President Joe Biden, currently self-isolating at his beach house in Delaware after contracting Covid-19, remains under intense pressure to quit the 2024 presidential race, with a Democratic Governor close to his campaign telling CNN: “The next 72 hours are big. This can’t go on much longer.”
In the three weeks since his disastrous debate performance against Donald Trump, the 46th president has shrugged off ever-louder calls from within his own party to make way for a younger candidate to take on Trump in November, cutting an increasingly isolated figure dependent on a small circle of trusted advisers for guidance.
By Friday afternoon more than 30 Democrat lawmakers, including four senators had come forward publicly to call on Biden to go, while such influential figures as Barack Obama, Nancy Pelosi, and Chuck Schumer have reportedly made the same appeal behind the scenes, fearing for their party’s electoral prospects. More Democrats came out against him on Friday morning.
While the president has repeated in interviews that he is going nowhere, a source has told CNN that he is now “more receptive” to calls of concern and Axios has reported that he could drop out as soon as this weekend.
Key Points
- Calls for Biden to step aside ‘building to a head this weekend’
- Major donor pauses all contributions to Democrats, telling Biden ‘the clock has run out'
- As family discusses ‘possible’ plan to drop out, Biden feels angry and betrayed by top Democrats
- All the House and Senate Democrats who say it’s time for Biden to stand aside
Is this the week that finally broke Joe Biden?
10:15
Oliver O'Connell
Within the last week, Joe Biden acknowledged that he initially ran as a “transitional” candidate, claimed that no poll has shown any other Democratic candidate winning against Donald Trump, and that he would end his campaign if he was diagnosed with an urgent “medical condition.”
And, as if in response, prominent Democratic Party leaders told him to hang up his re-election campaign, poll after poll indicated there is no way he can win, and then he got COVID-19.
There have been daily “is this the end?” moments for Biden’s campaign since his first 2024 debate against his Republican rival on June 27, each one eclipsed by the one that followed, and every time the president has insisted that he will remain the nominee.
Alex Woodward reports.
EDITORIAL: The Democrats must present the American people with a viable candidate
09:15
Oliver O'Connell
It is not for The Independent to advise the American people on how to vote – but we are entitled to express an opinion on the implications of the United States presidential election for the rest of the world.
That is why we say we are surprised that leading figures in the Democratic Party have failed to engage in the basics of succession planning. The sort of exercise that would have seemed obvious to a small engineering company in Scranton as its founder approached his 80th birthday seems to have eluded the great minds of the governing party of the US.
When Joe Biden was elected president four years ago, at the age of 77, it would not have been disrespectful or morbid for his party’s leaders to have said: “He is in good shape, but we must be ready.”
Continue reading...
Read Trump’s 93-minute address to Republican party delegates
08:15
Oliver O'Connell
Just kidding.
Here’s John Bowden with the highlights.
AOC says many who want Joe Biden to drop out of race also want to remove Kamala
07:15
Oliver O'Connell
New York Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez went on Instagram Live early on Friday morning to share her thoughts on Joe Biden’s floundering re-election campaign - and warning that many of those who want the President to drop out of the race, also want Vice President Kamala Harris off the ticket too.
“If you think that there is consensus among the people who want Joe Biden to leave ... that they will support, Vice President Harris, you would be mistaken,” she told viewers.
Gustaf Kilander watched her comments.
As more lawmakers call for Biden to step down, which celebrities have done likewise?
06:15
Oliver O'Connell
President Joe Biden continues to lose crucial support from his colleagues, big-name celebrities and donors.
Last month, Biden’s shaky performance at the first presidential debate against the Republican nominee, former president Donald Trump, led to questions about his capability to run for reelection.
Despite several major voices urging Biden to step aside, the incumbent president is insistent about his ability to run and win again.
Inga Parkel reports.
As family discusses ‘possible’ plan to drop out, Biden feels angry and betrayed by top Democrats
04:15
Oliver O'Connell
Feeling angry and betrayed after numerous Democrats have called on him to step aside as the party’s presidential nominee, Joe Biden and his family may be coming to grips with the notion that he will have to leave the race.
