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Donald Trump appeared alongside JD Vance for a campaign rally on Saturday, the pair’s first joint appearance since the Ohio senator was unveiled as Trump’s running mate at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
The campaign event kicked off at 5pm local time in Grand Rapids, Michigan, a crucial swing state that Trump won in 2016 and Biden clawed back in the 2020 presidential election.
From the stage, Trump praised tech billionaire Elon Musk for supporting him and pushed back against claims a Trump 2024 campaign is a threat to democracy, while reflecting on the recent assassination attempt against him at a Pennsylvania campaign rally.
“Last week I took a bullet for democracy,” he said. “What did I do against democracy?”
The former president has criticized the Secret Service for not warning him about the shooter, who was spotted by law enforcement minutes before shots rang out.
Key Points
- Trump makes wild claims on immigration and boasts about Musk donations in first rally since shooting
- Trump says he knows nothing about ‘seriously extreme’ Project 2025 that mirrors many of his proposed policies
- Onstage in Michigan, Trump mocks Democrats and disavows Project 2025
- JD Vance calls on Biden to resign presidency
Comedian claims JD Vance complained about Trump in 2016
JD Vance once called Donald Trump an “existential threat” to the US, according to a comedian who said he spent time with the man before he became Trump’s VP pick.
Trae Crowder said Vance came to one of his shows in 2016, and the two went to a bar afterward, where they commiserated over their negative feelings about Trump.
“Y’all in 2016 Trump rose, I went viral, J.D.’s book came out… we got to know each other a little bit. He came to my show, hung out afterwards, went to a bar,” Crowder told The Daily Beast. “All we talked about the whole time was the existential threat we agreed Trump posed to the American people. While I was not charmed by the man—in fact it was like pounding beers with a spreadsheet—I did leave there thinking at least there’s some sane Republicans left.”
It’s not the first allegation that Vance once disparaged Trump.
He reportedly once pondered whether Trump was “America’s Hitler.”
More details from Justin Rohrlich’s reporting are below.
JD Vance’s old roommate says ‘hypocrite’ VP nominee drank ‘Trump-era poison’
Josh McLaurin spoke out against his old roommate because he thought ‘it was a matter of national public concern,’ he told The Independent.
Josh Marcus21 July 2024 17:46 1721578756Trump campaign launches ‘Trump Force 47’ unit to compete with Biden
A secretive effort called Trump Force 47 is seeking to propel Donald Trump to the White House for a second term.
The group, whose operations were described in a recent story in The Wall Street Journal, is part of the Trump campaign’s effort to match the sprawling Democratic campaign machine behind Biden, which has an estimated 200 offices around the country.
Instead of using a high number of paid outreach workers, a common campaign tactic, Trump officials told the Journal they’re hoping a leaner army of volunteers can do the trick.
“The practical reality is the program devolved to mostly paid staff grinding out door knocking and phones, and it was all about volume, volume, volume, driving as much volume as possible,” James Blair, Trump campaign strategist, told the paper. “There’s not good evidence that all voter contacts are created equal.”
Josh Marcus21 July 2024 17:19 1721577672Florida judge lets Trump continue libel suit against Pulitzer Prize Board over Russia stories
Donald Trump can continue his libel suit against the Pulitzer Prize Board over its awards given to stories about the Russia collusion allegations against his campaign, a Florida judge ruled on Saturday, Politico reports.
Trump sued the board, which awards the most prestigious prize in journalism, over its 2022 public statements affirming Pulitzers given to The New York Times and Washington Post in 2016 for their reporting on the Russia story.
The suit will likely continue into discovery, where Trump is expected to probe the board over how it reviewed the accuracy of the Russia stories.
Josh Marcus21 July 2024 17:01 1721576409Mike Johnson defends Trump insults on ‘crazy’ Kamala Harris
House Speaker Mike Johnson is defending Donald Trump’s rhetoric at a recent Saturday campaign rally in Michigan, where the former president insulted prominent Democrats, mocking Joe Biden’s mental fitness, deeming Kamala Harris “crazy,” and comparing Nancy Pelosi to a “dog.”
The insults come as some in the GOP suggested that Trump would use his platform at the recent Republican National Convention and beyond to spread a message of “unity” going into the general election.
On ABC News on Sunday, anchor Martha Raddatz asked Johnson whether Trump missed a chance to push for unity at the Michigan rally.
“No, he hasn’t,” Johnson said. “Look, there’s campaign rhetoric on both sides.”
“I articulate things in a certain way and Donald Trump does as well,” Johnson added. “His grievances, as you said, are because he has been the subject of so many attacks.”
Josh Marcus21 July 2024 16:40 1721575209Secret Service says it may have turned down requests for more Trump security in past
After a gunman nearly killed Donald Trump at a Pennsylvania campaign rally last week, officials are racing to understand how a former president was left so vulnerable to attack, despite his Secret Service protection detail.
The vaunted unit has denied assertions that it turned down requests for additional security resources at the Pennsylvania event, but admitted on Saturday it may have rebuffed similar requests from the Trump team in the past, according to The Washington Post.
After a gunman nearly killed Donald Trump at a Pennsylvania campaign rally last week, officials are racing to understand how a former president was left so vulnerable to attack, despite his Secret Service protection detail.
The vaunted unit has denied assertions that it turned down requests for additional security resources at the Pennsylvania event, but admitted on Saturday it may have rebuffed similar requests from the Trump team in the past, according to The Washington Post.
More details in our full story.
Secret Service says it may have turned down requests for more Trump security in past
Secret Service and local police have traded blame over epic security lapse at Trump rally last week
Josh Marcus21 July 2024 16:20 1721573841Trump takes 7-point lead over Biden after Michigan rally: poll
Donald Trump’s Michigan visits seems to have come at a perfect time.
