Donald Trump has attacked FBI Director Christopher Wray after the latter cast doubt on whether the Republican presidential nominee was actually hit by a bullet from his would-be assassin’s rifle during the near-fatal gun attack in Butler, Pennsylvania, earlier this month, telling Congress it could have been a piece of shrapnel or glass that grazed Trump’s ear.
Furior at the comment, the candidate raged on Truth Social: “That’s why he knows nothing about the terrorists and other criminals pouring into our Country at record levels.
“His only focus is destroying J6 Patriots, Raiding Mar-a-Lago, and saving Radical Left Lunatics, like the ones now in DC burning American flags and spray painting over our great National Monuments – with zero retribution.
“No wonder the once storied FBI has lost the confidence of America!”
Trump is set to return to Pennsylvania next week where he will host his first campaign rally since the attempt on his life less than two weeks ago.
Tickets for the former president’s event can only be obtained online and in blocks of two at a time.
The rally is due to take place on Wednesday July 31 in Harrisburg, just over 200 miles from Butler.
Key Points
- Trump lashes out at FBI Director after he raises doubts about candidate being struck by bullet in shooting
- FBI wants to interview Trump over assassination attempt
- Campaign finally reveals why ex-president continues to profess love for Hannibal Lecter
- Trump announces Netanyahu visiting Mar-a-Lago on Friday
- Some Republicans regretting Trump’s VP pick after Harris ascent
Harris trolls Trump as he backs out of debate: ‘What happened to any time, any place?'
11:45
Joe Sommerlad
The US Vice President has been trolling Trump on social media after he backed out of a proposed television debate, asking on social media: “What happened to any time, any place?”
Trump had previously used those very words to lay down the gauntlet to Joe Biden but now appears to have cold feet about taking on Harris, after the former stepped down from the Democratic Party ticket on Sunday to make way for his deputy, who is now its presumptive nominee for the White House.
Harris accused Trump on Thursday of “backpedaling” on his commitment to a presidential debate provisionally scheduled for September 10 to be broadcast on ABC.
Trump’s campaign team subsequently confirmed that he would not face her, at least not yet, blaming Democratic instability for the U-turn.
Here’s our report.
Obamas endorse Kamala Harris to end conservative speculation about their ‘doubts’ over her candidacy
11:15
Joe Sommerlad
Barack and Michelle Obama have just put out this video endorsing Kamala Harris as the Democratic Party’s 2024 presidential nominee in place of Joe Biden, putting to bed any conservative speculation that they had doubts about her candidacy once and for all.
Earlier this week, Michelle and I called our friend @KamalaHarris. We told her we think she’ll make a fantastic President of the United States, and that she has our full support. At this critical moment for our country, we’re going to do everything we can to make sure she wins in… pic.twitter.com/0UIS0doIbA
— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) July 26, 2024
That comes after Trump’s adviser Steven Cheung insisted in a statement yesterday: “There is a strong sense by many in the Democrat Party – namely Barack Hussein Obama – that Kamala Harris is a Marxist fraud who cannot beat President Trump, and they are still holding out for someone ‘better.’”
That was always nonsense: the Obamas only withheld their endorsement this long so as not to overshadow Joe Biden’s big moment as he exited the race and so as not to prevent other candidates coming forward, should they have wished to do so.
Here’s the very latest from Rachel Sharp.
Harris now a threat to Trump in several major swing states, new poll suggests
10:45
Joe Sommerlad
US Vice President Kamala Harris appears to have pulled her party back into contention in several key battleground states after taking the reins of the presidential ticket and becoming the presumptive Democratic nominee this week.
A new Emerson poll released on Thursday shows Harris stopping the bleeding her predecessor was suffering for weeks across five key states: Arizona, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin.
She still trails Trump in each state, but she’s now within just a few percentage points — ground she has a chance of making up over the next 100-plus days until the general election.
John Bowden looks at the numbers.
Manhattan DA tells judge to reject Trump’s attempt to toss his hush money verdict
10:15
Joe Sommerlad
New York prosecutors are urging Trump’s criminal hush money judge to keep a 34-count verdict after the former president argued the case should be tossed following the US Supreme Court’s ruling on “presidential immunity.”
