July 23, 2024, presidential campaign news

Former President Donald Trump on Tuesday said if he had known he would be facing Vice President Kamala Harris instead of President Joe Biden he would have still chosen Ohio Sen. JD Vance as his running mate.

“I’d do the same pick. He’s doing really well. He’s, he’s really caught on,” Trump said on a call with reporters.

Trump announced Vance as his running mate last week. Trump suggested the week prior that uncertainty over Biden’s future as the Democratic nominee was factoring into his decision making over who would fill out the rest of the ticket.

Congressional Black Caucus Political Action Committee chair Rep. Gregory Meeks said the PAC has seen over $1.5 million in small online donations in two days as Vice President Kamala Harris moved swiftly to become the presumptive Democratic nominee for president.

Meeks said members will be going on tours and be spread across the battleground states “actively on the ground” with 105 days left before the election.

U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris delivers remarks during a campaign event in Milwaukee on Tuesday, July 23.

Vice President Kamala Harris laid out her vision for the country during her first campaign rally in Wisconsin as the presumptive Democratic nominee, offering some rhetorical differences from the Biden administration that prompted a galvanized response from the crowd.

She also highlighted how the state is key in her path to victory. “You all helped us win in 2020. And in 2024, we will win again,” Harris said.

Here are key moments from Harris’ remarks:

Read more key lines from Harris’ rally in Wisconsin.

CNN’s Betsy Klein and Samantha Waldenberg contributed reporting to this post.

Sen. Tammy Baldwin  gestures during a campaign event in Milwaukee on Tuesday, July 23

Wisconsin leaders welcomed Vice President Kamala Harris to the key state for her first campaign event after President Joe Biden stepped aside and endorsed her to be the Democratic party’s presidential nominee. 

Democratic Sen. Tammy Baldwin, who’s running in a competitive race to keep her Senate seat, told the Milwaukee crowd “there’s a reason that she’s kicking things off right here in Wisconsin.”

Baldwin, who didn’t attend Biden’s first post-debate rally in Madison and chose to keep her own campaign schedule, called the president’s decision to not seek reelection an “incredible act of patriotism.”

Baldwin and Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers both touted Harris’ record as a career prosecutor, as well as her experience as Biden’s vice president, making clear she’s the best choice to step in as the party’s nominee and trying to quell concerns about the late change on the presumptive ticket. 

“Vice President Kamala Harris is ready to lead from day one,” Evers said, later calling her “battle tested.”

Speaking to the stakes of the race, Evers said, “we have 105 days and we do not have a minute to waste,” calling Donald Trump and his running mate, GOP Sen. JD Vance, a “threat to democracy.” He warned that the Republican pair would work to ban abortion, a hot button ongoing legal issue in Wisconsin.

Evers said Harris has never forgotten the state, and told voters, “we are going to help elect the first woman as president of the United States,” to massive cheers.  

The usually soft-spoken Evers said he was “jazzed as hell” to the large crowd packed into the high school gymnasium, cheering and holding “Kamala” signs.

The ascension of Vice President Kamala Harris to become the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee in less than 48 hours is an unprecedented occurrence in American politics.

Two of those races, from more than 200 years ago, featured Founding Fathers running in a different election system.

Take a look at the precedent:

Former President Donald Trump said Tuesday he wants to debate Vice President Kamala Harris but hasn’t yet agreed to any specific debates.

He said that the previously agreed to September debate hosted by ABC was supposed to be a debate with President Joe Biden, who has since dropped out of the race. 

Trump said he would be open to participating in more than one debate with Harris and said he thought it was “important” to have presidential debates.  

Trump criticized ABC — the network that is scheduled to hold a presidential debate on September 10 — and said he was “not thrilled with ABC.”

He said he took particular issue with the network’s coverage of Biden dropping out of the race and claimed they were “trying to make a hero out of Joe Biden.”

Trump had previously said on Truth Social he wanted Fox News to host that debate instead of ABC. 

Attendees hold signs as Vice President Kamala Harris speaks during a campaign event in Milwaukee on Tuesday, July 23

The crowd at Vice President Kamala Harris’s first presidential campaign rally on Tuesday briefly chanted, “lock him up” in reference to Donald Trump.

As she spoke about her record as a prosecutor and referred to Trump’s conviction, Wisconsin voters in the packed high school gymnasium in Milwaukee chanted, “lock him up.”

Remember: In 2016, supporters of Trump often chanted “lock her up” at his rallies about then-Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton, the last woman to occupy the top of a major party’s presidential ticket.

Vice President Kamala Harris mentioned a number of issues during her speech at a campaign rally Tuesday in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

“Building up the middle class will be a defining goal of my presidency,” she said as she highlighted certain issues.

Here’s what they are:

Vice President Kamala Harris speaks during a campaign rally on Tuesday, July 23, in Milwaukee.

