Donald Trump, campaigning in Charlotte, turns his attacks toward Kamala Harris
BY: GALEN BACHARIER - JULY 24, 2024 9:15 PM
CHARLOTTE — Former President Donald Trump launched a volley of attacks on Vice President Kamala Harris in a speech on Wednesday, calling her “stupid,” a “lunatic” and “ultra-liberal” in his first campaign rally since her ascension as the all-but-certain Democratic nominee.
Addressing thousands of supporters at a packed Bojangles Coliseum in Charlotte, Trump painted Harris as “incompetent” and “radical,” ticking through her voting record as a senator and declaring her the “driving force” of the Biden White House.
“For three and a half years, lyin’ Kamala Harris has been the ultra-liberal driving force behind every single Biden catastrophe,” Trump said.
Throughout he and other speakers’ remarks, almost every mention of the vice president prompted loud boos. And throughout his hour-plus speech, Trump repeatedly returned to her role in immigration policy — at one point referring to a “Kamala Harris border invasion.”
He took aim at her background as a prosecutor and attorney general, declaring that she “ruined San Francisco.” And he scrutinized her policy stances on criminal justice and policing, while mocking contrasts her campaign has drawn between them.
“They get me to that position and then the campaign says ‘I’m a prosecutor,’ and I’m a convicted felon,” Trump said, referencing his conviction in a New York criminal trial. “I don’t think people are going to buy it.”
Echoing an ad released by his campaign earlier this week, Trump branded the vice president “the most liberal elected politician in American history,” and the “original Marxist.” Both of these claims are demonstrably false.
“She makes Bernie look like a moderate,” he said. “(U.S. Sen.) Bernie Sanders, he’s actually quite moderate by comparison.”
Prior to the Wednesday rally, Trump last visited North Carolina in late May. Harris, who swiftly coalesced support from Democrats in North Carolina and nationally in recent days after President Joe Biden announced his decision that he would not seek reelection, has visited twice in recent weeks with events in Greensboro and Fayetteville prior to becoming the all-but-certain nominee of her party.
Trump on Biden’s exit: ‘He quit’
The former president swiftly addressed Biden bowing out of the race, telling supporters that “he quit.”
“He was losing so badly in the polls and down by a lot, so he quit,” Trump said. “But really, what happened was the leaders of the Democrat Party did a very undemocratic move.”
And though Biden no longer tops the ticket for November, he was still the target of numerous criticisms from his 2020 opponent. Trump called him a “fake liberal” while contrasting him with Harris, and recalled a conversation in which Biden was called “cognitively a degenerate.”
“I wish him well, but I don’t like him,” Trump said. “He’s not a nice person. He’s trying to put me in jail, why would I like him?”
Trump rallygoer: Harris campaign is ‘New Coke’
Those who attended the rally and spoke to NC Newsline expressed confidence that Trump would emerge victorious in November, despite now facing a new opponent.
John Yopp, a law enforcement officer and former candidate for sheriff from Jacksonville, North Carolina, called Biden’s stepping aside for Harris “totally undemocratic.” And he equated the vice president’s candidacy to the infamous “New Coke” marketing campaign.
“It got a lot of people’s attention, but it was superficial, it disappeared quickly,” Yopp said. “That’s what’s going to happen here.”
Another said he didn’t believe Trump’s chances of victory had changed despite Harris now leading the Democratic ticket.
“At the end of the day, her policies are Biden’s policies,” said Doyle Ball, who traveled from Tennessee to attend the Wednesday rally.
Ahead of Trump’s remarks, a circuit of NC Republican candidates
An array of Republicans that will appear on the ballot below Trump threw their support behind the nominee ahead of his speech Wednesday.
Mark Harris, who is running for Congress in North Carolina’s 8th House District, led the coliseum in prayer. It was “an act of God” that prevented Trump from further injury during the assassination attempt in Pennsylvania, he said.
“It is by your grace and by your mercy and your hand that was upon President Trump that caused him to turn his head,” Harris said.
