Trump calls Biden a ‘sick, weak, pathetic man’ in first rally since shooting
Donald Trump warned of “slaughter in the suburbs” and called Joe Biden a “sick, weak, pathetic man” in his first rally since surviving an assassination attempt last weekend.
The Republican presidential nominee had promised “unity” for the United States in the wake of his shooting in Pennsylvania last Saturday, which shocked the country and triggered a surge in support for Trump in opinion polls.
Mr Trump had this week urged his supporters to dial down their rhetoric to focus on national consensus amid a divisive US election race.
But at a rally in Grand Rapids, Michigan, on Saturday night, Trump returned to his usual combative style – and at times dark tone – as he railed against the “radical Left Democrats”, accused his opponents of “rigging” the election and calling Mr Biden “crooked”.
He also goaded Nancy Pelosi over reports that she has advised Mr Biden to quit the election race, accusing her of turning on the president “like a dog”.
In a lengthy, near-two-hour speech that appeared largely to be improvised, Mr Trump also resumed his claims that South and Central American countries are sending their criminals to the US.
“They’re dumping their criminals in the United States, and we’re not gonna take it anymore,” Trump said, prompting a standing ovation from the crowd as he promised to deliver the “largest deportation operation” in history.
“When I return to the White House, we will stop the plunder, rape, slaughter and destruction of our American suburban cities.”
Trump took to the stage on Saturday alongside his vice-presidential running mate JD Vance.
He appeared without the large, white bandage that he wore over his ear at this week’s Republican convention, instead wearing a small plaster.
‘I took a bullet for democracy’
The former president, 78, was struck in the ear by a would-be assassin in an attack he told the party’s convention he would not speak about again because it was “too painful”.
But on Saturday, Trump retold the story of how the bullet from Thomas Matthew Crooks’ AR-15 struck his ear.
He cracked jokes about the shooting, saying how immigrants saved his life, referring to the immigration chart that he turned to look at in the seconds before he was fired upon.
He used the moment to hit back at Democrat assertions that he is a threat to democracy.
“I took a bullet for democracy,” he said, to rapturous applause.
‘They keep saying ‘He’s a threat to Democracy’… What the Hell did I do to Democracy?’
‘Last week, I took a bullet for Democracy.’
Donald Trump🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸 Yes This!!!
pic.twitter.com/oXgAsQg7yN— Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) July 20, 2024
Michigan is one of the vital swing states in the US election and has become even more important since the attempt on Trump’s life, with recent polls showing a chunky swing towards the former president, much to the alarm of Democrats.
Republican momentum is in stark contrast to the mire around President Biden, who remains hunkered at home with Covid, resisting unprecedented Democratic pressure to step aside.
“They have no idea who their candidate is,” Trump said.
“This guy goes and he gets the votes, and now they want to take it away. That’s democracy,” he told the 12,000-strong crowd of passionate supporters.
Pelosi is ‘crazy as a bedbug’
Trump mocked Kamala Harris, the vice-president, amid reports she is being pushed forward by Democrats to replace Mr Biden.
“We will take back the White House from crooked Joe Biden and Kamala,” Trump said. “I call her laughing Kamala. You ever watch her laugh? She’s crazy. You know? You can tell a lot by laughter. She’s crazy. She’s nuts.”
Trump earned one of the biggest laughs of the night when he criticised Ms Pelosi and goaded her for reports she has turned on Mr Biden.
“Did you see Nancy Pelosi is selling out now? Did you see she turned on him like a dog?” Trump said.
“Where did that come from? She was 100 per cent and all of a sudden she’s not sure. She’s crazy as a bedbug.”
Trump denies any knowledge of Project 2025
Trump also defended himself against claims from the Democrats that he and his allies want to instigate Project 2025.
The project is based around an ultra-conservative instruction manual setting out proposals for Trump’s second term in the White House.
It contains plans to restrict abortion access, deport immigrants en masse, and sack thousands of civil servants in favour of political appointees, among other ideas.
Trump has claimed not to know anything about the document, despite many of its proposals matching his own priorities, and despite being mentioned in the document several hundred times.
He told the crowd: “I’m not an extremist at all. Some on the Right, the severe Right, came up with this Project 2025 and I don’t even know… I mean, some of them, I know who they are, but they’re very, very conservative, they’re sort of the opposite of the radical Left.