Vice President Kamala Harris vowed to put a stop to former President Donald Trump’s abortion bans and help restore reproductive freedoms.

More context: Reproductive rights are expected to be a hot issue this election season. Ahead of the party’s convention, the panel charged with crafting and producing a platform for the Republican National Committee adopted a scaled-back document that softened language on abortion and same-sex marriage. On abortion, the updated language mirrors Trump’s position in the aftermath of the Supreme Court’s decision overturning Roe v. Wade that restrictions should now be left to the states.

“We believe that the 14th Amendment to the Constitution of the United States guarantees that no person can be denied Life or Liberty without Due Process, and the States are, therefore, free to pass Laws protecting those Rights,” a draft document obtained by CNN reads. The new platform does not mention a national abortion ban, a policy some social conservatives wanted to see included, but which the former president has publicly said he opposes.

CNN’s Kristen Holmes and Daniel Strauss contributed to this report.

The post was updated with background on the GOP’s stance on abortion.

Vice President Kamala Harris said this presidential campaign is focused on two visions: One is focused on the future of the nation and another which is focused on the past.

She went on to outline a future where “no child has to grow up in poverty,” where all workers have the ability to join unions, senior citizens “can retire with dignity” and where health care and childcare is affordable.

“So all of this is to say, building up the middle class will be a defining goal of my presidency,” Harris said.

She added that “when our middle class is strong, America is strong.”

Harris went on to criticize former President Donald Trump’s campaign, saying that his is focused on the past.

“Donald Trump wants to take our country backward,” she said, before going on to mention Trump’s “extreme Project 2025 agenda” as well as his policies on taxes, Social Security and Medicare.

This post was updated with more of Harris’ remarks.

Vice President Kamala Harris delivers remarks during a campaign event in West Allis, Wisconsin on Tuesday, July 23.

Vice President Kamala Harris touted the fact that her campaign raised tens of millions in grassroots funding in the last 24 hours.

“We are running a people-powered campaign. And we just had some breaking news, we just had the best 24 hours of grassroots fundraising in presidential campaign history and because we are a people-powered campaign that is how you know we will be a people first presidency,” she said.

Harris’ presidential campaign announced on Monday that it raised $81 million in the first 24 hours since Harris announced she will seek the Democratic nomination. 

Vice President Kamala Harris attacked former President Donald Trump at her Milwaukee rally, highlighting her record as a prosecutor and his felony record.

Talking about her roles as the former attorney general of California and a courtroom prosecutor, she said, “I took on perpetrators of all kinds: predators who abused women, fraudsters who ripped off consumers, cheaters who broke the rules for their own gain. So hear me when I say: I know Donald Trump’s type.”

“And in this campaign, I promise you: I will proudly put my record against his any day of the week,” she added.

Vice President Kamala Harris learned this morning that she has “earned the support of enough delegates to secure the Democratic nomination,” she said at a Tuesday rally in Wisconsin.

Vice President Kamala Harris praised President Joe Biden’s legacy at her first rally of her presidential campaign in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

She said she was deeply grateful for Biden’s continued service to the nation.

“It is my great honor to have Joe Biden’s endorsement in this race,” she said.

Vice President Kamala Harris said at a Tuesday rally in Milwaukee that “the path to the White House goes through Wisconsin.”

Vice President Kamala Harris takes the stage at a campaign rally in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on Tuesday, July 23.

Vice President Kamala Harris is speaking at a campaign rally in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

This marks her first trip to a battleground state after taking control of the Democratic presidential nomination to challenge Donald Trump.

The rally will also open a new phase in the 2024 race, where she will draw sharp contrasts with the former president in a much more energetic style than President Joe Biden has in recent months. She previewed this on Monday at the campaign headquarters.

Why Wisconsin is key: The trip to Wisconsin — one of the three “Blue Wall” states, alongside Pennsylvania and Michigan — is Harris’ fifth there this year and ninth since becoming vice president.

With Biden as the Democratic nominee, the party’s path to winning 270 electoral college votes went directly through these states. It may be the same for Harris. However, it’s too early to tell whether another path — one that includes Sun Belt swing states Arizona, Nevada, North Carolina and Georgia — might be a larger part of the Harris calculation.

CNN’s Eric Bradner contributed reporting to this post. 

Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will meet Friday at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida, the former president announced Tuesday on social media.

He said he was “looking forward to welcoming” Netanyahu.

The Israeli prime minister is set to deliver an address to Congress on Wednesday. President Joe Biden will meet with Netanyahu on Thursday. After the meeting, both leaders will meet with families of Americans being held by Hamas.  

More on their relationship: The leaders have a complicated relationship at the moment. “It is a love-hate relationship,” said a former Trump official, explaining that the two leaders experienced a dramatic up and down in recent years. 

During his administration, Trump enacted multiple policies to Israel’s benefit, including moving the US embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, recognizing Israel’s sovereignty over the Golan Heights and backing multiple countries in Middle East and North Africa to normalize relations with Israel as part of the Abraham Accords.