Prosecutors with Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s office argue that nothing about the case involves “official” presidential acts that the highest court’s conservative majority has argued are “absolutely” immune from prosecution.
Alex Woodward reports.
Trump lashes out at FBI Director after he raises doubts about candidate being struck by bullet in shooting
09:45
Joe Sommerlad
Donald Trump has attacked FBI Director Christopher Wray after the latter cast doubt on whether the Republican presidential nominee was actually hit by a bullet from his would-be assassin’s rifle during the near-fatal gun attack in Butler, Pennsylvania, earlier this month, telling Congress it could have been a piece of shrapnel or glass that grazed Trump’s ear.
Furior at the comment, the candidate raged on Truth Social: “That’s why he knows nothing about the terrorists and other criminals pouring into our Country at record levels.
“His only focus is destroying J6 Patriots, Raiding Mar-a-Lago, and saving Radical Left Lunatics, like the ones now in DC burning American flags and spray painting over our great National Monuments – with zero retribution.
“No wonder the once storied FBI has lost the confidence of America!”
FBI Director Christopher Wray told Congress yesterday that he wasn’t sure if I was hit by shrapnel, glass, or a bullet (the FBI never even checked!), but he was sure that Crooked Joe Biden was physically and cognitively “uneventful” - Wrong! That’s why he knows nothing about the…
— Donald J. Trump Posts From His Truth Social (@TrumpDailyPosts) July 26, 2024
Here’s James Liddell on Wray’s comments.
After Harris became nominee, some Republicans regret Trump’s VP pick
08:30
Oliver O'Connell
Some Republicans are reportedly starting to regret Donald Trump’s pick for a running mate, Ohio Senator JD Vance, after Vice President Kamala Harris’s sudden ascension to the top of the Democratic ticket.
Trump chose Vance thinking he was running against President Joe Biden, who announced on Sunday that he was stepping aside as the Democratic nominee and endorsing Harris.
The former president believed he was on a glide path to victory in November before Biden’s dropping out shook up the race. Trump chose a running mate that would gin up his base, not appeal to possible swing voters or Republicans hesitant about supporting him.
Gustaf Kilander reports.
New poll: Harris now a threat to Trump in several major swing states
06:30
Oliver O'Connell
Vice President Kamala Harris has pulled her party back into contention in several key battleground states after taking the reins of the presidential ticket and becoming the presumptive nominee for the Democrats.
A new Emerson poll released on Thursday shows Harris putting an end to the bleeding her predecessor was suffering for weeks across five key states: Arizona, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin. She still trails Donald Trump in each state, but she’s now within just a few percentage points — ground she has a chance of making up over the next 100-plus days until the general election.
John Bowden has the details.
Trump set to return to Pennsylvania weeks after assassination attempt
06:05
Namita Singh
Donald Trump is set to return to Pennsylvania for the first time since his assassination attempt at the state’s Butler township earlier this month.
The former president, who was wounded in the shooting, will hold a rally in Harrisburg on 31 July, located about 400km (251 miles) from the Butler campaign site.
Trump, 78, was holding a rally on 13 July in Butler, Pennsylvania – a key state in the 5 November election – when shots rang out, hitting his right ear and leaving his face streaked with blood.
Report:
Netanyahu will meet Trump at Mar-a-Lago, mending a years-long rift
05:34
Namita Singh
As president, Donald Trump went well beyond his predecessors in fulfilling Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s top wishes from the United States. Yet by the time Trump left the White House, relations between the two had broken down after Netanyahu rapidly congratulated Joe Biden on his 2020 presidential victory.
On Friday, the two men will meet face-to-face for the first time in nearly four years in a test of whether the relationship can be mended. Both have an interest in getting past their differences.
For Trump, now the Republican presidential nominee, the meeting could cast him as an ally and statesman, as well as sharpen efforts by Republicans to portray themselves as the party most loyal to Israel.
That’s as divisions among Americans over US support for Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza open cracks in what has been decades of strong bipartisan backing for Israel, the biggest recipient of US aid.
For Netanyahu, who was in the United States to address Congress and meet with Biden, repairing relations with Trump is imperative given the prospect that he may once again become president of the United States, Israel’s main arms supplier and protector.
