RNC 2024 live updates: Sarah Huckabee Sanders gets personal, Haley ‘strongly endorses’ Trump, Rubio goes full MAGA

Ben
Carson,
former
United
States
Secretary
of
Housing
and
Urban
Development,
invoked
religion
to
describe
the
attempted
assassination
of
Donald
Trump.

“I
saw
President
Trump,
a
dear
friend,
escape
death
by
mere
inches,
and
my
thoughts
immediately
turned
to
the
book
of
Isaiah
that
says,
‘No
weapon
formed
against
you
shall
prosper,'”
Carson,
a
former
neurosurgeon
and
2016
presidential
candidate,
said.

“I
have
no
doubt
that
God
lowered
a
shield
of
protection
over
President
Trump,”
he
said.

–
Josephine
Rozzelle

Sen.
Marco
Rubio
praised
Corey
Comperatore,
the
Pennsylvania
father
who
died
shielding
his
family
from
bullets
meant
for
Trump
on
Saturday,
calling
him
one
of
the
“Americans
who
wear
the
red
hats
and
wait
for
hours
under
a
blazing
sun
to
hear
Trump
speak.”

“And
what
they
want,
what
they
ask
for,
it
is
not
hateful
or
extreme,”
said
Rubio,
who
until
Monday
was
on
the
short-list
of
potential
Trump
running
mates.

“What
they
want
is
good
jobs
and
lower
prices.
They
want
borders
that
are
secure,
and
for
those
who
come
here
to
do
so
legally.”

–
Dan
Mangan

Michael
Morin
took
the
RNC
stage
to
tell
the
story
of
his
sister,
Rachel
Morin,
who
was
allegedly
killed
by
a
suspected
illegal
immigrant.

“Open
borders
are
often
portrayed
as
compassionate
and
virtuous,”
Morin,
accompanied
on
stage
by
his
family
members,
said.
“But
there
is
nothing
compassionate
about
allowing
violent
criminals
into
our
country
and
robbing
children
of
their
mother.”

Rachel
Morin’s
body
was
found
on
a
Maryland
hiking
trail
in
August
2023.
The
suspect
in
Morin’s
murder,
a
man
from
El
Salvador,
was

arrested
in
June.

–
Josephine
Rozzelle

U.S.
Capitol
Police
arrested
a
21-year-old
ski-mask-wearing
man
who
was
carrying
a
concealed,
unpermitted
gun
hidden
in
a
tactical
backpack
on
Monday
near
the
RNC
site,
NBC
News
reported.

The
arrest,
at
about
1
p.m.
CT,
came
after
Capitol
Police
“initially
observed
the
suspect
looking
suspicious,
wearing
a
ski
mask
and
a
large
tactical
backpack
in
the
street,”
Milwaukee
Police
said
in
a
statement.

“The
suspect
was
arrested,
and
charges
are
pending
review
by
the
Milwaukee
County
District
Attorney’s
Office,”
police
said.

The
arrest
came
two
days
after
a
20-year-old
armed
with
a
rifle
shot
at
Trump
during
a
campaign
rally
in
Pennsylvania,
killing
one
man
and
critically
injuring
two
other
men.

–
Dan
Mangan

Arkansas
Gov.
Sarah
Huckabee
Sanders,
who
served
as
Donald
Trump’s
press
secretary
from
2017
to
2019,
reminisced
on
her
time
in
the
White
House
and
sung
the
praises
of
her
former
boss.

“Under
President
Trump,
America
was
safer.
The
world
was
safer,
and
it
felt
like
the
next
generation
would
have
a
chance
at
the
American
dream,”
Sanders
said.

Her
speech
mirrored
the
unwavering
loyalty
to
Trump
that
characterized
her
press
conferences
during
the
Trump
administration.
She
went
on
to
recount
what
she
saw
as
hostile
interactions
with
certain
media
outlets,
which
she
said
Trump
often
defended
her
against.

“Our
president
pulled
me
aside,
looked
me
in
the
eye
and
said,
Sarah,
you’re
smart.
You’re
beautiful.
You’re
tough
and
they
attack
you
because
you’re
good
at
your
job,”
Sanders
recalled.

“President
Trump
is
a
leader
and
he’s
the
leader
our
country
needs,”
she
added.
“We
can’t
get
him
back
in
the
White
House
fast
enough.”

—

Rebecca
Picciotto

Madeline
Brame
railed
against
prosecutors
in
Democratic-majority
cities
as
“soft
on
crime”
—
and
singled
out
Manhattan
District
Attorney
Alvin
Bragg,
whom
she
accused
of
mishandling
the
case
of
her
slain
son.

