Politics
Trump, Vance hit battleground states as they counter-program Harris, Walz at DNC
![Trump, Vance hit battleground states as they counter-program Harris, Walz at DNC Trump, Vance hit battleground states as they counter-program Harris, Walz at DNC](https://static.foxnews.com/foxnews.com/content/uploads/2024/08/Donald-Trump-York-PA-Aug-19-2024-scaled.jpg)
CHICAGO – As day two of the Democratic National Convention gets underway Tuesday in blue state Illinois’ largest city, former President Trump and his running mate, Sen. JD Vance, will be in nearby battleground states.
It is part of the Trump campaign and the Republican National Committee’s plan to offer a full week of counter-programming to the Democrats’ national nominating convention.
“Donald Trump is barnstorming all across the country over the course of this next week,” RNC Chair Michael Whatley emphasized in a Sunday interview on Fox News’ “America’s Newsroom.”
“We are going to be out directly talking to every American family across the country the way that only Donald Trump can. And we are absolutely asking for their votes. We’re asking for their support,” Whatley highlighted.
KAMALA HARRIS PROPOSES ROLL BACK OF KEY PORTION OF TRUMP’S 2017 TAX CUTS
Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris gestures onstage before speaking during the Democratic National Convention in Chicago on Aug. 19, 2024. (REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque)
The move is partially to try and blunt the momentum of Vice President Kamala Harris heading into the Democrats’ convention. Harris has been riding a wave of energy and enthusiasm – both in polling and in fundraising – since replacing President Biden at the top of the Democrats’ 2024 ticket four weeks ago.
However, it also appears to be another move to try and put pressure on Harris for not holding a news conference or a major interview since Biden bowed out and backed his vice president.
HARRIS AND TRUMP HOLD DUELING RALLIES IN THE BIGGEST OF THE BATTLEGROUNDS
“At the DNC, Kamala Harris will hide behind celebrities because everyday families know that she has been an absolute disaster for our nation, and real Americans are worse off now than four years ago,” Trump campaign co-chairs Susie Wiles and Chris LaCivita charged in a statement on the eve of the convention.
They argued that the vice president “has failed to answer media questions for 28 days because she can’t explain away her record of supporting policies that cause inflation, bans on private health insurance, destroying American energy, and higher taxes.”
As Fox News first reported last week, both Trump and Vance are on the campaign trail during the Democrats’ convention, headlining “messaging events” in the states that will likely decide the outcome of the 2024 presidential election.
Additionally, as a Trump adviser revealed last week, “a whole cadre of people” – including top surrogates – will also be making the GOP’s case throughout the week.
Trump’s schedule is packed with more events than he has done in months.
![Republican presidential nominee former President Trump speaks at a campaign event at Precision Components Group on Monday, Aug. 19, 2024 in York, Pennsylvania.](https://a57.foxnews.com/static.foxnews.com/foxnews.com/content/uploads/2024/08/1200/675/Donald-Trump-York-PA-Aug-19-2024-scaled.jpg?ve=1&tl=1)
Republican presidential nominee former President Trump speaks at a campaign event at Precision Components Group on Monday, Aug. 19, 2024 in York, Pennsylvania. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)
On Monday, he was in York, Pennsylvania, taking aim at Harris over the economy, while Vance was also talking about pocketbook issues during a stop in Philadelphia.
Pennsylvania, with 19 electoral votes up for grabs, is the largest prize among the crucial swing states.
At his event at a factory in York, Trump reiterated his pledge to cut taxes if he returns to the White House.
“Our plan will massively cut taxes,” Trump said. “I gave you the best tax cut in history.”
TRUMP RUNNING MATE VANCE AIMS TO TURN BLUE WALL STATES RED
Harris campaign spokesperson Sarafina Chikita took aim at Trump, charging that “Americans should be clear on what he will do: He will raise costs on middle class families by $3,900 a year. He will ship American jobs overseas. He will cut Social Security and Medicare and repeal the Affordable Care Act — just like he tried to do last time he was in the White House.”