Netanyahu called Trump the greatest friend Israel has ever had and heralded him for “unequivocally” standing by Israel during Trump’s tenure as commander in chief.

But the relationship soured after the 2020 presidential elections when Netanyahu congratulated Biden on his victory and Trump grew angered. “F**k him,” Trump told Axios at the time. Years later, after the horrific October 7th Hamas attack on Israel, Trump would not say if he had spoken with Netanyahu in the days since the attack. 

Still, many Israelis presume that Trump would give Netanyahu a longer leash to use greater force in Gaza. Trump has said that Israel must “finish what they started,” “get it over with fast,” and that the US must “let Israel finish the job.” Still, Trump has also argued that the war needs to come to a swift close particularly because the country is “losing the PR war.”

CNN’s Michael Callahan contributed reporting to this post.

Gov. Roy Cooper speaks to reporters in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, on Tuesday.

North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper on Tuesday continued to express strong support for Vice President Kamala Harris, while punting on questions about his own future as her possible running mate.

CNN has reported that Cooper is one of several Democrats who have been asked to submit information about their finances, family histories and other personal details, according to two people familiar with the process.

But, on Tuesday, Cooper remained coy and would not confirm he’s if been asked to any submit vetting materials to the Harris campaign.

“I’m not going to talk about that. I want to respect her process. Give her the space to pick the best person,” he said.

Voters are pouring into the gymnasium bleachers at West Allis Central High School located near Milwaukee, Wisconsin, ahead of Vice President Kamala Harris’s first campaign rally since President Joe Biden stepped aside and backed her to be the party’s nominee.

On a rainy Tuesday morning, check-in tables outside the venue are still being shielded by “Biden for President” branded tents, used earlier this year at a Biden-Harris event.

But inside, “Harris for President” branding is projected on screens as upbeat songs by artists like Lizzo and Stevie Wonder play on speakers.

Many Wisconsin voters waiting to see Harris say they admire and respect Biden, but they’re excited Harris could soon be nominated for the top of the ticket.

Here’s what some had to say:

Nancy Meilahn

Nancy Meilahn said she’s “delighted” to see Harris elevated to lead the party, explaining that Harris’s experience serving with Biden and her history as a prosecutor has prepared her to meet the moment. “She’s got some depth to her. A lot of people don’t give her credit,” she said. “I love Biden. He’s done a lot for the country, but age … I’m the same age as he is. I wouldn’t want that responsibility,” the 81-year-old said.

Felita Daniels Ashley

Felita Daniels Ashley, a high school administrator in Milwaukee, said she’s “so excited” to possibly see Harris as the party’s nominee, after backing the California Democrat to be Biden’s running mate in 2020. “The future is banking on this,” she said.

Daniels Ashley, who was wearing a “Chucks and Pearls” shirt, honoring a staple outfit of Harris on the campaign trail in 2020, said she had “no regrets” with Biden currently in office. Asked if she’s worried the change at the top of the ticket came too late in the election cycle, she answered, “I am not worried at all. We are ignited, we are on fire, we are excited.”

Olivia Jessup-Anger

Olivia Jessup-Anger, who is 17, and her friend Natalie Jauch, who turns 18 the day before Election Day, agree with Charli XCX that Harris is “brat,” a sentiment the pop artist shared on social media on Sunday in a post that has gone viral.

“I think she’s iconic,” Jessup-Anger said of Harris, saying she also agrees with the vice president on policy issues like abortion rights and education. “Overall seeing a strong independent woman on the ballot this November is really promising,” she said.

Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro speaks during a news conference concerning the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 14.

Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro told reporters he has not received or submitted any vetting paperwork to Kamala Harris’ campaign.

“How many times are we going to ask the same question? I was not asked, and I have not submitted paperwork,” the Democrat said.

Remember: As CNN previously reported, Shapiro is among the Democrats who have been asked to submit information about their finances, family histories and other personal details, as well as North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper and Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly.

Asked about the vice president shortlist, Shapiro said, “I don’t know what list I’m on.” 

“I’m focused on doing my work. I’m focused on the political task at hand which is to defeat Donald Trump,” he added.

As he said at a presser Monday, Shapiro reiterated that selecting a running mate “is a deeply personal decision” that should be made “free from any political pressure.”

“She went through that process with then candidate Biden. She has done that job incredibly well. She has served honorably as Vice President, and she is absolutely ready to serve as president today tomorrow and well into the future. She will make a determination as to what she needs,” Shapiro said.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. speaks at an event in Los Angeles in March.

Texas Democrats are seeking to block independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. from qualifying for the state’s ballot, arguing the majority of Kennedy’s signatures have failed to meet state laws governing petition signatures, according to a letter obtained by CNN.