Her
son,
35-year-old
Army
veteran
Hason
Correa,
was
fatally
stabbed
amid
a
fight
outside
a
Harlem
apartment
building
in
2018.

Bragg
took
office
in
2022.
By
the
end
of
that
year,
three
defendants
charged
in
the
attack
pleaded
guilty
and
another
was
convicted
at
trial,

according
to
the
New
York
Post.

Two
of
those
defendants
received
prison
sentences
of
20
years
to
life,
and
another
got
seven
years
behind
bars,
while
the
fourth
defendant
was
released
on
14
months
time
served
she
had
spent
at
Rikers
Island,
the
Post
reported.

Bragg’s
office
accused
Trump
of
falsifying
business
records
as
part
of
a
scheme
to
cover
up
a
hush
money
payment
to
porn
star
Stormy
Daniels
before
the
2016
election.
A
New
York
jury
convicted
Trump
on
all
34
counts
in
May.

—

Kevin
Breuninger

Erin
Koper,
a
Trump
voter
in
the
key
battleground
state
of
Pennsylvania,
blamed
Democrats
for
rising
crime
in
her
city
of
Pittsburgh,
though
public
data
shows
crime
rates
have
dropped
in
the
wake
of
the
pandemic.

“I’ve
had
a
front
row
seat
to
the
chaos
caused
by
Democrats
and
their
soft-on-crime
policy,”
Koper
said,
listing
several
statistics
and
anecdotes
that
supported
what
she
explained
as
rising
crime
in
her
area
since
Democrats
took
office.

“This
November,
if
we
stand
together
we
will
beat
the
soft-on-crime
Democrats
and
make
our
streets
safe
again.”

Koper’s
speech
reflects
a
lingering
gap
between
official
crime
data
and
the
public’s
perception
of
it.
In
March,
the

FBI
released
new
figures
that
showed
a
13%
drop
in
murders
in
2023
from
2022,
along
with
a
6%
decline
in
violent
crime
reports.
The
data
showed
that
property
crime
also
dipped
by
4%.

—

Rebecca
Picciotto

Sen.
Tom
Cotton
(R-AR)
slammed
President
Joe
Biden’s
immigration
policy,
telling
two
stories
from
the
U.S.-Mexico
border
to
draw
contrast
between
Biden
and
Trump.

“That’s
our
choice.
A
secure
border
and
an
immigration
system
that
works
for
all
of
our
citizens,
whether
your
ancestors
bled
with
George
Washington,
or
like
Manuel
in
Arkansas,
you
just
took
the
Oath
of
Citizenship,”
Cotton
said,
“or
Joe
Biden’s
chaos.”

“Will
we
choose
Joe
Biden,
open,
borders
amnesty
and
chaos?
No,
of
course
not,”
he
said.
“We’ll
choose
Donald
Trump
and
his
record
of
security,
prosperity,
and
stability.”

–
Josephine
Rozzelle

Anne
Fundner,
a
mother
of
four
from
southern
California,
blamed
President
Joe
Biden
and
“open
borders”
for
the
lethal
fentanyl
overdose
of
her
15-year-old
son
Weston
in
2022.

“This
was
not
an
overdose,
it
was
a
poisoning,”
said
Fundner,
who
said
Weston
had
taken
drugs
that
someone
gave
him
in
a
moment
of
peer
pressure.
“His
whole
future,
everything
we
ever
wanted
for
him,
was
ripped
away
in
an
instant,
and
Joe
Biden
does
nothing.
I
hold
Joe
Biden,
Kamala
Harris
…
Gavin
Newsom
and
every
Democrat
who
supports
open
borders
responsible
for
the
death
of
my
son.”

“We
need
a
president
who
will
seal
the
border,
aggressively
prosecute
drug
dealers
and
stop
Communist
China
from
poisoning
our
children,”
she
said.

–
Dan
Mangan

Michael
Coyle,
a
resident
of
Kensington
in
Philadelphia
and
the
first
in
a
series
of
“everyday
American”
speakers,
said
that
the
U.S.
drug
crisis
has
made
his
home
“one
of
the
worst
neighborhoods
in
America.”

Coyle
said
he
started
a
nonprofit
to
improve
his
neighborhood.
In
one
day,
he
said,
his
group
picked
up
over
1,000
needles
in
a
park
near
a
public
library.

“My
city,
and
all
cities,
deserve
better,”
he
said,
blaming
Biden
for
“opening
our
southern
border”
and
allowing
for
the
proliferation
of
fentanyl
in
the
U.S.

Trump
will
“end
the
urban
nightmare,”
he
said.

—

Kevin
Breuninger

Sen.

