What’s happening on the campaign trail today
- Former President Donald Trump announced today that he will return to Butler, Pennsylvania, for a rally honoring the other shooting victims from the day of the attempted assassination. He did not specify the upcoming rally date or whether the event would be held outdoors.
- Vice President Kamala Harris scored the backing of former President Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama today, capping a week of high-profile endorsements. She now boasts the majority of delegates to the Democratic National Convention and support from party leaders.
- Trump met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at Mar-a-Lago today. Netanyahu spoke with President Joe Biden and Harris in separate White House meetings yesterday, which touched on Israel's right to self-defense and concerns about the war and humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip.
Live coverage of this event has ended. Get live updates and the latest news on the 2024 election here.
‘Make Bitcoin Great Again’: Specter of Trump — and absence of Harris — hangs over annual crypto gathering
Charlene Brown arrived at the first full day of Bitcoin 2024 at the Music City Center convention complex with two signs in hand: “Orange Man Good” and “Bitcoin Don.”
Similar symbols of a recent and sudden shift in the politics of bitcoin could be spotted elsewhere in the Nashville crowd. “Make Bitcoin Great Again” caps — not to mention knockoff “Make America Great Again” hats that eventually were seized by organizers for violating conference rules — dotted the convention hall as the year’s biggest bitcoin event got rolling.
Brown, who publishes Tokens Magazine, a pro-cryptocurrency publication, was perhaps the most visibly pro-Trump bitcoin advocate at the Nashville confab.
Trump claims Harris, whose husband is Jewish, ‘doesn’t like Jewish people’
Trump said tonight that Harris "doesn't like Jewish people" in remarks criticizing her for missing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's address to Congress on Wednesday.
"She doesn't like Jewish people. She doesn't like Israel. That's the way it is. That's the way it's always going to be. She's not going to change," Trump said of Harris, whose husband is the first spouse of a president or vice president to be Jewish.
Harris' campaign posted a clip of Trump's remarks and noted that her husband is Jewish.
Trump's running mate, Sen. JD Vance, also missed Netanyahu's address to Congress. Harris met with Netanyahu at the White House yesterday.
Trump says he 'couldn't care less' if he mispronounces Harris' first name
Trump said tonight that he "couldn't care less" if he incorrectly pronounces Harris' first name, Kamala.
"And by the way, there are numerous ways of saying her name," Trump said at a Turning Point Action event in West Palm Beach, Florida.
"It doesn’t matter what I say. I couldn’t care less if I mispronounce it," he added.
Harris shares photo of her signing candidacy forms
In a post on X, Harris shared a photo of herself signing forms to officially declare her candidacy for president of the United States.
"I will work hard to earn every vote. And in November, our people-powered campaign will win," she wrote in the post.
Staff-level calls to Harris' VP candidates began Tuesday
The first round of staff-level calls to Harris' potential running mate candidates began Tuesday, four campaign sources confirmed to NBC News.
Two sources said that roughly a dozen names are under consideration and that a decision will occur by Aug. 7.
The expectation is that the announcement will be “very close to that time," the sources said, noting that while things can change, they are expecting to use much of the time available.
Group with GOP links praises RFK Jr. as ‘pro-choice,’ ‘progressive Democrat’ in swing-state ads
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is the subject of some notable new advertising — from a group with Republican ties and on a subject that is one of the Democratic Party’s key campaign issues.
The new group, called “SAG PAC,” was established in June, according to a Federal Election Commission filing. It has not yet filed reports detailing any of its donors, but it is already running ads online, spending more than $137,000 so far on Google platforms, according to the platform’s ad disclosure portal.
The YouTube ads feature pictures of Kennedy alongside banners reading “pro-choice” and “progressive Democrat.” Meanwhile, a narrator says, “Robert F. Kennedy Jr. wants to restore abortion rights nationally,” adding that he has “a long record fighting for abortion rights. That’s the real RFK.”
Trump appears without a bandage on his ear at Turning Point Action event
Trump spoke at a Turning Point Action event this evening without a bandage on his ear.
"As I think you can see, I’ve recovered well, and in fact just took off the last bandage off of my ear," the former president said to the crowd in West Palm Beach, Florida.
Netanyahu extended his American visit to meet with Trump at Mar-a-Lago after meeting with both Biden and Harris in Washington, D.C., yesterday. NBC News chief Washington correspondent Andrea Mitchell explains the context around the Israeli leader’s visit.
Trump endorses congressman who called Harris a 'DEI vice president'
Trump tonight endorsed the re-election bid of Rep. Tim Burchett, R-Tenn., who earlier this week called Harris a “DEI vice president.”
In a post on Truth Social, Trump described Burchett as a "tireless advocate" for his district and "a conservative warrior," adding that he has "my Complete and Total Endorsement!"
Burchett was first elected to Congress in 2018. He is running unopposed in Tennessee's GOP primary elections, which are schedule for Aug. 1. He will face Democratic candidate Jane George in November.
Trump also endorsed Rep. Glenn Grothman, R-Wis., calling him a "phenomenal" representative in a post on Truth Social this evening.
Grothman recently told a CBS affiliate in Milwaukee that "a lot of Democrats feel they have to stick with her because of her ethnic background."
Rep. Jim Clyburn, D-S.C., joined "Meet the Press NOW," where he called on Democrats to come together quickly behind Harris and urged her to select a running mate with whom she feels comfortable.