“I don’t know what the hell it is. I mean, they’re seriously extreme, but I don’t know anything about it. I don’t want to know anything about it.”
12:37 AM BST
Thank you for joining us
That’s it for Trump’s speech – thank you for joining our live coverage.
Read more on our top US election stories today:
12:17 AM BST
Trump enjoyed every moment of that
Trump’s rambling remarks ran for over 1hr 45mins.
He finished by telling the audience he would “make America great again”, before slowly wandering around the stage to soak in the applause.
It may have been lengthy and meandering, but you can tell Trump enjoyed every moment of that speech.
12:12 AM BST
‘We will make America great again’
With a familiar refrain, Trump closes his speech.
“We are one movement, one people, one family and one glorious nation under God and, together, we will make America powerful again.
“We will make America wealthy again.
“We will make America strong again.
“We will make America proud again.
“We will make America safe again, and we will make America great again.
“Thank you very much. Thank you, Michigan. Thank you very, very much. Thank you.”
He turns to all sections of the arena, waving and clenching his fist.
12:10 AM BST
‘American dream will thrive again’
Trump now appears to be wrapping up.
“The American dream will be thriving again for citizens of every race, religion, color and creed,” he says.
“Law and Justice will reign all throughout our land. Freedom will be restored. The flame of liberty will be burning bright, crooked Joe Biden, the worst president of the history of our country, will be a fading memory of the past, and our great silent majority, including the once forgotten men and women of our country, will be the one shaping America’s magnificent future.
“When I am the 47th president of the United States.”
11:59 PM BST
Longer than Thursday’s speech
Trump’s speech has now gone on for longer than Thursday’s 93-minute address at the Republican convention.
11:56 PM BST
Trump points out key ally
Trump has thanked a raft of people in the audience, including his daughter Tiffany and her husband Michael.
He also heaped praise on Michael’s father, Massad Boulos, the Lebanese-born businessman, who Trump said is also at the rally.
Mr Boulos has turned out to be an important ally for Trump. He has taken on the challenge of trying to convince the politically influential Arab community angry at Joe Biden over his response to the war in Gaza to vote for Trump.
11:49 PM BST
Pelosi ‘turned on Biden like a dog’
Now Trump is goading the Democrats, who are locked in a civil war over the ailing Biden campaign.
In the past few days, senior Democrats including Nancy Pelosi, Adam Schiff and Barack Obama have reportedly indicated that Mr Biden ought to consider quitting the race.
“We will take back the White House from crooked Joe Biden and Kamala,” Trump says.
“I call her laughing Kamala. You ever watch her laugh? She’s crazy. You know? You can tell a lot by a laughter. She’s crazy. She’s nuts.
But Trump gets a big laugh for attacking Ms Pelosi and mocking her for reports she has turned on Mr Biden.
“Did you see Nancy Pelosi is selling out now? Did you see she turned on him like a dog?” Trump says.
“Where did that come from? She was 100 per cent and all of a sudden she’s not sure. She’s crazy as a bedbug.”
11:36 PM BST
So much for ‘unity’
There has been little evidence of Trump toning down his attacks on his political rivals in the wake of last week’s attempted assassination.
So far tonight he has railed against the “radical left Democrats”, accused his opponents of “rigging” the election and called Joe Biden a “sick, weak, pathetic man”.
He also rolled out one of his favourite insults: that Mr Biden is “crooked”.
Many Republicans blamed the Democrats’ rhetoric after the attempt on Trump’s life.
11:32 PM BST
Deportation gets a huge cheer
One of the biggest rounds of applause this evening came when Trump promised to deport migrants.
“They’re dumping their criminals in the United States, and we’re not gonna take it anymore”, Trump said, prompting a standing ovation from the crowd.
Fans wearing bejewelled MAGA hats stood and cheered as Trump promised to deliver the “largest deportation operation” in history.
11:32 PM BST
Fake election, fake indictments
Now Trump attacks Democrats for stealing the 2020 election and setting up rigged trials against him.
“Every time the radical Left Democrats, Marxists, communists and fascists indict me, I consider it a great badge of honour. You know, I’ve been indicted more than the legendary Alphonse Capone Scarface.
“These aren’t indictments. These are Biden indictments. This is a sick, weak, pathetic man who can’t run an election, so he indicts his opponent, thinking that’s going to win.”