On Tuesday, Trump will be in Michigan while Vance spotlights the issue of crime during a news conference in southeastern Wisconsin, close to the Democrats’ convention in Chicago.
![JD Vance speaks in Milwaukee](https://a57.foxnews.com/static.foxnews.com/foxnews.com/content/uploads/2024/08/1200/675/JD-Vance-Milwaukee-.jpg?ve=1&tl=1)
Republican vice presidential nominee Sen. JD Vance speaks to reporters on Friday, Aug. 16 in Milwaukee. (Pool/Fox News)
On Thursday, Trump will visit the U.S.-Mexico border in Arizona while Vance highlights the issue of immigration during a stop in Georgia. On Friday, the former president stumps in Arizona and Nevada on his “no tax on tips” pledge.
“As they meet Americans where they are in battleground states across the country, President Trump and Senator Vance will remind voters that under their leadership, we can end inflation, protect our communities from violent criminals, secure the border, and Make America Great Again,” LaCivita and Wiles said.
On Monday, as the convention kicked off, top Trump allies in the Senate – Sens. Rick Scott of Florida and Ron Johnson of Wisconsin – were also making the case for the former president and slammed Harris and Walz at a news conference in downtown Chicago’s Trump International Hotel and Tower.
Rep. Byron Donalds of Florida, a top House ally of Trump, fills the role on Tuesday, and the campaign plans Wednesday and Thursday news conferences as well.
The Biden campaign counter-programmed with news conferences that included top surrogates in Milwaukee during the Republican National Convention last month.
Meanwhile, Harris and her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, will travel Tuesday from Chicago to nearby Milwaukee to headline a rally in the key Midwestern battleground.
![Democratic presidential candidate and U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris, Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff and U.S. Democratic vice presidential candidate Minnesota Governor Tim Walz](https://a57.foxnews.com/static.foxnews.com/foxnews.com/content/uploads/2024/08/1200/675/DNC-Kamala-Harris-Chicago-Day-1_118.jpg?ve=1&tl=1)
Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris, second gentleman Doug Emhoff (left), and Democratic vice presidential nominee Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz attend Day one of the Democratic National Convention at the United Center in Chicago on Aug. 19, 2024. (REUTERS/Mike Segar)
In years past, it was traditional for a presidential candidate to lie low while the other party held its national nominating convention.
However, last month, as the Republicans held their convention in Milwaukee, Biden briefly campaigned in the key swing state of Nevada before cutting his trip short after catching COVID.
Days later, Biden’s blockbuster announcement that he was ending his re-election campaign following his disastrous late June debate performance against Trump upended the 2024 election.
Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.
![](https://newspub.live/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/np-logo.png)
Politics
Column: Biden shows what it means to make America great — and why Democrats are glad to bid him farewell
![Column: Biden shows what it means to make America great — and why Democrats are glad to bid him farewell Column: Biden shows what it means to make America great — and why Democrats are glad to bid him farewell](https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/dcd8b84/2147483647/strip/true/crop/5011x2631+0+355/resize/1200x630!/quality/75/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fe0%2Faf%2F2c59234f45bd884e617694533098%2F1472058-la-pol-dnc-rcg602.jpg)
The Democratic National Convention started off with hope, hype and smaller protests than some feared — and a surprise appearance from Kamala Harris, looking very demure, very mindful.
(That’s a TikTok thing, if you don’t know.)
The snark level, meantime, was sky-high as cheeky partisans projected onto Trump Tower — which loomed over downtown like a middle finger extended at Democrats — a set of taunting slogans along the lines of: “Trump-Vance ‘Weird As Hell.’ ”
That’s trolling on a 92-story scale.
There were a great many speeches and a great number of entertainers, representing Democratic constituencies from Hollywood to Nashville. (Yes, there are still some Southern Democrats.)
But, of course, Monday night belonged to Joe Biden, the president who reluctantly walked away from his reelection campaign and showed up just long enough to endorse Harris before making his poignant exit — long after much of the country had gone to bed.