Two sources familiar with the situation told NBC News that there are raw feelings at play as the Democratic National Convention is due to start in about a month’s time. The president feels he has been left hung out to dry by party leaders who privately say there’s no path to winning in November for the president. Meanwhile, his family has begun mapping out what his exit would look like if he were to call it quits, NBC News reported.
Gustaf Kilander reports.
Six wild moments from Trump’s record-breaking RNC speech
03:15
Madeline Sherratt
It was the final night of the Republican National Convention last night in Milwaukee and Donald Trump delivered a mammoth 90-minute speech with his survival of an assassination attempt heavily featured.
Republicans were seen experiencing emotional outbursts during the former president’s monologue, with members of the audience dripping with sweat and visibly crying.
He told the audience: “I’m not supposed to be here” which attracted cries of “You are!” in response from the crowd.
The end of his speech was marked by the formal acceptance of his party’s nomination – a campaign trail that was accelerated rather than marred by the assassination attempt against him five days earlier.
Here are some of the more eyebrow-raising moments from his speech:
Republicans already shaping message around Kamala Harris
02:15
Oliver O'Connell
Throughout the four days in Milwaukee at their convention, Republicans seemed to sense that Joe Biden might be on the out and that Kamala Harris might replace him at the top of the ticket. And they were already preparing the talking points.
Eric Garcia reports.
Firefighters pay tribute to chief killed by Trump shooter at funeral
01:15
Oliver O'Connell
Hundreds of people in the small town of Cabot, Pennsylvania gathered on Friday to pay tribute to Corey Comperatore, the retired volunteer fire chief who was shot and killed by a gunman at a Trump rally last weekend.
Firefighters honored Comperatore, loading his casket – draped with an American flag – onto a firetruck to be driven from Cabot Methodist Church.
Members of the community lined the streets waving American flags and holding posters, mourning the loss of a local hero.
Ariana Baio reports.
Trump and Vance to hold indoor rally one week after assassination attempt
Saturday 20 July 2024 00:15
Oliver O'Connell
Donald Trump will return to a campaign rally stage one week after he was injured during an attempted assassination, and two days after he formally accepts the Republican nomination for president.
Trump will hold a rally indoors in Grand Rapids, Michigan, on July 20 alongside his recently announced running mate JD Vance, who will make his debut on the campaign trail.
Alex Woodward reports.
Ohio Senator Sherrod Brown calls on Biden to end campaign
Friday 19 July 2024 23:26
Mike Bedigan
Ohio’s Sherrod Brown has become the latest Democratic Senator to call for Joe Biden to end his reelection campaign.
In a statement released on Friday, Brown said that attention needed to be returned to important issues at what he described as a “critical time”.
"Over the last few weeks, I've heard from Ohioans on important issues, such as how to continue to grow jobs in our state, give law enforcement the resources to crack down on fentanyl, protect Social Security and Medicare from cuts, and prevent the ongoing efforts to impose a national abortion ban,” the senator’s statement read. “These are the issues Ohioans care about and it is my job to keep fighting for them.
"I agree with the many Ohioans who have reached out to me. At this critical time, our full attention must return to these important issues. I think the President should end his campaign."
Democratic leaders leaning toward ‘mini-primary’ should Biden drop out, report says
Friday 19 July 2024 23:15
Oliver O'Connell
Multiple sources have told Fox News that the idea of a Democratic Party “mini-primary” is being discussed at the “highest levels” should Joe Biden decide to step aside.
Jacqui Heinrich reports that part of the reasoning driving this plan is to remain aligned with the democratic process since it would replace the decision of Democratic primary voters.
The Biden campaign reiterates that Biden is staying in the race.
NEWS: Should Biden decide to drop out, Democratic leaders are coalescing around plans for a “mini-primary” to replace him on the ticket.
