The US presidential candidates continued to campaign across key swing states on October 20.
Footage shows a Church congregation in Georgia sing Happy Birthday to Vice-President Kamala Harris as she turns 60, and Donald Trump working the fryer and drive-thru at a McDonald’s in Pennsylvania.
Kamala Harris and Donald Trump have been ramping up personal attacks on each other as the White House rivals blitzed battleground states 16 days before the election.
In Pennsylvania, Donald Trump served fries at a McDonald’s as he sought to cast doubt on Kamala Harris’s biographical detail about having worked decades ago at the fast-food chain.
Kamala Harris was in Georgia, where she tweeted that Donald Trump was “exhausted, unstable, and unfit to be President of the United States”.
Polls show the two locked in a razor-tight race across the US, including in the seven battleground states that could swing the election.
Donald Trump visited a McDonald’s in Feasterville-Trevose, a suburb of Philadelphia, where he learned to make fries, dunking the wire basket in sizzling oil, and serving meals at a drive-through window.
The restaurant itself was closed to sit-in diners during Donald Trump’s visit.
“I like this job,” said the Republican, who is himself fond of Big Macs and Filet-o-Fish sandwiches.
He again accused Kamala Harris of “lying” about having once worked at the fast-food chain.
“I’ve now worked [at McDonald’s] for 15 minutes more than Kamala,” said Trump.
The Harris campaign said that the vice-president had worked on the cash register, ice cream machine and fry machine at a McDonald’s on Central Avenue in Alameda, California, in the summer of 1983.
McDonald’s placed an ad in the 1983 edition of the yearbook at a local high school, with pictures featuring a couple of students who worked there at the time.
Elon Musk has said he will give away $1 million a day to a registered voter in key swing states until the presidential election on November 5.
The winner will be chosen at random from those who sign a pro-US Constitution petition by Elon Musk’s campaign group AmericaPAC, which he set up to support Republican nominee Donald Trump’s bid to return to the White House.
The first lottery-style cheque was given away to a surprised attendee at a town hall event in Pennsylvania on October 19. Another cheque was handed out on the next day.
Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, a Democrat who supports Kamala Harris, called Elon Musk’s strategy “deeply concerning.”
Josh Shapiro told NBC News’ Meet the Press that law enforcement should potentially look at the payments.
The contest is open to voters in Pennsylvania, Georgia, Nevada, Arizona, Michigan, Wisconsin and North Carolina, all key battleground states that will ultimately decide the White House election.
Federal law states that anyone who “pays or offers to pay or accepts payment either for registration to vote or for voting” faces a potential $10,000 fine or a five-year prison sentence.
Though the tech billionaire is technically asking voters to sign a form, the intent behind the strategy seems controversial to experts.
Those who sign the petition – which pledges to support free speech and gun rights – must submit their contact details, potentially allowing AmericaPAC to contact them about their vote.
Campaigns and political action committees rely on tactics like petition signing, survey requests, or merchandise purchases to build massive databases of voter information. That data can then be used more accurately to target voters, or raise funds from supporters who are already onboard.
In Pennsylvania, Elon Musk is giving voters $100 for signing the petition, plus another $100 for each person they refer who signs. Voters in other battleground states get $47 per referral.
However, the strategy may be covered by a loophole under US election law because no-one is being directly paid to vote – despite introducing money into a process that could identify likely Trump voters.
In the US, it is illegal to provide payments to get people to vote – not only for a certain candidate, but to simply cast a ballot.
The rule prompted icecream-maker Ben & Jerry’s to give its product free to everyone on election day in 2008, having initially planned to limit it just to those with an “I voted” sticker.
While campaigning on October 20, Donald Trump was asked about Elon Musk’s giveaway.
“I haven’t followed that,” the former president said, adding that he speaks to Elon Musk often and he is a “friend”.
Elon Musk, the founder of SpaceX and Tesla and owner of X, formerly Twitter, has emerged as a key Trump supporter.
He launched AmericaPAC in July with the aim of supporting the former president’s campaign.
He has so far donated $75 million to the group, which has quickly become a central player in Trump’s election bid.
The Trump campaign is highly reliant on outside groups such as AmericaPAC to canvas voters.
Image source: theamericapac.org
A statement on the group’s website reads: “AmericaPAC was created to support these key values: Secure Borders, Safe Cities, Sensible spending, Fair Justice System, Free Speech, Right to Self-Protection.”
Elon Musk said he wants to get “over a million, maybe two million, voters in the battleground states to sign the petition in support of the First and Second Amendment”.
“I think [it] sends a crucial message to our elected politicians,” he added.
Elon Musk is currently the world’s richest man, with an estimated net worth of $248 billion, according to Forbes.
Vice-presidential debate between Republican JD Vance and Democrat Tim Walz on October 1st felt like a civil and relatively restrained conversation about the issues at the top of American voters’ minds going into the November 5th election.
In that, it was unlike the two presidential debates earlier this year.
The two men spent much more time attacking the other’s running mate than each other during 90-plus minutes on the CBS News stage in New York.
Tim Walz had a shaky start but hit his stride when talking about abortion and the Capitol riot.
But the even-tempered, policy-focused debate, with few political body blows, probably served JD Vance – a polished public speaker – best in the end.
If JD Vance was picked because he puts ideological meat on the bones of Donald Trump’s conservative populism, on Tuesday night he put a polite, humble face on them, as well.
“Something these guys do is they make a lot of claims about if Donald Trump becomes president, all of these terrible consequences are going to ensue,” he said.
“But in reality, Donald Trump was president. Inflation was low. Take-home pay was higher.”
Image source: CBS News
There were moments when the Republican candidate bristled at what he thought was unfair fact-checking from the two CBS moderators, and at one point microphones of both candidates were temporarily muted.
But for the most part, the exchanges on stage were even-tempered.
And there were several moments when the two men agreed on issues – and said so.
The most vigorous disagreements came toward the end of the debate, on the topic of Donald JD Trump’s repeated and false claims that the 2020 election was stolen from him.
Vance, when asked if Donald Trump lost the last presidential election, dodged the question and criticised what he said was Kamala Harris’s censorship.
Tim Walz quickly noted that it was a “damning non-answer”.
“To deny what happened on January 6, the first time an American president or anyone tried to overturn an election, this has got to stop,” he said.
“It’s tearing our country apart.”
Tim Walz went on to say that the only reason Mike Pence, Donald Trump’s previous vice-president, was not on stage was because he certified President Joe Biden’s victory.