According to a new poll from the Detroit Free Press of likely voters, the former president now has a seven percent lead in the state.
“It’s only going to add to the pressure on Biden to step aside and have someone replace him,” pollsters Bernie Porn told the paper of the results of the 600-voter survey. “The Democrats are in a difficult position.”
Josh Marcus21 July 2024 15:57 1721571110Trump says he never got warning about shooter Thomas Matthew Crooks
Donald Trump said he was not warned about shooter Thomas Matthew Crooks by the Secret Service, despite reports from rally-goers an hour before he got on stage.
The Republican presidential candidate told Fox News host Jesse Watters: “Nobody mentioned it. Nobody said it was a problem.
“[They] could’ve said, “Let’s wait for 15, 20 minutes, 5 minutes.
“Nobody said…I think that was a mistake.”
Trump later questioned how Crooks made it onto the roof at the Butler rally last Saturday (13 July).
Trump said: “How did somebody get on that roof? And why wasn’t he reported, because people saw he was on that roof.”
The full interview airs on Fox News on Monday (22 July).
More details below.
Trump says he was not warned about gunman Thomas Matthew Crooks by Secret Service
Donald Trump said he was not warned about shooter Thomas Matthew Crooks by the Secret Service, despite reports from rally-goers an hour before he got on stage. The Republican presidential candidate told Fox News host Jesse Watters: “Nobody mentioned it. Nobody said it was a problem. “[They] could've said, "Let's wait for 15, 20 minutes, 5 minutes. “Nobody said…I think that was a mistake.” Trump later questioned how Crooks made it onto the roof at the Butler rally last Saturday (13 July). Trump said: “How did somebody get on that roof? And why wasn't he reported, because people saw he was on that roof.” The full interview airs on Fox News on Monday (22 July).
Josh Marcus21 July 2024 15:11 1721570727What would four more years of Trump mean for Taiwan?
Fresh from his election victory in 2016, then president-elect Donald Trump broke decades of US protocol by speaking directly with Taiwanese president Tsai Ing-wen. It was the first call of its kind since the 1979 diplomatic shift when Washington formally recognised the Chinese government and severed official ties with Taiwan.
Trump hinted at the time that the US might reconsider its commitment to the One-China Policy, through which it accepts that the administration in Beijing is the only official Chinese government, and acknowledges China’s claim of sovereignty over Taiwan.
But just as quickly as this call rattled the international community and the geopolitical balance of the Pacific region, there came an abrupt backtrack. In a subsequent call with Xi Jinping, Trump reassured the Chinese president that he was committed to maintaining the existing US policy after all.
This kind of inconsistency on thorny foreign policy issues characterised much of Trump’s first presidency, and Taiwan was given a worrying reminder of the episode this week when the Republican, pitching to be voted back into the White House this November, was asked whether he would defend the island in the event of an invasion from Beijing.
Shweta Sharma has more.
Why a second Trump presidency would mean turmoil for Taiwan
After four years in which the Biden administration has strengthened its defensive assurances for Taiwan, experts tell Shweta Sharma that Trump would almost certainly take a more transactional approach
Josh Marcus21 July 2024 15:05 1721569227How Donald Trump uses the women in his life to hide his toxic behavior
Don’t fall for it,” was the stern warning from Whoopi Goldberg on Thursday. Talking on her chat show, The View, the Democrat supporting actor was addressing the number of emotional speeches made by family members at last week’s Republican National Convention (RNC).
As Donald Trump accepted his third GOP nomination for president, he was joined by members of his family, as well as that of the family of his running mate, JD Vance. He spoke of unity as the glamorous “eyes and teeth” crowd jostled for position behind him. For a moment, you’d be forgiven for thinking it was an episode of Succession.
“I know his grandchild was up on the thing and they’re trying to humanise [Trump] and change your idea about who this guy is,” Goldberg told viewers. “Don’t fall for that.”
The day before, on Wednesday, Kai Trump, daughter of Donald Trump Jr, had taken to the stage to make an emotional speech. Wearing a bridal white dress, the 17-year-old told an adoring audience that she was speaking in order to “show a side of my grandpa that people often don’t see”.
Zoë Beaty has the story.
Inside Trump’s harem of ‘handmaidens’ and the ‘war on women’ they represent
Flanked by the women in his life, Donald Trump is keen to project an image which appeals to female voters. Look closer and you can see a much more disturbing picture come into view, says Zoë Beaty
Josh Marcus21 July 2024 14:40 1721567938Protesters outside White House call for Biden to ‘pass the torch’
Protesters gathered outside the White House calling for Joe Biden to “pass the torch”.
The demonstrators, comprising of activists and Democratic voters, gathered outside the gates of the White House on Saturday (20 July) calling on Biden to end his quest for a second term as US President.
A total of 36 Democratic lawmakers have publicly called for the President, who is currently self-isolating at his beach house in Delaware after contracting Covid-19, to bow out of the 2024 race.
Watch via Independent TV.
Protesters outside White House call for Biden to ‘pass the torch’
Protesters gathered outside the White House calling for Joe Biden to “pass the torch”. The demonstrators, comprising of activists and Democratic voters, gathered outside the gates of the White House on Saturday (20 July) calling on Biden to end his quest for a second term as US President. A total of 36 Democratic lawmakers have publicly called for the President, who is currently self-isolating at his beach house in Delaware after contracting Covid-19, to bow out of the 2024 race.
Josh Marcus21 July 2024 14:18 Newer1 / 6OlderDisclaimer: The copyright of this article belongs to the original author. Reposting this article is solely for the purpose of information dissemination and does not constitute any investment advice. If there is any infringement, please contact us immediately. We will make corrections or deletions as necessary. Thank you.
