July 7, 2024, presidential election news

A source familiar with Democratic Sen. Mark Warner’s thinking said the private meeting he was trying to organize for Monday with other senators to discuss a path forward for President Joe Biden’s campaign is no longer happening. 

The source said the purpose of the meeting was to get Senate Democrats on the same page about the future of Biden’s candidacy, but it was scrapped after it was leaked to media outlets. The Virginia senator has not made a decision on whether he thinks Biden should steps aside, the source said. The next meeting between Senate Democrats and their leadership on will be Tuesday.

Biden responded to reports of Warner’s efforts in an interview with ABC News’ George Stephanopoulos on Friday, saying that “Mark is a good man” but he has a “different perspective.”

Biden also maintained that members of the Democratic congressional leadership have told him to stay in the race.

On Sunday, the number of House Democrats calling for Biden to step aside rose following a call with ranking members during which several lawmakers told House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries that Biden needs to step aside.

Vice President Kamala Harris speaks at the Essence Festival in New Orleans on July 6.

Republican South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham said Sunday the 2024 presidential race would be “dramatically different” if Vice President Kamala Harris replaces President Joe Biden as the Democratic nominee, which he believes is a “most likely” outcome.

Graham said former President Donald Trump should consider Harris’ candidacy when picking his running mate and used the opportunity to push for his fellow South Carolina Republican Sen. Tim Scott.

“I’m a big Tim Scott fan because I want to expand the map. Now, I believe before this is all said and done that President Biden, most likely, will be replaced and Kamala Harris is going to be very vigorous. … If I were President Trump, I would make sure I pick somebody that could add value in 2024, expand the map,” he said.

Biden has been adamant about staying in the race despite swelling calls within his party to step down after last month’s dismal debate performance.

Prominent lawmakers from the Congressional Black Caucus on Sunday defended President Joe Biden’s reelection bid as more House Democrats called on him to step aside.

Ohio Rep. Joyce Beatty, former chair of the CBC, said Democrats “shouldn’t be going rogue against our own president.”

Beatty was traveling to Washington, DC, from New Orleans, where she spoke at the Essence Festival with other members of the CBC ahead of Vice President Kamala Harris‘ remarks to the convention.

Beatty said she was not on the Sunday call held by House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries but is reading the reports with great disappointment. She said she will speak with Jeffries later Sunday evening.

Beatty said that Black voters are loyal and will continue to support Biden.

“The same way we were protective of Bill Clinton. The same way we were protective of Barack Obama, because they have delivered for this nation, this country, our democracy and for Black people,” she said.

Rep. Frederica Wilson of Florida, also a member of the CBC, slammed the report of more lawmakers calling for Biden to step aside. 

“Any ‘leader’ calling for President Biden to drop out needs to get their priorities straight and stop undermining this incredible actual leader who has delivered real results for our country,” Wilson said in a statement. 

President Joe Biden gives a thumbs-up as he boards Air Force One at Harrisburg International Airport in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, on July 7.

President Joe Biden said, “I’m up for the job,” and gave a thumbs-up Sunday when asked by the press about his upcoming summit appearance.

The president will speak at and host several events during the NATO 75th anniversary summit in Washington, DC, starting this week, amid growing concerns about his mental capacity and a steadily rising chorus of Democratic lawmakers urging him to step away from the 2024 ticket.

Biden will be under immense pressure to perform well at the high-stakes and historic gathering, as many world leaders believe former President Donald Trump poses a threat to the future of NATO.

Trump said in February that he would encourage Russia to do “whatever the hell they want” to any NATO member country that doesn’t meet spending guidelines on defense in a stunning admission he would not abide by the collective-defense clause at the heart of the alliance if reelected.

The United States and several key allies, including the United Kingdom, are actively debating how strongly to commit to Ukraine’s NATO membership at the summit, with the US facing criticism from a variety of European countries for not being willing to go as far as others, sources previously told CNN.

Radio host Andrea Lawful-Sanders has resigned from WURD Radio after admitting her post-debate interview with President Joe Biden included questions that were pre-selected by Biden’s campaign team, the station told CNN Sunday.

“The interview featured pre-determined questions provided by the White House, which violates our practice of remaining an independent media outlet accountable to our listeners,” Sara Lomax, president and CEO of the Philadelphia-based station, announced in a statement posted Sunday on its website. “As a result, Ms. Lawful-Sanders and WURD Radio have mutually agreed to part ways, effective immediately.”