JD Vance had no answer to that, highlighting that beyond his friendly demeanour and agreeability, he would not break from Trump’s position.
JD Vance and Tim Walz entered this debate with different skill sets. Vance has sparred with journalists on television in heated exchanges. Walz is at home on the campaign stump, using his folksy style in contrast to more polished politicians.
In the early part of this debate, with both candidates standing behind podiums in a New York City television studio, JD Vance seemed much more comfortable. His answers were smooth, and relentlessly on-message, constantly reminding the audience that for all of Vice-President Harris’s promises, Democrats have held the White House for the past three and a half years.
Tim Walz, for his part, seemed halting and unsure on the opening topic, dealing with October 1st Iranian missile attack on Israel and if the candidates would support an Israeli pre-emptive strike on Iran. The Minnesota governor rarely talks about foreign policy, and his discomfort on the subject was apparent.
Ryan Routh, who was accused of attempting to assassinate Donald Trump at his Florida golf course, has pleaded not guilty to the charges in a federal court.
According to prosecutors, Ryan Routh, 58, was spotted with a rifle as he hid in the bushes near Trump’s golf course in West Palm Beach earlier this month.
A Secret Service officer protecting Donald Trump allegedly spotted his rifle barrel poking through a fence and opened fire. Ryan Routh fled and was later arrested on Interstate 95, a main highway through the state.
In addition to the attempted assassination of Trump, Ryan Routh has been charged with firearms offences and assaulting an officer.
Image source Wikipedia
On September 30, Ryan Routh appeared in court handcuffed and wearing a brownish prison jumpsuit, according to CBS News.
After each count was read to him, he shook his head in acknowledgment of the charges.
His attorneys entered a plea of not guilty and requested a trial by jury. The hearing lasted around five minutes.
If convicted, Ryan Routh faces a maximum sentence of life in prison on the assassination charge.
An earlier court filing showed that Ryan Routh had written a note months ago saying he intended to kill the former president.
In a pre-written letter addressed to “The World” and sent to an unnamed witness months earlier, Routh appears to pre-empt a failed assassination attempt on Donald Trump.
“I tried my best and gave it all the gumption I could muster,” the letter reads, with the offer of a cash reward to anyone “who can complete the job”.
Ryan Routh has been held in prison in Florida since his arrest on September 15.
He has a long criminal record, including a felony gun conviction for owning a fully automatic machine gun, and was barred from owning firearms as a result.
He was active in recruiting volunteers to fight in Ukraine’s war against Russia, and had a range of eclectic political views, although he was registered as a Democrat and made anti-Trump posts online.
Ryan Routh’s alleged plot was the second attempt on Trump’s life after Thomas Matthew Crooks, a 20-year-old armed with an AR-style rifle, opened fire on the former president during a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania in July.
Thomas Matthew Crooks was shot dead by counter-snipers.
The Secret Service, the government agency tasked with protecting the president and other politicians and their family members, came under heavy criticism for allowing a gunman to get so close to the former president.
The agency is also responsible for protecting foreign leaders during US visits.
Donald Trump has announced that he does not expect to run for election again in 2028 if he is defeated in this November’s presidential poll.
The 78-year-old former president has been the Republican candidate for three national elections in a row and has reshaped the party greatly over the last eight years.
In an interview with Sinclair Media Group, Donald Trump was asked if he could foresee another run in the event that he loses to Democratic Vice-President Kamala Harris.
“No, I don’t. I think… that will be it,” he said.
“I don’t see that at all.”
However, he added that “hopefully, we’re going to be very successful”.
US law bars presidents from serving more than two terms, and so Donald Trump is not expected to run in 2028 if he wins, either.
In the past, Donald Trumo has rarely acknowledged the possibility of losing the election, more often firing up supporters with speeches and social media posts pledging victory at the polls.
But this is the second time in four days he has mentioned a chance of defeat.
During an event held by the Israeli-American Council on September 19, he brought up losing, and suggested that any such loss would partly be the fault of Jewish voters.
“Do they know what the hell is happening if I don’t win this election?” he said, according to various media reports.
“And the Jewish people would have to do a lot with that if that happens because at 40% [support] that means 60% of the people are voting for the enemy.”
Image source: Wikimedia Commons
The comments were condemned by the Harris campaign and by the nonpartisan American Jewish Committee and Anti-Defamation League.
Donald Trump’s acknowledgments of a possible loss may reflect how the Democratic Party’s prospects have changed since Kamala Harris became its nominee following President Joe Biden’s decision to quit the race.
The Harris campaign raised more than $190 million in August, compared to $130 million brought in by the Trump campaign and affiliated organizations.
In key battleground states which look set to prove decisive to the overall result, Kamala Harris has a narrower lead of 51% to 49%, which is a slight improvement from the even 50% in a similar poll conducted last month by CBS.
Another poll released on September 22 by NBC shows Kamala Harris with a five percentage point lead over Trump across the US.
It also found that 48% of registered voters see her positively compared to 32% in July – the largest jump since then-President George W. Bush’s favourability surged after the 9/11 attacks.
Donald Trump is scheduled to be at Trump National Golf Course in Rancho Palos Verdes, California, for a news conference soon.
He is holding the event one day after announcing that he will not participate in another presidential debate.
Moments after the former president’s comments, Kamala Harris’s campaign issued a statement saying “we owe it to the voters to have another debate”.
Kamala Harris and Donald Trump have been on the campaign trail for the first time since they faced-off on ABC News.
Polls suggest that most voters believe Harris won the debate, though Donald Trump claimed victory in his announcement that he would not debate her again.
There are just over 50 days until the US presidential election.
Donald Trump said on September 12 – two days after the pair’s first showdown in Philadelphia – that Kamala Harris only wanted a rematch because he “clearly” won.
Several instant polls taken after September 10 contest indicated voters felt Kamala Harris had performed better than her Republican opponent.
Donald Trump added that Kamala Harris should instead “focus” on her job as vice-president.
Shortly after, at a campaign rally in North Carolina, Kamala Harris responded by saying they “owe” voters another debate because “what is at stake could not be more important”.
Polls suggest the two candidates are in an extremely tight race with just two months to go before the election.
Both claimed victory after the 90-minute debate on ABC News, in which Kamala Harris rattled Donald Trump with a string of personal attacks that put him on the defensive. These included comments about the size of his rally crowds and his conduct during the January 6, 2021, riot at the US Capitol.