Speaker of the House Tim Moore, also seeking a seat in Congress, touted the Republican-led legislature’s priorities in recent years. And U.S. Rep. Dan Bishop, running for attorney general, sought to tie his Democratic opponent to Harris, calling them “radical.”
“The last thing North Carolina needs, and America needs, is more prosecutors like Jeff Jackson and Kamala Harris,” Bishop said.
Harris campaign blasts Trump on abortion, Project 2025
Harris’ campaign gathered local officials for a press conference ahead of the rally — continuing to home in on abortion rights and Project 2025 as top lines of attack against Trump.
The wide-ranging conservative policy agenda from the Heritage Foundation has increasingly come into focus from Democrats, who say it is effectively a blueprint for Trump’s second term in office. The former president has dismissed the plan and tried to distance himself from its authors and endorsers, a number of whom served in his administration.
“Donald Trump’s Project 2025 threatens to roll back the rights and freedoms of the American people and give the presidency more power and less accountability than ever before,” Mecklenburg County Commissioner Mark Jerrell said.
The campaign also featured Hadley Duvall, a sexual assault survivor and abortion rights advocate who featured in a prominent ad for Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear’s campaign.
“Donald Trump has come to North Carolina today to brag about how he overturned Roe v. Wade and ripped away reproductive freedom from women and girls across the country,” Duvall said. “He is proudly responsible for each and every one of the cruel abortion bans across the country, including the one in effect here in North Carolina.”
Like the SC Daily Gazette, NC Newsline is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. NC Newsline maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Rob Schofield for questions: info@ncnewsline.com. Follow NC Newsline on Facebook and X.
Galen Bacharier covers North Carolina politics and government for NC Newsline. NC Newsline is part of States Newsroom, the nation’s largest state-focused nonprofit news organization.
President Trump's policy on saving American education here.
‘Pass the torch’: Biden addresses nation on why he won’t seek a second term
BY: JENNIFER SHUTT - JULY 24, 2024 9:25 PM
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden explained his decision not to seek reelection during a prime-time address from the Oval Office on Wednesday, saying now is the time to turn over power to the next generation.
“I’ve made it clear that I believe America is at an inflection point — one of those rare moments in history when the decisions we make now will determine the fate of our nation and the world for decades to come,” Biden said. “America is going to have to choose between moving forward or backward, between hope and hate, between unity and division.”
The 11-minute speech was the first time Biden spoke at length on camera since releasing a letter Sunday withdrawing as the Democratic Party’s presumptive presidential nominee. He will continue to serve out his term.
Biden has endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris, who has received support from enough delegates to clinch the party’s official nomination during a virtual roll call vote slated for early August.
Biden called into a campaign rally earlier this week, but had only given off-camera or brief remarks since announcing his decision to step aside while sidelined with COVID-19.
Calls for Biden to bow out began after his performance during the first presidential debate on June 27 raised significant concerns among Democrats and others about his age and cognitive abilities.
‘Nothing can come in the way of saving our democracy’
Speaking directly to Americans in his address, Biden said he believed his record, leadership and vision for the country’s future “all merited a second term.”
“But nothing, nothing can come in the way of saving our democracy and that includes personal ambition,” Biden said. “So I’ve decided the best way forward is to pass the torch to a new generation. That’s the best way to unite our nation.”
Biden said that while there is “a time and a place for long years of experience in public life,” there is also a time for “younger voices.”
“And that time and place is now,” Biden said.
During his remaining six months in office, Biden said he planned to continue pressing for gun control, reproductive rights, voting rights and an end to all forms of violence, including political.
Biden said he wanted to secure an end to the war in Gaza and bring home the hostages that Hamas took when it attacked Israel on Oct. 7.
He said he planned to press for changes to the Supreme Court, calling it essential for democracy.
Biden also recounted the numerous laws enacted since he became president as well as his efforts to hold the NATO alliance together following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
He said he hoped Americans understood how “grateful” he was for his decades as an elected official.
