Former President Donald Trump and his freshly announced running mate, Sen. JD Vance of Ohio, held their first rally together in the battleground state of Michigan on Saturday.
Vance briefly spoke before introducing Trump, who talked to the crowd in Grand Rapids for close to two hours. It was Trump's first time back on the campaign trail since surviving an assassination attempt at his rally in Butler, Pa., last weekend. The event was held indoors at the Van Andel Arena, and security was reported to be tighter.
Michigan is a key battleground state for Trump. He won the state by just over 10,000 votes in 2016, but President Biden flipped it blue in 2020.
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Kate Murphy
Biden reacts to Trump rally: 'I will win'
President Biden immediately weighed in on social media following the conclusion of Trump's rally remarks, saying he's going to "win" the election this fall.
It comes as over 35 Congressional Democrats have publicly called for Biden to step aside. The president is currently self-isolating at his home in Rehoboth Beach, Del., after testing positive for COVID-19 last Wednesday.
It’s a miracle, folks. Donald told the truth for once.
It’s the most important election of our lifetimes.
And I will win it. pic.twitter.com/PjEIO6znSW
— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) July 20, 2024
Kate Murphy
Trump spoke for almost 2 hours at campaign rally
Trump wrapped up tonight's campaign rally remarks roughly 110 minutes after taking the stage. This includes the time GOP businessman Sandy Pensler took to endorse fellow Republican Mike Rogers.
The Associated Press reported that rallygoers appeared to grow restless as the speech continued, with some members of the audience leaving as Trump spoke.
Trump took about 93 minutes to get through his RNC address in Milwaukee on Thursday night.
Kate Murphy
Michigan GOP businessman Sandy Pensler drops out of U.S. Senate race, endorses former Rep. Mike Rogers
Businessman Sandy Pensler announced during Trump's rally that he's dropping out of Michigan's crowded Republican Senate primary race and endorsed former Rep. Mike Rogers.
"President Trump endorsed Mike Rogers. Tonight, so am I," Pensler said.
Rogers — who Trump endorsed earlier this year — served in the U.S. House from 2001 to 2015 and chaired the House Intelligence Committee.
The state's Republican Party primary takes place on Aug. 6.
Kate Murphy
Trump invites apparent United Auto Workers union member onstage at rally
Trump invited a person who appeared to be a United Auto Workers union member onstage at his rally Saturday night.
Trump suggested the two had met before. "Are you the same guy? Yes? No kidding. Pretty good memory, right? Unlike somebody else that I happen to be running against," Trump said in an apparent dig at Biden.
The former president then told the man to get up onstage.
"It's OK. He does not carry guns," Trump said, acknowledging recent security concerns following last Saturday's attempt on his life — for which the Secret Service is under fire.
The man then took the microphone, telling the crowd to support Trump.
Nicole Darrah
World leaders reached out to Trump after shooting, he tells crowd
Trump said that over the last week, he has heard from leaders around the world in the wake of his assassination attempt.
He told the crowd in Grand Rapids that Chinese President Xi Jinping wrote him a "beautiful note." He said "most of the leaders" wrote him similar notes. "It was nice," Trump said.
See Also+++ 13:23 Ukrainischer Kommandeur rechnet mit baldigem Ende der russischen Offensive ++++++ 13:23 Ukrainischer Kommandeur rechnet mit baldigem Ende der russischen Offensive ++++++ 13:23 Ukrainischer Kommandeur rechnet mit baldigem Ende der russischen Offensive ++++++ 13:23 Ukrainischer Kommandeur rechnet mit baldigem Ende der russischen Offensive +++He claimed he has good relationships with a lot of world leaders, including North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. "I got along with him great," he said. "It's a good thing to get along, not a bad thing."
All Kim wants to do, Trump said, "is buy nuclear weapons and make them." The former president went on to claim he told Kim to "relax" and go watch a Yankees game.
Trump said something similar about Kim during his RNC address in Milwaukee, adding, "I think he misses me."
Kate Murphy
Trump talks about mounting pressure for Biden to step aside
Trump dug into how President Biden is facing an increasing number of calls from Democratic party members to step aside from his 2024 reelection campaign.
“At this very moment, Democrat Party bosses are frantically trying to overthrow the results of their own party’s primaries to dump crooked Joe Biden from the ballot,” Trump said.
More than 35 Congressional Democrats have so far publicly called for Biden to step down. “As you’re seeing, the Democratic Party is not the party of democracy," Trump said as he denied being an "extremist."
“They keep saying, ‘He’s a threat to Democracy.’ ... Last week I took a bullet for democracy,” he said as the crowd cheered.
