Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign has raked in more than $200m in donations in the week since Joe Biden exited the race and the vice president stepped up to replace him on the Democratic party’s ticket.
The campaign announced that 66 per cent of the funds came from first-time donors.
“Vice President Harris has been a candidate for less than a week, but she’s already coalesced the entire Democratic Party around her campaign and the organic, grassroots enthusiasm is producing results,” the campaign’s communications director, Michael Tyler, said in a statement.
This comes as new polling shows a 26 point jump in enthusiasm about voting among Democrats. In February, just 62 per cent were excited to vote for Biden, compared to 88 per cent for Harris now. This surpasses the 82 per cent of Republican voters enthusiastic about voting for Donald Trump.
Meanwhile, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer predicted that Trump is likely regretting picking JD Vance as his running mate as the Ohio senator faces backlash over his “childless cat ladies” comments.
Speaking to Face the Nation on Sunday, Schumer said: “Every day, it comes out Vance has done something more extreme, more weird, more erratic.”
Key Points
- Harris campaign rakes in $200m of donations in first week
- Barack and Michelle Obama endorse Kamala Harris: ‘She’ll make a fantastic President of the United States’
- Harris narrows gap on Trump in new poll
- Harris trolls rival as he backs out of debate: ‘What happened to any time, any place?’
- VP launches first presidential campaign ad: ‘We choose freedom’
Harris received $20,000 per minute during fundraising effort, campaigners say
16:30
Oliver O'Connell
At one point on Thursday the Kamala Harris campaign was raising $20,000 per minute, campaigners have said.
The campaign for the vice president was hosting a Zoom call for white women to “answer the call” and “show up for Kamala Harris.”
“We’re raising $20,000 per minute — the system wasn’t built for this. If you can’t make your donation, keep trying,” Shannon Watts, founder of the anti-gun violence group Mom Demands Action, wrote on X on Thursday morning.
Gustaf Kilander has the story.
Watch: Gov Gretchen Whitmer says no to veep speculation
16:08
Oliver O'Connell
Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer has shut down speculation about the possibility she could join Kamala Harris on the Democratic ticket should the vice president formally secure the party’s nomination.
Here she is today on Morning Joe on MSNBC:
Whitmer on Morning Joe slammed the door on VP speculation pic.twitter.com/nKj3nW1au9
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) July 29, 2024
Whitmer also joined in on the campaign’s characterization of the Republican ticket as “weird”, citing the way they talk to people and the way they address people.
Whitmer: "The way they talk to people, the way they address people -- it is bizarre. It's weird. I also don't want to diminish the fact, though, that it also presents a very real risk for us as a country." pic.twitter.com/Dpx6FkNKhf
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) July 29, 2024
Harris joins TikTok and mocks Trump with ‘Bye Bye Bye’ video
16:00
Oliver O'Connell
Kamala Harris enlisted the help of former NYSNC member Lance Bass as she launched her official TikTok account.
In one of the first videos posted to her new official profile – which has already gained more than three million followers since appearing late last week – the singer accompanied the vice president in a short clip mocking her would-be opponent Donald Trump.
Mike Bedigan has the story.
Iowa’s six-week abortion ban goes into effect today
15:45
Oliver O'Connell
Iowa has become the latest state in which abortion access has been sharply curbed, approximately two years after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v Wade.
The law prohibits abortions after cardiac activity can be detected, which is roughly at six weeks of pregnancy and before many know they are pregnant. There are limited exceptions in cases of rape, incest, fetal abnormality, or when the life of the mother is in danger. Previously, abortion in Iowa was legal up to 20 weeks of pregnancy.
Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee Interim Communications Director Sam Paisley issued the following statement:
Iowa Republicans have officially made their state one of the most extreme when it comes to restricting reproductive freedom, flying in the face of the majority of Iowans who support abortion access. Since Roe v. Wade was overturned, GOP state legislatures have made these bans a top priority, and they show no sign of letting up. The time is now for Democrats to turn their attention to state legislatures where Republicans are leveraging power to pass an extreme agenda that rips up fundamental freedoms. The DLCC will continue to hold the GOP in the states accountable as they compromise the health care of their constituents.
Kamala Harris has reiterated her commitment to restoring reproductive freedom across the nation should she become president.
The vice president said on X: “Today, Iowa's extreme abortion ban goes into effect, creating a health care crisis for women across the state.
“If extremist so-called leaders have their way, no woman in our nation will be safe from the government telling her what to do with her own body.”