For both men, Friday’s meeting at Mar-a-Lago will highlight for their home audiences their depiction of themselves as strong leaders who have gotten big things done on the world stage, and can again.
JD Vance revealed to be giving foreword on new Project 2025 book
04:30
Oliver O'Connell
Eyebrows have been raised after it was revealed that Donald Trump‘s running mate JD Vance has written the foreword to a book on the controversial Project 2025 – despite the former president denying all connection to it.
Amazon’s listing of the book, Dawn’s Early Light, describes it as outlining “a peaceful ‘Second American Revolution’ for voters looking to shift the power back into the hands of the people.
The listing notes Project 2025 head Kevin Robert as its author and Vance as the foreword. The Ohio Senator has also left an editorial review of the book in which he praises its ideas as “an essential weapon” in “the fights that lie ahead.”
Mike Bedigan reports.
Manhattan prosecutors tell judge to reject Trump’s attempt to throw out his hush money verdict
03:30
Oliver O'Connell
Manhattan prosecutors are urging the judge overseeing Donald Trump’s criminal hush money trial to keep a 34-count verdict in place after the former president argued that the case should be tossed after the Supreme Court’s ruling on presidential “immunity.”
Prosecutors with Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s office argue that nothing about the case involves “official” presidential acts that the Supreme Court’s conservative majority have argued are “absolutely” immune from prosecution.
Here’s Alex Woodward with the latest.
Watch: Lincoln Project mocks Trump for Vance pick
02:30
Oliver O'Connell
Just in: Trump won’t agree to a debate with Harris — for now
02:20
Alex Woodward
After Kamala Harris told reporters on Thursday that she is ready to debate Donald Trump, and that she has agreed to face him on the already-agreed upon September 10 match up, the Republican presidential nominee now appaears to be backing out — for now.
In a statement, Trump campaign communications director Steven Cheung said it would be “inappropriate to schedule things with Harris because Democrats very well could still change their minds.”
“Given the continued political chaos surrounding Crooked Joe Biden and the Democrat Party, general election debate details cannot be finalized until Democrats formally decide on their nominee,” he said.
He claimed there is a “strong sense” among Democratic officials, “namely Barack Hussein Obama,” that Harris “is a Marxist fraud who cannot beat President Trump, and they are still holding out for someone ‘better.’”
“Therefore, it would be inappropriate to schedule things with Harris because Democrats very well could still change their minds,” he said.
Party leaders and prominent Democratic officials have quickly coalesced around Harris, and Obama is imminently expected to issue his endorsement. Harris also has clinched a majority of DNC delegates for the nomination, making her the presumed party nominee. The nomination convention is next month.
Also, it’s worth noting that neither Biden nor Trump were officially their party’s nominees during the first 2024 presidential debate last month.
Trump to return to Pennsylvania for first rally since assassination attempt
02:00
Mike Bedigan
Donald Trump is set to return to Pennsylvania next week where he will host his first campaign rally since the attempt on his life less than two weeks ago.
Tickets for the former president’s event can only be obtained online and in blocks of two at a time. The rally is due to take in Harrisburg, just over 200 miles from the city of Butler where the shooting occurred.
The rally is scheduled to take place on Wednesday July 31, at the Farm Show Complex. Doors are supposed to open at 2 p.m. and and Trump is scheduled to deliver remarks at 6pm.
Trump campaign finally reveals why ex president continues to profess love for Hannibal Lecter in speeches
01:48
Mike Bedigan
Speculation has long swirled over Donald Trump’s repeated and bizarre references to fictional cannibalistic serial killer Hannibal Lecter at his campaign rallies.
Suggestions have ranged from the former president confusing the meaning of the word “asylum” when talking about migrants to simple jokes – though he recently seemed to imply that the famous killer is a real person.
Now the Trump campaign have revealed the real reason behind the bizarre mentions of Dr Lecter:
Harris ‘ready’ to debate Trump, accusing him of ‘backpedaling’ on agreement
01:30
Oliver O'Connell
Vice President Kamala Harris on Thursday said she is fully prepared to meet Donald Trump at the September debate which their respective campaigns agreed upon earlier this year and accused the ex-president of reneging on the agreement.