11:29 PM BST
‘Slaughter in the suburbs’
Crime is clearly something Trump thinks he can win on and his rhetoric is very dark.
“In Oakland County [in Michigan], criminal squads of illegal alien gang members are hiding in the trees and breaking into Michigan homes after dark, looting them for jewellery, purses, taking the women’s purses right out of their bedrooms, electronics, cash they’re stealing,” he says.
“Does anybody live in Kent County here? Sounds good to me, but you’re not going to like this: a sadistic illegal alien, of which there are many criminals, was sentenced for executing a 22-year-old Red Rapids woman while she was in her car with a one-year-old baby, shooting her at least five times with a rifle at point-blank range while the killer was wanted on an outstanding warrant for attempted strangulation of another woman.”
He adds: “When I return to the White House, we will stop the plunder, rape, slaughter and destruction of our American suburban cities.”
11:26 PM BST
‘We want safety’
Trump now jokes that crime is so bad in the US that next year the Michigan rally will be held in Venezuela.
“In Venezuela, crime is down 72 per cent, you know? Caracas, Venezuela, was a very, very dangerous place, and now, because of the great job they’ve done in removing their criminals into the United States, next year, we’re going to have our Michigan rally in Caracas, Venezuela, because it’s nice and safe.
He then gets one of the biggest cheers so far when he says foreign countries are “dumping their criminals into the United States and we’re not going to take it any more.”
Trump adds: “That is why, as soon as I take the oath of office, we will begin the largest deportation operation in the history of our country, even larger than that of President Eisenhower.”
11:17 PM BST
Trump apologises for his hair
Trump gets the biggest laugh so far with a joke about his hair.
He stops mid-flow as he’s attacking ‘Bidenomics’ to tell the crowd to look up at the big screen.
“That’s very severe that combover,” he says, and the crowd laugh. “That’s a severe sucker. What’s with that one? It looks OK from the other side,” he says, turning his head to the right, “but that is very severe. I apologise.”
“I looked up there. I said, ‘Whoa, look at that. Wow, that’s like a work of art.’”
He later adds, as he speaks about a policy to stop taxing workers’ tips, that he doesn’t tip his barber.
“I don’t give mine a big tip because I don’t think they do a very good job,” he jokes.
11:14 PM BST
I would duck, says unconcerned Trump supporter
Last week the crowd sitting directly behind Trump were directly in the line of fire.
Former fire chief Corey Comperatore, 50, had a prime spot in the rows behind the former president when he was killed by a bullet intended for Trump’s head. Two other supporters are in critical condition after they were struck when gunman Thomas Crooks opened fire on the Pennsylvania rally.
But the supporters behind Trump today appear anything but concerned about their safety. They are waving their “Trump Vance” placards, laughing at his jokes and cheering on cue – even as Trump strays from tangent to tangent.
When asked if he was scared following last week’s chilling attack, supporter Tim Dolan told me: “I’ll duck”.
11:03 PM BST
‘We’re leading Michigan by six points’
OK, he’s back to talking about politics.
He hails new polls in Michigan that put him well ahead of Biden.
“We’re leading Michigan by six points,” he says, and the crowd screams.
“And a report just came out, actually we’re leading everywhere and nationally, that we have to keep it that way.”
He then refers to his often repeated and untrue claims that the Democrats stole the 2020 election.
“Gotta make sure they don’t cheat,” he says. “Gotta make sure they don’t cheat.”
10:59 PM BST
On the TRUMP index, this is about an 8
At the moment Trump’s saying something about electrocution and heavy boats and death by sharks.
He’s known for his rambling speeches and Trump is so far providing a classic of the genre.
Let’s call it the ‘TRUMP index’ – the Trump scale of Really Unscripted Maga-y Ramblings.
If his 2016 inauguration speech was a 1, for teleprompter tightness, and his Republican speech on Friday was about a 6, with plenty of waffle, this is more like an 8 or 9 so far.
10:55 PM BST
Immigration saved my life, Trump jokes
Trump is cracking jokes about attempted assassination and the crowd is eating it up.
Demonstrating how he turned his head to look at a board showing immigration statistics, Trump gestured with his arms, saying: “the thing [bullet] went that way instead of that way”.
“I owe immigration my life”, he said.
“That sign is very good I think I’m going to sleep with it tonight”, he added, prompting huge cheers and laughs from the audience.