She also released this video message:
More than 1 in 3 women of reproductive age in America now live in a state with a Trump abortion ban.
— Kamala Harris (@KamalaHarris) July 29, 2024
When I am President of the United States, I will sign a law restoring and protecting reproductive freedom in every state. pic.twitter.com/ka8f8zI145
Democrats hard selling Harris message that Trump and Vance are ‘weird’
15:30
Oliver O'Connell
Prominent Democrats championed Vice President Kamala Harris’s bid for the presidency on Sunday, one week after the official launch of her campaign, as she seeks to capitalize on a wave of support coalescing around her candidacy.
The Democratic Party’s sudden unification was on full display across the broadcast and cable news networks on Sunday as the party’s biggest stars lined up to deliver talking points on three issues: the strength of Harris’s resume, the perceived weirdness of Trump and his vice presidential candidate JD Vance, and Joe Biden’s lame-duck agenda item, Supreme Court reform. Today marked the first round of Sunday news talk shows (minus Meet the Press, pre-empted by the Olympics) since Biden’s decision to drop out of the race was announced last Sunday afternoon.
John Bowden reports from Washington, DC.
Watch: Harris now leading Trump on voter enthusiasm
15:18
Oliver O'Connell
This is the biggest change between Biden & Harris as the Democratic nominee. We've seen a 26 pt jump in enthusiasm among Democrats in voting for the presumptive Democratic nominee.
— (((Harry Enten))) (@ForecasterEnten) July 29, 2024
Trump's once large edge with his base on enthusiasm is gone. Harris now leads on enthusiasm. pic.twitter.com/9QtaThLC2Z
Nikki Haley says DEI attacks on Harris ‘aren’t helpful'
15:00
Oliver O'Connell
Former GOP presidential candidate and one-time UN Ambassador Nikki Haley said Republicans trying to paint Vice President Kamala Harris as a “DEI” candidate are not helping Donald Trump’s 2024 campaign.
Haley made the comments on Thursday during an interview with CNN’s Jake Tapper.
She suggested that Republicans focus on Harris’s policies and her past as a politician in their criticisms, not her skin color or her gender.
Graig Graziosi reports.
Harris stands with Biden on Supreme Court reform proposal: ‘No one should be above the law'
14:51
Oliver O'Connell
Statement from Vice President Kamala Harris on Supreme Court Reforms
In the course of our Nation’s history, trust in the Supreme Court of the United States has been critical to achieving equal justice under law. President Biden and I strongly believe that the American people must have confidence in the Supreme Court. Yet today, there is a clear crisis of confidence facing the Supreme Court as its fairness has been called into question after numerous ethics scandals and decision after decision overturning long-standing precedent.
That is why President Biden and I are calling on Congress to pass important reforms – from imposing term limits for Justices’ active service, to requiring Justices to comply with binding ethics rules just like every other federal judge. And finally, in our democracy, no one should be above the law. So we must also ensure that no former President has immunity for crimes committed while in the White House.
These popular reforms will help to restore confidence in the Court, strengthen our democracy, and ensure no one is above the law.
COMMENT: Why ‘brat’ culture is exactly what US politics needs right now
14:30
Oliver O'Connell
Sean O’Grady writes:
Kamala Harris’s decision to lean heavily into the Gen Z trend popularised by British pop star Charlie XCX has been derided by some as cringe-worthy – but set against Donald Trump’s creepy fondness for kissing the Stars and Stripes, it might yet prove to be marketing genius.
Continue reading...
Text messages reveal how Trump gunman evaded law enforcement: ‘He knows you guys are up there’
13:38
Maryam Zakir-Hussain
New text messages have cast further light on how Donald Trump’s would-be assassin managed to evade law enforcement officers on the day of the shooting – despite revealing that officers had first laid eyes on him more than 100 minutes before he opened fire.
The messages, obtained byThe New York Times, show an iMessage exchange between several officers of the Beaver County Emergency Service Unit, who herald sniper capabilities, in the lead-up to gunman Thomas Crooks’ deadly attack at the rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13.
At 4.19pm, one countersniper texted his colleagues that he was done for the day.
JD Vance defends ‘childless cat ladies’ comments – and blasts Jennifer Aniston for ‘disgusting’ remarks
13:00
Maryam Zakir-Hussain
JD Vance has defended his sexist comments branding Kamala Harris and other women “childless cat ladies” and is now trying to flip the narrative by accusing Jennifer Aniston of making “disgusting” remarks about his daughter.