In May, Kennedy’s campaign announced it had submitted 245,572 signatures to apply for ballot access in Texas. Independent presidential candidates are required to submit 113,151 valid signatures to qualify for Texas’ ballot.

In a letter to Texas Secretary of State Jane Nelson, attorneys representing John Mott, director of voter protection for the Texas Democratic Party, said they’ve reviewed nearly all the signatures Kennedy’s campaign collected and claim enough of the signatures violate state laws to render his petition invalid.

The letter points to a handful of statutes in the Texas Election Code, including that petition signees must be registered to vote in Texas and the petitions must follow strict formatting guidelines. The letter did not specify how they believed the signatures violated state law but referenced additional materials submitted to the Secretary of State’s office which “itemizes each invalid petition signature and provides the basis for its invalidity.”

In the letter, Democrats ask the Secretary of State’s office to decide on Kennedy’s ballot access application “as soon as possible” to allow for “appropriate court review.”

CNN has reached out to the Texas Secretary of State’s office and the Kennedy campaign for comment.

Some context: The letter from Texas Democrats mark the latest effort by Democrats to challenge Kennedy’s ballot access in states around the country. The Democratic National Committee, state-level party organizations and outside groups have attempted to block Kennedy’s ballot access in North Carolina, Hawaii, New York, New Jersey, Nevada, Illinois and Delaware.

Second gentleman Doug Emhoff will now headline two fundraisers initially scheduled for first lady Jill Biden next week, according to invitations seen by CNN.

The first lady was initially supposed to speak at a fundraiser in Vineyard Haven, Massachusetts, next Tuesday, which was set to include a conversation with David Letterman, and another in Yarmouth, Maine, on July 31. But the invitations now indicate Emhoff will speak at the events instead.

The swap comes as the campaign also is looking to reschedule at least three fundraisers President Joe Biden was set to hold in California and Colorado this coming weekend. A campaign official told CNN the rescheduled events could feature the president or other principals, but those details are still being ironed out.  

House Democratic Caucus chair Pete Aguilar, left, and House Democratic Caucus vice-chair Ted Lieu hold a press conference at the US Capitol on Tuesday.

Democratic Rep. Pete Aguilar on Tuesday called efforts by House Republicans to paint Vice President Kamala Harris as a “border czar” during the Biden administration as “laughable and unserious.”

Aguilar appeared to refer to a resolution introduced yesterday in which the House Republican campaign arm will work to spotlight Harris’ efforts in key swing districts in Arizona and New Mexico to tackle the root causes of migration from Central America as Republicans look to make border crossings and mass migrations a top campaign issue.

Aguilar said that future generations will remember President Joe Biden’s “grace, empathy, wisdom, resolve and integrity,” as he embarks on what is now the final months of his presidency after he ceased his own 2024 bid.

“(Biden’s) decision highlights the reality that everything is on the line this election because of the threat of Donald Trump and the Trump Project 2025,” the California Democrat told reporters. 

House Minority Leader Hakeem announced that he is endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris for the party’s presidential nomination.

“President Joe Biden has made the selfless decision to pass the torch to Vice President Kamala Harris, who is ready, willing, and able to lead us into the future. Kamala Harris and her candidacy has excited and energized the House Democratic Caucus, the Democratic Party and the nation,” the Democratic leader said in a news conference.

“Vice President Harris has earned the nomination from the grassroots up and not the top down,” Jeffries said, commending her qualifications.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer endorsed Harris moments before.

President Joe Biden’s “symptoms have resolved” and he has tested negative for Covid-19 via a rapid test, his physician Dr. Kevin O’Connor said Tuesday.

O’Connor also noted that during his Covid-19 infection, Biden never had a fever and his vitals remained normal.

The president’s doctor also added that Biden will “continue to be monitored” for any recurrence of his illness.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, left, and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries hold a news conference on Tuesday.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, while standing next to House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, announced he was endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris for the party’s nomination.

Vice President Kamala Harris descends from Air Force Two at Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport on Tuesday.

Vice President Kamala Harris has arrived in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, for her first trip to a battleground state after taking control of the Democratic presidential nomination to challenge Donald Trump.

Harris’ rally in Milwaukee opens a new phase in the 2024 race — one she previewed in a Monday trip to campaign headquarters, where she drew sharp contrasts with the former president in a much more energetic style than President Joe Biden has in recent months.

It also caps a historic two-day stretch that turned the race on its head.

By Monday night, less than 36 hours after Biden had announced he was dropping out of the race and endorsing his vice president, Harris had secured enough commitments from Democratic National Convention delegates to effectively lock down the nomination.

She had also raised more than $100 million from 1.1 million different donors — 62% of them first-time contributors — between Sunday and Monday, a Harris campaign official said. The enormous figure reflects the new energy within what had been a morose Democratic base.

The trip to Wisconsin — one of the three “Blue Wall” states, alongside Pennsylvania and Michigan — is Harris’ fifth there this year and ninth since becoming vice president.

