Pinned
WASHINGTON—President Joe Biden discussed a wide range of topics during an interview with NBC News that aired on July 15, days after the attempted assassination of his political rival, former President Donald Trump.
In the interview, President Biden shared his thoughts on his confidence in the Secret Service, former President Trump’s vice presidential pick, and his phone conversation with the former president.
He also emphasized the urgent need to end political violence.
On July 15, former President Donald Trump announced that Sen. J.D. Vance (R-Ohio) was his vice presidential pick, ending months of speculation.
“After lengthy deliberation and thought, and considering the tremendous talents of many others, I have decided that the person best suited to assume the position of Vice President of the United States is Senator J.D. Vance,” former President Trump said in a Truth Social post.
1. He’s 39 Years Old
Mr. Vance was born on Aug. 2, 1984. Turning 40 in August, he’s the first millennial on a major party ticket and one of the youngest vice presidential candidates in history.2. He’s a Catholic
Mr. Vance was raised Protestant, but later converted to Catholicism, officially becoming Catholic in August 2019.3. He’s Married to Usha Chilukuri Vance
Mr. Vance is married to Usha Chilukuri Vance, whom he met at Yale Law School. They married in 2014.
U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon dismissed the Justice Department’s classified documents case against former President Donald Trump on July 15, ruling that special counsel Jack Smith’s appointment violated two key provisions of the U.S. Constitution.
The ruling raises questions about the Justice Department’s use of special counsels.
U.S. Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle says she plans to stay on in her role in the wake of the assassination attempt against former president Donald Trump at his Pennsylvania campaign rally on July 13.
It’s still unclear how 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks was able to carry an AR-15 rifle to a rooftop at the Butler Farm Show Grounds and fire multiple rounds at the former president.
In a July 16 interview with the ABC, Ms. Cheatle said that while she agreed that an individual managing to fire multiple shots at a former president under the protection of the Secret Service was “unacceptable,” she is “absolutely” going to stay on, with no plans to resign.
Ms.Tobias said former President Trump and Mr. Vance join “the majority of Americans” in the belief that “tax dollars should not be used to pay for elective abortions.” “Senator Vance brings a strong pro-life background to the Republican ticket, which contrasts with the extreme pro-abortion position of Joe Biden and [Vice President] Kamala Harris,” said Ms. Tobias.
When it comes to convention attire, the more eye-popping and the more patriotic, the better.
Conventioneer Jim Walsh of Connecticut drew a lot of attention for a stuffed elephant he wore atop his head, representing the GOP’s mascot.
Lawmakers have called for an investigation into how the shooter managed to gain access to the roof of a nearby building and fire at the former president, despite the presence of the U.S. Secret Service. House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) announced on July 15 that the committee will hear testimony from Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle on July 22.
Alejandro Mayorkas, the Homeland Security (DHS) secretary, said on July 15 that Secret Service protection will be extended to independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
“In light of this weekend’s events, the president has directed me to work with the Secret Service to provide protection to Robert Kennedy Jr.,” Mr. Mayorkas said.
The announcement was made at a White House news briefing with press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre.
MILWAUKEE—It’s official: Former President Donald Trump is the Republican Party’s 2024 presidential nominee.
The announcement was made almost simultaneously with former President Trump’s announcement of his running mate, Sen. J.D. Vance (R-Ohio).
The GOP confirmed its nomination of the former president as the state of Florida added its delegates to the official count.
The former president made the announcement shortly before delegates at the Republican National Convention were scheduled to nominate him and his choice for vice president to represent the GOP in the 2024 presidential election.
Republicans approved their new platform on the first day of the national convention in Milwaukee, giving the seal of approval to a document that differs in significant ways from its predecessors.
The approval by voice vote came early during the first formal session on the afternoon of July 15. The ayes were louder than nays, but nays were not absent.
Pete Hoekstra, former ambassador to the Netherlands and leader of the Michigan Republican Party, moved to advance the platform soon after the rules package for the convention moved forward.
MILWAUKEE—Hordes of law enforcement personnel are keeping a close watch in about a half-square mile area surrounding the Republican National Convention site.
Officials enhanced security following the July 13 attempt to assassinate former President Donald Trump at his rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.
Tall black fences form a perimeter. To reach entrances, attendees navigate a circuitous route to the Fiserv Forum, where events are being held through July 18.
Former President Donald Trump praised the U.S. Secret Service for its response to his July 13 assassination attempt, saying in a new interview that its agents came in like “linebackers” to protect him.
“They took him out with one shot right between the eyes,” former President Trump told the New York Post in an exclusive interview, referring to a Secret Service agent who shot the assailant after he fired shots at Saturday’s rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.
“They did a fantastic job. It’s surreal for all of us.”
“The Superseding Indictment is DISMISSED because Special Counsel Smith’s appointment violates the Appointments Clause of the United States Constitution,” the order reads.
The 93-page opinion and order was issued after days of oral arguments over the special counsel’s appointment and the statutory authority that the Justice Department argued Attorney General Merrick Garland used to appoint Mr. Smith.
WASHINGTON—President Joe Biden on July 14 addressed the nation from the Oval Office, highlighting a need to “lower the temperature in our politics” in the wake of the assassination attempt against his 2024 political rival, former President Donald Trump.