Donald Trump’s vice presidential pick continues to face backlash after a 2021 interview with Tucker Carlson on Fox News resurfaced and went viral last week.
The controversy has also sparked some talk within Republican circles that party members – and possibly even Trump – are now regretting having the Ohio senator on the ticket against Kamala Harris and her as of yet unknown vice presidential pick this November.
Rachel Sharp reports:
Biden unveils plans to overhaul Supreme Court including no immunity for ex-presidents for crimes in office
12:29
Maryam Zakir-Hussain
President Joe Biden has unveiled his plans to overhaul the Supreme Court including term limits for justices, a binding ethics code and no immunity for former presidents for crimes committed while in office – in response to a string of controversial rulings and scandals plaguing the powerful, conservative-heavy court.
The president released his three-pronged proposal on Monday morning, saying that the “bold plan” is necessary to “restore trust and accountability” in the nation’s highest court at a time when it is “mired in a crisis of ethics”.
JD Vance’s ‘cat lady’ attacks are just the beginning of Republicans’ childbirth obsession
12:00
Maryam Zakir-Hussain
Before he became Donald Trump’s running mate, JD Vance called for higher taxes for childless adults and insisted their votes should count less. He said abortion should be “illegal” nationally, and that the “cat ladies” and the “Kamala Harrises” of the world want to “brainwash” other people’s kids.
Alex Woodward reports:
Campaigners say Harris received $20,000 per minute during fundraising effort
11:30
Maryam Zakir-Hussain
At one point on Thursday, the Kamala Harris campaign was raising $20,000 per minute, campaigners have said.
The campaign for the vice president was hosting a Zoom call for white women to “answer the call” and “show up for Kamala Harris.”
“We’re raising $20,000 per minute — the system wasn’t built for this. If you can’t make your donation, keep trying,” Shannon Watts, founder of the anti-gun violence group Mom Demands Action, wrote on X on Thursday morning.
Tom Cotton claims Trump was ‘joking’ about Christian vote comment
11:00
Maryam Zakir-Hussain
Senator Tom Cotton has claimed Donald Trump was “making a joke” when he promised Christian voters that they won’t have to vote again if they pick him as president.
Towards the end of his speech at the Believers Summit in West Palm Beach, Florida on Friday, Trump said, “Christians, get out and vote, just this time. You won’t have to do it anymore … You got to get out and vote. In four years, you don’t have to vote again. We’ll have it fixed so good you’re not going to have to vote.”
In an interview on CNN’s ‘State of the Union’, Cotton said: “I think he’s obviously making a joke about how bad things had been under Joe Biden, and how good they’ll be if we send President Trump back to the White House so we can turn the country around.”
Less than 100 days to go
10:30
Maryam Zakir-Hussain
Are you ready?
— Kamala HQ (@KamalaHQ) July 28, 2024
Sign up: https://t.co/ILZtHzWV8C pic.twitter.com/jG5GgGsfS4
‘Why did I pick this guy?’ Senator belives Trump regrets Vance as running mate
10:12
Maryam Zakir-Hussain
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has said he believes Donald Trump is regretting his choice of picking J.D. Vance as his running mate.
Speaking to Face the Nation, Schumer said: “Every day, it comes out Vance has done something more extreme, more weird, more erratic.
“Vance seems to be more weird and erratic than President Trump, and I’ll bet President Trump is sitting there, scratching his head, and wondering, ‘Why did I pick this guy?’”
ICYMI: Democrats are hard selling Kamala Harris’ message that Trump and Vance are ‘weird’
10:00
Maryam Zakir-Hussain
Prominent Democrats championed Vice President Kamala Harris’s bid for the presidency on Sunday, one week after the official launch of her campaign, as she seeks to capitalize on a wave of support coalescing around her candidacy.
Among the points put forward by all those across the newly reunited Democratic party members, one was particularly stand-out: Donald Trump and VD Vance are “weird”...
John Bowden has the story:
Kamala Harris joins TikTok and mocks Trump with ‘Bye Bye Bye’ video with Lance Bass
09:38
Maryam Zakir-Hussain
Kamala Harris enlisted the help of former NYSNC member Lance Bass as she launched her official TikTok account.
Read more here:
Trump says he doesn’t care if he mispronounces Kamala Harris’s name
09:00
Mike Bedigan
Former President Donald Trump said during a speech on Friday that he doesn’t care if he mispronounces the name of his general election opponent, Vice President Kamala Harris.