— Jacqui Heinrich (@JacquiHeinrich) July 19, 2024
Multiple sources tell FOX this has been discussed at “the highest levels” – but sources emphasize it is merely a contingency discussion at…
‘Pass the torch, Joe!’ rally set for 3pm Saturday at White House
Friday 19 July 2024 22:53
Oliver O'Connell
A “Pass the torch, Joe!” demonstration is being organized outside the White House for 3pm on Saturday.
Pass the Torch rally happening tomorrow at 3pm at the White House.
— Matthew Yglesias (@mattyglesias) July 19, 2024
This is the kind of thing where bodies showing up matters — the media is going to be watching this. https://t.co/3CDTkQDG2p
Trump shooter may have scoped out rally site SIX days before attack
Friday 19 July 2024 22:45
Oliver O'Connell
Donald Trump’s would-be assassin Thomas Matthew Crooks appears to have scoped out the site of the former president’s campaign rally six days before he went to the Butler, Pennsylania, event and opened fire, according to a report.
The FBI provided an update on the shooting investigation to Senate and House lawmakers on Wednesday, revealing new details about the 20-year-old gunman’s actions prior to the shooting.
Sources told CNN that Crooks’ online search history revealed he had looked up information on Ethan Crumbley, the school shooter who killed four students at Oxford High School in Michigan in 2021. A screenshot of Crumbley’s arrest photo was also found on Crooks’ personal cellphone, the outlet reported.
Graig Graziosi reports.
RNC was ‘executed well’ but Donald is an ‘empty soul’, says ex-Trump White House lawyer
Friday 19 July 2024 22:15
Oliver O'Connell
To attorney Ty Cobb, who served as Donald Trump’s White House counsel during the ex-president’s first year in office, this week’s four-day GOP nominating pageant was, for the party’s purposes, “executed well.” Republicans have never appeared more unified, and their messaging is clear, Cobb said Friday morning.
“Sadly though, and obviously, it is mostly theater,” Cobb told The Independent. “Trump is an empty soul. He doesn’t stand for anything but pure ambition. There is no principle at all.”
Justin Rohrlich reports.
New Mexico rep joins push against Biden 2024 run
Friday 19 July 2024 22:12
Oliver O'Connell
US Rep Gabe Vasquez of New Mexico has joined calls for Joe Biden to step aside, tweeting: “Regardless of who our nominee is, my number one job will be to take care of the people of my district and continue bringing results home to New Mexico.”
Regardless of who our nominee is, my number one job will be to take care of the people of my district and continue bringing results home to New Mexico. pic.twitter.com/NKDGsa2mEt
— Gabe Vasquez (@Gabe_NM) July 19, 2024
Zuckerberg will not endorse either Trump or Biden
Friday 19 July 2024 22:00
Oliver O'Connell
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has said in an interview with Bloomberg that he has decided not to endorse either President Joe Biden or former President Donald Trump.
He says he does not plan to play a “significant role” in the 2024 election.
“I’ve done some stuff personally in the past,” Zuckerberg said of his previous political involvement. “I’m not planning on doing that this time, and that includes not endorsing either of the candidates.”
In the same interview, he described Trump’s reaction to getting shot — pumping his fist in the air in front of an American flag — as “one of the most badass things I’ve ever seen in my life”.
Watch:
Zuck: ‘I’m not planning on endorsing any of the candidates’
— Ben Goggin (@BenjaminGoggin) July 19, 2024
Also Zuck: ‘Trump is a badass… it’s hard to not get emotional about his American spirit and that fight’ pic.twitter.com/XVT9iAIjis
Republicans already shaping their message around Kamala Harris
Friday 19 July 2024 21:45
Oliver O'Connell
Throughout the four days of the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, GOP officials and lawmakers seemed to sense that Joe Biden might be on the out and that Kamala Harris might replace him at the top of the ticket.
And they were already preparing the talking points, as Eric Garcia reports.
Dozens of former foreign and national security officials call on Biden to drop out
Friday 19 July 2024 21:37
Oliver O'Connell
NBC News reports that more than four dozen former foreign and national security officials for the US government wrote to Joe Biden on Friday, calling on him to drop out of the presidential race.
