DATA POINTS
- 2x: The growth of Trump’s average national polling lead since the June 27th debate
- 13: The number of assassination attempts on presidents and presidential candidates throughout U.S. history
- 2022: The year that JD Vance was elected to the U.S. Senate
- 2,387: The number of delegate votes that Trump received at the RNC
- 2,500: The number of delegates at the RNC
- 4,532: The predicted number of delegates at the DNC
VP JD
A former Trump skeptic has been named his running mate. Months after other candidates chose their ballot partners – and just minutes before the statutory vote of endorsement by the Republican delegate body – Trump singled out Ohio U.S. Senator JD Vance as his new sidekick.
Vance’s road to vice president is a winding one. Prior to his journey to politics, Vance served as a U.S. Marine then became a venture capitalist and author. When he made his political debut in the 2022 U.S. Senate race, Donald Trump Jr. convinced the former president to endorse Vance, who shared many of Trump’s ideals. While Vance once questioned Trump’s rhetoric, the two share a nationalist-populist approach to issues and have made amends, and Vance has proven to be a staunch ally.
Vance received open arms from Republican delegates this week, but he’s already receiving criticism from the other side of the world. Many European leaders do not support him, citing his isolationist viewpoint and perceived apathy toward Ukraine in the country’s war with Russia.
Do foreign policy hawks have reason for concern? Well, Vance has changed his posture before. Should he find himself as #2 in the White House, his viewpoints could shift once more.
Political Irony or Endgame Strategy?
President Biden is no stranger to matters of the Judicial branch. During his long tenure in the U.S. Senate, he served as chair and ranking minority member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, where he repeatedly resisted calls for Supreme Court (SCOTUS) reform.
This week, that posture shifted as Biden signaled that he’s considering proposals to establish term limits for U.S. Supreme Court justices. Potential proposals could institute dynamic change for the Court while simultaneously rallying his voter base after several landmark decisions on abortion rights and federal regulatory powers skewed in favor of the Conservative camp. With three justices 70-years-old or older (including 70-year-old Obama appointee, Justice Sonia Sotomayor), the Biden Administration may fear that a potential second Trump White House could have two more picks for the bench on top of his three appointees already on the bench.
Any changes President Biden hopes to push through would still face a divided Congress with Republicans expected to vehemently oppose. Still, roughly 2 in 3 Americans in 2022 said they favor either term limits or a mandatory retirement age for Supreme Court justices. Four in 10 adults say they have hardly any confidence in the people running the Supreme Court.
Read More at The Associated Press
A History of Assassination Attempts
The assassination attempt on former President Trump at a Pennsylvania campaign rally last weekend shocked the nation and will undoubtedly be a history book moment. The shocking event, which to many feels like a once-in-a-lifetime moment, is unfortunately not as uncommon as one would hope.
Presidential assassinations and attempts have been a part of American history for over 150 years. In a nation where the freedom to express political opinions is built into the Constitution, assassination attempts demonstrate how violence is not a stranger to American politics – whether motivated by political frustration or something else.
In 1835, President Andrew Jackson was attending a funeral in the U.S. Capitol when Richard Lawrence tried to shoot him. Both of Lawrence’s pistols misfired. Jackson, angry and determined, attacked Lawrence with his cane. In 1912, Theodore Roosevelt was shot, but a thick speech manuscript and an eyeglass case in his pocket slowed the bullet, allowing him to finish his speech despite being injured. He carried the bullet in his body for the rest of his life. In 1950, President Truman was fired upon by Puerto Rican independence gunmen. Gerald Ford had two attempts on his life within 17 days in 1975 – both in California. In 1981, Ronald Reagan was shot outside the Washington Hilton.
Though most attempts have been thwarted, four presidents have been assassinated: Abraham Lincoln in 1865, James Garfield in 1881, William McKinley in 1901, and John F. Kennedy in 1963.
In the aftermath of last weekend’s violence, which wounded former President Trump in the ear, killed one attendee, and wounded two others, leaders have called for unity and calmer rhetoric. The answer to political disagreements is never violence.
Read More at The Washington Post
DNC Crunch Time
The 2024 Democratic National Convention is scheduled to take place August 19-22 in Chicago, marking its return to the city for the first time since Bill Clinton’s nomination in 1996. This event is important as delegates will gather to officially nominate the Democratic candidates for the presidency and vice presidency of the United States.
President Joe Biden, facing immense pressure to step aside, has reaffirmed his candidacy, stating he’s committed unless “the Lord Almighty” convinces him otherwise. While other potential candidates like Vice President Kamala Harris, Michigan Governor Whitmer, Transportation Secretary Buttigieg, and California Governor Newsom have all been named as replacements, none have received the call from Biden’s team.
The convention is expected to highlight a diverse range of Democratic policies and strategies, focusing on issues such as healthcare, economic revitalization, and climate action. It serves as a crucial moment aiming to unite the party and build momentum heading into the campaign season. The Biden team has a Herculean task ahead of them: convince the two-thirds of Democrats who want him to step aside that he should continue to run.
The RNC Rival Reunion
After contending for the GOP’s presidential nomination, several previously-presidential candidates have reconvened at the RNC in support of their shared rival. DeSantis, Haley, and Ramaswamy each spoke at to the Convention on Tuesday to endorse Trump for the presidential ballot. This is a significant shift, especially for DeSantis and Haley whose campaigns aggressively criticized Trump to show themselves as an alternative. The candidates’ speeches were hits. Ramaswamy shared the story of his parents’ legal immigration to the U.S., and DeSantis questioned Biden’s ability to be president for another term.
Not everybody showed up to make nice… some took a rain check. Trump’s former vice president skipped the event (well, we’re not sure if Mike Pence was actually invited…). Many other prolific Republicans also stayed home during the convention, including former House Speaker John Boehner, former President George W. Bush, and former GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney.
While the 2020 convention was marred by the pandemic, this year’s RNC is a true sign of the transformation that Trump has brought to the GOP.
See you next week!
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