“We are not enemies. We’re neighbors or friends, coworkers, citizens, and most importantly, we’re fellow Americans,” the president said. “We must stand together.”
This was his first Oval Office address since the Oct. 7 Hamas terrorist attack in Israel last year. He spoke for just over 6 minutes.
A slight turn of his head meant the difference between life and death, former President Donald Trump said in a Monday interview that was published just 36 hours after he survived an assassination attempt at a rally in Pennsylvania.
He added that if he only made a “half-turn” of his head, the bullet would “[hit] the back of the brain,” adding that “the other way goes right through [the skull].”
Former President Donald Trump was hustled off the stage with a bloodied face after a bullet pierced his ear during a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13. Authorities are now investigating what they’ve called an assassination attempt.
The attack marked the first shooting of a U.S. president or presidential candidate since President Ronald Reagan survived an assassination attempt in 1981.
6:02 p.m. —Trump Takes the Stage
Former President Trump takes to the stage to the tune of “God Bless the USA,” waving to the crowd under the scorching sun.
A municipal police officer had encountered the gunman on the rooftop before he fired at former President Donald Trump at his Pennsylvania campaign rally but was unable to stop him in time, the Butler County sheriff said.
The gunman had been spotted by bystanders on the roof of a building outside the rally perimeter for Secret Service, and the area was being guarded by local law enforcement. As the officer tried to climb onto the roof to inspect it, the shooter who was already lying on the roof turned and aimed his gun at him, forcing the officer to withdraw back to ground level for cover.
FBI officials say they believe the would-be assassin of former President Donald Trump acted alone.
The agency is investigating the attack as both an attempted assassination and an act of domestic terrorism, officials told reporters in a call with news media on July 14.
The new details emerged less than 24 hours after the United States saw its first major assassination attempt of a president or presidential candidate since President Ronald Reagan was shot in 1981.
It’s short. It’s punchy. It’s former President Donald Trump’s, courtesy of the party he leads.
“The RNC platform reads like the outline to a Donald Trump speech. It actually reads in his voice,” Richard Gordon, a member of the chairman’s board of the Democratic Governors Association, told The Epoch Times.
Republicans will nominate former President Donald Trump as their presidential nominee for a third time at the Republican National Convention at Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, from July 14 to July 18.
Party conventions have been a staple of presidential politics for nearly 200 years.
Presidential primaries, which started to gain momentum in the mid-20th century, were originally non-binding.
RNC Opens
MILWAUKEE—A resolute Republican Party will convene its national convention on July 15, less than 48 hours after an assassination attempt against presumptive presidential nominee Donald J. Trump.Amid uncertainty about the motivation for the attack and escalating political tension in the country, party leaders and others have also called for calm as the party nominates former President Trump as its candidate for the nation’s highest office.
More than 2,400 Republican delegates, thousands of invited guests, and hundreds of journalists will attend the four-day convention. In all, some 50,000 people are expected in Milwaukee.
Audrey Gibson-Cicchino of the U.S. Secret Service said on July 14 that the convention already has the highest security designation the federal government issues and that she is confident adequate provisions are in place. “We’re not anticipating any changes to our operational security plan for this event.”
However, multiple law enforcement officers from various agencies posted in the downtown area on July 14 told The Epoch Times that security arrangements were evolving based on changes made by the Secret Service in the wake of the July 13 shooting.
Groups of up to 10 officers were posted at various locations around and within the secure perimeter of Fiserv Forum, the convention site. Squads of five to six officers patrolled the area on bicycles.
Officers from various municipalities are providing security for the event, including those from the city and county of Milwaukee. State police officers from other states, including Indiana and New Jersey, are also on duty. Members of the Transportation Security Administration man pedestrian screening checkpoints around the arena.
RNC Plans Unchanged
The former president survived the attack at a campaign rally in Bradford, Pennsylvania on July 13, suffering a gunshot wound to his right ear.Before he was escorted from the platform by a cadre of Secret Service agents, former President Trump, blood streaked across his face, paused to pump his fist to the crowd and appeared to voice the words, “Fight! Fight! Fight!”
Former President Trump was treated and released from a medical facility. Two people were killed, including the attacker, and two were seriously injured.
The next day the former president repeated his intention both to continue his political struggle and to appear at the convention where he will be formally nominated on the final day of the event, July 18.
Chris LaCivita and Susie Wiles, senior members of the Trump campaign staff, issued a memo to campaign staffers on July 13.
Tamping Down Rhetoric
At the same time, members of the Trump campaign and others have cautioned against allowing speculation and political rhetoric to escalate tension in what has become the most contentious election cycle in recent memory.Mr. LaCivita and Ms. Wiles likewise urged campaign staffers to avoid fueling tensions further.
“We also urge you to recognize the political polarization in this heated election,” they wrote. “Please do not comment publicly on the occurrence of today. We condemn all forms of violence and will not tolerate dangerous rhetoric on social media.”
President Joe Biden also called for calm discourse.
“We’ll debate, and we’ll disagree. That’s not—that’s not going to change. But it’s going to—we’re going to not lose sight of the fact of who we are as Americans.” President Biden said in a statement on July 14.
He later addressed the nation from the Oval Office, saying, “Disagreement is inevitable in American democracy. It’s human nature. But politics must never be a literal battlefield. We stand for an America not of extremism and fury, but of decency and grace.”
Political figures from both parties roundly condemned the attack on the former president.