Nicole Darrah
Trump dons smaller ear bandage after ex-White House doctor says wound is beginning to heal
Trump appeared onstage wearing a skin-toned bandage over his ear. It's different from what he wore this past week at the Republican National Convention: a large white bandage that covered much of his ear.
Nicole Darrah
Trump honors memory of man killed at his campaign rally
Trump honored the memory of Corey Comperatore, the 50-year-old supporter who was killed at his campaign rally last weekend.
He described Comperatore "as a great firefighter" and noted that his funeral was held on Friday.
"Shielding his wife and daughters from bullets," he said, describing how Comperatore died. "He shielded them from the bullets of this horrendous person."
Trump said the rallygoer "was a hero and we will carry his memory in our hearts for all time. Great hero," and chants of "Corey!" broke out.
Trump also said he remains in contact with the two others "who were wounded in that evil attack."
Kate Murphy
Trump shares thanks for 'outpouring of love' following rally shooting
Trump started his campaign rally speech Saturday by acknowledging the campaign rally shooting that happened in Butler, Pa., a week ago, almost down to the hour, which prompted the crowd to chant "fight, fight, fight" — a nod to what Trump said to the crowd in the moments after he survived an assassination attempt.
He thanked Americans nationwide for the "outpouring of love and support" and said he was only here "by the grace of almighty God."
Trump praised Butler Memorial Hospital in Pennsylvania, where he received care after he suffered a wound from a bullet graze to his right ear, for the "incredible job they did and service they gave."
Kate Murphy
Trump makes his way onto campaign stage for first time since attempted assassination
The former president has taken the campaign rally stage for the first time with his new VP pick since an attempt was made on his life last Saturday.
He hugged JD Vance as he walked onstage in Grand Rapids, Mich., and thanked Vance for the introduction.
Trump appears to be wearing a skin-toned bandage over his ear — different from the large white one he wore at the Republican National Convention this past week.
Trump sustained a 2 cm-wide wound after a bullet grazed his right ear, and he still needs a bandage due to "intermittent bleeding," according to an update from former White House physician Rep. Ronny Jackson.
Vance takes stage for a second time to introduce Trump
Sen. JD Vance made a second appearance on the rally stage, coming out just around 5:15 p.m. ET to introduce his running mate.
Kate Murphy
House Homeland Security Committee chair to visit Trump rally shooting site
Republican Rep. Mark Green of Tennessee, chair of the House Committee on Homeland Security, announced Saturday that he and fellow committee members will visit the site of the Trump assassination attempt in Butler, Pa., on Monday.
“This Committee continues to seek answers from DHS (Department of Homeland Security) and Secret Service for the security lapses resulting in the near-assassination of former President Trump and the tragic murder of Corey Comperatore,” Chairman Green said. “We will visit the site on Monday morning to better understand how this near-assassination took place.”
The tour will start at 11:30 a.m. ET on July 22.
Nicole Darrah
Before he was Trump's VP pick, Vance was a sharp critic
Trump selected Sen. JD Vance as his running mate in the 2024 presidential race. But Vance had previously spoke poorly of the former president — even calling him "America's Hitler."
“I go back and forth between thinking Trump is a cynical a—hole like Nixon who wouldn’t be that bad (and might even prove useful) or that he’s America’s Hitler,” Vance wrote in a message to a friend in 2016.
Publicly, in an essay that same year for the Atlantic, Vance was also blunt: “Trump is cultural heroin. He makes some feel better for a bit. But he cannot fix what ails them.”
But the Republican Party today is in a very different place than it was in 2016. Eight years ago, Trump was challenging party norms, both in ideology and in etiquette. Now, he has fully transformed the party into his brand of combative populism.
Read more from Yahoo News: ‘Cultural heroin’ to 'great president': RNC speakers like JD Vance have transformed from Trump trash talkers to his closest allies
Nicole Darrah
'Fight'-themed merch on sale outside the Van Andel Arena in Grand Rapids
The scene outside the Van Andel Arena in Grand Rapids, Mich., on Saturday showed supporters lining up — and people selling "Fight"-themed merch — to see Donald Trump and Sen. JD Vance speak, a week after the former president survived an assassination attempt in Pennsylvania.
Kate Murphy
Former White House doc gives update on Trump's ear following assassination attempt
Trump shared a detailed update from his former White House physician, Texas Rep. Ronny Jackson, in a Truth Social post on Saturday.
"The bullet passed, coming less than a quarter of an inch from entering his head, and struck the top of his right ear," Jackson wrote, adding later that it was an "absolute miracle" Trump wasn't killed.