WURD is Pennsylvania’s only Black-owned talk radio station. Lomax said the station prides itself on being an independent, trustworthy voice for its primary audience of Black Philadelphians and that using questions that were provided ahead of time “jeopardizes that trust and is not a practice that WURD Radio engages in or endorses as a matter of practice or official policy.”

Lawful-Sanders, who hosted “The Source,” spoke with Biden last week and asked him four questions about what’s at stake in this election, his accomplishments, his debate performance and what he would say to hesitant voters. In an interview Saturday with CNN’s Victor Blackwell, she said those questions were part of eight that were recommended to her by Biden aides ahead of the interview.

One senior House Democrat told CNN they have been on calls and group chats with dozens of their colleagues where the consensus is that President Joe Biden needs to step aside following a meeting between ranking House Democrat members that was convened Sunday afternoon.

The member said the House Democratic Caucus is trying to “find the best way to move forward” while still giving the president the respect they believe he deserves for his storied career.

It is the view of this senior House Democrat and another member that Tuesday will be the most consequential day for the president this week. That is when members are set to hold a planned caucus meeting with House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries.

One of the members told CNN they anticipate that is the day when the dam will break.

House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries speaks at a news conference in Washington, DC, on June 14.

House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, during a call with ranking members that he convened this afternoon, did not share with his colleagues where he personally stands on the question of whether President Joe Biden should continue running for reelection, a source who was on the call tells CNN.

Many Democrats concerned about Biden’s viability as a candidate following his disastrous debate performance are waiting for Jeffries to take a public position.

So far, the leader has been in a purposeful listening mode. As one person told CNN last week, Jeffries has “assiduously” avoided sharing his own judgment on the matter for the time being as he continues to survey his own caucus.

President Joe Biden arrives at Dane County Regional Airport in Madison, Wisconsin, on July 5.

More than a handful of House Democratic ranking members told House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries in a Sunday call that President Joe Biden needs to step aside from the 2024 campaign, according to sources familiar with the call. 

Jeffries held the call to take the temperature of ranking members before lawmakers return to Washington this week. The call was filled with deep concern about potential damage to the Democratic ticket and how it imperils the party’s chances to win back the House majority. 

The number of lawmakers who explicitly said Biden should not be the Democratic nominee was greater than the number who spoke up for him to stay, according to the source. Among those who opposed Biden as the nominee were Reps. Mark Takano, Adam Smith, Jim Himes, Joe Morelle, Susan Wild and Jerry Nadler, according to sources familiar with the matter. Democratic Reps. Maxine Waters and Bobby Scott spoke in support of Biden, according to one of the sources. 

One of the concerns expressed during the nearly two-hour call was that Democrats will lose their chance at a House majority if Biden is the candidate, one of the source said, adding that it was generally acknowledged the nominee should be Vice President Kamala Harris.

“It was pretty brutal,” a senior Democratic aide told CNN, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss the private conversation among House leaders.

No decisions about demands for a White House meeting or sending a letter to Biden are expected to be made before the full Democratic caucus meets on Tuesday, aides said, but Jeffries has made clear he will allow members to speak their minds and make their own judgments.

Biden, who is visiting battleground Pennsylvania on Sunday, answered with a resounding “yes” when press asked whether the Democratic Party was still behind him.

This post has been updated.

President Joe Biden spoke briefly Sunday in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, where he touted strong unions and his support from Pennsylvania Democratic lawmakers as he presses on with his reelection bid. 

Biden spoke briefly about strengthening unions and tax policy but ceded most of the time to the Democrats with him.

Democratic Sen. John Fetterman, who traveled throughout Pennsylvania with the president Sunday, praised Biden as the only person to “beat Trump’s ass” and chanted “four more years” with the crowd.

Democratic Lt. Gov. Austin Davis said: “So what we need to do as Democrats, we need to not worry, we need to work. It’s time for us to get on the doors, and you know what’s going to happen if we do that? We’re going to win.”

As he was departing Philadelphia for Harrisburg earlier Sunday, Biden shouted “yes” when asked by reporters whether he had the support of the Democratic Party.

Biden wrapped his remarks saying, “Folks, with your permission, I’m going to find out if you have any ice cream.”