“I hope we have to never go through that again everybody”, Trump said
10:52 PM BST
Trump: Musk is as smart as they get
Trump is now hailing Elon Musk in a slightly rambling bit about electric engines.
He says: “You know, he’s a very advanced person, and he’s doing other things that are great, and so are other we have to make we have to make life good for our smart people. You know, we have some smart people. We have to make life good for us smart people, and he’s as smart as you get.”
Trump then thanks Musk for his commitment to spend $45 million a month on his campaign.
“Not $45 million, he gives me $45 million a month,” Trump says.
“I talked to him just a little while ago to say I was coming here. And he didn’t even mention it. He didn’t mention it.
“The other guys, they give you $2 and you got to take them to lunch. You got to wine them, dine them… No, he’s a great guy. He really is.”
10:49 PM BST
Trump talking about the shooting
Despite telling the Republican convention on Thursday that he would never again speak about the attempt on his life because it is “too painful”, Trump is again talking about how he turned his head at the right moment to avoid the bullet that struck his ear.
Referring to the immigration chart that he turned to look at in the moments before he was fired at last Saturday, Trump says: “I would have never been looking to the right, and I had to be. It was the only place that would have saved us.
They do these reports in The New York Times and all over the place where they had, you know, the shape, the ‘if he turns this way, this way’…
“I hope we have to never go through that again. Everybody is just so horrible.”
10:44 PM BST
‘I took a bullet for democracy’
The former US president hit back at Democrat assertions that he is a threat to democracy.
“I took a bullet for democracy”, he said, to rapturous applause.
The latest reference to his attempted assassination came after he tried to hold a “poll” to see which Democrat candidate the audience would prefer him to run against.
The crowd hoovered it up, loudly booing both options – Kamala Harris and Joe Biden.
10:42 PM BST
Trump addresses ‘Project 2025’
Trump now defends himself against claims from the Democrats that he and his allies want to instigate Project 2025.
The project is based around an ultra-conservative instruction manual setting out proposals for Trump’s second term in the White House.
It contains plans to restrict abortion access and widen free-market control over US society, among other ideas.
Trump has claimed not to know anything about the document, despite many of its proposals matching his own priorities, and despite being mentioned in the document several hundred times.
He tells the crowd: “I’m not an extremist at all. Like some on the Right, the severe Right, came up with this Project 2025 and I don’t even know, I mean, some of them, I know who they are, but they’re very, very conservative, they’re sort of the opposite of the radical Left.
“I don’t know what the hell it is. I mean, they’re seriously extreme, but I don’t know anything about it. I don’t want to know anything about it.”
10:35 PM BST
‘Who would you like to run against?’
Trump now says he will help the media by doing a free poll in the room, asking the crowd who they would rather run against: “Crooked Joe Biden” or Kamala Harris?
Loud boos greet each name.
10:32 PM BST
Bandage-free Trump relishes applause
Trump walked out slowly on stage, soaking up the cheers from the crowd of some 12,000 supporters.
Chants of “USA, USA, USA” filled the arena and a sea of MAGA fans pumped their fists in the air as Trump entered the venue.
The former US president appears to have ditched the white ear bandage he was sporting at the RNC in Milwaukee.
Trump joined his running mate, JD Vance, on stage, whispering in his ear before claiming the packed-out audience was like a “football game”.
The Republican nominee noted that the timing of the rally was a week ago “almost to the hour, even to the minute”.
He then repeated his previous claims that he “shouldn’t be here” and is only alive because “something very special happened”.
10:31 PM BST
‘They have no idea who their candidate is’
Trump gets in his first dig at Joe Biden and the Democrats, saying the party does not even know who their candidate at the election will be.
“Now we have something coming up where they’re going to go through the convention, and they have a couple of problems,” Trump says, getting a big laugh from the crowd.
“Number one, they have no idea who the candidate is. That’s a problem, but we’ll see. Hopefully they get it worked out. Sort of interesting.”
10:29 PM BST
Trump pays tribute to dead firefighter
Trump pays tribute to Corey Comparatore, the firefighter who was killed shielding his family during the assassination attempt on the former president last Saturday.
“He was a big Trumper, and we will never forget him, right?” Trump says. “We’re all together. We’re all together. This is there’s never been anything like what you witnessed the other day with the convention. I don’t think there’s ever been a convention where there was such unity and love.”
The crowd chants: “Corey, Corey, Corey.”