Eric
Schmitt
of
Missouri
told
the
RNC
that
the
“Biden-Harris
administration
has
made
us
less
safe”
by
opening
“borders
to
terrorists,
to
criminals.”

The
freshman
senator
Schmitt
is
reportedly
on
Trump’s
shortlist
of
potential
nominees
to
be

U.S.
attorney
general
if
Trump
wins
in
November.

“As
Missouri’s
former
Attorney
General,
I
went
toe
to
toe
with
the
radical
to
fund
the
police
crowd
and
have
backs
of
our
men
and
women
in
blue,”
Schmitt
said.
“I
know
President
Trump
will
do
the
same.
He’ll
restore
law
and
order.
He’ll
unapologetically
back
the
blue
and
President
Trump
will
secure
the
border
once
and
for
all.”

–
Dan
Mangan

Florida
Gov.
Ron
DeSantis
called
the
Biden
administration
a
“Weekend
at
Bernie’s”
presidency,
referencing
the
1989
comedy
to
mock
Joe
Biden’s
age
and
hint
at
conspiracy
theories
that
White
House
aides
are
the
ones
really
running
the
show.

“Our
enemies
do
not
confine
their
designs
to
between
10am
and
4pm.
We
need
a
commander
in
chief
who
can
lead
24
hours
a
day
and
seven
days
a
week,”
DeSantis
roared.
“America
cannot
afford
four
more
years
of
a
Weekend
at
Bernie’s
presidency.”

A
former
presidential
candidate
with
aspirations
to
inherit
Trump’s
MAGA
base,
DeSantis
hit
on
many
of
the
culture
war
issues
that
defined
his
failed
presidential
run.
Then
he
pivoted
to
Trump.

“Life
was
more
affordable
when
Donald
Trump
was
president.
Our
border
was
safer
under
the
Trump
administration,”
DeSantis
said.
“Our
country
was
respected
when
Donald
Trump
was
our
Commander
in
Chief.”

—

Rebecca
Picciotto

Nikki
Haley,
the
former
South
Carolina
governor
and
onetime
Trump
GOP
primary
rival,
said
the
Republican
nominee
asked
her
to
speak
to
the
convention
“in
the
name
of
unity.”

“It
was
a
gracious
invitation
and
I
was
happy
to
accept,”
Haley
said.

Haley
was
the
last
major
contender
to
drop
out
of
the
primary
against
Trump,
and
her
persistence
drew
heavy
criticism
from
Trump
and
his
supporters.
When
she
exited
the
race,
she
did
not
immediately
throw
her
support
behind
Trump,
as
other
primary
candidates
had.
She
later
said
she
would
vote
for
Trump.

Tonight,
Haley
declared,
“Trump
has
my
strong
endorsement,
period.”

She
urged
Republicans
who
“don’t
agree
with
Trump
100%
of
the
time”
to
back
the
GOP
ticket.

“Take
it
from
me,”
she
said.
“I
haven’t
always
agreed
with
President
Trump.
But
we
agree
more
often
than
we
disagree.”

Haley,
who
was
the
U.S.
ambassador
to
the
United
Nations
under
Trump,
attacked
Biden
on
both
his
foreign
policy
record
and
his
recent
debate
performance,
which
spurred
major
questions
about
his
fitness
for
office.

—

Kevin
Breuninger

Reality
TV
star
Savannah
Chrisley
began
her
remarks
on
what
she
called
the
“two-faced”
justice
system
by
reading
her
parent’s
prison
identification
numbers.

Todd
and
Julie
Chrisley,
known
for
their
reality
TV
show
“Chrisley
Knows
Best,”
were
found
guilty
of
bank
and
tax
fraud
charges
by
an
Atlanta
jury
in
June
2022.

The
couple
was
sentenced
to
12
and
seven
years,
respectively,
in
federal
prison,
though
Julie’s
sentencing
was
recently
overturned
in
June.
Her
case
was
sent
to
lower
courts
for
re-sentencing.

“My
family
was
persecuted
by
rogue
prosecutors
in
Fulton
County
due
to
our
public
profile.
I
know,
Fulton
County:
they
know
how
to
do
it
don’t
they,”
she
said,
referring
to
the
Georgia
county
where

Trump
is
facing
charges
that
he
conspired
to
attempt
to
overturn
the
results
of
the
2020
election.

“We
live
in
a
nation
founded
on
freedom,
liberty
and
justice
for
all.
Justice,
it’s
supposed
to
be
blind,
but
today
we
have
a
two-face
justice
system,”
Chrisley
said.
“Just
look
at
what
they’re
doing
to
President
Trump.
All
while,
let’s
face
it.
Hunter
Biden
is
roaming
around
free
and
attending
classified
meetings.”