Andrew Feinberg filed this report from Washington, DC.
New York Times/Siena College poll sees single point between Harris and Trump
Friday 26 July 2024 00:30
Oliver O'Connell
The latest New York Times/Siena College poll has Donald Trump at 48 per cent and Kamala Harris at 47 per cent among likely voters in a head-to-head match-up, in the first survey since Harris took over as the presumptive Democratic Party nominee after President Joe Biden stepped aside.
This shows a marked improvement for Democrats. The last poll conducted by the group in early July showed Biden down six per cent to Trump.
Among registered voters, Trump leads Harris by two per cent (48:46) but he led Biden by nine per cent in the earlier poll.
Per the Times:
The poll showed Ms. Harris garnering about 60 percent support from voters under 30 and Hispanic voters, groups Mr. Biden had consistently struggled with. Among voters under 45, Ms. Harris was ahead by 10 percentage points, less than three weeks after Mr. Trump had held a narrow edge with that group over Mr. Biden.
Because the survey was of voters nationwide, the impact of Ms. Harris’s candidacy in particular battleground states was not immediately clear. But a Democratic candidate with greater appeal to younger and more diverse voters could put renewed focus on the Sun Belt states of Nevada, Arizona and Georgia, which had been threatening to slip off the swing-state map for Mr. Biden.
The nationwide poll surveyed 1,142 registered voters between July 22-24 by phone in both English and Spanish. The poll’s margin of sampling error among registered voters is plus or minus 3.3 percentage points.
Which Democrats worked with JD Vance in the Senate and what were their thoughts?
Friday 26 July 2024 00:00
Oliver O'Connell
Senator Elizabeth Warren has been one of JD Vance’s sharpest critics since former President Donald Trump picked the Ohio Republican senator as his vice presidential running mate. And that makes sense, given she was an early supporter of Kamala Harris going back to the vice president’s days as attorney general of California.
But back in Washington, the Massachusetts Democrat has happily worked with Vance, as the pair serve on the Senate Banking Committee and co-authored legislation to claw back executive pay for failed banks.
“It’s good legislation,” Warren told The Independent while she rushed out of the Senate after votes on Thursday. “I’m happy to work with anyone.”
Eric Garcia reports from Washington, DC.
Fox Business guest slammed for calling Kamala Harris a ‘Hawk Tuah girl’
Thursday 25 July 2024 23:30
Oliver O'Connell
A regular guest on the Fox Business network referred to Vice President Kamala Harris as “the original ‘Hawk Tuah’ girl,” sparking online backlash about the sexist remark.
Alec Lace appeared on the network on July 5 to discuss the future of the Democratic party after President Joe Biden’s debate stumble — commentary that devolved into racist and sexist remarks about the presumptive Democratic nominee.
Lace suggested that Harris ascended to power by sleeping her way to the top.
Appalling.
Kelly Rissman reports.
Fox News proposes hosting new debate between Trump and Harris
Thursday 25 July 2024 22:30
Oliver O'Connell
Fox News has written to both the Donald Trump and Kamala Harris campaigns proposing that the network host a presidential debate on September 17 in Pennsylvania.
“Now that Vice President Kamala Harris is the presumptive Democratic nominee, Fox News Media is amending our proposal for a debate this cycle. Given the race has changed, we’d like to request the opportunity to host a Presidential Debate between VP Harris and former President Trump,” the letters sent to each campaign, signed by Fox News Media president and executive editor Jay Wallace and Fox News vice president of politics Jessica Loker, stated.
“We propose to host the debate in the state of Pennsylvania on Tuesday, September 17, just as early voting is getting underway there and in other key battlegrounds. We are open to discussion on the exact date, format and location — with or without an audience,” Wallace and Loker continued. “Again, we believe Bret Baier and Martha MacCallum, the faces of our political coverage, are the best choices to moderate.”
The proposal continued: “As you recall, despite not having a Democratic debate in 2016/2020, Fox News was able to secure town halls with Democratic candidates such as: Hillary Clinton, Bernie Sanders, Pete Buttigieg, Julian Castro, Amy Klobuchar and Kirsten Gillibrand.”