Read more about the significance of the trip here.

Vice President Kamala Harris and second gentleman Doug Emhoff wave as they board Air Force Two in New Castle, Delaware, on July 22.

Second gentleman Doug Emhoff fired back Tuesday at former President Donald Trump calling his wife, Vice President Kamala Harris, names.

Emhoff said that Harris is “making the case against Donald Trump very clearly.”

She “laid out the case directly and in a compelling fashion. But she also laid out a vision for the future, a vision where there’s freedom, where we’re not having to talk about these issues of today in this post-Dobbs hellscape that Donald Trump created,” Emhoff said at the conclusion of a visit to a reproductive rights clinic in McLean, Virginia.

Her team, he said, is “going to prosecute the case against Donald Trump and his lies, his gaslighting, his – during Covid, the dereliction of duty, inciting an insurrection, and all of those other things. We’re going to make that very clear, she’s going to be able to make that case.”

Former President Donald Trump argued Vice President Kamala Harris “must answer” whether she thinks President Joe Biden is fit to serve out the rest of his term.

“Does Lyin’ Kamala Harris think Joe Biden is fit to run the U.S.A. for the next six months? She must answer the question,” Trump posted on Truth Social.

Trump claimed without evidence that Biden was “delegating his Presidential Authority to unelected Washington Bureaucrats” and that he “doesn’t even trust his Vice President.”

“WHO IS RUNNING THE COUNTRY?” Trump posted. 

Remember: Trump is not the first Republican to question whether Biden is fit to see out the rest of his term. On Sunday, House Speaker Mike Johnson called on President Joe Biden to resign “immediately” in the wake of Biden’s announcement that he will not seek reelection.

“If Joe Biden is not fit to run for President, he is not fit to serve as President. He must resign the office immediately,” Johnson, a Republican from Louisiana, said in a statement Sunday afternoon.

White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre takes questions during the daily press briefing in the Brady Press Briefing Room of the White House on July 9.

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre described calls from some Republicans —including GOP vice presidential nominee JD Vance – for President Joe Biden to step down as “ridiculous” during an interview aired Tuesday.

“The president decided to not run for reelection — that’s it, that’s all he decided on,” Jean-Pierre told ABC’s The View.

“He wants to continue to do the work, three and a half years of unprecedented historic work, I think that shows what he’s capable of doing, I think that shows how important his leadership is.” 

The White House press secretary said it’s been “a privilege and an honor,” to serve under Biden, adding: “What we saw from this president the last couple of days was human decency — a good man, someone who decided not to put himself first, like we’ve seen before, but to put the American people first, and this country first.” 

Still, a visibly emotional Jean-Pierre acknowledged that while the decision Sunday for Biden to withdraw from the 2024 race “was hard for many of us,” the president believes Vice President Kamala Harris “is incredibly qualified,” to lead the ticket in November. 

Former President Donald Trump speaks to supporters during a rally in Vandalia, Ohio, in March.

Former President Donald Trump has continued his flurry of posts on social media attacking Vice President Kamala Harris, President Joe Biden and Fox News. 

Trump also said he didn’t know who said he was considering JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon for Treasury Secretary, despite Trump being the person who said he was considering Dimon for the role if reelected.

Trump said in a recent interview with Bloomberg, “He is somebody that I would consider, sure.”

Now Trump posts: “I don’t know who said it, or where it came from, perhaps the Radical Left, but I never discussed, or thought of, Jamie Dimon or Larry Fink for Secretary of the Treasury.”

“Lyin’ Kamala Harris destroys everything she touches!” Trump posted. 

“I can’t believe it! They’re turning Crooked Joe Biden, the Worst President in the History of the United States, into a “Hero” - He was pushed out of power like a dog, and look what the Radical Left is able to do. MAGA2024!” Trump posted. 

“Why did Fox News put up Tim Walz, Governor of Minnesota, where I am leading? They make me fight battles that I shouldn’t have to fight!” Trump posted. 

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer speak to the press outside the White House in February.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries are expected to endorse Vice President Kamala Harris for the Democratic nomination for president during a news conference at 1 p.m. ET Tuesday, according to two sources.

One source told CNN that Schumer and Jeffries have spoken to Harris.

This is a breaking news story. We’ll bring you the latest updates as we get them.

Rep. Lauren Boebert speaks with CNN's Manu Raju on Tuesday.

Florida GOP Rep. Byron Donalds has argued that it was unnecessary for his colleague, Republican Rep. Tim Burchett from Tennessee, to call Vice President Kamala Harris a “DEI hire,” instead, he said, Republicans should focus on attacking her record.

He added, “There’s no reason to. Just examine what she’s done. Examine what she has said and what she has not said.” 