A
jury
in
June
found
President
Joe
Biden’s
son

guilty
on
three
criminal
counts
related
to
his
purchased
and
possession
of
a
gun.
Hunter
Biden
also
faces
federal
tax-related
charges
in
Los
Angeles.

“We
need
to
expose
the
Democrats’
corruption
and
better
yet,
the
Biden
family’s
corruption.
And
guess
what?
I
know
just
the
man
for
that
job,”
Chrisley
said.
“Donald
J.
Trump
has
only
one
conviction
that
matters,
and
that
is
his
conviction
to
make
America
great
again.”

Trump
in
May
was

convicted
of
34
felony
charges
of
falsifying
business
records
related
to
a
hush
money
payment
to
a
porn
star.

–
Josephine
Rozzelle

Dallas,
Texas,
Mayor
Eric
Johnson
pinned
his
conversion
from
a
conservative
Democrat
to
a
Republican
on
an
incident
in
which
progressive
activists
sought
to
“intimidate”
him
into
defunding
the
police.

“I’ve
been
a
Democrat
my
entire
life,
albeit
a
conservative
one,”
said
Johnson,
who
switched
parties
after
winning
his
second
term
as
mayor
in
2023.

“But
when
those
activists
tried
to
scare
my
kids,
my
fellow
Democrats
were
silent,”
he
said.
“It
was
Republicans
who
offered
their
support,
both
privately
and
publicly.”

“Today,
I’m
the
proud
Republican
mayor
of
Dallas,
Texas,
the
largest
city
in
the
United
States
led
by
a
Republican,”
he
said.

—

Kevin
Breuninger

Virginia
Senate
candidate
Hung
Cao,
a
retired
U.S.
military
officer
who
was
born
in
Vietnam,
drew
a
contrast
between
his
upbringing
in
a
war-torn
country
to
emphasize
his
love
for
the
United
States.

He
began
his
brief
speech
my
slamming
his
hand
on
the
podium
to
mimic
the
sound
of
loud
knocking,
a
visceral
example
of
what
he
recounted
as
a
traumatizing
upbringing.

“That’s
the
scariest
sound
you’ll
ever
hear
when
you
live
in
a
communist
country,”
Cao
said.
“That’s
my
family’s
real
life
story.
We
escaped
from
Vietnam
just
days
before
Saigon
fell
to
the
communists.”

“America
saved
my
life,”
he
said.
“I
grabbed
onto
the
American
dream.”

—

Rebecca
Picciotto

Former
VP
hopeful

Vivek
Ramaswamy
energized
the
crowd
with
a
speech
focused
centrally
on
culture
war
issues
like
DEI,
identity
politics
and

college
campuses.

“Our
message
to
Gen-Z
is
this:
You’re
going
to
be
the
generation
that
actually
saves
this
country.
You
want
to
be
a
rebel?
You
want
to
be
a
hippie?
You
want
to
stick
it
to
the
man?
Show
up
on
your
college
campus
and
try
calling
yourself
a
conservative,”
Ramaswamy
said
in
his
sermon-like
remarks.

“Say
you
want
to
get
married,
have
kids,
teach
them
to
believe
in
God
and
pledge
allegiance
to
their
country.
Because
you
know
what?
Fear
has
been
infectious
in
this
country,
but
courage
can
be
contagious
to
that
too.”

At
first
a
long-shot
presidential
candidate,
Ramaswamy
gained
traction
as
a
successful
entrepreneur
who
waged
the
culture
wars.

—

Rebecca
Picciotto

New
Jersey
Rep.

Jeff
Van
Drew
touted
his
vote
against

impeaching
Trump
while
a
Democrat
and
his
conversion
to
the
Republican
party
after
meeting
with
the
then-president.

“President
Trump
asked
me
to
meet
with
him.
We
spoke
about
family,
faith,
freedom
and
friendship.
He
has
been
my
good
friend
ever
since
that
day,”
said
Van
Drew,
who
is
running
for
the
Senate
seat
currently
held
by
Democratic
Sen.

Bob
Menendez.

“He
said
that
I
should
be
a
Republican.
I
said,
Mr.
President,
I
will
be
a
Republican,”
Van
Drew
said.

“I
see
the
independents
and
especially
to
the
forgotten
Democrats
out
there,”
Van
Drew
said,
“For
a
moment,
I
want
to
speak
to
you.
I
know
how
you
feel
tonight,
because
that’s
how
I
felt
back
in
2019
you
feel
like
your
party
has
left
you
behind
because
it
has.”

Menendez,
who

filed
for
re-election
as
an
independent,
was
convicted
Tuesday
of
corruption
charges
in
New
York
federal
court.
Rep.
Andy
Kim
is
the
Democratic
nominee.