Read more from Gustaf Kilander here:
Harris makes surprise appearance at San Diego ComicCon
08:30
Mike Bedigan
Kamala Harris made a surprise appearance in a more unlikley place... San Diego Comic-Con.
The vice president surpsised fans of The Simpsons with a pre-recorded video message on Saturday during the long-running Fox animated show’s panel, after creator Matt Groening introduced her as a “superfan,” according to Deadline.
“We must move forward, not backward, upward, not forward, and always twirling, twirling, twirling towards freedom,” said Harris, per the outlet.
Harris was quoting the 1996 episode Treehouse of Horror VII, in which space aliens Kang and Kodos attemot to invade earth by impersonationg Bob Dole and Bill Clinton during the 1996 presidential election.
Schumer: JD Vance was an incredibly bad choice
08:00
Mike Bedigan
Leader Schumer: JD Vance was an incredibly bad choice for VP. I know Donald Trump. He is probably watching the TV while every day, Vance has done something more extreme, more weird, more erratic. I'll bet Trump is scratching his head and wondering why he picked him pic.twitter.com/vwyO70MURW
— Kamala HQ (@KamalaHQ) July 28, 2024
Al Gore endorses Harris’ presidential bid
06:00
Mike Bedigan
Former vice president Al Gore has thrown his support behind the Harris campaign.
Gore, who served as the 45th vice president of the United States from 1993 to 2001 under Bill Clinton, backed Harris record on climate action.
“As a prosecutor, @KamalaHarris took on Big Oil companies – and won. As @VP, she cast the tie-breaking vote to pass the most significant investment in climate solutions in history, the Inflation Reduction Act. That’s the kind of climate champion we need in the White House,” Gore wrote on X.
“With so much at stake in this year’s election – from strengthening democracy in the US and abroad, to expanding opportunity for the American people, to accelerating climate action – I’m proud to endorse Kamala Harris for President.”
In pictures: A big weekend of campaigning for Harris
04:00
Mike Bedigan
Watch: Kamala Harris targets Trump as she unveils campaign focus
02:00
Mike Bedigan
Republicans are beginning to have second thoughts about JD Vance
01:00
Mike Bedigan
As Democrats unite around Kamala Harris ahead of the Democratic National Convention next month, some Republicans are reportedly not happy with Trump’s choice of running mate, JD Vance.
Gustaf Kilander has the story:
100 days to go until November 5
Monday 29 July 2024 00:30
Mike Bedigan
Are you ready?
— Kamala HQ (@KamalaHQ) July 28, 2024
Sign up: https://t.co/ILZtHzWV8C pic.twitter.com/jG5GgGsfS4
Ilhan Omar says Trump is ‘losing his memory’ after he confuses her with Rashida Tlaib
Sunday 28 July 2024 23:45
Mike Bedigan
A progressive congresswoman mocked Donald Trump for “losing his memory” after he apparently confused her with another Muslim member of Congress during his visit to her home state on Saturday.
John Bowden has the story:
Biden releases statement on ‘record decrease in violent crime' in 2024
Sunday 28 July 2024 23:15
Mike Bedigan
Amid the ramping up in Kamala Harris’ campaign, president Joe Biden has released a statement on the “record decrease” in violent crime.
Read it below:
Every American deserves the freedom to feel safe in their community. Since Vice President Harris and I took office, America has become safer. According to preliminary data in two new reports, violent crime continued to fall to historic lows in the first half of 2024.
One report from the University of Chicago shows ‘unprecedented’ declines in crime across multiple categories, including homicides and motor vehicle thefts, across more than 40 cities.
Another report, from the Council on Criminal Justice, found that homicides decreased by 13%, motor vehicle theft fell by 18%, and violent crime fell overall in more than two dozen cities. This progress is no accident. After the largest increase in murders ever recorded during the previous Administration, my Administration got to work protecting the American people.
My American Rescue Plan – which every Republican voted against – delivered more than $15 billion to cities to hire and retain more cops, invest in community violence interventions, and keep communities safe.
My Administration took dozens of actions to reduce gun violence and I signed the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act into law, the most significant gun violence legislation in nearly 30 years. There is more work to do.
I will continue fighting for funding for 100,000 additional police officers and crime prevention and community violence intervention programs. And I will continue to call for Congress to ban assault weapons and keep guns out of dangerous hands.
Al Gore endorses Harris' presidential bid
Sunday 28 July 2024 22:45
Mike Bedigan
Former vice president Al Gore has thrown his support behind the Harris campaign.