Columnists Mark Z. Barabak and Anita Chabria laid off the deep-dish pizza so they could devote all their energies to the convention and came away with these thoughts:
Barabak: He came, he spoke and he showed why Democrats were glad to bid their party leader a heartfelt — but nevertheless relieved — farewell.
Biden has never been a great orator. His strength was knowing how to work the levers in Washington, and for just about 45 minutes Monday night the president outlined all he’d managed to accomplish in his lone term.
Simply stated, he said: “We’re building a better America.”
Biden, too, was mindful, making a point of wrapping Harris in the mantle of his successes. (And the last 3½ years have been filled with nothing but an unbroken series of triumphs, to hear the president tell it, but, hey, it’s a convention speech.)
After he cited legislation bringing down the costs of some prescription drugs, the crowd chanted, “Thank you, Joe!”
“Thank you, Kamala, too!” he interjected.
The emotions were genuine.
Biden was greeted with a lusty ovation lasting more than 4½ minutes, by far the longest of the night. He pulled a white hanky from his breast pocket and dabbed away a tear after a prolonged embrace from his daughter, Ashley, who delivered a loving introduction.
It was moving to hear Biden discuss the long arc of his career — from too young to serve in the Senate (he was 29 when first elected and turned the required age of 30 shortly before being sworn in) to being too old to serve another term as president, as he finally acknowledged.
It was also a reminder of why Democrats collectively looked to November’s election with heart-in-their-throats anxiety — and that was even before Biden’s crashingly awful debate performance.
On Monday night he appeared every bit his 81 years. He was stiff, occasionally stumbling over his words. His waxen face was frozen in a perpetual scowl. He shouted out his words, not at all the joyful warrior of Harris-Walz fashion, but more like a cranky old man shooing kids off his lawn.
The contrast with Harris, who bounded onstage afterward to embrace Biden and join him in the traditional arms-raised tableau, couldn’t have been more stark.
There was speculation that convention programmers purposely pushed the president’s appearance out of television’s prime time on the East Coast and, by the time he finished, in the Central time zone. Of course, they denied it; the program ran long because speakers were just so darned popular, people wouldn’t stop cheering and clapping, party officials said.
What did you think about Biden’s speech?
Chabria: The emotions were genuine, as you say, but I think they were also complex.
Nancy Pelosi had tears in her eyes, though many claim she was a key architect of Biden’s exit. When Harris went onstage she told Biden — not for the cameras — that she loved him.
Ashley Biden brought up the spirit of her departed brother, Beau, and at the end, Biden walked offstage with a young grandson, named in that son’s honor.
When the crowd chanted “Thank you, Joe,” Biden seemed resigned, but also a bit defiant with the long list of accomplishments he touted — reminding us how much he’s done that seems forgotten in the scrum of the election.
Until a few weeks ago, this was a proud and stubborn man who believed not only that he was the best person for the presidency, but believed we thought so, too. So Monday night — as much as it was billed as a gratitude-driven sendoff — was also a forced retirement for a guy who does know more about government and governance than half of Congress combined.
My takeaway is that for all his flaws, and we all have them, this is a man of duty and honor.
Biden quoted a line from the song “American Anthem” to sum up why he made the choice to step away from power: “What shall our legacy be, what will our children say? Let me know in my heart when my days are through, America, America, I gave my best to you,” he said.
And there’s no doubt he gave his best, for decades.
But, as Hillary Clinton said in an earlier speech, change is afoot. And that change doesn’t include Biden.
Barabak: It was a forward-looking Clinton appearance, yes. But the might-have-been vibe was strong when the former first lady and secretary of State took the stage.
The ovation lasted nearly a minute and a half, as Clinton repeatedly started and stopped over the prolonged clapping and cheers.
She acknowledged the outgoing incumbent — “first, let’s salute President Biden” — then dwelled at length on the history-making nature of Harris’ candidacy.
“Something is happening in America,” said Clinton, who was the first woman to win a major party’s presidential nomination. “Something we’ve waited for and dreamed of for a long time.”