Texas Rep. Troy Nehls agreed, saying, “I don’t care about color this and that. I’m looking at performance, and she’s tied at the hip with Joe Biden and the disasters across the country and across the globe. And she’s not going to be able to escape that.”

However, Republican Rep. Lauren Boebert from Colorado backed Burchett’s comments, saying “we’re just repeating what Joe Biden himself said, and I dropped the receipts.” 

Boebert is referring to Burchett’s claim that President Joe Biden said he would pick a black woman as his VP. However, Biden only had pledged to pick a woman.

The “receipts” she’s referring to are in a video she tweeted, which includes Biden saying “I’m proud to have the most diverse administration in history.” 

Progressive Caucus Chair Pramila Jayapal laughed when asked about these comments. “Does anybody even know what DEI is? That’s all they’ve got? We’re going to win in November.” 

President Joe Biden boards Air Force One at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland on July 12.

President Joe Biden will no longer travel out west for a fundraising swing this weekend as the campaign works to reschedule the planned fundraisers he was set to headline, a Harris campaign official said.

Though the campaign and White House had not publicly announced Biden’s travel, the president was set to participate in two fundraisers in California and another in Colorado between Friday and Sunday, according to sources familiar with the plans.

The fundraisers will now be rescheduled for a later date either with Biden or other principals, the official said. 

The change in fundraising plans comes shortly after Biden posted on X that he will address the nation for the first time since he dropped out of the presidential race at 8 p.m. ET from the Oval Office.

Rep. Elissa Slotkin attends a hearing on Capitol Hill in July 2023.

Democratic Rep. Elissa Slotkin, a candidate for the US Senate in the battleground state of Michigan, highlighted youth voter enthusiasm for Vice President Kamala Harris’s candidacy as a positive sign for the future of the race.

The Harris campaign has been making concerted efforts to mobilize young voters this fall through social media memes, partnering with youth voter organizations and relying upon influencers whose reach includes younger audiences.

Democrats have continued to coalesce around Harris with many on Capitol Hill united in their enthusiasm for her candidacy and its potential effect on their own down-ballot races.

President Joe Biden will deliver a speech on his decision to drop out of the 2024 race on Wednesday. He will address the nation from the Oval Office at 8 p.m. ET, according to his post on X.

Biden announced his decision not to seek reelection in a letter posted to X on Sunday, after which he endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris to replace him on the ticket.

Harris secured the support of enough Democratic delegates to win the party’s nomination for president Monday evening, according to CNN’s delegate estimate.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries speaks to the press in the US Capitol on Tuesday.

Democratic Rep. Gregory Meeks said he discussed the strengths of Vice President Kamala Harris’ candidacy with House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries during the House Democrats’ weekly caucus meeting.

Asked if Jeffries endorsed Harris, Meeks said the leader “talked about her strength as a candidate.”

Jeffries has yet to endorse Harris, but he and Senate Majority Chuck Schumer plan to meet in-person with Harris “soon.” No date has been announced for the meeting.

He also praised President Joe Biden, saying he would “go down in history as one of the greatest presidents that America has ever seen.”

President Joe Biden boards Air Force One as he departs Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas, Nevada, on July 17, en route to Delaware.

President Joe Biden will today leave Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, ending his self-isolation since testing positive for Covid-19 last week, according to the White House.

The president is set to return to the White House at 2:30 p.m. ET.

He has no other public events on his schedule.

Vice President Kamala Harris, who Biden endorsed over the weekend after announcing the end of his reelection bid, is set to campaign today in Milwaukee.

Correction: An earlier version of this post incorrectly stated where Harris is campaigning.

The House Democrats’ campaign arm released a new memo obtained by CNN outlining their belief that the party remains “well positioned” to win back the House in November “despite a volatile month of ever-evolving political news.”

In terms of fundraising, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) said both party front liners and challengers out-raised their Republican opponents by an average of more than $440,000 in the most recent quarter.

The group said a June 2024 battleground poll found Democrats leading the generic ballot by one point. 

And despite changes to the top of the ticket with President Joe Biden not seeking reelection, the DCCC insisted “the message hasn’t changed” because the focus is on “authentic candidates” running true to the local issues of their races. 

“We know that candidate quality matters in down ballot races. Democrats run common sense, independent-minded candidates who reflect the diversity of our  nation and are focused on kitchen table issues” the memo reads.

Rep. Byron Donalds speaks to reporters in October.

Behind closed doors, Rep. Byron Donalds has appealed to the House GOP to keep focus on Vice President Kamala Harris’ policies, per an attendee. It’s a sign of how many Republicans are uneasy about the attacks over her race.

The Florida congressman’s appeal comes as the House Republican campaign arm is developing a targeted plan of attack to pin specific pieces of Harris’ record against Democrats running in competitive House races.