10:24 PM BST
Trump is no longer wearing his bandage
Trump does not appear to be wearing the white bandage he had on his ear at the Republican convention.
He says: “Let me begin this evening with a very special thanks to Americans nationwide, including all of you here today, for your extraordinary outpouring of love and support in the wake of the horrific last Saturday event.
“When you think of it, it was exactly one week ago today, almost to the hour, even to the minute.
“What a day it was. As I said earlier this week, I stand before you only by the grace of Almighty God. That’s true. I shouldn’t be here.”
10:21 PM BST
Here he comes…
Donald Trump is out now, walking slowly to the stage, milking the massive applause.
“Well, thank you very much,” he tells the crowd. “This is like a Michigan football game over here.”
10:16 PM BST
Vance is back…
JD Vance is walking on stage now to a raucous reception.
In a bit of a bait-and-switch, he says he is coming on to introduce Donald Trump… and the crowd erupts. But Vance continues: “Before I do that… Sorry, I had to screw with you a little bit, right?”
10:03 PM BST
Our existence depends on US vote, says Ukrainian MP
Ukraine believes its physical existence depends on the outcome of November’s US election after Donald Trump’s selection of JD Vance as his potential vice president, an MP has warned, Liz Cookman writes.
Trump’s choice of the Ohio senator as his running mate has fanned fears that a new Republican government would push Ukraine to acquiesce to Vladimir Putin if elected, withdrawing aid if no peace deal is reached with Russia.
Read more: Our existence depends on US election result, warns Ukrainian MP
09:43 PM BST
Attendees treated to My Heart Will Go On
An eclectic selection of music has been blaring through the speakers to keep the energy up at the Van Andel Arena.
We’ve had everything from Celine Dion’s My Heart Will Go On to The Winner Takes it All by ABBA.
The Trump fans are getting very excited.
A stadium-wide Mexican wave has gone round the stands a few times with people holding up their “Trump, Vance” and “Joe Biden: You’re Fired” signs.
09:21 PM BST
Trump due any minute
We are waiting for the former president who is due to take the stage any moment.
Inside the arena, the extremely dodgy Wi-Fi is causing havoc with the TV feed.
Hopefully someone will try the guaranteed method to fix internet trouble – swear at and kick the router – and all will be fine in time for Trump’s speech.
09:19 PM BST
‘Vance will harm the US’s global interests’
John Bolton, the former US ambassador to the UN, says Vance is a worrying pick to be Vice-President.
Writing for The Telegraph, Mr Bolton says the Ohio senator will weaken Trump’s ability to recruit for a second term – and Ronald Reagan would be turning in his grave.
Trump wants undiluted personal loyalty in his post-election government team, at all levels. Vance craved Trump’s endorsement in his 2022 Senate primary, and his help in that year’s general election. He worked for the past two years to get into Trump’s inner circle, adopting his policies as he went. He has now succeeded. As Chinese Communists describe their relationship with North Korean Communists: Trump and Vance are like lips and teeth.
Read more: JD Vance is a disturbing choice for Vice-President
09:00 PM BST
Trump’s bullet wound is still bleeding
Dr Ronny Jackson, Trump’s former White House doctor, said he “evaluated and treated” the Republican nominee’s injury the night of the assassination attempt.
In a letter sent out by the Trump campaign, Dr Jackson said the former president is “doing well”.
“The bullet track produced a 2 cm wide wound that extended down to the cartilaginous surface of the ear”, he wrote.
He added: “There was initially significant bleeding, followed by marked swelling of the entire upper ear.
“The swelling has since resolved, and the wound is beginning to granulate and heal properly. Based on the highly vascular nature of the ear, there is still intermittent bleeding requiring a dressing to be in place. “Given the broad and blunt nature of the wound itself, no sutures were required.”
Dr Jackson said Trump will have further tests, including a hearing exam if necessary.
08:54 PM BST
Vance marvels at ‘incredible’ turnout
JD Vance walked onto the stage to chants of “JD, JD, JD” as he joined the campaign for the first time as Trump’s running mate.
The Ohio senator, 39, noted there was an “incredible turnout” for the Grand Rapids rally given this time last week a gunman fired a volley of bullets at the Republican nominee.
“I find that hard to believe that a week ago, an assassin tried to take Donald Trump’s life and now we’ve got a hell of a crowd in Michigan to welcome him back on the campaign trail”, Mr Vance told the audience at the Van Andel Arena.
