Vice President Kamala Harris had a busy 24 hours after being endorsed as the Democratic presidential candidate by President Joe Biden. She secured over half of the delegates sheâll need to earn the partyâs nomination and raised more than $81 million, a record sum for the 2024 political cycle. Harris also spoke Monday at a White House celebration with the NCAA championship teams, her first appearance since President Biden announced he was leaving the race.
Meanwhile, The Secret Service directortestified before a congressional committee and was called on to resign over security failures at a rally where a 20-year-old gunman attempted to assassinate former President Donald Trump.
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Hereâs the Latest:
Trump campaign advisors peg Harris as âdangerously liberalâ
Trumpâs campaign senior advisors Chris LaCivita and Susie Wiles have released a memo after Harrisâ visit and remarks at Bidenâs campaign headquarters in Wilmington, Delaware, calling her âdangerously liberalâ and saying she âis as bad, if not worse, than Joe Biden.â
âItâs a once-in-a lifetime opportunity to defeat not just one Democrat nominee for president, but two â in the same year!â
The advisors have called this âa ploy to try and shake up the raceâ and said Harris is just as responsible for Bidenâs policies at the U.S.-Mexico border, which saw illegal crossing arrests reach record highs at the end of 2023.
Harris leans into her prosecutor background and draws contrast with Trump
Vice President Harris is honing the political message she plans to use to seek the White House in November.
Rallying staffers at Bidenâs campaign headquarters in Wilmington, Delaware, now hers to inherit, Harris emphasized her professional background as a prosecutor. She contrasted that with Trump, who has been convicted on 34 felony counts in a hush money case in New York.
âI took on perpetrators of all kinds,â Harris said, adding, âI know Donald Trumpâs type.â
She also announced that Jen OâMalley Dillon, who had chaired Bidenâs reelection campaign, will run her bid.
Biden calls into Harrisâ appearance with campaign staff
President Biden called into a campaign staff meeting while Vice President Harris was visiting, pledging, âIf I didnât have COVID, Iâd be standing there with you.â
Harris traveled to Wilmington, Delaware, today to rally campaign staffers a day after Biden withdrew his presidential candidacy and endorsed Harris to replace him atop the Democratic ticket.
The crowd at first gasped, then cheered as Biden promised, âIâm going to be on the roadâ and campaigning for Harris.
âI want people to remember, what we have done has been incredible,â Biden said. He added, âI want to say to the team, embrace her, sheâs the best.â
Harris devoted much of her brief remarks to praising Biden, saying, âI love Joe Biden. I know we all do.â
Interest in the Harris campaign surges
More than 28,000 new volunteers have registered to join Harrisâ campaign since Biden chose to withdraw his candidacy and bestow his campaign infrastructure to his VP. Itâs a rate more than 100 times an average day from the previous Biden reelection campaign, underscoring the enthusiasm behind Harris.
Ohio state Senator regrets suggesting âcivil warâ would follow a Trump lose
A Republican state senator from Ohio who spoke at Vanceâs first solo rally has apologized for saying on stage that it would âtake a civil warâ to save the country if Trump loses.
The apology from George Lang, the state lawmaker, came after Harrisâ team highlighted his remarks in a post on X.
âI regret the divisive remarks in the excitement of the moment on stage,â he said on the same social network. âEspecially in light of the assassination attempt on President Trump last week, we should all be mindful of what is said at political events, myself included.â
Voter Voice: âNothingâs been handed to him in lifeâ
Trump supporter Christina Chrisley, who lives in Virginiaâs New River Valley, said she knew very little about JD Vance before he was announced as the Republican vice presidential nominee. She had hoped Glenn Youngkin would be selected.
But after doing more research, she said sheâs excited by Vance. She has respect for Vanceâs background and service as a marine and thinks heâll do everything he can to âhelp Donald Trump win the election and do everything he possibly can for blue-collar workers.â
âNothingâs been handed to him in life,â she said, sitting in a lawn chair looking out at the New River in a hot pink Trump shirt before the rallyâs start.
She also said she was impressed by Vanceâs speech at the RNC, calling him âeloquent and very well-spoken.â
DNC Delegate: âThere is incredible excitementâ
Ron Meehan, who works at an Anchorage food bank and, at 25, is the youngest member of Alaskaâs Democratic delegates, said Harris is creating a buzz in the party.
âI think that there is incredible excitement among Democrats right now, and particularly the young Democrats that had maybe been tuned out of the process,â he said Monday. âWeâre on the verge of making history, the first woman president.â
Meehan is the western regional advisor to the Democratic National Committeeâs Climate and Environmental Crisis Council.