The framing of GOP attacks on down-ballot Democrats are starting to take shape even though Harris is still not officially the Democratic presidential nominee, as the GOP campaign arm looks to quickly adjust their message and maintain their goal of keeping control of the House. The plan, which is still evolving, is to continue to tie Harris to what they see as failed policies of the Biden administration while also resurfacing some of her positions from her 2019 presidential run.

Leadership is also weighing canceling next week’s congressional session and starting summer recess early over divisions on government funding bills.

CNN’s Annie Grayer contributed reporting to this post. 

Top row, left to right: Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper, Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly, and Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear.Bottom row, left to right: Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and California Gov. Gavin Newsom.

With President Joe Biden’s support unleashing a flood of endorsements from many prominent Democrats, Kamala Harris has emerged as the favorite to take his place as the party’s nominee for president.

Harris immediately received the endorsements of many Democratic party leaders and inherited the Biden campaign’s war chest.

Now, the conversation is fast moving around who will serve as Harris’ running mate.

Here are some potential candidates:

Read more about Harris’ potential running mates.

Migrants walk on the US side of the border wall in Jacumba Hot Springs, California on June 5, after crossing from Mexico.

The House Republican campaign arm is developing a targeted plan of attack to pin specific pieces of Vice President Kamala Harris’ record against Democrats running in competitive House races as Harris marches toward the Democratic nomination.

The framing of GOP attacks on down-ballot Democrats are starting to take shape even though Harris is still not officially the Democratic presidential nominee, as the GOP campaign arm looks to quickly adjust their message and maintain their goal of keeping control of the House. The plan, which is still evolving, is to continue to tie Harris to what they see as failed policies of the Biden administration while also resurfacing some of her positions from her 2019 presidential run.

In key swing districts in Arizona and New Mexico, the GOP campaign arm plans to hammer home Harris’ efforts to tackle root causes of migration from Central America as Republicans look to make border crossings and mass migrations a top campaign issue. Republicans have long dubbed Harris the “border czar,” and one GOP strategist said to expect Republicans to tie down-ballot Democrats to that title even more.

The White House has rejected the “border czar” title, arguing that her focus was on long-term fixes. In a key vote in February, Senate Republicans blocked a major bipartisan border deal and foreign aid package with assistance for Ukraine and Israel amid a torrent of attacks on the bill by former President Donald Trump and top House Republicans.

Read the full story.

Democratic party officials have argued that a virtual vote to select a presidential nominee must take place by August 7 to avoid the risk of litigation in Ohio. 

But when – and how – must a running mate be selected to join the nominee on those ballots? 

That’s a critical question members of the DNC’s Rules and Bylaws Committee are expecting to take up when the group convenes Wednesday, two members told CNN.

According to the two members, the co-chairs of the DNC’s Rules Committee have not yet finalized the official agenda for the meeting, which will be streamed online. 

Selecting a running mate for the party’s leading candidate, Vice President Kamala Harris, by the party’s convention, four weeks away, already represents an acceleration of a vetting process that often takes months. Selecting a running mate in advance of an August 7 roll call deadline would require an even faster track. 

CNN has reported that Attorney General Eric Holder and his law firm Covington & Burling are running the vetting process for Harris’ running mate. 

In 2020, when the party used a remote voting process similar to what it has proposed for this year, Biden, as the Democratic nominee, was functionally allowed to just name a vice presidential candidate, avoiding the need for a separate vote to approve the selection. 

Former President Donald Trump attacked Vice President Kamala Harris, Democrats and the media in a flurry of posts in the middle of the night on Truth Social. 

He called Harris, “Lyin’ Kamala Harris.”

Trump falsely said Harris was appointed by President Joe Biden to oversee the border and falsely said she never visited the border as vice president.

She visited the border in 2021 and was appointed by Biden to look into the root causes of migration from Central American countries.

Vice President Kamala Harris arrives to attend her first public appearance since President Joe Biden dropped out of the 2024 presidential race, on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, DC, on July 22.

Kamala Harris has aced her moment. So far.

The vice president has already won the backing of enough delegates to secure the Democratic nomination, sparked a fundraising bonanza and alchemized the mood of a party that looked headed for defeat.

In a rousing speech Monday, she rallied campaign staff at the Wilmington, Delaware, headquarters with President Joe Biden – still recovering from Covid-19 – calling in to solidify the transition. After laying out her prosecutorial case against former President Donald Trump, Harris cast the contest as “two different versions of what we see as the future of our country.”

There is an old saying in Washington that a presidential candidate will never have a better day than the one that follows their announcement. The maxim usually applies to the heady first hours of primary campaigns. But Harris, 59, is now playing in the big leagues.

She is just hours into a mission that ranks the most daunting of any modern potential presidential nominee.

Even if she succeeds in her plan to “earn and win” the Democratic nomination, Harris will come up against the most feral campaign machine in years. Trump is known for misogynistic and racially charged rhetoric that could turn the next few months into the most searing general election in years.

After replacing Biden as the campaign’s figurehead, Harris is now leading an effort that, as its foundation, aims to save democracy from Trump.

