Trump selects Sen. JD Vance of Ohio as Republican running mate

Donald Trump says Ohio Sen. JD Vance will be his vice presidential pick.

He said on his Truth Social Network that, “After lengthy deliberation and thought, and considering the tremendous talents of many others, I have decided that the person best suited to assume the position of Vice President of the United States is Senator J.D. Vance of the Great State of Ohio.”

The Republican National Convention kicked off this week, with delegates and officials descending on Wisconsin amid the tumult that follows a Saturday assassination attempt on Trump as he prepares to become the GOP’s official nominee.

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Biden’s campaign chair says Vance ‘will do what Mike Pence wouldn’t on January 6’

President Joe Biden’s campaign chair responded to Vance’s selection as Trump’s running mate by saying Vance “will do what Mike Pence wouldn’t on January 6: bend over backwards to enable Trump and his extreme MAGA agenda, even if it means breaking the law and no matter the harm to the American people.”

Jen O’Malley Dillon said the campaign would spend “every single day making the case between the two starkly contrasting visions Americans will choose between at the ballot box this November:”

Vance has challenged the legitimacy of criminal prosecutions and civil verdicts against Trump and questions the results of the 2020 election.

He told ABC News in February that, if he had been vice president on Jan. 6, 2021, he would have told states where Trump disputed Biden wins “that we needed to have multiple slates of electors, and I think the U.S. Congress should have fought over it from there.”

“That is the legitimate way to deal with an election that a lot of folks, including me, think had a lot of problems in 2020,” he said.

FBI says it has gained access to cellphone of suspect in assassination attempt against Donald Trump

The FBI says it has now successfully gained access to the cellphone of Thomas Matthew Crooks and are analyzing all his electronic devices for clues as to a motive in the weekend assassination attempt against Donald Trump.

The bureau also said in a statement Monday that it has finished searching the suspect’s home and car.

FBI officials said Sunday that they were trying to access Crooks’ phone. They said the limited insight they had into recent communications didn’t reveal anything with regard to a motive in the attempted assassination.

The FBI has conducted nearly 100 interviews of law enforcement officials, attendees at the rally and other witnesses, and has received hundreds of digital media tips.

Trump has received enough convention delegate votes to become the official Republican presidential nominee

Donald Trump has become the official Republican presidential nominee after receiving the votes of enough delegates at the Republican National Convention.

Trump has been the presumptive nominee for months. But it was the vote of RNC delegates in Milwaukee that made it official Monday afternoon.

Trump hit the necessary threshold with votes from his home state of Florida.

Biden orders Secret Service to protect independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

President Joe Biden has ordered the U.S. Secret Service to protect independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr., after the attempted assassination of Donald Trump.

Kennedy is a longshot to win Electoral College votes, much less the presidency. But his campaign events have drawn large crowds of supporters and people interested in his message.

Trump was not seriously injured in the shooting over the weekend in Pennsylvania. There is an independent review of the attack.

Trump announces Ohio Sen. JD Vance as his VP pick

Former President Donald Trump says Ohio Sen. JD Vance will be his vice presidential pick.

He says on his Truth Social Network that, “After lengthy deliberation and thought, and considering the tremendous talents of many others, I have decided that the person best suited to assume the position of Vice President of the United States is Senator J.D. Vance of the Great State of Ohio.”

Roll call underway to officially nominate Trump to be Republicans’ nominee for president

States are announcing their support for Trump inside the arena in Milwaukee on Monday.

Nevada GOP Chair Michael McDonald was among those who put Trump’s name up for nomination. McDonald was indicted of criminal charges related to his involvement in a scheme to present fake electors who would overturn Biden’s victory over Trump.

A judge dismissed the case against McDonald last month over a venue dispute.

North Dakota state representative disappointed Gov. Doug Burgum won’t be Trump’s pick for VP

Republican state Rep. Mike Nathe said he and others in the North Dakota political world are disappointed Trump did not choose Gov. Doug Burgum for his running mate, but he reflected on the “amazing” nature of a politician from the sparsely populated state being seriously in the running for vice president up until the last hours.

Nathe said he thinks Burgum has an excellent opportunity to be in a Trump Cabinet if the former president is elected, given his private sector skills and governing experience. Burgum could do a wonderful job leading the Interior Department, which would affect North Dakota, a major energy-producing state, Nathe said.

