President Joe Biden is facing the stark reality that many Democrats at the highest levels want him to consider how stepping aside from the 2024 election to make way for a new nominee atop the ticket could be the party’s best chance of preventing widespread losses in November.
It’s a pivotal few days for the president and his party: Donald Trump wrapped up an enthusiastic Republican National Convention in Milwaukee where he accepted the party’s presidential nomination. His running mate, Ohio Sen. JD Vance, also addressed a national audience for the first time as the GOP vice presidential nominee.
Biden’s campaign is calling an all-staff meeting Friday while the Democratic National Committee ’s rulemaking arm also expects to meet.
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Tucker Carlson returned to Fox News’ airwaves 15 months after being unceremoniously fired, seen Thursday in its coverage of a Republican National Convention speech that highlighted his growing influence in Donald Trump’s world.
Carlson called the Republican nominee to return as president a changed man who effectively “became the leader of this nation” following last Saturday’s assassination attempt.
His 11-minute speech in Milwaukee also highlighted changes in the media personality, who had said privately following the 2020 election that he “truly can’t wait” to ignore Trump. Before being given the prime-time role on the convention’s climactic night, he’d been seen throughout the convention and reportedly lobbied Trump to select Ohio Sen. JD Vance as his running mate.
Fox News aired Carlson’s speech in prime time, during the same hour he had once ruled as cable television news’ most popular personality. CNN and MSNBC did not carry it.
“That was Tucker Carlson,” his Fox replacement, Jesse Watters, said. “You may remember him from the 8 o’clock hour here.”
▶ Read more about Carlson’s return to Fox airwaves
The sometimes contradictory branding continued with the choice of speakers in the final hours of the convention.
Earlier in the week, Trump deployed females to soften his image: his former press secretary and Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders; former White House counselor Kellyanne Conway; his 17-year-old granddaughter, Kai Trump.
But on the RNC’s biggest night, Trump lined up a number of figures from the world of professional fighting, including Hulk Hogan, a telling choice for someone who has long admired traditional masculinity, praised tough guys and embraced a combative, no-holds-barred style of politics.
That image of toughness is one that Trump summoned immediately after the attempt on his life days ago, when, right after he was shot and injured, he thrust his fist into the air and mouthed, “Fight!” — a call his supporters have taken up as a chant.
▶ Read more takeaways from the final night of the RNC
On Friday, the Democratic National Committee ’s rulemaking arm expects to meet to discuss plans for the virtual roll call nominating the president in early August, ahead of the party’s convention later that month.
Campaign officials say Biden was even more committed to staying in the race even as the calls for him to go mounted. And senior West Wing aides have had no internal discussions or conversations with the president about Biden dropping out.
But there is also time to reconsider. Biden has been told the campaign is having trouble raising money, and key Democrats see an opportunity as he is away from the campaign for a few days to encourage his exit. Among his Cabinet, some are resigned to the likelihood of him losing in November.
Republicans are wrapping a nominating convention that has celebrated former President Donald Trump not just as a party leader but a living martyr who survived a would-be assassin’s bullet and is ready to work for everyday Americans after a sweeping victory in November.
The unified portrayals sought to erase the image of a man whose presidency often swirled in chaos and infighting and ended with a violent insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. Democrats have repeatedly wielded images of that day to try to thwart his return and spotlighted his recurring use of inflammatory and hardline rhetoric.
There’s plenty of campaigning left between now, early voting windows and Election Day. So the effectiveness of the messaging effort remains to be seen. But it’s been a striking four days for a Republican Party that over three presidential elections has been reshaped by Trump’s personality and his politics.
▶ Read more takeaways from the closing stanza of the GOP gathering in Wisconsin
Trump concluded his speech after more than an hour and a half, leading the crowd in a change to “Make America Great Again” as he closed it out.
Melania Trump joined him on stage after he finished, and the band struck up, “Hold On, I’m Coming,” a song Trump frequently plays at the end of his campaign rallies.
The Trump family is now joining him on stage, including his daughter, Ivanka, and son-in-law, Jared Kushner. While they joined him at the White House, the couple has not been a part of his campaign.
Red, white and blue balloons are dropping over the convention.
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