Donald Trump and his supporters have since accused the two ABC journalists that moderated the debate of being unfair and biased in favour of Kamala Harris.
“When a prizefighter loses a fight, the first words out of his mouth are ‘I want a rematch’,” Donald Trump wrote in a lengthy Truth Social post on September 12.
“Polls clearly show that I won the debate against comrade Kamala Harris, the Democrats’ radical left candidate… and she immediately called for a second debate,” he added.
Donald Trump held a rally in Arizona on September 12 and gave an interview with Telemundo Arizona backstage.
“We just don’t think it’s necessary,” he said of a second debate with Kamala Harris.
“We think we’ve discussed everything and I don’t think they want it either.”
The Harris campaign, however, called for a second debate immediately after Philadelphia.
“Vice-President Harris is ready for a second debate. Is Donald Trump?” the campaign said.
Speaking after the debate, various Trump campaign surrogates – including Florida Republican Representative Matt Gaetz – said they believed Donald Trump would welcome another debate.
Both campaigns had reportedly been in discussions over a debate on NBC News on September 25.
Kamala Harris and Donald Trump met in a fiery debate – their first of the 2024 US presidential election.
They debated policy but personal attacks also dominated the 90 minute event in Philadelphia.
Kamala Harris frequently rattled the former president with personal attacks that threw him off message and raised the temperature of this highly-anticipated contest.
She said people leave Trump rallies early “out of exhaustion and boredom” – he said people don’t go to hers in the first place.
Donald Trump criticized Kamala Harris’s record on immigration and the border, and also her shifting policy positions – Harris blamed him for “Trump abortion bans” and the January 6 attacks on the Capitol.
The pattern for much of this debate was Harris goading her Republican rival into making extended defences of his past conduct and comments. He gladly obliged, raising his voice at times and shaking his head.
Americans should go to a Trump rally, Kamala Harris said during an early question about immigration, because they were illuminating.
“People start leaving the rallies early out of exhaustion and boredom,” she said.
That barb clearly rattled Donald Trump, as he then spent most of his answer – on a topic that should have been one of his main areas of strength – defending his rally sizes and belittling hers.
Donald Trump went from there to an extended riff on a debunked report that Haitian immigrants in the town of Springfield, Ohio, were abducting and eating their neighbour’s pets.
But Harris turned the topic to Trump’s proposed across-the-board tariffs, which she labelled a “Trump sales tax”, and then brought up Project 2025, the controversial independent conservative plan for a future Republican administration.
As he has in the past, Trump distanced himself from the project and defended his tariff plan, noting that the Biden administration had kept many of the tariffs in his first presidency. They were valid points, but it kept him from hammering the vice-president on inflation and consumer prices.
Snap polls suggest Kamala Harris won the debate, but Donald Trump says afterwards that she “lost very badly”.
With the election taking place on November 5, Kamala Harris is slightly ahead in national opinion polls – but key battleground states are very tight.
This is a snapshot that could be momentary but the Harris tactic of putting Trump on the defensive was clear early in the evening when the topics covered were the economy and abortion.
Public opinion surveys indicate many Americans are unhappy with how the Biden administration – of which Harris is a key member – has handled inflation and the economy.
VP Kamala Harris is criticizing Donald Trump over a recent controversy involving his campaign at Arlington National Cemetery, saying the military burial site is “not a place for politics”.
Kamala Harris took aim at the former president on August 31 in a post on social media, writing that he “disrespected sacred ground, all for the sake of a political stunt”.
The US Army said a Trump staffer “abruptly pushed aside” a cemetery employee who was trying to warn his team about rules against filming in the cemetery.
The Trump campaign has disputed the cemetery’s version of events and said it received permission from the families of the fallen soldiers to film.
The incident happened on August 26, when Trump was at an event honouring 13 US military service members who were killed during the country’s withdrawal from Afghanistan three years ago.
The VP’s post marks the first time Kamala Harris, the Democratic nominee for president, has commented on the controversy.
She wrote that she has visited Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia several times during her tenure as vice-president, and she would never use the site for political gain.
“If there is one thing on which we as Americans can all agree, it is that our veterans, military families, and service members should be honored, never disparaged, and treated with nothing less than our highest respect and gratitude,” Kamala Harris said.
“And it is my belief that someone who cannot meet this simple, sacred duty should never again stand behind the seal of the President of the United States of America.”
At a campaign rally in Michigan on August 29, Donald Trump hit back at those who had criticized him over the incident.
He said he had been asked to pose for a photo at the site after the memorial by family members of the soldiers who had died.
“I go there, they ask me to have a picture and they say I was campaigning,” Donald Trump said.
“The one thing I get plenty of is publicity. I don’t need that. I don’t need the publicity.”
On September 1, the Trump campaign released a statement from the Gold Star military families that invited him to the event, saying the former president was there to honour the sacrifice of their relatives who were killed.
They also took aim at Kamala Harris in the statement, saying she has “disgracefully twisted this sacred moment into a political ploy”.
Meanwhile, Donald Trump’s running mate JD Vance used the controversy to attack the Biden administration over its handling of the 2021 withdrawal from Afghanistan, saying that Kamala Harris “can go to hell”.
“Three years ago, 13 brave, innocent Americans died, and they died because Kamala Harris refused to do her job,” JD Vance said in response to questions from CBS News.
Federal law prevents use of the cemetery for political campaigning and the US Army said participants were warned of the rules in advance.
The Trump campaign has denied that a physical altercation took place at the cemetery, adding “we are prepared to release footage if such defamatory claims are made”.
Elon Musk’s much-anticipated X-chat with Donald Trump was marred by technical issues.
The conversation, in which Elon Musk asked friendly questions on subjects such as immigration and inflation, began more than 40 minutes late as many users struggled to gain access.
The event was billed as an interview but the Republican candidate made a series of unsubstantiated claims that went without challenge.
Elon Musk repeated his endorsement of Donald Trump, who faces a resurgent new Democratic candidate, VP Kamala Harris, in November’s election.
He blamed the glitches on a cyber-attack.
The conversation on X comes as Donald Trump, the former president and Republican presidential nominee, is trying to reset his re-election campaign.
The entry of Kamala Harris after President Joe Biden stepped aside has tightened the race for the White House.
Elon Musk meanwhile has become an increasingly influential voice in politics.
He has recently become involved in a new political committee supporting Trump’s campaign.
