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What to watch on the campaign trail today
- President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris appeared together in Maryland to discuss their plan to lower out-of-pocket costs for older adults on Medicare — their first joint campaign event since the president ended his re-election bid.
- Former President Donald Trump held a news conference today in Bedminster, New Jersey. His remarks focused heavily on Harris, and he repeated his pitch from yesterday in Asheville, North Carolina, to slash energy and electricity prices in half.
- Harris' vice presidential pick, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, is on his first solo trip after last week's seven-state blitz with Harris. Walz is making a swing through the Northeast today, speaking at campaign receptions in Newport, Rhode Island, and Southampton, New York.
- Sen. JD Vance, Trump's running mate, spoke to supporters in New Kensington, Pennsylvania, this morning and addressed controversial remarks he made about abortion in 2021. Vance and Walz have agreed to participate in a debate on Oct. 1.
Secret Service approves bulletproof glass to shield Trump at outdoor rallies
The Secret Service will use ballistic glass to protect Trump so he can resume outdoor campaign events, according to two sources familiar with the planning and a Trump campaign official.
Bulletproof glass of that kind is already available to sitting presidents and vice presidents. It is transported using military aircraft whenever the president travels, but Trump, a candidate and former president, does not have access to such military transportation support. Sources who asked not to be named to discuss sensitive security provisions said the ballistic glass will now be positioned around the country and moved in by agents who will be responsible for guarding it.
Harris to endorse protections for renters and removal of key tax benefits for Wall St. investors buying homes
Harris’ campaign today is rolling out some of her housing policy proposals, including her support for efforts aimed at lowering the cost of rent and helping renters who are struggling financially, according to details NBC News obtained from a campaign official.
Harris will propose plans to stop data firms from driving up lease rates and plans aimed at stopping Wall Street investors from buying up and reselling homes in bulk at a higher price, according to the proposal.
Harris has started prepping for Sept. 10 debate
Harris has already started debate prep for her Sept. 10 faceoff with Trump, and she held a mock session Monday at Howard University in Washington D.C., according to a source familiar with the plans.
The Harris team has tapped longtime Democratic strategist Philippe Reines to play Trump, reprising the role he took opposite Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton during her 2016 campaign.
Harris and Trump have never met or spoken in person, so the mock session is intended to help further familiarize Harris with how Trump speaks and acts, the source said.
Inside the rift that could define the future of Pennsylvania politics
John Fetterman was angry.
The Democratic senator from Pennsylvania was readying to speak at a disaster response news conference in Bucks County on July 16, 2023, just hours after flooding in Upper Makefield that ultimately killed seven people. Local officials spoke for a few minutes to offer an initial update for the assembled media. Then, Gov. Josh Shapiro provided information about what his administration was doing to respond to the emergency.
After a few minutes, Shapiro tossed the microphone back to the local responders — not Fetterman. Moments later, the event wrapped without Fetterman’s ever speaking.
Head of House GOP campaign arm warns of new challenges with Harris atop ticket
Rep. Richard Hudson, R-N.C., chair of the National Republican Congressional Committee, spoke during a virtual political conference meeting tonight to give Republicans a broad update about the state of the race for the House majority since Harris replaced Biden atop the Democratic ticket, a source on the call told NBC News.
Hudson’s message was that overall, Republicans still have a good chance to pick up seats and that he believes they will. But he acknowledged the challenges, too, specifically the supercharged Democratic fundraising, including Harris’ $300 million-plus month and high online fundraising by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, the source said.
He also issued a challenge to the conference, saying now is the time to step up and do more to capitalize on the opportunity to pick up seats, the source added.
The remarks are a rare acknowledgment from a high-ranking Republican official that the political landscape has gotten tougher for the GOP since Biden dropped out, as public polls widely show. The plan to hold the meeting was first reported by Politico.
Trump: U.S. needs to respond after alleged Iranian hack of his campaign
Trump addressed the alleged hack of his campaign by Iran after today's news conference in Bedminster, New Jersey.