The White House announced several events with President Joe Biden during the Republican National Convention next week as Republicans get set to formally nominate Donald Trump for another presidential run.

Biden will hold several events reaching out to people of color, delivering remarks commemorating the 60th anniversary of the Civil Rights Act in Austin, Texas, on July 15. On July 16, he will deliver remarks at the NAACP National Convention in Las Vegas, and on July 17, he will stay in the city to give remarks at the UnidosUS Annual Conference.

All of this comes as the president forges ahead with his reelection campaign amid growing calls among Democrats for him to drop out following a disastrous debate performance last month.

The Republican National Convention will take place in Milwaukee from July 15-18.

President Joe Biden delivers remarks at the Roxborough Democratic Coordinated Campaign Office during a campaign stop in Philadelphia on July 7.

President Joe Biden made a surprise visit Sunday to thank volunteers and staffers at a Philadelphia campaign office, where he said the 2024 election will be about “simple, basic politics.”

Biden did not use a teleprompter during his remarks.

“Dark Brandon’s coming back,” the president said, alluding to the internet meme that depicts a grinning Biden with red lasers shooting out of his eyes.

“I’m not giving up,” the president added when chatting with volunteers.

Biden was joined by elected Pennsylvania Democrats during his speech, including Sen. John Fetterman and Rep. Madeleine Dean.

“I got John Fetterman, I don’t need much else,” Biden said to laughter.

Fetterman, who spoke after the president, said, “There is only one person in this room that kicked Trump’s ass in an election … and that is your president.”

Second gentleman Doug Emhoff attends the 54th annual meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, on January 18.

Second gentleman Doug Emhoff tested positive for Covid-19 Saturday after experiencing mild symptoms, according to a statement from his communications director Liza Acevedo Sunday.

Vice President Kamala Harris has tested negative for the virus and remains asymptomatic, Acevedo said in the statement. 

The couple were on a balcony at the White House with President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden on Thursday for an Independence Day celebration. CNN has reached out to the White House to ask if the president is being tested.

House Oversight Chairman James Comer on Sunday sent a letter to President Joe Biden’s doctor requesting an interview as Republicans seize on concerns about the president’s mental acuity following his disastrous debate performance.

In a letter obtained by CNN, the Kentucky Republican alleged that Dr. Kevin O’Connor’s medical assessment of Biden has been influenced by his “private business endeavors with the Biden family.” 

Comer pointed to an interview with Joe Biden’s brother, James Biden, in February in which he said O’Connor introduced him to a team with Americore Health, a financially troubled firm that has gone bankrupt. 

In addition to a transcribed interview, Comer asked O’Connor to provide documents related to James Biden and Americore Health.

In previous investigations, Comer has presented no evidence that Joe Biden was involved in his brother’s transactions with the company, let alone that Joe Biden undertook any official acts during his vice presidency or presidency to benefit his brother. 

CNN has reached out to the White House for comment. 

Democratic Rep. Seth Moulton, who has called for President Joe Biden to leave the presidential race, said on Sunday that he needs to “face the facts.”

“I think that’s what the Democratic Party, and President Biden in particular, needs to do now. Let’s face the facts, be willing to make a change and ensure that we can defeat Donald Trump in November,” Moulton said on MSNBC.

He added that Biden should be “crushing Donald Trump in the polls” and shouldn’t be “dismissive” of recent polling.

Moulton also explained why he publicly called for Biden to step aside last week, saying that “behind-the-scenes conversations didn’t work.”

“I just had a lot of conversations behind the scenes trying to talk to people in the White House and the inner circle trying to convey the concerns that myself and many of my colleagues and many of my constituents shared that he may not be the best choice to take on Donald Trump and ensure we win in November. But when those behind-the-scenes conversations didn’t work, I decided it was time to go public,” Moulton said.

House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries’ call with committee ranking members was scheduled to begin at 2 p.m. ET, according to a Democratic aide.

CNN reported Friday that Jeffries planned to hold the call on Sunday afternoon as concern grows in the Democratic Party over Biden’s candidacy in the 2024 presidential election.

The Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee is seen on June 27.

The Republican National Convention in Milwaukee next week could be an “attractive” target for violent extremists or other people looking to sow chaos by disrupting a high-profile political event, according to a threat assessment from federal agencies and the Milwaukee Police Department obtained by CNN.