“America is at a fork in the road and you are the path to prosperity and I think Kamala is the opposite,” said Elon Musk in one exchange.
The two men touched on a range of issues, from the assassination attempt on Trump last month at a Pennsylvania rally, to his wanting the US to get an “Iron Dome” missile defence system like the one in Israel as well as immigration, a key plank of his campaign.
Image source: Wikimedia Commons
Donald Trump also mused about closing the federal Department of Education and moving that responsibility to the states as one of his first acts if he wins the election in November.
The relationship between Elon Musk and Donald Trump has shifted over the years and they have traded online barbs in the past.
Donald Trump, who has been skeptical of electric vehicles and previously vowed to roll back federal subsidies, praised car-maker Tesla, which Elon Musk also owns.
He recently said he had “no choice” but to support EVs because of Elom Musk’s endorsement and called the Tesla product “great” on August 12.
Many observers detected a difference in Trump’s voice which sounded like he had a lisp, but a spokesman for the Trump campaign said it was no different from normal.
However the Musk-Trump conversation got off to a less than auspicious start.
As many users struggled to access the livestream, Elon Musk blamed “a massive DDoS attack on X” for the problems in a post.
Distributed denial of services attacks – or DDoS attacks – are attempts to overload a website to make it hard to use or inaccessible.
The glitchy beginning was reminiscent of Florida Governor Ron DeSantis’ entry into the White House race in May 2023, which was held on X and saw the livestream malfunction.
Kamala Harris has chosen Minnesota Governor Tim Walz as her vice-presidential nominee.
Tim Walz, 60, is a former school teacher and member of Congress.
Kamala Harris wrote on social media that he stood out from the competition because “his convictions on fighting for middle class families run deep”.
But the Trump campaign said Tim Walz was a “dangerously liberal extremist”.
He is viewed as somebody who can win over rural and working-class voters, particularly in crucial Midwestern states.
On August 6, Tim Walz appeared with Kamala Harris at a campaign event in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, before the pair begin a five-day tour of other key battleground states.
They will also speak at the Democratic National Convention later this month, from 19 to 22 August in Chicago, when the Harris-Walz ticket will be made formal.
Tim Walz said earlier it was “the honor of a lifetime” to join the Democratic ticket.
Kamala Harris was officially selected as the party’s presidential nominee by a virtual roll-call vote that ended on August 5.
They will face Donald Trump and his running mate, Ohio Senator JD Vance, in the general election on November 5.
Image source: Minnesota.gov
US media reports indicated Kamala Harris had not decided her running mate until August 6.
Her campaign vetted about a dozen people over the past two weeks.
Announcing the selection, Kamala Harris shared details of Tim Walz’s background “both because it’s impressive in its own right, and because you see in no uncertain terms how it informs his record”.
“As a governor, a coach, a teacher, and a veteran, he’s delivered for working families like his own,” she wrote.
“We are going to build a great partnership. We start out as underdogs but I believe together, we can win this election.”
During the vetting process, Tim Walz drew enthusiastic support from pro-labor groups and his party’s progressive wing.
He also gained attention with his description of Donald Trump and ‘Make America Great Again’ Republicans as “weird”.
Republican candidate Donald Trump has reacted to President Joe Biden’s decision to pull out of the presidential race, posting on his platform Truth Social: “Crooked Joe Biden was not fit to run for president, and is certainly not fit to serve – and never was!”
“He only attained the position of President by lies, Fake News, and not leaving his Basement.
“All those around him, including his Doctor and the Media, knew that he wasn’t capable of being President, and he wasn’t,” he writes.
“We will suffer greatly because of his presidency, but we will remedy the damage hehas done very quickly. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!”
President Joe Biden, 81, has announced he’s ending his campaign for re-election to the White House.
It follows weeks of pressure from within his party, sparked by a faltering debate performance against Donald Trump in late June.
The president said his decision was “in the best interest of my party and the country” and that it had been the greatest honour of his life to serve as the American president.
Joe Biden said he would see out the remainder of his term in the White House and has endorsed Vice-President Kamala Harris to take the top of the ticket as the Democratic candidate for president in the November election.
His political opponents, including House Speaker Mike Johnson, have called on him to step down straight away. Joe Biden’s rival for president, Donald Trump, says the Democrat is “not fit to serve”.
However, Joe Biden has received tributes from prominent figures within his party, such as California Governor Gavin Newsom, and beyond – such as Star Wars actor Mark Hamill, who said he “restored honesty, dignity and integrity” to the White House after Trump.
Donald Trump has named former “never Trumper” Republican and Ohio Senator JD Vance as his vice-presidential nominee.
Republican National Convention (RNC) delegates formally selected JD Vance, 39, on July 15 after Donald Trump announced on his social media platform he had chosen him after “lengthy deliberation and thought”.
JD Vance is a Yale-educated venture capitalist and author of the bestselling memoir-turned-film Hillbilly Elegy.
He has previously criticized his new running mate, once suggesting privately that Donald Trump could be “America’s Hitler”, but has since become an ardent supporter.
In the 2022 midterm elections, he won a seat in the Senate with Donald Trump’s endorsement – his first time being elected to public office.
After his confirmation as Donald Trump’s running mate, JD Vance took aim at Joe Biden, claiming on Fox News that Americans elected an “empty vessel” in 2020 who is now “an incapacitated president”.
He claimed Democrats had lied about Joe Biden’s health, and voters could “either reward or punish that behaviour” in November.
JD Vance added that he had said “bad things” about Donald Trump but it was important to admit he was wrong.
A native of Ohio, JD Vance gained attention after the release of Hillbilly Elegy, which tells of his blue-collar upbringing and how it affected his politics.
Donald Trump said on the Truth Social platform that the book “championed the hardworking men and women of our country”.
“As Vice President, J.D. will continue to fight for our Constitution, stand with our Troops, and will do everything he can to help me MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN,” he continued.
In comments on July 15, President Biden called JD Vance a “clone of Trump” – indicating how Democrats will attempt to portray him for the rest of the campaign.
Donald Trump has returned to his home in New Jersey after he was injured in an attempted assassination at a rally on July 13.
Shots rang out as the Republican candidate was speaking at an event in Pennsylvania, sparking panic in the crowd as Secret Service agents swarmed the former president.
Donald Trump, who emerged with a bloodied face, says he was shot in the ear, describing a “whizzing sound” and feeling a “bullet ripping through skin”.
The FBI has identified the gunman as 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks – he was shot and killed by the Secret Service.