–
Dan
Mangan

New
York
Rep.

Elise
Stefanik,
once
floated
as
a
potential
running
mate
for
Donald
Trump,
reminisced
on
a
December
congressional
hearing
on

antisemitism
that
catapulted
her
to
national
attention.

“Who
saw
that
congressional
hearing
with
the
college
presidents
of
so
called
‘elite’
universities?
Oh,
wait,
they
are
former
presidents,”
Stefanik
jeered.

During
the
hearing,
Stefanik
asked
presidents
from
the
University
of
Pennsylvania,
Harvard
and
the
Massachussetts
Institute
of
Technology
whether
“calling
for
the
genocide
of
Jews”
would
violate
their
respective
college
rules.

All
three
presidents
flubbed
and
wavered
in
their
answers,
saying
it
would
depend
on
the
context,
a
moment
that
quickly
went
viral
as
the
Israel-Hamas
war
polarized
the
country.

Both
the
Harvard
and
UPenn
presidents
later
resigned
from
their
posts.

“One
after
the
other
after
the
other,
[they]
said
it
depends
on
the
context,”
Stefanik
recounted.
“Let
me
tell
you,
America
knows
it
does
not
depend
on
the
context.”

—

Rebecca
Picciotto

House
Majority
Leader
Steve
Scalise,
R-La.,
who
was
nearly
killed
in
a
politically
motivated
shooting
at
a
congressional
baseball
practice
in
2017,
praised
then-President
Trump
for
consoling
his
family
at
the
time.

“That’s
the
kind
of
leader
he
is:
Courageous
under
fire,
compassionate
toward
others,”
Scalise
said.

Scalise’s
experience
being
targeted
by
a
shooter
gives
him
a
grim
fact
in
common
with
Trump,
who
survived
an
assassination
attempt
at
a
campaign
rally
on
Saturday.

—

Kevin
Breuninger

Mike
Rogers,
the
Senate
hopeful
from
Michigan,
attacked
electric
vehicles
in
his
speech
to
the
RNC.

“EVs
require
40%
less
labor
to
build
than
gas
cars,”
said
Rogers,
a
former
congressman
who
once
headed
the
House
Intelligence
Committee.
“And
here’s
the
kicker,
85%
of
the
critical
minerals
needed
to
build
them
are
processed
in
China.”

“It
is
impossible
to
build
an
EV
without
getting
into
bed
with
the
Communist
Party
of
China,”
said
Rogers,
who
is
running
to
replace
retiring
Democratic
Sen.
Debbie
Stabenow.

–
Dan
Mangan

Army
veteran

Sam
Brown,
who
is
running
for
a
Senate
seat
from
Nevada
compared
being
badly
injured
in
a
roadside
bomb
in
Afghanistan
in
2008
to
the
“difficult
times”
he
suggested
Americans
are
going
through
today.

“The
explosion
left
me
drenched
in
diesel
and
burning
alive,”
Brown
said.
 “As
I
was
near
death.
I
felt
the
flames
being
smothered
and
heard
a
voice
say,
‘Sir,
I’ve
got
you.”

“Tonight
I
offer
a
message
of
hope,”
said
Brown,
a
retired
Army
captain
who
is
seeking
to
unseat
incumbent
Democratic
Sen.

Jacky
Rosen.

“Because
I
know
the
importance
of
hope
in
difficult
times.”

“Look
at
my
face,”
said
Brown,
who
was
disfigured
by
the
bombing.

“This
is
the
high
cost
of
war.
If
Joe
Biden
stays
in
office,
more
service
members
will
pay
this
price.
He
has
brought
our
nation
humiliation,
defeat
and
to
the
brink
of
more
war.
I’ve
been
through
the
fire.
President
Trump
has
been
through
the
fire.
But
hope
has
not
been
extinguished.
It
is
reignited.
And
we
are
more
united
than
ever
to
save
America’s
future.”

–
Dan
Mangan

Tim
Sheehy,
who
is
vying
for
the
Montana
U.S.
Senate
seat
currently
held
by
Democrat
Jon
Tester,
quipped
at
the
start
of
his
speech,
“My
name
is
Tim
Sheehy,
those
are
also
my
pronouns.”

The
line,
which
mocked
the
mostly
progressive
practice
of
articulating
gender
pronouns,
drew
laughs
and
cheers
from
the
crowd.

Tester,
one
of
the
most
conservative
Democrats
in
the
Senate,
is
defending
his
seat
in
a
reliably
red
state
that
broke
57%-41%
for
Trump
over
Biden
in
the
2020
presidential
election.
The
Senate
race
is
viewed
as
a

toss
up
by
the
Cook
Political
Report.