“We write as former US officials who have strongly supported your presidency and your initiatives to strengthen US foreign and national security policy,” they wrote.
“We have welcomed the measures you have taken to promote US alliances in Europe, Asia, and the Americas; to manage relations with great powers; and to address global issues such as climate change. These initiatives have been built on your decades-long record of support for responsible US international engagement.”
“We strongly believe that now is the time to pass the mantle of leadership, and we respectfully urge you to do so,” they added.
Among those who signed the letter are Richard Clarke, former national coordinator for security and counterterrorism, and Anthony Lake, national security adviser to President Bill Clinton.
Biden ‘didn’t seem to recognize me’ says Massachusetts rep who called on him to step aside
Friday 19 July 2024 21:30
Oliver O'Connell
Massachusetts congressman Seth Moulton, one of the first Democrats to call on Joe Biden to step aside from the 2024 race, said in an op-ed today in the Boston Globe that at the 80th anniversary of D-Day, the president didn’t seem to recognize him.
He wrote:
For the first time, he didn’t seem to recognize me. Of course, that can happen as anyone ages, but as I watched the disastrous debate a few weeks ago, I have to admit that what I saw in Normandy was part of a deeper problem.
It was a crushing realization, and not because a person I care about had a rough night but because everything is riding on Biden’s ability to beat Donald Trump in November.
He added that he is ”no longer confident that he can”.
Kentucky congressman says Biden should drop out
Friday 19 July 2024 21:22
Oliver O'Connell
That makes 31 by our count.
Freshman Democrat congressman for Kentucky Morgan McGarvey has joined the chorus of Democrats calling on Joe Biden to step aside from the 2024 presidential race.
Here’s his statement:
My statement on President Biden pic.twitter.com/tX1rlJ8tgo
— Morgan McGarvey (@MorganMcGarvey) July 19, 2024
Biden continues to receive updates on CrowdStrike outage
Friday 19 July 2024 21:20
Oliver O'Connell
A senior administration official says:
President Biden will continue to receive updates on the CrowdStrike global tech outage that disrupted operations across multiple industries on Friday. The White House is in regular contact with CrowdStrike’s executive leadership and tracking progress on remediating affected systems. We have offered US government support. Our understanding is that this is not a cyber attack, but rather a faulty technical update.
The White House has been convening agencies to assess impacts to the US government’s operations and entities around the country. At this time, our understanding is that flight operations have resumed across the country, although some congestion remains, and 911 centers are able to receive and process calls. We are assessing impact to local hospitals, surface transportation systems, and law enforcement closely and will provide further updates as we learn more. We stand ready to provide assistance as needed.
Will Democrats use the nuclear option... an open convention?
Friday 19 July 2024 21:15
Oliver O'Connell
President Joe Biden’s disastrous debate performance in Atlanta last month has opened the door in many Democratic minds that the best option might be to find a new nominee during an open convention.
After resolutely committing to staying in the race for several weeks after the debate, the president is reportedly beginning to open up to the notion that his time may have passed and that he has to step aside. Democratic leaders told Axios that he may drop out as soon as this weekend.
But the Biden campaign is still saying that the president isn’t going anywhere.
A growing number of Democratic members of Congress have publicly called on Biden to step aside, so how would a new nominee actually be chosen?
Biden must ‘need the voice of Father Time’ says major Democratic donor: ‘The clock has run out'
Friday 19 July 2024 20:55
Oliver O'Connell
Joining the calls for Joe Biden to step aside is top Democratic donor Michael Moritz, the billionaire Silicon Valley venture capitalist, The New York Times reports.
He is one party’s largest contributors to go public with his concerns about the president 2024 run.
Per the Times:
“Sadly, President Biden has a choice — vanity or virtue,” Mr. Moritz said in an email on Friday to The New York Times. “He can either condemn the country to dark and cruel times or heed the voice of Father Time. The clock has run out.”