One spectator was killed at the rally and two others were critically injured.
After the shooting, President Joe Biden released a statement, expressing concern about the “sick” assassination attempt and saying he was “grateful” to hear that Donald Trump was safe.
“I have been briefed on the shooting at Donald Trump’s rally in Pennsylvania. I’m grateful to hear that he’s safe and doing well,” Joe Biden said.
“I’m praying for him and his family and for all those who were at the rally, as we await further information. Jill and I are grateful to the Secret Service for getting him to safety.
“There’s no place for this kind of violence in America. We must unite as one nation to condemn it. It’s sick, it’s sick”.
Image source: Wikimedia Commons
Vice-President Kamala Harris also released a statement, underlining that she is “relieved” Donald Trump was not seriously injured.
“We are praying for him, his family, and all those who have been injured and impacted by this senseless shooting.”
It says he “looks forward to joining you all in Milwaukee as we proceed with our convention to nominate him to serve as the 47th president of the United States. As our party’s nominee… [he] will continue to share his vision to Make America Great Again,” the statement from the Trump campaign and RNC reads.
Earlier, Donald Trump posted a statement on Truth Social, a platform he founded.
The former president thanked law enforcement officers and the Secret Service for their “rapid response”.
“Most importantly, I want to extend my condolences to the family of the person at the rally who was killed, and also to the family of another person that was badly injured. It is incredible that such an act can take place in our country,” Donald Trump said.
“Nothing is known at this time about the shooter, who is now dead. I was shot with a bullet that pierced the upper part of my right ear. I knew immediately that something was wrong in that I heard a whizzing sound, shots, and immediately felt the bullet ripping through the skin.
“Much bleeding took place, so I realized then what was happening. God Bless America!”
It has since been confirmed that President Biden has spoken with Donald Trump.
President Joe Biden has assured Democrat donors that he can still win November’s presidential election against Donald Trump, after a poor debate performance fuelled concern about his candidacy.
Joe Biden, 81, attended a series of fundraising events in New York and New Jersey on June 29, and defended his performance in CNN’s Presidential Debate.
Speaking at one event, President Biden admitted: “I didn’t have a great night, but neither did Trump.”
“I promise you we’re going to win this election,” he said.
Joe Biden’s debate performance was marked by hard-to-follow and shaky answers – raising fresh fears among some Democrats over whether he is the right candidate to contest this high-stakes election.
The Biden campaign accepted that the debate had not gone as they had hoped, but said he would not step aside for another nominee.
Photo AP
Campaign chairwoman Jennifer O’Malley Dillon said on June 29 that internal post-debate polling showed “voters’ opinions were not changed”.
Former President Barack Obama, a close friend of Joe Biden, said on social media that “bad debate nights happen”.
“This election is still a choice between someone who fought for ordinary folks his entire life and someone who only cares about himself,” Barack Obama wrote.
Hours after the debate, Donald Trump told his supporters that he considered the debate a “big victory” for his campaign.
“Joe Biden’s problem is not his age,” the 78-year-old Trump said.
“It’s his competence. He’s grossly incompetent.”
A post-debate poll by liberal pollster Data for Progress found that 62% of likely voters who watched or read about the debate found Donald Trump won. Only 30% of those polled said Joe Biden won the debate.
Until further polling is conducted, fundraising could be another indication of continued enthusiasm for Joe Biden’s candidacy.
In a memo, chairwoman Jennifer O’Malley Dillon said the campaign had raised more than $27 million from June 27 to June 28.
Former president Donald Trump has hit out after being convicted on all 34 counts of falsifying business records in his historic criminal trial in New York.
He’s called the verdict a “disgrace” and attacked the judge, and has found the support of fellow Republicans.
He was accused of falsifying business records linked to a hush-money payment made Stormy Daniels, whose alleged affair with Donald Trump was at the center of this case.
Image source: Fulton County Sheriff’s Office
The Biden campaign said the verdict showed that “no-one is above the law”, and has urged Americans to make sure Donald Trump doesn’t return to the White House.
Donald Trump can still run for president despite the convictions. He faces prison when he’s sentenced on 11 – but legal experts say a fine is more likely.
Donald Trump is due to deliver a press conference from Trump Tower at 11:00 EDT on May 31st.
Donald Trump’s lawyer hit back against prosecutors, accusing their star witness – Michael Cohen – repeatedly of lying.
On the most tense day yet of cross-examination, Michael Cohen, Donald Trump’s former fixer, described talking to the former president directly about a hush-money payment to an adult-film star.
But attorney Todd Blanche all but shouted Michael Cohen’s testimony was “a lie.”
Records, he said, show Michael Cohen called Donald Trump’s bodyguard about a prank caller.
Todd Blanche’s alternate theory of the phone call was designed to sow doubt on Michael Cohen’s third day on the stand, as the jury watched the furious exchange with intense focus.
Following the heated moment, Todd Blanche stormed back to the defense table and sat down next to his client. When the judge announced an afternoon recess, there was a collective exhale in the room.
Donald Trump is charged with 34 felony counts of falsifying business records, for allegedly disguising payments to Michael Cohen as legal expenses when they were in fact reimbursements for paying off film star Stormy Daniels, who claims she had an affair with him.
Image source: Fulton County Sheriff’s Office
Prosecutors allege Donald Trump sought to keep damaging information from the public to protect his 2016 presidential campaign. The former president has pleaded not guilty to all counts and denied having an affair with Stormy Daniels.
On May 16, Michael Cohen maintained that his previous testimony was true, and that he spoke to Donald Trump about the payout to Stormy Daniels on a call on October 24, 2016.
Earlier this week, prosecutors asked Michael Cohen about the call to help establish Donald Trump’s alleged direct knowledge of the payoff scheme. Michael Cohen testified that he kept his boss aware during every step of the process of paying Stormy Daniels.
As the man at the centre of the payout, Michael Cohen’s testimony is crucial for prosecutors to prove whether or not Donald Trump had knowledge of the allegedly fraudulent reimbursement plan.
However, Michael Cohen’s criminal record, history of lying to Congress, and profane public criticism of Donald Trump makes him a flawed witness. In 2018, he pleaded guilty to federal campaign finance crimes over the hush-money payment, but maintains that he sent the money at Donald Trump’s direction.
The defense seized on Michael Cohen’s credibility issues for nearly two days and sought to paint him as a liar with a vendetta against Donald Trump.
