risks becoming magnified and delivering another blow to his candidacy. Read more.
2024 COUNTDOWN
OUTSIDE OF WASHINGTON
The winnowing: Minnesota Republican Tayler Rahm drops out to clear path for Joe Teirab in competitive US House race
Golden State gambit: Steve Garvey visited Israel, but will it win over California voters in Senate race against Schiff?
This newsletter was originally sent out via email to our Ground Game subscribers on July 15, 2024. You can subscribe at any time at apnews.com/newsletters.
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