—

Kevin
Breuninger

West
Virginia
Gov.

Jim
Justice
focused
his
remarks
on
his
personal
relationship
with
Trump,
but
his
convention
appearance
was
largely
overshadowed
by
the
large
English
bulldog
sitting
to
his
right.

Babydog,
Justice’s
famous
pet
who
often
appears
alongside
the
governor,
sat
on
a
black
leather
armchair
throughout
the
speech.

“Babydog’s
got
a
prediction,”
Justice
said.
“Babydog
says
we’ll
retain
the
majority
in
the
House,
we’re
going
to
flip
the
United
States
Senate,
and
overwhelmingly
we’re
going
to
elect
Donald
J.
Trump
and
JD
Vance
in
November.”

Justice
is
running
for
the
Senate
seat
being
vacated
by

Democratic
Sen.
Joe
Manchin,
who
is
retiring
from
Congress.

–
Josephine
Rozzelle

Indiana
Rep.
Jim
Banks,
who
is
running
for
the
state’s
open
Senate
seat,
followed
a
familiar
Republican
campaign
script,
calling
out
Democratic
border
policies
as
weak-willed
and
endorsing
a
hardline
deportation
strategy.

“This
is
no
time
for
wimpy
Republicans.
That’s
why
I’m
running,”
Banks
said.
“We’ll
start
by
securing
the
border.
If
you
came
here
illegally
under
Joe
Biden,
you’re
going
back
to
where
you
came
from
under
Donald
Trump.”

—

Rebecca
Picciotto

Like
the
other
Republican
Senate
candidates
who
spoke
at
the
convention
Tuesday
evening,
Bernie
Moreno
used
his
time
on
the
RNC
stage
to
attack
his
opponent,
Sen.
Sherrod
Brown,
(D-Ohio)
and
President
Joe
Biden.

Moreno
dropped
any
pretense
of
unity,
telling
the
crowd
that
Bide
and
VP
Kamala
Harris
“have
put
the
welfare
of
illegals
ahead
of
our
own
citizens.
They’ve
destroyed
our
border,
they’ve
destroyed
our
economy,
they’ve
destroyed
our
standing
in
the
world,
and
they’ll
destroy
America
if
we
don’t
stop
them.”

“Sherrod
Brown
votes
with
Biden
virtually
100%
of
the
time,”
he
said.
“Well,
tonight,
we’ve
gotten
a
message
for
failed
lifelong
politicians
like
Sherrod
Brown
and
Joe
Biden:
It’s
time
to
go
home.
A
vote
for
Trump
and
Moreno
is
a
vote
to
put
America
first.”

–
Josephine
Rozzelle

U.S.
Senate
candidate
Dave
McCormick,
who
witnessed
the
assassination
attempt
against
Trump
at
a
Pennsylvania
campaign
rally
on
Saturday,
praised
the
nominee
and
mourned
those
who
were
seriously
injured
or
killed
in
the
attack.

“I
witnessed
firsthand,
from
a
front-row
seat
in
butler,
President
Trump’s
remarkable
strength
and
resolve
in
a
terrifying,
terrifying
and
unpredictable
moment,”
he
said.

“The
president
rose
brilliantly
to
the
challenge,
but
what
a
sad,
sad
and
frightening
day
for
the
families
of
those
who
were
injured
or
lost,
and
for
our
great
country,”
McCormick
said.
“And
we
all
thank
God
that
President
Trump
is
OK.”

McCormick
is
competing
against
Democratic
Sen.
Bob
Casey
in
the
Keystone
State,
a
crucial
battleground
in
both
the
presidential
contest
and
the
race
to
control
the
U.S.
Senate.

—

Kevin
Breuninger

Wisconsin
Senate
candidate

Eric
Hovde
attacked
Democratic
incumbent
Sen.
Tammy
Baldwin
for
voting
in
lockstep
with

Biden,
especially
on
what
he
sees
as
a
failed
economic
agenda.

“Senator
Baldwin
has
been
a
rubber
stamp,
voting
with
him
95.5%
of
the
time,”
Hovde
said
in
his
brief
remarks.
“Biden,
with
Baldwin’s
help,
has
weakened
us
in
every
way.”

The
Wisconsin
businessman,
who
is
running
in
a
key
battleground
state,
went
on
to
accuse
Biden
of
expanding
the
federal
deficit,
fueling
runaway
inflation
and
squeezing
consumers’
wallets.