On May 16, Todd Blanche played recordings from Michael Cohen’s podcast, Mea Culpa, where the witness expressed a desire to see the former president go through the booking process and said of Donald Trump: “I want this man to go down.”
Todd Blanche also confronted Michael Cohen with an X post where he called the former president “Dumbass Donald.”
Prosecutors and Donald Trump’s attorneys delivered opening statements and the first witness was called on April 22 in the historic and unprecedented criminal trial of a former president.
“It was election fraud, pure and simple,” a lawyer told the jury during opening statements at the historic trial in New York.
Setting out the case for the defense, Donald Trump’s lawyer said his client had committed no crimes and that it was not illegal to try to influence an election.
“He is cloaked in innocence,” he added.
Donald Trump is accused of trying to cover up a $130,000 payment to adult movie star Stormy Daniels before he won the race for the White House back in 2016.
He has pleaded not guilty to 34 counts of falsifying business records and also denies having an alleged affair with Stormy Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford.
At the start of the second week of the criminal trial in Manhattan – the first ever of a former US president – each side set out the case they will present to the jury. The first witness, tabloid publisher David Pecker, also took the stand briefly and will continue his testimony on April 23.
Prosecutor Matthew Colangelo told the court that Michael Cohen, Donald Trump’s former lawyer and confidant, worked with the Trump Organization’s chief financial officer, Allen Weisselberg, to “cook the books” at Trump’s direction.
Prosecutors alleged that the scheme to disguise how Michael Cohen was reimbursed for the payment to Stormy Daniels involved falsifying three forms of records – invoices, ledger entries and cheques.
Donald Trump said in his business records that those payments were “for legal services pursuant to a retainer agreement” with Michael Cohen, Matthew Colangelo told the jury.
Image source: Wikimedia Commons
Critically for this case, he said that Donald Trump was motivated to provide the payoff so voters did not learn of the alleged encounter with Stormy Daniels.
Prosecutors said that this cover-up should be considered election interference, which constituted a second crime. That elevated the charge of falsifying business records from a lower-level misdemeanour into a more serious felony.
They claimed the infamous Access Hollywood tape, which surfaced weeks before the 2016 election and showed Donald Trump bragging about being able to have sex with anyone because he is famous, had panicked his campaign.
“The defendant and his campaign staff were deeply concerned that it would irreparably damage his standing with female voters in particular,” Matthew Colangelo told the court.
But when Stormy Daniels came forward a day later alleging an affair with Donald Trump, it compounded the problem created by the tape, Matthew Colangelo alleged.
The trial is expected to last about another six weeks, but legal experts say opening statements are particularly important as an opportunity to shape jurors’ views on the case.
Donald Trump has been criticized by Joe Biden’s campaign team for sharing a video on social media featuring a truck bearing the image of the president with his hands and feet tied together.
The Biden campaign team accused the former president of “regularly inciting political violence” ahead of November’s election.
A spokesman for the Trump campaign said Democrats have been calling for “despicable violence” against Donald Trump.
Donald Trump posted the video on his social media site Truth Social on March 29.
According to the caption, it was filmed in Long Island, New York, on March 28 when the former president attended the wake of a New York City police officer who was killed during a traffic stop.
The video shows two passing trucks on the road, both covered in US flags and flags claiming support for the police.
The second truck was emblazoned with the words “Trump 2024”, and the rear of the vehicle features an image of Joe Biden with his hands and feet tied.
Image source: Wikimedia Commons
Donald Trump’s promotion of the video drew criticism from Joe Biden campaign’s team.
“Trump is regularly inciting political violence and it’s time people take him seriously – just ask the Capitol police officers who were attacked protecting our democracy on January 6,” spokesman Michael Tyler said, referring to the storming of Congress by the former president’s supporters after he falsely claimed the 2020 election had been stolen from him.
But Steven Cheung, a spokesman for the Trump campaign, responded: “That picture was on the back of a pickup truck that was travelling down the highway. Democrats and crazed lunatics have not only called for despicable violence against President Trump and his family, they are actually weaponizing the justice system against him.”
The Republican presidential nominee faces four criminal cases, with an election subversion case and New York hush money case the most likely to be heard in court before the election on 5 November.
Donald Trump has pleaded not guilty in all the cases, and claimed he is being politically persecuted.
The row over the tailgate image is the latest in a series of heated exchanges between the two presidential candidates in the run-up to the polls.
In his bid to return to the White House, Donald Trump has ramped up his rhetoric, frequently referring to those convicted for their part in the riot at the Capitol on January 6, 2021 as “hostages”.
He also came under criticism for comments in Ohio earlier this month in which he warned of a “bloodbath” if he wasn’t elected. He made the reference after talking about foreign car imports and their economic impact.
The Biden campaign seized on the comments but Donald Trump accused them and the media of taking him out of context.
Judge Scott McAfee, who oversaw an election interference case against Donald Trump in Georgia, has thrown out some criminal charges, but left most in place.
The judge found six counts in the 41-count indictment against Donald Trump and some of his co-defendants, including Rudy Giuliani, lacked detail.
But he said the charges can be refiled at a later date.
Donald Trump was among 19 people charged with a conspiracy to overturn the state’s 2020 election results.
“The lack of detail concerning an essential legal element is, in the undersigned’s opinion, fatal,” Judge McAfee wrote in his order on March 13.
He said the charges do not provide the accused with enough information to prepare their legal defences “intelligently”, adding that “this does not mean the entire indictment is dismissed”.
Judge McAfee was randomly assigned the Trump case in 2023, just six months after being appointed as a judge by Georgia Governor Brian Kemp, a Republican.
He previously worked as a prosecutor, including for the Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, a Democrat who led the investigation into the former president.
Image source: Wikimedia Commons
Judge McAfee’s ruling affects three of the 13 charges against Donald Trump.
They relate to a call Donald Trump made to Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger in which he told him: “All I want to do is this. I just want to find 11,780 votes, which is one more than we have.”
One of the charges accused the former president of soliciting public officials to break the law by violating their oath of office.
However, Judge McAfee said the indictment was not specific enough about exactly what Donald Trump wanted the officials to do.
The other dismissed charges apply to some of his most prominent co-defendants: Rudy Giuliani, John Eastman and Mark Meadows.
In his order, Judge McAfee said the charges “contain all the essential elements of the crimes but fail to allege sufficient detail regarding the nature of their commission, i.e., the underlying felony solicited”.