More than 66 million Americans voted for her in 2016, Clinton noted, poking more than 66 million small holes in the glass ceiling that’s kept a woman from the Oval Office.
She then tore with relish into the man who beat her — not in the popular vote but narrowly in the electoral college.
“Kamala Harris” — a former district attorney and California’s attorney general— “prosecuted murderers and drug traffickers. Donald Trump fell asleep at his own trial,” Clinton gibed. “And when he woke up, he made his own kind of history” as the first ex-president convicted of a felony.
“Lock him up!” the crowd chanted, and Clinton smiled.
Anita, you were taken with one of the non-celebrity speakers, weren’t you?
Chabria: I really felt what April Varrett said, and what she represented.
Varrett, the first Black woman to lead the Service Employees International Union, came out of California as the former head of SEIU Local 2015, the state’s largest local union representing long-term care workers.
Its rank-and-file consists of many Black and brown women, a number of whom are immigrants struggling with poverty in an industry as necessary as it is underfunded. Varrett promised to create a labor movement that is “younger, darker, hipper, fresher, sneaker-wearing.”
That is a powerful vision that is already happening in both labor and politics. I think in a little-noticed way, this convention is all about immigration and communities of color — the immigrants who fuel our economy, fight for their communities and now are claiming political power in a way that terrifies conservatives to the point they demonize them.
Comparing the crowd at the Republican National Convention to the one in Chicago is startling. It really feels like two different Americas, and a crossroads election where we decide which one we believe in.
I was also struck by the everyday Americans who spoke about abortion access. Hadley Duvall, a Kentuckian who was raped and impregnated by her stepfather when she was 12, floored the room with a single question.
Trump calls abortion bans a “beautiful thing,” she said. “What is so beautiful about a child having to carry her parent’s child?”
What else stood out to you?
Barabak: How several of the night’s speakers, in addition to Clinton, leaned into the historic nature of Harris’ nomination as the first Black woman and first Asian American to lead a major party presidential ticket.
That was a major theme in 2020, when Harris first ran for president, and it seemed at times that campaign was more about her hopes of making history than what voters had on their minds.
But there’s no denying the precedent-shattering nature of Harris’ nomination, and it was celebrated with the right amount of balance and perspective.
The vice president was placed in a long line of pioneering women who helped tear down race and gender barriers, among them Diane Nash, Rosa Parks, Fannie Lou Hamer, Coretta Scott King and Shirley Chisholm.
“We must all understand that Black history is American history,” said Derrick Johnson, president of the NAACP. “And in this historic moment, we will write the next chapter together.”
That remains to be seen, depending on what happens in November. But there is no doubt the moment inscribed in Chicago stands apart from all that have preceded.
Politics
Video: Democrats Share Their Wish List for Harris
![Video: Democrats Share Their Wish List for Harris Video: Democrats Share Their Wish List for Harris](https://static01.nyt.com/images/2024/08/20/us/politics/dnc-voices/dnc-voices-facebookJumbo.png?video-overlay)
new video loaded: Democrats Share Their Wish List for Harris
transcript
transcript
Democrats Share Their Wish List for Harris
We posed a question to Democratic National Convention attendees in Chicago: If Kamala Harris wins, what is the first thing you want her to do as president?
-
On the first day in office. First day of office. Her first day of office. On her first day in office, I want President Harris to protect the right to safe and legal abortion. Guaranteeing a woman’s right to choose. So we have body autonomy. Restore women’s rights. Reinstate Roe v. Wade. First day. Let’s get it done. On her first day, she could expand the child care tax credit for working families. For all families. Address health care, just across the board, especially access to health care for territories such as ours. I am a cancer survivor. Legalize marijuana, federally. Bring young people directly into the White House, including by establishing an office of young Americans. Universal CROWN Act legislation to make sure that African-American men and women can wear the hairstyles that they naturally have. Price gouging. They are raising the price of goods. They’re making it hard for everyday Americans to afford daily living. I would really love to see President Harris basically bring the country back together. We are all tired of living in the divided states of America. We are all Americans. And we need to start acting like that again. And she needs to lead us into that.