“In recognition of Fox News Media’s capabilities and reputation, we cordially extend an invitation to all concerned parties to discuss our proposal. We appreciate your consideration and look forward to the opportunity to foster informed political dialogue at this pivotal moment for our nation,” they concluded.
Constitutional amendment aims to reverse Supreme Court presidential immunity ruling
Thursday 25 July 2024 22:15
Oliver O'Connell
New York congressman Joe Morelle has introduced a constitutional amendment intended to reverse the Supreme Court’s decision granting presidents immunity from criminal prosecution for official actions while in office.
A statement from Morelle reads:
Earlier this month the Supreme Court of the United States undermined not just the foundation of our constitutional government, but the foundation of our democracy. At its core, our nation relies on the principle that no American stands above another in the eyes of the law. I introduced this constitutional amendment to correct a grave error of this Supreme Court and protect our democracy by ensuring no president is ever above the law. The American people expect their leaders to be held to the same standards we hold for any member of our community. Presidents are not monarchy, they are not tyrants, and shall not be immune.
Judge may haul Giuliani back to court over his ‘troubling’ refusal to share finances
Thursday 25 July 2024 22:00
Oliver O'Connell
Rudy Giuliani’s seemingly never-ending bankruptcy case continues — and the former mayor may now may have to testify in court about the finances he’s been so cagey about.
Earlier this month, Judge Sean Lane threw out the broke ex-mayor’s Chapter 11 bankruptcy case, but Giuliani and his creditors have not reached a resolution on the terms of the dismissal, as he’s refused to pay administrative expenses incurred during the case, despite it being a legal requirement for dismissal.
Kelly Rissman reports.
After Harris becomes nominee, some Republicans regret Trump’s VP pick
Thursday 25 July 2024 21:39
Oliver O'Connell
Some Republicans are reportedly starting to regret Donald Trump’s pick for a running mate, Ohio Senator JD Vance, after Vice President Kamala Harris’s sudden ascension to the top of the Democratic ticket.
Trump chose Vance thinking he was running against President Joe Biden, who announced on Sunday that he was stepping aside as the Democratic nominee and endorsing Harris.
The former president believed he was on a glide path to victory in November before Biden’s dropping out shook up the race. Trump chose a running mate that would gin up his base, not appeal to possible swing voters or Republicans hesitant about supporting him.
Gustaf Kilander reports.
Trump hits Newsom over ‘political’ decision to remove homeless encampments in California
Thursday 25 July 2024 21:30
Oliver O'Connell
Donald Trump has hit out at California Governor Gavin Newsom for his decision to order the removal of homeless encampments that have become endemic across his state in recent years.
The former president wrote on Truth Social: “Why didn’t Gavin Newscum do this a long time ago? He’s only doing it because, just like Crooked Joe Biden, his Radical Left Democrat Presidential Candidate, Lyin’ Kamala Harris, is losing BIG in the Polls. They just did it for Political Reasons, because she comes from California, and looks terrible. Right after the Election, it will go back to SLUM LIKE condition, unless we WIN — THEN, AMERICA WILL BE GREAT AGAIN!”
The real reason is that a Supreme Court ruling has allowed him to move forward with the removals, as explained below:
New poll: Harris now a threat to Trump in several major swing states
Thursday 25 July 2024 21:15
Oliver O'Connell
Vice President Kamala Harris has pulled her party back into contention in several key battleground states after taking the reins of the presidential ticket and becoming the presumptive nominee for the Democrats.
A new Emerson poll released on Thursday shows Harris putting an end to the bleeding her predecessor was suffering for weeks across five key states: Arizona, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin. She still trails Donald Trump in each state, but she’s now within just a few percentage points — ground she has a chance of making up over the next 100-plus days until the general election.
John Bowden has the details.
Marine injured in Trump rally shooting released from hospital
Thursday 25 July 2024 21:00
Oliver O'Connell
One of the men injured in the attempted assassination of Donald Trump at a campaign rally in Pennsylvania has been discharged from hospital, The Independent has confirmed.