One woman sat behind Mr Vance looked like she was going to keel over from cheering so intensely.
“I’ve had such an incredible, blessed week” Mr Vance added. “What a cool thing it was to be asked by President Trump to serve as his running mate and to get out there on the campaign trail.”
Looking around at the placards bearing his name, Mr Vance added that it’s “still a little bit weird to see my name on the signs.”
08:52 PM BST
Enhanced security inside the arena
There is enhanced police presence at the Van Andel Arena today in response to would-be assassin Thomas Crooks opening fire at Trump’s last rally.
Joseph Trigg, 47, Grand Rapids Deputy Chief of Police, told The Telegraph: “President Trump came in 2019 and we had about over 100 bodies so we wanted to at least match that right in light of what happened last Saturday.”
Mr Trigg said they enlisted the help of at least 10 outside agencies to ensure there were more than 100 officers, not including Secret Service, on site to “make sure the venue is safe”.
There are police officers on every corner and in elevated positions, he said. “It’s very, very serious”, Mr Trigg added.
While protecting Trump is their “number one priority”, officers also want to ensure Trump supporters and protesters are safe.
“We just want people to come have a good time, voice their First Amendment rights, and then have everybody leave with a good experience. That’s the goal.”
08:47 PM BST
Trump attacker may have used drone
Thomas Crooks may have used a drone to scope the site of Donald Trump’s rally ahead of his assassination attempt, the Wall Street Jurnal reported.
Investigators found a small drone in Crooks’s car as they tried to piece together a detailed timeline of what happened. It was discovered alongside explosive devices in his Hyundai Sonata/
Crooks visited the event site six days before the rally. The New York Times reported he is believed to have flown the drown ahead of the shooting.
The 20-year-old, who was technologically savvy, started researching the site on July 3 shortly after the rally was announced and registered to attend four days later.
08:43 PM BST
Why Trump picked Michigan tonight
The choice of location for tonight’s rally shows Trump is doubling down on trying to pick up voters in blue wall battleground states.
Michigan is one of the crucial swing states expected to determine the outcome of this year’s election.
Trump narrowly won the Great Lake State in 2016 by just over 10,000 votes.
But it is one of three states which turned blue in 2020 to help Joe Biden clinch the election.
Grand Rapids is a historically Republican stronghold that has trended increasingly blue in recent elections.
Trump will be hoping JD Vance, his newly anointed running mate, will help bolster his support among Rust Belt voters in the state.
It’s also an area where Nikki Haley secured a substantial number of votes in the Republican primary in February, a group of voters that both presidential campaigns are now hoping to pick up.
08:39 PM BST
Trump set to speak
Welcome to our live coverage of Donald Trump’s rally in Grand Rapids tonight.
JD Vance is currently on the stage talking up his new boss – and the former president is due to speak soon.
05:10 PM BST
That’s all for today.
Thanks for following the Telegraph’s live blog. We’ll be back tomorrow with the latest updates on the US election.
04:58 PM BST
Harris is ‘ready to step up’ if Biden bows out, says Elizabeth Warren
Elizabeth Warren, the Democratic senator for Massachusetts, has said that if Joe Biden opts to bow out of the presidential race, Kamala Harris, the vice president, is “ready to step up.”
“What gives me a lot of hope right now is that, if President Biden decides to step back, we have Vice President Kamala Harris who is ready to step up,” Ms Warren told MSNBC on Saturday, “to unite the party, to take on Donald Trump and to win in November.”
Ms Warren, who competed with Mr Biden in the 2020 Democratic presidential primary, said the president “has a really big decision to make” about whether he wants to leave the race.
04:36 PM BST
Kamala Harris ‘only choice’ to replace Biden as time runs out, say Democrats
Kamala Harris is the “only choice” to replace Joe Biden as the Democrats’ presidential nominee as there is so little time until the election, senior party figures have told The Telegraph.
The vice-president is seeing a groundswell of support among the party’s many elected officials who believe the 81-year-old president’s position is untenable.
But the question of how she would assume the position at the top of the ticket, should Mr Biden stand down, is increasingly contested.
Read the full piece, by Rozina Sabur, Deputy US Editor, here.
04:18 PM BST
Biden ‘angry’ with Obama over calls to step down
Joe Biden is reportedly angry with Barack Obama for joining other top Democrats in calling for him to bow out of the US presidential race.