That
economic
line
of
attack
has
become
the
standard
GOP
playbook
on
the
campaign
trail
as
high
costs
of
living
remain
a
top
voter
priority.
The
monthly
reading
of
inflation,
however,
dipped
for
the
first
time
in
the
latest

Consumer
Price
Index,
an
optimistic
sign
as
the
U.S.
economy
teeters
along
a
precarious
post-pandemic
recovery.

—

Rebecca
Picciotto

Florida
Rep.
Matt
Gaetz
taunted
former
House
Speaker

Kevin
McCarthy
on
the
floor
of
the
RNC
as
McCarthy
was
being
interviewed
by
CNN,
saying,
“If
you
took
that
stage
you’d
get
booed
off
of
it.”

Gaetz
in
turn
was
told
“Don’t
be
an
a–hole”
by
a
man
who
appeared
to
be
part
of
the
Illinois
delegation.

McCarthy,
a
California
Republican,
later
told
NBC
News
in
an
interview
that
Gaetz
“shouldn’t
be
on
the
streets.”

The
bad
blood
between
the
two
men
stems
from

a
House
Ethics
Committee
probe
into
allegations
that
Gaetz
had
sex
with
an
underage
girl
who
was
paid,
which
Gaetz
denies.

McCarthy
has
said,
and
repeated
at
the
RNC,
that
Gaetz
“tried
to
leverage
me
to
stop
the
Ethics
investigation.”

“That’s
illegal.
I’m
not
doing
that,”
said

McCarthy
to
NBC
News.

McCarthy
was
ousted
as
speaker
last
October
after
Gaetz
filed
a
motion
to
boot
him
from
that
spot.

–
Dan
Mangan

The
second
day
of
the
Republican
National
Convention
will
feature
remarks
from
a
bevy
of
Republican
lawmakers
and
other
prominent
political
figures,
including
multiple
former
Trump
campaign
rivals.

Sen.
Marco
Rubio
of
Florida,
who
ran
against
Trump
in
the
2016
presidential
primary
and
was
recently
a
finalist
to
be
his
running
mate,
is
set
to
speak.

Trump
picked
Sen.
JD
Vance
of
Ohio
to
round
out
the
top
of
the
ticket;
Rubio
quickly
expressed
support
for
the
choice
soon
after
it
was
announced.

Also
on
the
schedule:
Trump’s
former
United
Nations
ambassador
Nikki
Haley,
who
challenged
Trump
in
the
2024
GOP
primary
and
did
not
immediately
endorse
him
when
she
ended
her
presidential
campaign.

Haley
said
in
an
exit
speech
that
Trump
would
have
to
“earn
the
votes”
of
Republicans
who
did
not
back
him.
She
later
endorsed
Trump,
and
prior
to
the
convention

released
her
delegates
so
they
could
go
toward
his
nomination.

Florida
Gov.
Ron
DeSantis,
who
was
once
seen
as
Trump’s
most
formidable
challenger
in
the
primary,
is
also
on
the
list.

Other
speakers
include:
Lara
Trump,
whom
the
Republican
nominee
handpicked
in
March
to
co-chair
the
Republican
National
Committee;
Kari
Lake,
who
lost
an
Arizona
gubernatorial
bid
in
2022
and
is
now
running
for
the
Senate;
Rep.
Elise
Stefanik
of
New
York,
the
House
Republican
Conference
Chair;
Vivek
Ramaswamy,
an
entrepreneur
and
former
presidential
candidate;
and
many
others.

The
schedule
also
includes
another
crop
of
speakers
labeled
“everyday
Americans.”

—

Kevin
Breuninger

Vice
President
Kamala
Harris
and
Sen.
JD
Vance
(R-Ohio)
have
spoken
over
the
phone,
three
sources
told
NBC.

One
source
said
Vance,
who
on
Monday
was
announced
as
Donald
Trump’s
running
mate,
initiated
the
call.
Another
source
described
the
call
as
brief
and
cordial.

Harris
left
Vance
a
voicemail
Monday
night,
congratulating
him
and
encouraging
him
to
accept
an
August
13th
Vice
Presidential
debate,
NBC
previously
reported.

–
Josephine
Rozzelle

Trump’s
Secret
Service
protection
was
increased
after
U.S.
officials
learned
of
a

plot
by
Iran
to
kill
the
former
president.

The
protection
level
for
Trump
was
heightened
in
the
weeks
before
a
Pennsylvania
man,
Thomas
Crooks,
tried
to
assassinate
the
Republican
candidate
during
a
campaign
rally.

Crooks
has
no
known
ties
to
the
Iran
plot.

But
the
disclosure
of
the
Iranian
plan,
and
the
Secret
Service’s
response
to
it,
raised
more
questions
about
why
the
agency
failed
to
intercept
Crooks
before
he
opened
fire
on
Trump
and
others
at
the
rally,
one
of
whom
was
killed.