She has just more than 100 days to pull this all off.

Read the full analysis.

Vice President Kamala Harris will speak to supporters in Milwaukee, Wisconsin Tuesday afternoon.

She will be joined by several notable Wisconsin Democrats, including Gov. Tony Evers and Sen. Tammy Baldwin, a vulnerable Democratic senator running for re-election.

Harris will also be joined by state labor leaders, including WI AFL-CIO President Stephanie Bloomingdale, LIUNA Wisconsin President Kent Miller, and President of Milwaukee Building Trades Dan Bukiewicz. 

Vice President Kamala Harris speaks about Florida’s new 6-week abortion ban in Jacksonville, Florida, in May.

Although Vice President Kamala Harris has been a loyal messenger for President Joe Biden over the past four years, she has also previously advocated for more progressive positions on health care, taxes and other issues and will have to decide whether she’ll return to those roots.

A look at the proposals she floated during her run for the 2020 presidential nomination – in which Biden staked out more moderate ground – and as a senator can give some insights into her potential platform for 2024.

Here are a few of her 2020 proposals:

Read more about Harris’ 2020 proposals here.

George Clooney attends an event in September 2023.

Actor George Clooney has announced he is endorsing Kamala Harris for president.

The actor and Democratic donor had penned an op-ed calling on President Joe Biden to exit the race.

In the New York Times opinion piece, Clooney wrote that the Biden he saw during a June 15 fundraiser, which also included former President Barack Obama, “was not the Joe “big F-ing deal” Biden of 2010. He wasn’t even the Joe Biden of 2020.”

“He was the same man we all witnessed at the debate,” Clooney added, referencing Biden’s faltering and disastrous performance at the June 27 presidential debate on CNN.

That statement was a stunning assessment of Biden’s current state from someone who has interacted with the president privately — that the way the president presented himself during that debate, which the White House and Biden campaign have alternatively blamed on a cold and a tiring travel schedule, was not an aberration.

CNN’s Michael Williams contributed reporting to this post.

The Harris campaign is continuing its transition to highlighting Vice President Kamala Harris at the top of the ticket Tuesday with a newly-launched collection of “Harris for President” merch.

Supporters can now purchase “Harris for President” mugs, tote bags, koozies, apparel, yard signs, and even baby onesies.

There’s also “Madam President” branded gear available, including mugs, t-shirts, and hats.

Much of the merchandise sold in the campaign store already highlighted Harris, with “Kamala Pride Flag” and “Throwback Kamala” apparel available for purchase, but Tuesday’s merchandise is some of the first to explicitly feature the new campaign’s slogan, “Harris for President.”

Vice President Kamala Harris speaks at the DNC Winter Meeting in Philadelphia in February 2023.

Vice President Kamala Harris will travel to Milwaukee on Tuesday for her first rally since announcing her presidential campaign after President Biden suspended his reelection bid and endorsed her.

Harris is expected to highlight the contrast between “Donald Trump, the convicted felon who would drag this country backward, and her brighter vision for the future, where our freedoms are protected and every American has a fair shot,” according to a memo released by the campaign.

It comes a day after she secured enough delegate endorsements to win the Democratic presidential nomination, according to CNN’s delegate estimate.

Earlier this week, major Democratic elected officials in the Badger State endorsed her campaign, including Governor Tony Evers and Sen. Tammy Baldwin. The campaign says it has a large ground game in the state consisting of dozens of coordinated offices and over 160 full-time staffers “who have already begun knocking doors, making phone calls, and engaging their friends and neighbors to support Kamala Harris and Democrats up and down the ticket.”

The memo also accused Trump and MAGA Republicans of “highlighting his Project 2025 agenda to ban abortion nationwide, raise taxes for middle-class families, cut Social Security and Medicare, and give Trump virtually unchecked power” during the RNC last week.

This visit marks her ninth to Wisconsin since becoming vice president and her fifth visit to the state this year.

The House Republican campaign arm is developing a targeted plan of attack to pin specific pieces of Vice President Kamala Harris’ record against Democrats running in competitive House races as Harris marches toward the Democratic nomination.

The National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) sent a memo to candidates encouraging members to talk “only” about what Harris would “do” and avoid talking about anything else. 

The document asks members to focus on Harris’s failed policies at the border. 

The memo also asks members to talk about how Harris backs “decriminalizing illegal immigration” and supports “banning fracking” as well as “bailing out violent rioters.” 

For context: As part of the Biden administration, Harris backed a significant immigration package that aimed to shut down the border when crossings reached a certain threshold and to tighten the criteria for asylum eligibility in the U.S.

The memo states that Republicans have never had so little time to define a candidate, a reality that is being reflected in the sometimes messy and unclear messaging we saw yesterday. 

Punchbowl was first to obtain the memo. 

CNN’s Annie Grayer contributed reporting to this post.