A spokesperson for Allegheny General Hospital said that David Dutch, 57, a member of the Marine Corps League of Pennsylvania (MCL), had been discharged on Wednesday.
A spokesperson told The Independent, also said that another man injured during the incident in Butler remained in “serious but stable condition” at the Pittsburgh hospital.
Mike Bedigan reports.
Manhattan DA responds to Trump motion to dismiss hush money case
Thursday 25 July 2024 20:38
Oliver O'Connell
The office of Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg has responded to a motion by Donald Trump’s legal team to dismiss the guilty verdict in his hush-money case.
Regarding the recent ruling on presidential immunity by the Supreme Court for official actions conducted while president — including, Trump’s team says, some of the evidence used in the trial, Bragg’s office wrotes:
The Supreme Court’s recent ruling thus has nothing to say about defendant’s conviction. But even if that decision required the exclusion of all of the evidence that defendant cites here, there would still need be no basis for disturbing the verdict because of the other overwhelming evidence of defendant’s guilt. For all the pages that defendant devotes to his current motion, the evidence that he claims is affected by the Supreme Court’s ruling constitutes only a sliver of the mountains of testimony and documentary proof that the jury considered in finding him guilty of all 34 felony charges beyond a reasonable doubt. Under these circumstances, there is no basis for disturbing the jury’s verdict, and defendant’s motion should be denied.
Here’s Alex Woodward with the background on the case:
JD Vance revealed to be giving foreword on new Project 2025 book
Thursday 25 July 2024 20:30
Oliver O'Connell
As we reported yesterday in this blog, Donald Trump‘s running mate JD Vance has written the foreword to a book on the controversial Project 2025 – despite the former president denying all connection to it.
Amazon’s listing of the book, Dawn’s Early Light, describes it as outlining “a peaceful ‘Second American Revolution’ for voters looking to shift the power back into the hands of the people.
The listing notes Project 2025 head Kevin Robert as its author and Vance as the foreword. The Ohio Senator has also left an editorial review of the book in which he praises its ideas as “an essential weapon” in “the fights that lie ahead.”
Mike Bedigan has the details.
Trump’s fraud trial judge rejected ex-president’s demand that he recuse himself from the case
Thursday 25 July 2024 20:10
Oliver O'Connell
The judge in Donald Trump’s fraud trial has rejected the former president’s demand that he recuse himself from the case.
The challenge from the Trump team stemmed from an interaction between Judge Arthur Engoron and Adam Bailey, who the judge says “accosted and started haranguing me” and “did not relay any alleged facts.”
“As no grounds for mandatory recusal exist here, it is up to me and my conscience to determine whether this 90-second, unsolicited diatribe about a law … by a non-party and non-expert who conveyed no facts, in any way affected my adjudication of a dispute over which I had presided for three and a half years,” Engoron wrote. “I hereby definitively state that it did not.”
He said he is “supremely confident in my ability to continue to serve, as I always have, impartially.”
Trump attacks Biden over speech... again
Thursday 25 July 2024 20:03
Oliver O'Connell
Donald Trump is on Truth Social, again attacking President Joe Biden over his Oval Office address to the nation last night.
Crooked Joe Biden’s Performance last night was DISMAL, and yet, the other Networks pretended he was the equivalent of the Late, Great Winston Churchill. The guy can’t even talk — Fake News!
Unlikely, from memory, that any of his speeches received such praise.
He also claimed nothing will happen to the protesters in Washington yesterday who burned the American flag.
If those people rioting in Washington yesterday were Republicans/Conservatives, they’d all be in jail right now, facing 10 to 20 year sentences. Under this Crooked Administration, nothing will happen to them!
Trump wants to lock up flag burners
Thursday 25 July 2024 20:00
Oliver O'Connell
Donald Trump has suggested that those who desecrate the US flag should spend a year behind bars.
The former president made the comments during a free-wheeling call to Fox & Friends on Fox News on Thursday morning, where he also attacked his new rival for the White House, Kamala Harris.
Gustaf Kilander reports.
Trump says he’s not in cognitive decline, but then talks about Hannibal Lecter... again...
Thursday 25 July 2024 19:45
Oliver O'Connell
Donald Trump dismissed the i