–
Dan
Mangan

A
video
clip
leaked
Tuesday
morning
captured

Trump
expressing
an
anti-vaccine
conspiracy
theory
in
a
conversation
with
third-party
presidential
candidate
Robert
F.
Kennedy
Jr.

The
clip
also
shows
Trump
telling
his
ostensible
campaign
rival,
“I
would
love
you
to
do
something.
And
I
think
it’ll
be
so
good
for
you
and
so
big
for
you.”

When
Trump
adds,
“We’re
going
to
win”
the
election,
Kennedy
responds,
“Yeah.”

The
conversation
took
place
after
Trump
survived
an
assassination
attempt
at
a
campaign
rally
in
Pennsylvania
on
Saturday.

Trump
and
Kennedy,
who
has
repeatedly
expressed

opposition
to
vaccines,
met
in
person
on
Monday
in
Milwaukee,
where
the
Republican
National
Convention
is
underway.

—

Kevin
Breuninger

Sen.
Bob
Menendez,
a
New
Jersey
Democrat
who
had
been
chairman
of
the
Senate
Foreign
Relations
Committee,
was
convicted
on
all
criminal
counts
in
New
York
federal
court
related
to
accepting
bribes
from
a
trio
of
businessmen.

Menendez’s
conviction
comes
as
Democrats
hold
a
razor-thin
majority
in
the
Senate,
and
as
Republicans
eye
potentially
taking
control
of
the
chamber
in
November’s
elections.

Senate
Majority
Leader
Chuck
Schumer,
a
New
York
Democrat,
urged
Menendez
to
resign.

–
Dan
Mangan

President
Biden
is
putting
together
a
sweeping
set
of
proposals
to
reform
the
Supreme
Court
including
possible
term
limits
for
justices
and
a
new
ethics
code,
three
sources
confirmed
to
NBC
News.

The
announcement
could
come
in
the
weeks
ahead,
according
to
the
sources.

During
a
closed-door
virtual
meeting
with
Congressional
Progressive
Caucus
members
on
Saturday,
Biden
indicated
that
he
had
been
consulting
with
constitutional
scholars
about
the
proposed
legislation
for
over
a
month,
one
person
familiar
with
the
meeting
told
NBC
News.

A
White
House
spokesperson
declined
to
comment
to
NBC
News.

Biden’s
proposed
Supreme
Court
overhaul
would
come
after
the
high
court
ruled
that
Trump
has

immunity
from
criminal
prosecution
for
“official
acts”
he
conducted
as
president.
That
decision
carried
significant
complications
for
special
counsel
Jack
Smith’s
four-count
indictment
of

election
interference
against
the
former
president.

“Look,
it’s
not,
it’s
not
hyperbole
to
suggest
Trump
is
literally
an existential threat,
an existential threat to
the
very
Constitution
of
democracy
we,
we
say
we
care
about,”
Biden
told
the
lawmakers
in
the
Saturday
meeting,
according
to
the
source.

The
congressional
meeting
took
place
before
the
attempted
assassination
of
Donald
Trump
at
his
Saturday
evening
rally
in
Pennsylvania.

On
Monday,
Trump
received
another
major
legal
victory
from
Florida
federal
Judge
Aileen
Cannon
who
threw
out
special
counsel
Smith’s
case
alleging
that
the
former
president
illegally
held

classified
documents
at
his
Mar-a-Lago
home
in
Florida.
Smith
plans
to
appeal
that
ruling.

—

Rebecca
Picciotto

House
Democrats
have
been
collecting
signatures
on
a
letter
to
urge
the
Democratic
National
Committee
to
decelerate
their
nomination
process
of
President
Biden.

 The
DNC
decided
in
May
that
it
would
hold
a
“virtual
roll
call”
for
delegates
to
vote
on
and
officially
designate
the
presidential
nominee,
a
process
that
could
begin
as
soon
as
Sunday.

 That
virtual
roll
call
plan
would
deem
Biden
the
nominee
weeks
ahead
of
the
Democratic
convention
where
delegates
have
historically
voted
in
person.

 With
Democrats
still
holding
major
reservations
about
Biden’s
reelection
bid,
lawmakers
wrote
in
their
letter
that
the
DNC’s
accelerated
nomination
timeline
is
a
“terrible
idea.”

 Earlier
Tuesday,
the
letter
had
received
over
20
signatures
from
Democrats
with
differing
stances
on
Biden’s
political
future,
two
sources
told
NBC
News.
The
DNC
and
the
Biden
campaign
both
stood
by
the
virtual
roll
call
approach.
 

 Read
the



full
story
here.

—

Rebecca
Picciotto