Gore, who served as the 45th vice president of the United States from 1993 to 2001 under Bill Clinton, backed Harris record on climate action.
“As a prosecutor, @KamalaHarris took on Big Oil companies – and won. As @VP, she cast the tie-breaking vote to pass the most significant investment in climate solutions in history, the Inflation Reduction Act. That’s the kind of climate champion we need in the White House,” Gore wrote on X.
“With so much at stake in this year’s election – from strengthening democracy in the US and abroad, to expanding opportunity for the American people, to accelerating climate action – I’m proud to endorse Kamala Harris for President.”
As a prosecutor, @KamalaHarris took on Big Oil companies – and won. As @VP, she cast the tie-breaking vote to pass the most significant investment in climate solutions in history, the Inflation Reduction Act. That’s the kind of climate champion we need in the White House.
— Al Gore (@algore) July 28, 2024
With…
Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff trolls Trump on mispronouncing his wife’s name
Sunday 28 July 2024 21:15
Mike Bedigan
Second Gentleman @DouglasEmhoff: Mr. Trump, I know you have so much trouble pronouncing Kamala Harris’ name. Here’s the good news. After the election, you can just call her Madam President pic.twitter.com/oTuD1Qf7zf
— Kamala HQ (@KamalaHQ) July 27, 2024
Kamala Harris identifies as Gen X – and, believe you me, you really don’t want to mess with us
Sunday 28 July 2024 20:45
Mike Bedigan
The generational culture wars are dominated by Boomers, Millennials and Gen-Zers – so who are the forgotten Gen-Xers? People like me, says Kate Spicer, who looks at what could be the toughest generation of all…
In pictures: Kamala Harris’ first campaign fundraiser
Sunday 28 July 2024 19:45
Mike Bedigan
Campaigners say Harris received $20,000 per minute during fundraising effort
Sunday 28 July 2024 19:15
Mike Bedigan
At one point on Thursday, the Kamala Harris campaign was raising $20,000 per minute, campaigners have said.
The campaign for the vice president was hosting a Zoom call for white women to “answer the call” and “show up for Kamala Harris.”
Read more from Gustaf Kilander here:
Chicago police chief says out-of-town police won’t be posted in city during DNC
Sunday 28 July 2024 18:45
Mike Bedigan
Outside police agencies that will help to secure the Democratic National Convention (DNC) in Chicago next month will not be posted in city neighborhoods, Police Superintendent Larry Snelling said on Thursday as federal authorities released maps of convention security perimeters.
The renewed attention on out-of-town police comes after Ohio officers stationed in Milwaukee for the Republican convention last week fatally shot a man at a park not far from the Fiserv Forum.
Here’s more.
Trump ‘couldn’t care less’ about mispronouncing Kamala Harris’ name
Sunday 28 July 2024 18:15
Mike Bedigan
Donald Trump said during a speech on Friday that he doesn’t care if he mispronounces the name of his all-but-certain political rival in November.
After mispronouncing her name on a number of occasions, Trump is facing claims that he’s doing it on purpose.
Appearing on Friday at the Turning Point USA Believers Summit in West Palm Beach, Florida, the former president said that there are seven ways of saying Harris’s name.
“By the way, there are numerous ways of saying her name, they were explaining to me, ‘you can say Kamala, you can say Kamala’, I said, ‘don’t worry about it. It doesn’t matter what I say. I couldn’t care less if I mispronounce it’,” Trump said.
“Some people think I mispronounce it on purpose, but actually, I’ve heard it said about seven different ways.”
Watch: Kamala Harris’s uncle sends warning to Donald Trump
Sunday 28 July 2024 17:15
Mike Bedigan
Lance Bass from NSNYC joins Harris in TikTok
Sunday 28 July 2024 16:45
Mike Bedigan
@kamalaharris Ain’t no lie @Lance Bass
♬ sonido original - Kandy ZT
Kamala Harris official TikTok already has three million followers
Sunday 28 July 2024 16:13
Mike Bedigan
Just days after officially joining TikTok, Kamala Harris’ account has accrued more than 3 million followers.
The vice president’s account has, as yet, only posted four videos – all of which have millions of views.
Her first was a short introductory video, though others included a phone call from Barack and Michelle Obama – in which they gave Harris their full support – and another with Lance Bass, former member of boy-band NSYNC.
Harris campaign shares it’s first week acheivements
Sunday 28 July 2024 15:30
Mike Bedigan
The Harris campaign says the $200 million raised during its first we