Welcome to the online edition From the Political Deskis an evening newsletter bringing you the latest coverage and analysis from the election campaign, the White House and Congress from the NBC News political team.
In today’s edition, we cover the final stages of Donald Trump’s selection of his running mate, plus White House chief correspondent Peter Alexander looks back on the last debate between Trump and Joe Biden. — More than 1,300 days ago — To get the next clue.
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Trump zeroes in on finalists for VP pick
Henry J. Gomez, Jonathan Allen, Dasha Barnes, Carol E. Lee, Matt Dixon, Olympia Sonnier
North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum and Ohio Senator J.D. Vance have emerged as the two finalists in the search for former President Donald Trump’s running mate.
In interviews with NBC News, more than a dozen sources familiar with the election process said debate is intensifying over the strengths and weaknesses each candidate brings to the race.
A third candidate, Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida, remains on the list, according to people familiar with the matter, but lingering doubts about his dedication to the job and concerns about whether he could overcome constitutional challenges that would require Trump or Rubio to be residents of another state could jeopardize Rubio’s chances of winning.
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Trump has publicly said he plans to announce his choice just before or at the Republican National Convention, which begins in Milwaukee on July 15, but three sources familiar with the discussions said the timing remains a topic of debate.
One option would be for President Trump to make the announcement a few days early, immediately after his July 11 sentencing on 34 felony counts, in order to quickly get past the toxic news cycle.
But one source said it’s also possible the nominee could be chosen before the ruling, in order to raise big donations separate from Trump’s ruling and the convention, which Trump supporters are banking on. Another source said this scenario seemed unlikely, fearing that Trump’s legal troubles would quickly drown out any news of a running mate announcement.
The vice presidential campaign is being closely watched and, given Trump’s penchant for surprises, could suddenly pivot in a different direction.
Internally, balancing the desire for a non-threatening running mate with someone who represents the future of the Trump movement is a major point of tension and indecision, a source familiar with the search said, adding that the tension continues throughout the campaign, including with Trump.
Read more about President Trump’s choice of vice presidential nominee →
What we learned from the last Biden vs. Trump debate
Peter Alexander
More than 1,300 days have passed since Joe Biden and Donald Trump’s last debate, which also marked the final time they appeared on stage together.
Typically, it’s the incumbent president who faces the disadvantage in a general election debate because they’re not used to being attacked face to face.
But both Biden and Trump face the same challenge when they face off in Atlanta on Thursday: Though both have ample experience in primary and general election debates over the past two decades (Biden in 2008, 2012 and 2020, Trump in 2016 and 2020), they haven’t participated in a debate in four years.
So what did we learn from the last debate, moderated by my colleague Kristen Welker on October 22, 2020?
1. Coronavirus dominates: Though it’s easy to forget now that it’s faded from the national conversation, given the death toll, hospitalizations and the arrival of vaccines, the coronavirus dominated the first few minutes of the debate.
“A vaccine is on the way and it’s ready. It will be announced and distributed in the coming weeks. The military will distribute the vaccine through Operation Warp Speed,” Trump said in his opening address.
Biden fired back, saying, “220,000 Americans have died. If you don’t hear anything I say tonight, hear this: Anybody who failed to take control, who in fact initially said ‘I’m not responsible,’ who is responsible for so many deaths, should not remain president of the United States.”
2. This is more polite than the first one: The first debate of 2020, then moderated by Fox News’ Chris Wallace, was filled with interruptions and insults.
But the second debate was much more civil, in part because the Commission on Presidential Debates muted the candidates’ microphones for the first two minutes of each point (and in part because Welker served as an adept moderator).
The microphones were turned back on after the opening remarks, but the candidates rarely interrupted each other. And with the microphones of candidates who won’t be speaking at the next debate scheduled to be turned off, the second debate of 2020 may be a preview of what we’ll see on Thursday night.
“I want to reopen our schools,” Trump said in response to a question about whether schools should reopen during the coronavirus pandemic. “We’ve got to reopen our country. I’ve said many times, the cure can’t be worse than the problem, and that’s what’s happening right now. [Biden] He wants it shut down. If one person in our enormous bureaucracy says we should shut it down, he will shut the country down.”
Asked to respond, Biden said, “Simply not. We’re going to be able to walk and chew gum at the same time. We can reopen safely, but we’re going to need resources to reopen.”
3. Biden consistently tried to tempt Trump: Biden has taken numerous opportunities to rile up Trump, much like Hillary Clinton did in the 2016 debates.
“This is the same guy who said last time it would be over by Easter. [is] “This is the same guy who said, don’t worry, we’ll get this done by the summer,” Biden said of the coronavirus.
Biden then spoke about Trump’s tax payments: “You haven’t released your tax returns in a year. What are you hiding? Why don’t you want to release them?”
4. When attacked, Trump fought back. And every time Biden challenged Trump, the then-president fired back.
“So your brother made millions in Iraq. Your other brother made a fortune, but it’s all because of you, Joe. And they say you got a piece of it. And you’re living a really high life. You’ve got houses all over the place. You’re living a very high life,” Trump said during an exchange about taxes.
And here’s Trump’s response to Biden criticizing Trump’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic: “Biden took care of the H1N1 swine flu, which was a total disaster. It was much less deadly. But it was a total disaster.”
🗞️ Today’s top news
- ⚖️ Decision Day: The Supreme Court upheld a federal law banning people subject to domestic violence restraining orders from possessing firearms, taking a step back from recent decisions that recognized a broad right to possess firearms. Continue reading →
- ⌚Waiting Game: A federal court in Florida has heard a challenge to whether a special counsel appointed to investigate allegations that President Trump misused classified documents was unconstitutionally appointed, but no trial date has yet been set. Continue reading →
- 📲 Flip the script: The Biden campaign is trying to bring age attention back to Trump by posting a series of incriminating videos of former president Trump on social media. Read more →
- 📉 Biden vs. Poll: Biden and his supporters have become increasingly critical of the polls as they seek to distract from data showing him roughly equal to or trailing Trump in the polls. Continue reading →
- 🟠 New York mood: Politico is plunging into a key Democratic primary in upstate New York, where Biden will face off against Republican Rep. Brandon Williams in a district that Biden won by 12 points in 2020. Read more →
- 💰The cavalry is here: New campaign finance records show businessman Timothy Mellon donated $50 million to a pro-Trump super PAC the day after the former president was convicted in New York. Continue reading →
- 🚦Green light for a green card? President Trump has floated the idea that foreigners who graduate from a U.S. university would automatically get a green card. Read more →
- 🚫 Tournament crisis averted: In an effort to quell possible chaos at the Republican National Convention, the Trump campaign has called for the replacement of six delegates who it believes could cause “unnecessary chaos” on the floor. Continue reading →
That’s all from the Politics Desk. If you have any comments, please email us here. politicsnewsletters@nbcuni.com
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