During this election cycle, Moritz has given $7.8m to pro-Biden and anti-Trump causes with $6.8m going to American Bridge PAC, which runs anti-Trump advertising in battleground states, and $1m to the Lincoln Project.
Chillingly for the Democratic Party, Moritz said in a follow-up email to the Times that all of his giving to the party, and not just to Biden, is now on hold.
“I would vote for Biden, but I would not give another penny to any fund-raising appeals from Democrats.”
ICYMI: Raskin wrote Biden 4-page letter urging him to reconsider campaign
Friday 19 July 2024 20:45
Oliver O'Connell
The New York Times reports that Rep Jamie Raskin of Maryland, a senior member of the House January 6 select committee, wrote a four-page letter to Joe Biden this month urging him to consult with fellow Democrats about whether he should continue his re-election campaign.
Dated July 6, Raskin compares Biden to a famous tiring baseball pitcher for the Boston Red Sox and says he shares the president’s “mad love for American democracy and freedom”.
He reminds Biden of his achievements and “greatness as a leader” before the baseball analogy and then, per the Times wrote:
“There is no shame in taking a well-deserved bow to the overflowing appreciation of the crowd when your arm is tired out, and there is real danger for the team in ignoring the statistics,” Mr. Raskin writes. “Your situation is tricky because you are both our star pitcher and our manager. But in democracy, as you have shown us more than any prior president, you are not a manager acting all alone; you are the co-manager along with our great team and our great people. Caucus with the team, Mr. President. Hear them out. You will make the right decision.”
Raskin told the paper he wrote the letter over the July 4 holiday weekend and said his point was that the party needed “a strategic internal discussion about how to move forward to decisively win the election, which is of immeasurable importance to the future of America”.
Watch: Rep Zoe Lofgren explains why she wants Biden to drop out of 2024 race
Friday 19 July 2024 20:37
Oliver O'Connell
If Biden drops out, Lofgren says "I don't think we can do a coronation" and says she supports "a mini-primary" including possibly "a vetting hosted by former presidents, including Obama and Clinton." pic.twitter.com/We4ikbHu1j
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) July 19, 2024
All the House and Senate Democrats who say it’s time for Biden to stand aside
Friday 19 July 2024 20:30
Oliver O'Connell
Here are the 30 lawmakers who have publicly called for the president to stand aside:
EDITORIAL: The Democrats must present the American people with a viable candidate
Friday 19 July 2024 20:15
It is not for The Independent to advise the American people on how to vote – but we are entitled to express an opinion on the implications of the United States presidential election for the rest of the world.
That is why we say we are surprised that leading figures in the Democratic Party have failed to engage in the basics of succession planning. The sort of exercise that would have seemed obvious to a small engineering company in Scranton as its founder approached his 80th birthday seems to have eluded the great minds of the governing party of the US.
When Joe Biden was elected president four years ago, at the age of 77, it would not have been disrespectful or morbid for his party’s leaders to have said: “He is in good shape, but we must be ready.”
Continue reading...
Jill Biden to host Olympics-themed campaign fundraiser in Paris
Friday 19 July 2024 19:59
Oliver O'Connell
First lady Jill Biden will host an Olympics-themed Biden Victory Fund fundraiser for Americans living abroad in Paris on Thursday ahead of the start of the games.
SCOOPLET: As the Biden campaign’s fundraising reportedly dries up, Jill Biden is headlining an Olympics-themed Biden Victory Fund fundraiser Thursday in Paris, according to an invitation sent out this morning that I obtained. https://t.co/wkf8SPxCLs pic.twitter.com/jE7OPCJlns
— Daniel Lippman (@dlippman) July 19, 2024
In pictures: Kamala Harris take grand nieces for ice cream at Tyra Banks pop-up ‘Smize & Dream'
Friday 19 July 2024 19:53
Oliver O'Connell
From the pool report:
Good afternoon from the Woodly Park neighborhood of DC where the vice president stopped by the opening of Tyra Bank’s ice cream business, called Smize & Dream. Stop was OTR until the vice president arrived on site.
The VP walked in at 2:01 pm with two little girls, her grandnieces.