âClimate issues in particular are ones that I think young people across the country, including myself, are watching very closely,â he said. Meehan credited the Biden-Harris administration for protecting southeast Alaskaâs Tongass National Forest, both the nationâs largest national forest and the worldâs largest intact temperate rainforest, reinstating restrictions on road-building and logging there.
âI think that she has the policy and track record, the temperament and the skill set to run a very strong campaign and to be a strong president,â he said.
Harris raises $81 million in 24 hours, setting new presidential donation record
Vice President Harrisâ team has raised more than $81 million in the 24-hour period since President Biden announced his decision to step aside.
The massive fundraising haul represents the largest 24-hour fundraising sum by either party in the 2024 presidential campaign.
Trump reported raising more than $50 million in the 24-hour period after his felony conviction in the New York hush money trial. Biden reported $38 million in the four days after his disastrous debate performance.
Harrisâ new total features donations from hundreds of thousands of first-time donors, the campaign said.
Top California Democrat urges delegates to support Harris
Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek said, âSheâs tough, sheâs smart and sheâs ready to unite the country.â
Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs said, âAmericans are looking for a new generation of leadership that will move past the divisiveness and unite us around our shared American values.â
Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly said, âHarris has always done whatâs best for American families,â citing her record on abortion rights and helping to âsafeguard democracy.â
Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healy called Harris âa proven leader who has delivered for the American people again and again.â
AP survey finds Harris now backed by more than half of delegates needed to win nomination vote
An AP survey finds that Vice President Harris has the support of more than half of the delegates sheâll need to take President Bidenâs place at the top of the Democratic ticket.
Over 1,000 pledged delegates told The Associated Press or announced that they plan to support Harris in a forthcoming vote to pick a new White House nominee.
DNC rules most recently set 1,976 pledged delegates as the benchmark to win the nomination. Of the about 1,070 delegates who have spoken to the AP or announced their plans, fewer than 60 either declined to answer or said they were undecided. And Harris is the only Democrat to receive support from delegates so far.
Pat Chesbro, an Alaska delegate and former U.S. Senate candidate, said she could think of no better option than Harris at the top of the Democratic ticket. âPeople are doing their best to find the best candidate in this situation, which is pretty unusual,â she said. âI look forward to the convention and to seeing whatever the next phase is,â said Chesbro, a lifelong educator.
Bipartisan leaders call Secret Service director to resign
Bipartisan leaders of the House Oversight Committee have ended a contentious, nearly five-hour hearing with the Secret Service director by calling for her to resign after the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump.
In a rare moment of unity for an often divided committee, Reps. James Comer and Jamie Raskin issued a letter to Director Kimberly Cheatle, asking for her to step down as director given her own description of the âmost significant operation failureâ in the agencyâs history.
Cheatle, a 29-year veteran of the Secret Service, spent the majority of the hearing fielding attacks from both sides of the aisle and deflecting questions about the details of the ongoing criminal investigation into the July 13 shooting. But she remained defiant, saying that she believes she is the âright personâ to lead the agency at this time and that she will move âheaven and earthâ to get to the bottom of what went wrong.
Harris fires off first campaign fundraising email
Kamala Harris is launching her first campaign fundraising email with a nod to the campaign theme she adopted as far back as her campaign for California attorney general 14 years ago.
âMy whole life, Iâve only had one client: the people,â the email begins, referencing her abbreviated 2020 presidential campaign theme, âKamala: For the people.â
Itâs a riff on a prosecutorâs role and the customary introduction in criminal proceedings.
âThat was true when I was a prosecutor in California, when I served in the Senate and throughout my time as your Vice President,â Harrisâ email states.
âAnd itâs true as I make this announcement to the world. My name is Kamala Harris, and Iâm running for President of the United States.â
Speaker at JD Vance campaign event warns of âcivil warâ if Trump loses election
While Republicans touted a unifying message last week and decried inflammatory language in the wake of the assassination attempt against Trump, one of the first speakers to introduce Vance on Monday in his hometown took a sharp departure from that message and suggested the country may need to come to civil war if Trump loses in November.
âI believe wholeheartedly, Donald Trump and Butler Countyâs JD Vance are the last chance to save our country,â said George Lang, a Republican state senator. âPolitically, Iâm afraid if we lose this one, itâs going to take a civil war to save the country and it will be saved. Itâs the greatest experiment in the history of mankind.â
Secret Service director says she apologized to Donald Trump after his assassination attempt
Speaking during a congressional hearing, Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle said she apologized to Trump in a phone call after the rally in Pennsylvania.