Burgum has been a vocal opponent of federal regulations, touting “innovation over regulation.”

Trump’s son, Eric Trump, says he’ll cast the vote declaring his father the Republican nominee

Donald Trump’s son, Eric Trump, announced on X that he’ll be casting the vote at 3:30 p.m. ET declaring his father the Republican nominee for president. He lives in Florida and is expected to cast the vote with Florida’s delegation, putting Trump over the top with enough delegates to formally become the nominee.

Congressional committees moving to investigate assassination attempt against Trump

Congressional committees are moving quickly to investigate the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump.

The House Committee on Oversight and Investigation has already scheduled a hearing for July 22 with the director of the U.S. Secret Service, Kimberly Cheatle, set to testify.

Rep. James Comer, the committee’s Republican chairman, said the Secret Service has a no-fail mission, “yet it failed on Saturday.” He said lawmakers are grateful to the agents who acted quickly to protect Trump, “but questions remain about how a rooftop within proximity to President Trump was left unsecure.”

Meanwhile, the leaders of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee also announced Monday the committee would conduct an investigation and plan to hold a hearing on security failures that led to the attempted assassination.

They’re requesting an urgent briefing for committee members followed by a public hearing.

Trump makes his vice presidential pick. Rubio and Burgum are told it’s not them, AP sources say

Donald Trump has made his decision on his vice presidential pick, according to a person familiar with his thinking who spoke Monday on the condition of anonymity.

Trump’s pick is expected to appear at the Republican National convention later this afternoon as the vice president is formally nominated.

Florida Sen. Marco Rubio has been informed that he’s not Trump’s vice presidential pick, according to a person familiar with their conversation. North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum also has been told he won’t be chosen as Trump’s running mate, AP sources said.

— Jill Colvin and Zeke Miller

Trump has chosen his nominee for vice president, an AP source says

And Florida Sen. Marco Rubio has been told he will not be chosen as former President Donald Trump’s running mate, an AP source says.

— Jill Colvin and Zeke Miller

At the RNC, Heritage Foundation hosts center-right celebrities at ‘Policy Fest’

Just at the edge of the RNC security perimeter, the conservative Heritage Foundation held a gathering of center-right celebrities called “Policy Fest” that amounted to a daylong flex for its Project 2025.

The project is one of the thinktank’s regular attempts to draw up a governing agenda for a new Republican president, but it’s become a flashpoint in the presidential race. Democrats have tried to use it and some of its more aggressive proposals – such as a wholesale reorganization of the federal workforce to ensure it is loyal to the president – against Trump. For his part, Trump has distanced himself from the effort, which is run by some of his closest allies and members of his last administration.

Two of those former members – Trump’s prior acting director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement Tom Homans and Trump’s ex-head of Customs and Border Protection Mark Morgan – contended the project’s role has been overblown. The two spoke onstage with former Republican Rep. Jason Chaffetz of Utah about the border, urging reimplementation of Trump policies like the border wall and remain in Mexico that ended under the Biden administration.

Afterwards they scoffed at the worries over Project 2025, even though both men contributed to its immigration policy.

Mayorkas: Direct line of sight to former president ‘should not occur’

Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas says a direct line of sight like the one the shooter had to Trump “should not occur.”

Mayorkas was asked during an interview with ABC News’ George Stephanopoulos how the gunman could have gotten into such a position.

The secretary says that’s why an independent review is being done.

He also denied reports that the agency rebuffed requests for more resources for Trump’s detail, saying it was “unequivocally false.”

Ohio governor says he’s waiting like everyone else to find out who Trump’s running mate will be

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine says he’s waiting like everyone else at the Republican National Convention to find out who will be Donald Trump’s running mate.

But he put in a strong word for Ohio Sen. JD Vance, the contender who’s from his home state. Vance, 39, is significantly younger than most of the other Republicans who’ve been mentioned as possibilities for the ticket.

“He’s very articulate. He’s got a great life story,” DeWine said. “And he can articulate President Trump’s positions very effectively and articulately. He’s the appropriate age, and represents the next generation. He’s the next generation of the party.”

Trump said to have narrowed his choices for running mate to 3 candidates

Donald Trump is said to have narrowed his list of potential running mates to three top candidates: Ohio Sen. JD Vance, North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, and Florida Sen. Marco Rubio.