It comes as a win for Donald Trump and his co-defendants, who had filed to dismiss the charge. Prosecutors could now choose to refile the charges with more information in their allegation, or let the ruling stand and focus on the other charges.
The group had initially faced 41 total charges. Donald Trump is facing up to 20 years in prison in Georgia if convicted of the most severe charge of racketeering.
In a statement, Donald Trump’s lawyer in the Georgia case, Steve Sadow, called the ruling “a correct application of the law, as the prosecution failed to make specific allegations of any alleged wrongdoing on those counts”.
Donald Trump, who is running for president against Joe Biden in November, has slammed the case as politically motivated.
Donald Trump must pay $83.3 million to E. Jean Carroll, a writer he was found to have defamed by denying her allegation of sexual assault, a New York jury has ruled.
In 2023, E. Jean Carroll won another civil case in which a separate jury found Donald Trump legally responsible for sexually abusing and defaming her, and awarded her $5 million in damages.
The outcome in the first case did nothing to deter the former president in denying E. Jean Carroll’s story, personally attacking the writer and claiming he had never met her.
Image source: Wikimedia Commons
After January 26 hefty legal bill, Donald Trump notably did not denigrate the former Elle columnist in his reaction online, instead calling the case a “Biden Directed Witch Hunt”.
Donald Trump – who is currently facing four criminal indictments and could soon have to dish out millions more dollars in a New York civil trial relating to business fraud – has often claimed the cases against him are politically motivated.
Recent polling has shown Donald Trump locked in a tight race with President Joe Biden, and even edging ahead in some cases, in a prospective rematch of their 2020 race.
Lawyers for E. Jean Carroll pointed out throughout the trial that Donald Trump was still defaming her both in and out of court.
In closing arguments, they asked the jurors – seven men and two women – to deliver the kind of penalty that will “make him stop”.
Of the $83.3 million awarded to E Jean Carroll, $65 million of it is punitive damages.
It is extremely unlikely that the Supreme Court would grant an appeal, because the justices rarely ever review cases involving such civil trials.
Former federal prosecutor Mitch Epner said Donald Trump has avoided having to pay E. Jean Carroll any money so far by transmitting a deposit to the court while the appeals process plays out.
Mitch Epner expects Donald Trump will do the same with these much higher damages – stumping up either cash or an appeal bond as a deposit.
Without that, he added, E Jean Carroll could start seizing the former president’s personal assets around the country, even putting liens on his real estate.
After Donald Trump’s commanding victories in the first two Republican primary contests in Iowa and New Hampshire, there is no sign that January 26 verdict will slow his march to the party’s presidential nomination.
Voters begin to arrive at caucus locations – schools, churches and small event spaces – ahead of a 19:00 local start time (20:00 ET).
Voters are braving temperatures as low as -23C (-9F) after winter storms blanketed the state in snow and ice.
Iowa is the first major state-wide vote to decide who will be the Republican. presidential candidate for the 2024 election.
There will be over 1,600 caucus sites across Iowa’s 99 counties, and all will be reporting the results of their vote to the state’s Republican Party officials as quickly as possible.
Donald Trump has consistently posted big leads over his nearest rivals in Iowa.
The most recent poll of Iowans who were likely to caucus had Trump at 48%, ahead of Nikki Haley with 20% and Ron DeSantis with 16%.
The candidates have been urging their supporters to brave the weather, with Donald Trump saying: “Even if you vote and then pass away, it’s worth it.”
The Haley campaign says it expects a “strong” result in Iowa, while Ron DeSantis claims sturdy support among “bed-rock” conservatives.
The Donald Trump, Nikki Haley and Ron DeSantis campaigns and their political action committees (which raise and spend money to elect and defeat candidates) have altogether spent nearly $90 million on ads in Iowa.
Of these, Haley’s campaign and the pro-Haley Stand 4 America Fund PAC have spent the most, totalling about $36 million. The DeSantis campaign and various affiliated PACs follow closely behind with about $35 million spent.
Donald Trump – the distant front-runner in the race – his campaign and the MAGA Inc PAC have spent far less, totalling about $18 million.
Vivek Ramaswamy and Asa Hutchinson also remain in the contest, but are not expected to garner significant support.
Former Vice President Mike Pence has withdrawn from the 2024 presidential race, saying “this is not my time”.
Mike Pence made the announcement at the Republican Jewish Coalition in Las Vegas on October 28.
“We always knew this would be an uphill battle, but I have no regrets,” he wrote in a statement.
Mike Pence, 64, is the first major Republican candidate to suspend his campaign in a race led by former President Donald Trump.
He had languished in recent polls and had struggled to gain the support of Republican voters.
The former vice president’s campaign had also racked up large amounts of debt, with Mike Pence ending September owing $621,000 and having only US$1.2 million in the bank – significantly less than other Republican rivals.
“I am leaving this campaign, but I will never leave the fight for conservative values,” he wrote in a statement addressed to his supporters.
Photo Getty Images
Mike Pence lost the support of many Republican voters when he publicly broke with Donald Trump over the January 6 Capitol riot in 2021, and when he presided over the certification of Joe Biden’s 2020 election results in Congress.
Donald Trump admonished Mike Pence for lacking “courage” when he refused to overturn the Democratic leader’s election victory.
Some rioters were heard chanting “hang Mike Pence” as they stormed the halls of Congress in 2021, and since then many Trump loyalists have viewed him as a traitor.
The former vice-president said in March that Donald Trump’s encouragement of the rioters had “endangered my family and everyone at the Capitol that day”.
In his resignation, Mike Pence did not endorse any other Republican candidates for the presidential election.
But he called on Americans to choose a leader that “will ‘appeal to the better angels of our nature’ and not only lead us to victory but also lead our nation with civility and back to those time-honoured principles that have always made America strong, prosperous and free.”
Mike Pence’s decision to withdraw from the Republican presidential campaign came shortly before the third presidential debate on November 8.
Former President Donald Trump is expected to fly from Florida on his private plane and hand himself in with federal agents there after a grand jury has indicted him in connection with a $130,000 pay-out to adult film star Stormy Daniels.
According to CBS News, Donald Trump’s court hearing has been set for April 4, in the afternoon.
The charges are not yet public, and a lawyer for Donald Trump said on March 31 that he too has yet to read the indictment.
A law enforcement official told CBS that Donald Trump is expected to fly his private plane to New York on April 3 before surrendering to officials on April 4.