"I’m not happy with it. Our government shouldn’t let that happen," Trump said in response to a question from NBC News’ Garrett Haake.
Pressed about whether a government response is needed, Trump said, "There should be," adding, "They have no respect for our government."
The FBI said this week that it's investigating efforts to hack both the Trump and the Biden-Harris campaigns.
Trump declines to say whether he’d ask his AG to drop federal cases against him
In an exchange with NBC News correspondent Vaughn Hillyard after his news conference, Trump declined to say whether he would ask his attorney general to dismiss the federal charges against him if he wins in November.
"I don't want to talk about that," Trump said. "They're nonsense cases."
GOP Senate candidate in Pennsylvania releases new ad going after Bob Casey on economy
Republicans are seeking to use some of Biden’s top legislative accomplishments — the Inflation Reduction Act and the American Rescue Plan — against Democrats in the weeks before an election in which the economy is a top issue for voters.
In Pennsylvania, Sen. Bob Casey’s Republican opponent, David McCormick, is highlighting Casey’s support for the IRA, as well as his comments downplaying inflation in 2021 and 2022, when the average rate of inflation topped 8%.
In a digital video ad first shared with NBC News today, McCormick’s campaign tries to paint Casey as a vulnerable Democrat who is “dangerously liberal” alongside Harris, who served with him in the Senate before she was named Biden’s running mate in 2020.
The ad splices clips of Casey’s remarks, including “we did the right thing by going big” with the IRA and its focus on union jobs, clean energy manufacturing and capping health care costs for eligible people.
Harris, as president of the Senate, cast the tiebreaking vote for the IRA when it passed with no Republican support.
The 60-second ad features voters in Pennsylvania criticizing Democrats and Biden for higher grocery prices and the cost of living.
“Pennsylvania families are being crushed by the high price of gas, groceries, and rent. Despite the warnings that their policies would create record inflation, Kamala Harris and weak career politician Bob Casey repeatedly lied so they could pass their multi-trillion dollar liberal agenda,” McCormick said today in a statement.
Inflation has significantly cooled, down to a 2.9% annual rate in July, but grocery prices are still almost 25% more expensive than pre-pandemic levels.
Republicans, who have traditionally outperformed Democrats on the economy, hope to capitalize on the issue in November. Americans say they trust Trump more than Harris on the economy, according to a new AP-NORC poll.
At a news conference tonight in Bedminster, New Jersey, Trump said he would “bring prices down on day one” of a second administration by cutting taxes and vowed to “drill, baby drill” to boost natural energy production in the U.S.
Trump on whether he regrets debating Biden in June: Ask him
Trump was asked at his news conference today whether he regretted debating Biden early in the presidential race.
"Do I regret debating Biden? So it was — it was his request. He said we should get the debates done early, and I was willing," Trump said.
"Whether or not the debate should have happened would have been a better question to ask of Joe Biden, because had he not done the debate, he would still be running for president, and people would be hiding him, just like they're hiding her right now," Trump added in an apparent jab at Harris, whom his campaign has challenged to participate in more debates and interviews.
Biden and Trump faced off in a debate hosted by CNN on June 28, unusually early for a presidential election cycle. Biden's poor performance helped precipitate his decision to withdraw from the race, shaking up polling ahead of November.
Trump says he wants employees to work for wages that let companies 'make a profit'
Trump was asked about his interview with Elon Musk this week and whether he was comfortable with companies' threatening to fire workers who go on strike.
"No, I want companies to get workers that are going to love them," Trump said, adding that his desire was for employees to work for wages that allow companies to "make a profit, so they can go and expand."
Trump, who is courting the union vote, praised Musk this week for firing workers, referring to him as “the greatest cutter” in an apparent reference to the dismissal of workers during organizing efforts.
Following Trump's comments to Musk, the United Auto Workers on Tuesday filed labor charges with the National Labor Relations Board against both Trump and Musk for praising the practice of firing workers who threaten to strike.