"The bullet track produced a 2 cm wide wound that extended down to the cartilaginous surface of the ear. There was initially significant bleeding, followed by marked swelling of the entire upper ear," the statement said.
Jackson added that Trump's wound is beginning to "heal properly," but a bandage is still necessary on his right ear because there is "intermittent bleeding."
Jackson said that shortly after Trump was shot at his campaign rally in Butler, Pa., last weekend, Trump was rushed to a local hospital where he underwent a CT scan of his head. "He will have further evaluations, including a comprehensive hearing exam, as needed."
Overall, Jackson said, Trump "is doing well, and he is recovering as expected" after the rally shooting.
Nicole Darrah
Biden campaign commits to 3 VP debates; Trump team won't commit before DNC
Vice President Kamala Harris has accepted three potential dates from CBS News for a vice presidential candidate debate with Sen. JD Vance: July 23, Aug. 12 and Aug. 13.
But the Trump campaign on Wednesday said it won't agree to a set debate time and date until after the Democratic National Convention, which begins on Aug. 19 in Chicago. While Trump's team hasn't agreed to a CBS debate, it has agreed to a vice presidential debate hosted by Fox News, NBC News reports.
Brian Hughes, a senior adviser to the Trump campaign, said in a statement, according to NBC: “We don’t know who the Democrat nominee for Vice President is going to be, so we can’t lock in a date before their convention."
Hughes suggested that Harris could become the Democratic Party's presidential nominee. And said locking in a date "would be unfair" to California Gov. Gavin Newsom, Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker and Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, "or whoever Kamala Harris picks as her running mate."
Nicole Darrah
David Letterman to headline Biden fundraiser this month
Former "Late Show" host David Letterman will headline a fundraiser with President Biden and Hawaii Gov. Josh Green in the Aloha State later this month.
The Associated Press reports:
The fundraiser on July 29 will be at the home of a family friend on Martha’s Vineyard, Mass., Green told the Associated Press on Friday. It will feature the longtime late-night host plus Biden and first lady Jill Biden. The campaign has at least 10 other fundraising events scheduled over the last 10 days of July.
Letterman helmed CBS's "Late Show" for 22 seasons. The event comes as other celebrities like George Clooney, director Rob Reiner and author Stephen King have called on Biden to drop out of the 2024 race, following his disastrous debate performance on June 27. There has also been growing concern over continued fundraising support after anxious donors expressed serious worries about his performance and the future of the party.
Read more from Yahoo News: George Clooney calls on Biden to drop out of the 2024 race weeks after co-hosting a Democratic fundraiser for him. Here's why it matters.
Nicole Darrah
Vance speaks in Grand Rapids
Sen. JD Vance is speaking at his first rally as a vice presidential nominee in Grand Rapids, Mich.
“To my Ohio brethren: Guys, we've got to win Michigan,” he told the crowd around 3:30 p.m. ET, after he walked out to the song, "America First."
He went on to say that his wife, Usha Vance, and his children were "out enjoying Grand Rapids right now."
Nicole Darrah
Whitmer 'welcomes' Trump and Vance to Michigan: 'Here, we protect reproductive freedom'
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer "welcomed" Donald Trump and Sen. JD Vance on Saturday by touting the state's liberal-leaning policies.
She noted that abortion is a legally protected right in Michigan and said Michigan is "a proud union state."
"Oh, and one more thing: Michigan is going to reject your extreme Project 2025 agenda," she said of the conservative policy proposal that critics have labeled "an authoritarian takeover of the United States."
Click here for a closer look at Vance's stance on abortion and other issues.
Welcome to Michigan, Donald Trump and JD Vance. Here's what you need to know: pic.twitter.com/AiRALGWtpC
— Gretchen Whitmer (@gretchenwhitmer) July 20, 2024
Nicole Darrah
Secret Service director says she'll testify at House hearing on Monday
Secret Service director Kimberly Cheatle agreed to appear before Congress on Monday following the assassination attempt against Trump last week.
The House Oversight and Accountability Committee subpoenaed Cheatle last week as calls grew for the director of the agency to resign after a gunman managed to open fire at Trump at a campaign rally.
Republican Rep. James Comer, the committee chair, and Democratic Rep. Jamie Raskin, a ranking member, said in a statement that "while we often have passionate disagreements about policies and investigative priorities, we are united in condemning all political violence and ensuring that America will prevent such a horrific event from ever happening again."
"Americans have many serious questions about the historic security failures that occurred at the campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania," the committee leaders said.
They hope Cheatle — who has said she won't resign from her role — will "answer our many questions and provide the transparency and accountability that Americans deserve and that are at the foundation of our government.”