Mr Obama, the former president, and Nancy Pelosi, the former speaker of the House of Representatives, are among those calling for Mr Biden to withdraw from the race, as Mr Biden’s cognitive faculties have come under increasing scrutiny.
Mr Biden, currently in isolation with a Covid infection at his beach home in Delaware, is said to view Ms Pelosi as the instigator of the plot to oust him but is particularly wounded by the involvement of Mr Obama, whom he once considered a close friend.
03:57 PM BST
Kamala Harris allies ‘working behind scenes to position her as Biden’s replacement’
Allies of Kamala Harris are said to be working behind the scenes to position the vice president as the best replacement for Joe Biden if he steps down as the Democratic nominee, writes Susie Coen, US Correspondent, and Verity Bowman.
The uncoordinated effort involves prepping talking points which show Ms Harris is the party’s best hope of defeating Donald Trump in November, sources told Politico.
The group is quietly preparing to show she is qualified to lead the ticket in her own right rather than simply because it would be remiss to overlook the first female black vice president.
Read the full piece here.
03:17 PM BST
Biden’s opponents plan oust him using party rulebook
Joe Biden’s opponents are drawing up plans to use a clause in the Democratic Party rule book to ditch him as a candidate at the convention, according to reports in the US, writes David Millward, US Correspondent.
Delegates are no longer bound to vote for the candidate they were elected to support at the convention.
A change in party rules in 1980 says they can choose somebody else if “in good conscience” the candidate represents their beliefs.
According to the New York Post Elaine Kamarck briefed fellow delegates on the clause in a Zoom call on Friday.
“There’s no such thing as Joe Biden releasing his delegates. And Joe Biden gets this,” Ms Kamarck, an expert on the party’s rules, reportedly told 50 delegates.
If enough of the 3,896 pledged delegates refuse to back Mr Biden and abstain the convention would be thrown wide open.
It would pave the way for around 700 “superdelegates” – an array of senior party officials, members of Congress and governors – to enter the fray.
This could see the party coalescing around Vice President Kamala Harris or a raft of candidates throwing their hats into the ring.
02:57 PM BST
Biden says he will return to campaign trail next week
President Joe Biden says he’s ready to return to the campaign trail next week, even as a growing chorus of Democratic lawmakers called for him to step aside.
Meanwhile, after wrapping their national convention in Milwaukee this week, Republican officials, strategists and activists are exuding a confidence not seen in decades.
Donald Trump on Saturday will hold his first public campaign rally since he was injured in an assassination attempt, with an event in the battleground state of Michigan alongside his new running mate Ohio Senator JD Vance.
02:29 PM BST
How JD Vance became the new king of America
The future of the Republican Party, and perhaps the United States with it, is James David “JD” Vance: former US Marine, best-selling author, senator from Ohio and now selected by Donald Trump for potential vice president, writes Tim Stanley.
Trump had been tempted to go with someone else: Doug Burgum, the governor of North Dakota, a solid conservative who wouldn’t outshine the boss. An insider told NBC News that when Trump’s sons Don Jr and Eric heard this debate they went “bats— crazy”, crying “JD! JD! JD!” like kids after ice cream.
Trump caved. Vance got the call. The decision is immensely consequential.
Read the full piece here.
01:55 PM BST
Biden: Trump has a ‘dark vision for the future’
Joe Biden criticised his Republican rival Donald Trump as having a “dark vision” for America and said he looked forward to returning to the campaign trail next week and winning at the ballot box in November.
“Donald Trump’s dark vision for the future is not who we are as Americans. Together, as a party and as a country, we can and will defeat him at the ballot box. I look forward to getting back on the campaign trail next week to continue exposing the threat of Donald Trump’s Project 2025 agenda..,” Mr Biden said in a statement following the Republican National Convention.
01:36 PM BST
Watch: Trump recounts ‘painful’ assassination attempt at RNC convention
01:12 PM BST
Pressure mounts on Biden to step aside
Despite a week of campaign stops, interviews and insistence that he is the best candidate to confront his Republican rival Donald Trump, President Joe Biden has done little to soften the push for him to exit the 2024 race.
Mr Biden has weighty options before him this weekend that could set the direction of the country and his party as the nation heads toward the November election with an energized GOP after the Republican nominating convention to send Trump back to the White House.