White House chief of staff: Thereâs still much work to be done
White House chief of staff Jeff Zients told White House aides and political appointees across the administration that there remains much work to be done in the next six months, according to two people familiar with this message, even as Biden suspends his candidacy for president.
In separate calls, Zients told hundreds of aides and appointees that in every call heâs had with Biden in the last 24 hours, the president has urged his team to focus on key policy goals, such as continuing to implement his legislative achievements and zeroing in on efforts to lower health care and housing costs.
As for Bidenâs successor, Zients stressed Biden has been clear on his thoughts and acknowledged Harrisâ tenure, which he described as extraordinary. Zients noted that as an official side employee, he had been advised by the White House counselâs office that he could not speak about politics nor who the next president would be â whomever she is.
â Seung Min Kim
Secret Service chief: Roof where shooter fired was identified as a potential vulnerability days before rally
Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle said the roof from which the shooter fired had been identified as a potential vulnerability days before the assassination attempt against former President Donald Trump during a rally in Pennsylvania.
Cheatle said Monday that her agency failed in its mission to protect Trump during a highly contentious congressional hearing with lawmakers of both major political parties demanding she resign over security failures that allowed a gunman to scale a roof and open fire at the campaign rally.
Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi endorses Harris for president with âenthusiastic supportâ
Pelosi, who had been one of the notable holdouts to Harris, initially encouraging a primary to strengthen the eventual nominee, endorsed Harris on Monday. Pelosi said she was lending her âenthusiastic supportâ to Harrisâ effort to lead the party.
More than 700 pledged delegates have told The Associated Press or announced that they plan to support Harris at the convention, which is over one-third of the pledged delegates she needs in order to clinch the nomination. Democratic National Committee rules most recently set 1,976 pledged delegates as the benchmark to win the nomination.
French president wrote letter to Biden praising âspirit of responsibilityâ that led him to leave race
French President Emmanuel Macron wrote President Joe Biden a letter praising the ââcourage, spirit of responsibility and sense of dutyââ that led him to withdraw from the presidential race.
ââJust after we commemorated together the 80th anniversary of D-Day, I share a hope that this spirit of partnership between the two coasts of the Atlantic continues to animate the historic relations between our two countries,âł the letter reads, according to excerpts released Monday by his office.
AP survey of Democratic delegates finds early signs that Harris is consolidating support for presidential nomination
More than 700 pledged delegates have told The Associated Press or announced that they plan to support Vice President Kamala Harris at the convention, which is over one-third of the pledged delegates she needs in order to clinch the nomination.
Democratic National Committee rules most recently set 1,976 pledged delegates as the benchmark to win the nomination.
Secret Service director: Agency had been told about âsuspicious personâ at Trump rally 2 to 5 times before shooting
In her first congressional hearing over the July 13 assassination attempt against Donald Trump, Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle acknowledged that the agency was told about a suspicious person âsomewhere between two and five timesâ before the shooting.
Yet, Cheatle gave no indication Monday that she intends to resign even as she said she takes âfull responsibilityâ for any security lapses at the Pennsylvania rally. Cheatle vowed to âmove heaven and earthâ to ensure that nothing like it ever happens again.
Lawmakers peppered Cheatle with questions about how the gunman could get so close to the Republican presidential nominee when he was supposed to be carefully guarded and about why Trump was allowed to take the stage after local law enforcement had identified Thomas Matthew Crooks as suspicious.
Republican JD Vance to make first solo campaign appearances as Trumpâs running mate
Republican vice presidential nominee JD Vance is making his first solo appearances on the campaign trail, a day after the 2024 presidential race was thrown into upheaval as President Joe Biden dropped out of the race.
Vance, an Ohio senator, and is scheduled to hold a rally in his hometown of Middletown, Ohio, on Monday afternoon, followed by a second rally Monday evening in Radford, Virginia.
Vendors outside of the Vance event in Ohio appeared for have pivoted quickly with the news of Biden dropping out. They had removed merchandise referencing Biden and added coffee mugs, t-shirts and other items that featured Vance.
North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper: âThe vice presidential conversation needs to occur laterâ
North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper said on MSNBCâs âMorning Joeâ that he had a âgreatâ conversation Sunday with Vice President Kamala Harris about âwinning this race.â
Cooper, a term-limited governor with a history of strong support for the Biden-Harris administration, is a possible contender for Harrisâ running mate should she win the nomination. Asked twice if he would consider being Harrisâ running mate, Cooper