The process is likely to involve dozens or possibly hundreds of Secret Service agents, the official added, speaking on condition of anonymity.
Donald Trump will not be handcuffed, the official added, saying that shackles are typically only used on suspects who are thought to be a flight or safety risk.
The hearing is due to take place at 14:15 local time.
Donald Trump’s lawyer, Joe Tacopina, told ABC News that the former president will “probably” appear in court on April 4, “but nothing is certain”.
Prosecutors “will try and get every ounce of publicity they can from this thing”, he said, adding “the president will not be put in handcuffs”.
“I understand they’re going to be closing off blocks around the courthouse, shutting down the courthouse,” he continued.
Security is being co-ordinated by the FBI, NYPD, Secret Service and New York City court officers.
Sources tell CBS that they are bracing for possible scenarios that include attacks against Donald Trump, prosecutors, jurors or members of the public. The district attorney’s office has received “many threats”, the sources said.
On March 31, the streets around the courthouse were calm but the barricades were going up in anticipation of what may come next week.
Police officers were on patrol and security plans were being put into place. Many expect the area to go into lockdown when the former president attends court.
The district attorney’s office had initially asked Donald Trump to surrender on March 31, according to Politico, but the request was rejected because more time was needed for security preparations.
The 76-year-old ex-president denies any wrongdoing. He is the first serving or former US president to face a criminal charge.
It is unclear how many charges are contained in the indictment, which is still sealed.
Media reports have said the ex-president faces more than 30 counts related to business fraud and Joe Tacopina said on March 30 he thought there would be 34. However, on the next day he said he did not know how many.
“We know what the subject matter is, we know the basis of the charges. We don’t know the exact counts or how they’re formulated,” he said.
On March 31, Donald Trump began attacking the judge assigned to his case in an effort to undermine the credibility of the investigation and rally his base to his defence.
Republicans – including House Speaker Kevin McCarthy – have accused the Manhattan district attorney of weaponizing the criminal justice system to influence next year’s presidential election. Georgia Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Green, who Donald Trump recently suggested should run for Senate, called on followers to protest and said she plans to be present in New York next week.
In response, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said the charges had been brought by citizens of New York doing their civic duty – and neither the former president nor Congress could interfere with proceedings.
In Washington, the US Capitol Police, which are tasked with safeguarding lawmakers in Congress, said the force believes protests will take place across the country and have plans in place to increase security at the US Capitol.
In 2016, Stormy Daniels contacted media outlets offering to sell her account of what she said was an adulterous affair she had with Donald Trump in 2006 – the year after he married his current wife, Melania.
Donald Trump’s team got wind of this and his lawyer, Michael Cohen, paid $130,000 to Stormy Daniels to keep quiet. This is not illegal.
However, when Donald Trump reimbursed Michael Cohen, the record for the payment says it was for legal fees. Prosecutors say this amounts to Donald Trump falsifying business records, which is a misdemeanour – a criminal offence – in New York.
President Joe Biden declined to comment on the indictment, despite being pressed on the issue by journalists as he left the White House on a trip to Mississippi.
Nearly three months after announcing his campaign, Donald Trump made his first campaign foray out of his adopted home state of Florida on January 28.
In New Hampshire, he addressed a meeting of the Republican Party and announced the outgoing state party chair would be a senior adviser to his campaign. And at the state capitol in Columbia, South Carolina, he received the endorsements of the state’s governor, Henry McMaster, and Senator Lindsey Graham.
Lindsay Graham, a Trump confidante who expressed some disillusionment after the Capitol riot on January 6, 2021, is now back firmly in the fold.
Donald Trump once again denied his 2020 defeat and told supporters that he – unlike any possible Republican alternatives – would be the most effective nominee in 2024.
“To change the whole system, you need a president who can take on the whole system and a president who can win,” he said from the state capitol’s main hall.
In both stops, the former president touted what he said was his record of success during his presidency and attacked President Joe Biden’s record on crime, immigration and the economy.
Image source Wikipedia
Across the street, Todd Gerhardt, a Republican district executive committee member from nearby Charleston, sold honey in Trump-shaped plastic bottles.
Todd Gerhardt was an early supporter of Donald Trump’s first presidential campaign, organized a 2016 rally for him on South Carolina’s posh Kiawah Island, and recently visited the former president’s Mar-a-Lago estate for a fundraiser and to provide his honey for the campaign’s gift bags.
It’s no coincidence that the first two stops of Donald Trump’s third presidential campaign were South Carolina and New Hampshire. The two states could prove to be central to Trump’s strategy to retake the White House.
While Iowa is the first state to hold a Republican presidential nomination contest in 2024, Donald Trump finished third there in 2016 and the evangelical Christians who dominate the state’s Republican electorate could be eying other possible candidates, like former Vice-President Mike Pence and former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.
New Hampshire and South Carolina, however, provided Donald Trump with a one-two punch that catapulted him to the front in 2016 – a lead he never relinquished.
They could do the same in 2024. In fact, every Republican presidential nominee since 1980 has won the South Carolina primary, making it unique among the traditional early-voting states.
South Carolina could prove to be a unique challenge for Donald Trump this time around, however. He faces potential challenges from Senator Tim Scott as well as the state’s former governor, Nikki Haley.
An Emerson Poll conducted earlier this week found 55% of Republican voters supporting Donald Trump, well ahead of the 29% for Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who has not announced a presidential bid but is viewed to be the former president’s most formidable rival. A Monmouth poll in December had Mr DeSantis ahead by double-digits.
Earlier this week, Meta announced that it was lifting the suspension it had placed on Donald Trump’s accounts in the aftermath of the attack on the US Capitol by his supporters. Although the former president has yet to resume posting to his accounts, his return could provide yet another opportunity for voter outreach – and fundraising – as his still minimally staffed campaign gears up for its 2024 run.
If rallies and Facebook donations were the fuel for Donald Trump’s past White House bids, his South Carolina stop was a different kind of operation.
With only 300 announced attendees, it was a decidedly low-key event compared to his typical arena gatherings, with their carnival atmosphere. Attire tended toward sport coats and dresses, not Make America Great Again hats and Let’s Go Brandon t-shirts.
To win a third Republican presidential nomination, however, Donald Trump will need the support of the political rank-and-file in states like New Hampshire and South Carolina, as well as his rally-going loyalists. And while Donald Trump’s national polls show continued strength, a recent South Carolina survey had nearly half of Republican voters expressing a preference for “someone else” besides Donald Trump.
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