Recent episodes in Politics
Politics
Former teacher reveals which students suffered 'the most' under Walz's pandemic-era guidelines
![Former teacher reveals which students suffered 'the most' under Walz's pandemic-era guidelines Former teacher reveals which students suffered 'the most' under Walz's pandemic-era guidelines](https://static.foxnews.com/foxnews.com/content/uploads/2024/08/walz-xiong.jpg)
MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. – A former teacher and Minnesota congressional candidate charges that Gov. Tim Walz’s leadership during the coronavirus pandemic resulted in a learning loss for immigrant students.
May Lor Xiong, a Republican candidate in Minnesota’s 4th Congressional District who taught public school for 20 years, told Fox News Digital during a recent interview that 50% of students in Minnesota are not reading on their grade level following the pandemic.
“Our immigrant students, students of color, suffered the most in the educational system,” Xiong told Fox of her experience teaching under pandemic-era rules. “Many of the students were not able to read and write at their grade level and even way below their grade level. So, that’s something that we still have to continue to teach them.”
Xiong said that many of her student’s parents are new to the country, so she would have to travel to their homes in order to show them how to use the internet and iPads required for virtual learning.
MINNESOTA BUSINESS OWNERS SOUND ALARM ON HARRIS’ ‘NIGHTMARE’ VP PICK: ‘REALLY BAD FOR THE US’
Minnesota congressional candidate May Lor Xiong spoke with Fox News Digital about her experience working as a teacher during the coronavirus pandemic. (Fox News Digital)
Also in 2020, the former teacher said that Walz “allowed the city of Minneapolis to burn down. And so if he and Harris were to be elected, the possibility of this country burned down on their watch would be very high. “
‘LET MINNEAPOLIS BURN’: RETIRED POLICE LIEUTENANT RIPS GOV WALZ FOR SURRENDERING CITY TO RIOTERS
Xiong, who describes herself as “the product of the American dream” after being born in a refugee camp, said that she is running in a “very diverse district.”
“We have a lot of Hmong Americans, Korean, Hispanic and Somali immigrants and this district,” she said. “And what we’re focusing on is going to these different communities and talking to them about what are some of the issues that are impacting them.”
![Tim Walz at Kamala Harris](https://a57.foxnews.com/static.foxnews.com/foxnews.com/content/uploads/2024/08/1200/675/Tim-Walz2.jpg?ve=1&tl=1)
Democratic vice presidential candidate Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz speaks during a campaign rally with Democratic presidential candidate, U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris at the Liacouras Center at Temple University on August 6, 2024 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Harris ended weeks of speculation about who her running mate would be, selecting the 60-year-old midwestern governor over other candidates. (Andrew Harnik)
Xiong said that after spending time in diverse communities in her district, she’s found that the economy, education, and crime are the top issues of concern to voters.
“They want to make sure that their kids can go to school and learn how to read and write. And it seems like that’s not an option right now because of all the indoctrination and all these crazy socialists that are being put into our school system,” she said.
“We need to make sure that we get our message across,” Xiong told Fox. “We need a leader who will bring prosperity to the communities here to the district and also who cares about this country and wants to make a difference.”
-
Ohio6 days ago
Ohio taxpayers sent families $966 million for private school tuition: Capitol Letter
-
World1 week ago
What could an EU Commissioner do to tackle the housing crisis?
-
News7 days ago
Roger Stone says his email accounts were how the hackers got into the Trump campaign
-
News1 week ago
Full Trump-Musk Interview: Assassination Bid, Iran-Israel, Russia-Ukraine, Kamala-Biden, US Election
-
Politics1 week ago
Trump legal cases in limbo after SCOTUS immunity ruling, freeing up schedule to campaign
-
Science7 days ago
Opinion: A route to safer chemotherapy
-
Politics1 week ago
Secret Service apologizes after breaking into Massachusetts salon to use bathroom before Harris fundraiser
-
Politics1 week ago
Harris voters defend Democratic presidential nominee on Israel-Hamas conflict: ‘She’s married to a Jewish guy’