Almost 35 Democrats in Congress say it’s time for Biden to quit the race, with more lawmakers expected to speak out in the days ahead. Donors have raised concerns. And an organization calling on Biden to “Pass the Torch” planned a rally Saturday at the White House.
12:51 PM BST
Trump the agitator extends a hand of friendship … for a bit
Donald Trump ascended the stage at the Republican National Convention in a manner befitting a prize fighter, or his former life as a TV star, writes Rozina Sabur, Deputy US Editor.
The GOP nominee is an American “bad–s” and a “fighter”, his warm-up acts former wrestler Hulk Hogan, musician Kid Rock, and son Eric Trump had just told the crowd.
But as he began his acceptance speech, he adopted another persona: Trump the sombre statesman.
Read the full piece here.
12:20 PM BST
Election in Pictures
12:06 PM BST
Trump unlikely to discuss ‘painful’ trauma on campaign trail
Riding high after a triumphant convention that formalized Donald Trump as the Republican Party’s White House nominee, the ex-president will speak at a rally in Michigan today.
Attendees at Saturday’s 5:00 pm (2100 GMT) rally though are unlikely to hear Trump discuss last week’s trauma, as he told the convention: “You’ll never hear it from me a second time because it’s actually too painful to tell.”
It comes as Joe Biden’s campaign is grappling with an internal Democratic Party revolt from senior lawmakers and donors calling on the 81-year-president to quit the race.
11:37 AM BST
Trump to hold first campaign rally since assassination attempt
Donald Trump will hold his first campaign rally on Saturday since he narrowly escaped an assassination attempt one week ago and fresh from his nominating convention where his takeover of the Republican Party was cemented.
Trump will appear in Grand Rapids, in the battleground state of Michigan, along with his new vice presidential pick, Ohio US Senator JD Vance. It will be their first campaign event together as the now official Republican presidential ticket.
Republican Party officials said during Trump’s nominating convention in Milwaukee this week that his brush with death last Saturday had changed him, and that when he made his acceptance speech on Thursday night he would call for national unity.
While Trump began the address with a call for unity and national healing, much of his speech was his well-known list of grievances and attacks on opponents.
11:14 AM BST
Democrats call for ‘open process’ to replace Biden
Nancy Pelosi has reportedly called for an “open process” to select a new Democrat presidential candidate should Joe Biden step down in the coming weeks.
Ms Pelosi is keen to avoid the appearance of a Kamala Harris “coronation” by awarding the ticket directly to the US vice president, believing that an uncompetitive process would put voters off, Politico reports.
Zoe Lofgren, a representative for California and ally of Pelosi, told MSNBC on Friday that Ms Harris would be “the leading candidate”, but could not be handed the role without any democratic process.
“I think kind of a mini primary, maybe a vetting hosted by former presidents including Obama and Clinton, would be helpful and help focus the attention,” Ms Lofgren said.
10:43 AM BST
Biden team ‘discuss venue’ for potential exit announcement
Joe Biden’s aides have reportedly been privately discussing dates and a venue for the 81-year-old to announce his exit from the US presidential race.
The US president has not yet decided to withdraw from the contest, but Mr Biden’s team have been planning for the eventuality, according to the New York Times.
It comes amid mounting pressure for Mr Biden to bow out from top Democrats, including 30 congressmen and former US president Barack Obama, once a staunch Biden ally.
Mr Biden’s campaign chair, Jen O’Malley Dillion, on Friday acknowledged a “slippage” in support for the president but insisted he’s “absolutely” remaining in the race and the campaign sees “multiple paths” to beating Trump.
“We have a lot of work to do to reassure the American people that, yes, he’s old, but he can win,” she told MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” show. She said voters concerned about Biden’s fitness to lead aren’t switching to vote for Trump.
10:08 AM BST
Biden recovering from Covid
Joe Biden, 81, isolating with a Covid infection at his beach home in Delaware, with a small circle of family and close advisers.
Kevin O’Connor, the White House doctor, said Friday that the president still had a dry cough and hoarseness, but his Covid symptoms had improved.
The president’s team insisted he’s ready to return to the campaign trail next week to counter what he called a “dark vision” laid out by Trump.
“Together, as a party and as a country, we can and will defeat him at the ballot box,” Mr Biden said in a statement Friday. “The stakes are high, and the choice is clear. Together, we will win.”