The VP and grandnieces walked over to the ice cream case, where Tyra Banks was behind the counter. The VP introduced her grandnieces to Banks. Banks told the girls she liked their hair and one responded she liked Banks’ hair.
Banks then proceeded to tell the VP and her grandnieces about why she decided to open the shop. She explained that growing up in LA, her mom would take her to the ice cream shop every Friday and they would sit in the car and talk about their dreams. Banks noted she started this shop as a “Love letter to my momma.”
Banks then told the little girls about the different ice cream flavors the shop offers. The VP got the “Cap Hill Crunch” flavor. One of the VP’s grandnieces ordered the Chocolate GooGoo cake flavor.
Pool was ushered out at 2:08 pm. The VP did not respond to a number of shouted questions.
The inside of the shop is small with a yellow, black and white color scheme.
There is a line of people down the block outside waiting to go into the shop. An employee told the pool this is Smize & Dream’s first location in the U.S.
A vehicle was parked outside the location and was decked out in the business’ logo and graphics of Banks.
Secret Service blasts ‘disgusting’ right-wing attacks on female agents after Trump rally shooting
Friday 19 July 2024 19:45
Oliver O'Connell
The Secret Service said it was “appalled” by “disparaging” and “disgusting” attacks on women who serve as agents in response to the string of sexist comments from people online criticizing the agency’s failure to prevent the Trump rally shooting.
In the week after a gunman opened fire at a Trump rally in Pennslyvania, killing one person and injuring three others including the former president, some notable right-wingers have accused women in the Secret Service of failing to do their job.
Ariana Baio has the story.
Kamala Harris to join call with 2024 donors to discuss ‘urgent, emerging’ needs
Friday 19 July 2024 19:39
Oliver O'Connell
NBC News reports that Vice President Kamala Harris will join a call with donors at 3pm to discuss “urgent, emerging” needs in the 2024 campaign.
Advisers to Joe Biden asked her to participate in the call.
NEW: According to an email invitation obtained by @NBCNews, Harris will join a call with donors at 3pm today to discuss “urgent, emerging” needs in the 2024 campaign, sources tell me, @albamonica @gabegutierrez @Yamiche. Biden’s advisors asked her to do the call.
— Ali Vitali (@alivitali) July 19, 2024
Biden completes fourth dose of Paxlovid, cough continues
Friday 19 July 2024 19:32
Oliver O'Connell
White House physician Kevin O’Connor has shared another update on President Joe Biden’s health, stating that he has received a fourth dose of Paxlovid to counter his Covid-19 infection, and continues to experience a “loose, non-productive cough and hoarseness,” though it’s “improved meaningfully,” from yesterday.
President Joe Biden completed his fourth dose of Paxlovid Friday and continues to experience a “loose, non-productive cough and hoarseness,” though it’s “improved meaningfully,” from yesterday, the president’s physician writes Friday. pic.twitter.com/uilLVadelh
— DJ Judd (@DJJudd) July 19, 2024
If Biden were to drop out, who could be Kamala Harris’s running mate?
Friday 19 July 2024 19:15
Eric Garcia
Here’s The Independent’s list of potential replacements who could fall out of a coconut tree and exist in the context of the campaign that came before them.
Minnesota rep calls on Biden to drop out of 2024 race and endorses Kamala Harris
Friday 19 July 2024 19:08
Oliver O'Connell
Minnesota Rep Betty McCollum has joined the chorus of Democrats calling on Joe Biden to drop out of the 2024 presidential race.
The congresswoman went further and specifically endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris as the party's standard-bearer and Governor Tim Walz as her running-mate.
"Winning in November and defeating Trump's dangerous, hate-filled agenda must be Democrats' sole focus," McCollum said in a statement. "To give Democrats a strong, viable path to winning the White House, I am calling upon President Biden to release his delegates and empower Vice President Harris to step forward to become the Democratic nominee for president."
...
"If she becomes our Democratic nominee, Vice President Harris will need a strong Midwestern running-mate and I encourage her and