All come with different benefits and vulnerabilities. Vance is perhaps most ideologically aligned with the former president and would energize his base. At 39, he would add a millennial contrast to the older men at the top of their parties’ tickets. But he’s served in the Senate for less than two years.

Burgum would bring business acumen and a steady hand, though Trump has noted his signing of a highly restrictive abortion law could be a drawback.

Rubio is seen in the party as a respected voice on policy and his background — as the son of Cuban immigrants and a Spanish speaker — could help Trump appeal to Latino voters. He could also help draw more moderate and establishment-minded voters and donors turned off by Trump’s coarse rhetoric. But Rubio’s candidacy is complicated by the fact that he lives in Florida, like Trump.

Protesters gather at GOP convention in downtown Milwaukee

Hundreds of activists gathered in a downtown Milwaukee park Monday as they prepared to spend the day protesting outside the Republican National Convention, saying the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump won’t affect their long-standing plans to demonstrate outside the site.

A wide range of organizations and demonstrators gathered in the park blocks from the Fiserv Forum to listen to speakers and then began marching Monday afternoon. The Coalition to March on the RNC, comprised largely of local groups, was protesting for access to abortion rights, for immigrant rights, and against the war in Gaza among other issues.

Organizers said the rally was on despite the attempt on Trump’s life Saturday during a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.

Trump calls for RFK Jr. to get Secret Service protection

After being hurt in a weekend assassination attempt, former President Donald Trump is calling for another presidential candidate to get Secret Service protection.

“In light of what is going on in the world today, I believe it is imperative that Robert F. Kennedy Jr. receive Secret Service protection — immediately,” Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social. “Given the history of the Kennedy Family, this is the obvious right thing to do!”

Kennedy’s father, Robert F. Kennedy, was shot and killed while campaigning for president and his uncle, President John F. Kennedy, was assassinated while in office.

Trump expected to announce vice presidential pick on the RNC’s first day

Donald Trump is expected to announce his vice presidential pick on the first day of the Republican National Convention, he said in an interview Monday.

It remains unclear whether the shooting Saturday at his Pennsylvania rally has changed the former president’s thinking about his potential second-in-command. But he told Fox News Channel host Bret Baier in a call that he planned to make his pick Monday.

The roll call vote to nominate Trump’s pick is expected Monday, according to a person with direct knowledge of the schedule who spoke on condition of anonymity. The person cautioned that Trump could always change his mind.

— Jill Colvin and Steve Peoples

Vivek Ramaswamy urges the country to come together after assassination attempt against Trump

Vivek Ramaswamy, a pharmaceutical entrepreneur and political novice who ran in the GOP presidential primary, has distinguished himself as an aggressive voice on the right, saying often that the country is already at war with itself.

So it was notable that in remarks at an event run by the conservative Heritage Institute at the RNC on Monday he was toning down his rhetoric and urging the country to come together.

“The enemy is not the Democrats, it is an ideology,” Ramaswamy told the crowd at the Heritage Institute’s “Policy Fest” event.

Ramaswamy compared the assassination attempt on Donald Trump to Abraham Lincoln’s assassination, telling reporters after his speech that “Donald Trump, in some ways, has been given the chance now, the second chance that Abraham Lincoln didn’t have to unite a country that, this time, didn’t have to fight a civil war but avoids one.”

Biden and Harris getting updated briefing on assassination attempt against Trump

President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris are getting an updated briefing from homeland security and law enforcement officials on the investigation into the attempted assassination of Donald Trump.

The briefing is taking place in the Situation Room, the White House says.

The attorney general, homeland security secretary, FBI director and the director and deputy director of the U.S. Secret Service are among those briefing Biden and Harris.

Federal judge cites Justice Thomas in tossing Trump classified documents case

When U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon dismissed the classified documents case against former President Donald Trump, she pointed several times to a concurrence written by Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas.

The concurrence was part of the high court’s ruling that former presidents have broad immunity from criminal prosecution, a finding that all but ended the prospects Trump could be tried on election-interference charges in Washington before the election.

No other justice signed onto Thomas’s concurrence. He questioned whether special counsel Jack Smith had been legally appointed and called on lower court judges to weigh the question.

Judge dismisses Trump classified documents case over concerns about legality of special counsel’s appointment

The federal judge