This election season has seen a “resurgence in disruptive tactics targeting election symbols” that are very likely meant to “instill fear and disrupt operations at election-related critical infrastructure facilities,” according to the assessment. 

The report was prepared by the FBI, US Secret Service, Department of Homeland Security, and Wisconsin state and city law enforcement officials. Homeland Security’s Office of Intelligence and Analysis distributed the assessment to federal, state and local officials in recent days.

There is “no credible reporting to indicate a threat” to the Republican National Convention, but “violent threat actors” may view the convention “as an attractive target due to its symbolic nature and link to the 2024 general election,” says the threat assessment, which was dated July 2.

President Joe Biden speaks during a church service and campaign event at Mount Airy Church of God in Christ in Philadelphia on July 7.

President Joe Biden joked about his age and discussed his faith during remarks to churchgoers at Philadelphia’s Mount Airy Church of God in Christ during a campaign stop Sunday.

He added: “We’re all imperfect beings. We don’t know where or what faith will deliver us to or when. What we do know, is that we can seek a life of light, hope, love and truth, no matter what — we can seek that life. Take all our experiences and give everything we have to work together, because when we do, you can’t stop us.”

The president also told the church that he would attend Sunday services at a Black church in Delaware and that he has “always felt the power of your faith in good times and in tough times.”

The president appeared to be reading from prepared notes that were on the lectern during his speech. 

Biden separately discussed this week’s NATO summit, stating: “I’m about to host the NATO nations in Washington. We put them together. We’ve done — The world’s looking to us, not a joke.”

“The world is looking to America — not to carry the burden, but to lead their hopes.”

The president remained in the church following his remarks to take selfies and speak with attendees, with some chanting “four more years” as Biden made his way through the room. He did not answer shouted questions from reporters. 

Biden’s allies have encouraged him to do more unscripted and off-the-cuff events to shift the narrative away from his poor debate performance.

California Rep. and Senate candidate Adam Schiff speaks to supporters in Burbank, California, on March 4.

Democratic Rep. Adam Schiff said Sunday that President Joe Biden “should take a moment to make the best-informed judgment” about the future of his presidential campaign.

Schiff, who is running for the US Senate in California, stressed the importance for Democrats of beating former President Donald Trump in November. “This is an existential race,” Schiff said on NBC’s “Meet the Press.”

“Joe Biden is running against a criminal,” Schiff said. “It should not be even close, and there’s only one reason it is close, and that’s the president’s age.”

Schiff advised Biden to “take a moment to make the best-informed judgment” about remaining in the presidential race. “If the judgment is run, then run hard and beat that SOB,” Schiff said.

Asked whether Vice President Kamala Harris would make a better candidate than Biden, Schiff said Harris would make a “phenomenal president,” adding, “I think she has the experience, the judgment, the leadership ability to be an extraordinary president.” But he reiterated that the decision about staying in the race was up to Biden, saying, “I don’t think it’s good for the party to get into a debate over okay, if not him, then whom?”

Ohio Sen. JD Vance on Sunday sought to distance former President Donald Trump from a closely aligned conservative group’s plans to radically reshape the federal government and American life should the former president win a second term.

Project 2025 — widely viewed by conservatives as a blueprint for Trump’s second term transition — is run by several former Trump administration officials and includes many policy priorities that are aligned with those of the former president, especially as they relate to cracking down on immigration and purging the federal bureaucracy by making it easier to dismiss civil servants and career officials.

In a post to his social media site last week, Trump said: “I disagree with some of the things they’re saying and some of the things they’re saying are absolutely ridiculous and abysmal. Anything they do, I wish them luck, but I have nothing to do with them.”

President Joe Biden attends a church service and campaign event at Mount Airy Church of God in Christ in Philadelphia on July 7.

President Joe Biden was greeted with unwavering support from church leaders in Philadelphia on Sunday during a campaign stop at Mount Airy Church of God in Christ.

Alluding to concerns about Biden’s age, Bishop J. Louis Felton told the president: “We want you to know, President Biden, that Bishop Morris is 91 years old, on his way to 92. And, so Mr. President, since you are only an octogenarian sitting next to a nonagenarian, don’t let anybody talk about your age.”

“You’re a young whippersnapper,” Felton added.