“I ran for president four years ago because I believed, and I still do, that the soul of America was at stake, the very nature of who we are was at stake,” Biden said.
Harris, he said, has the experience, strength and capability to lead the country following the November elections.
“The great thing about America is here, kings and dictators do not rule — the people do,” Biden said. “History is in your hands, the power is in your hands, the idea of America lies in your hands. We just have to keep the faith and remember who we are.”
Jennifer covers the nation’s capital as a senior reporter for States Newsroom. Her coverage areas include congressional policy, politics and legal challenges with a focus on health care, unemployment, housing and aid to families.
SC Daily Gazette is part of States Newsroom, the nation’s largest state-focused nonprofit news organization.
In Capitol address, Israeli leader calls for U.S. backing to defeat Hamas
SC Sen. Lindsey Graham calls speech boycotted by dozens of Democrats ‘epic in every way;’ Kamala Harris did not attend
BY: ASHLEY MURRAY - JULY 24, 2024 8:37 PM
WASHINGTON — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu promised victory over Hamas militants and said he knows “America has our back” during a joint meeting of Congress Wednesday that drew thousands of protesters and sparked a boycott from some Democrats who oppose the Israeli government’s monthslong offensive in Gaza.
“Our enemies are your enemies, our fight is your fight, and our victory will be your victory,” Netanyahu told lawmakers. “Ladies and gentlemen, that victory is in sight.”
The Israeli leader visited Washington as his military’s airstrikes in the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis added dozens of deaths to a mounting toll of 39,000, according to Gaza health authorities in the Hamas-controlled territory.
Additionally, news on Monday of the deaths of two captives held by Hamas charged the already roaring calls for their release.
Israel’s offensive, approaching its tenth month, has been ongoing since Hamas militants launched a surprise attack on Oct. 7, 2023, terrorizing music festival attendees and numerous communal settlements. In one day, the militants killed more than 1,100 and escaped with upwards of 200 hostages.
Netanyahu recounted the “sheer evil” during his nearly one-hour speech to lawmakers Wednesday and thanked President Joe Biden for standing with Israel “during our darkest hour that will never be forgotten.”
“This is not a clash of civilizations. It’s a clash between barbarism and civilization,” Netanyahu said. “It’s a clash between those who glorify death and those who sanctify life. For the forces of civilization to triumph, America and Israel must stand together.”
He introduced a rescued hostage sitting beside his wife, Sara, in the House chamber’s gallery and told families of American hostages in attendance that he will “not rest until all their loved ones are home.” Netanyahu also asked a handful of Israeli service members to rise from where they were seated behind lawmakers on the Republican side of the House floor.
GOP lawmakers briefly chanted “USA” after Netanyahu decried Iran’s threats to Israel and warned that Iran’s “real war is with America.”
“Yet at the heart of the Middle East, standing in Iran’s way, is one proud democracy, my country, the state of Israel,” Netanyahu said.
U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina called the speech historic and “epic in every way.
“Not only did he remind us that the enemies of Israel are the enemies of the United States, but he also laid out a vision for regional integration that could end the Arab-Israeli conflict by building on the Abraham Accords,” he said in a statement, referring to the agreement signed in September 2020.
Partisan cracks
Applause was not unanimous throughout the lengthy speech.
When Netanyahu sharply criticized anti-Israel protesters who “stand with Hamas” and “should be ashamed of themselves,” many Democratic lawmakers remained seated, including Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, the body’s highest-ranking Jewish member.
Rep. Rashida Tlaib of Michigan raised a small sign that read “Guilty of genocide” as Netanyahu called the International Criminal Court’s accusations against him “utter, complete nonsense.”
Netanyahu defended his country’s treatment of Palestinians.
He rejected the position of the ICC, which issued arrest warrant applications in May for both Hamas and Israeli government officials, including Netanyahu.
The ICC “shamefully accused Israel of starving the people of Gaza” and deliberately targeting civilians, he said.
Netanyahu accused Hamas of stealing the half-million tons of food his country has sent into Gaza.
The Israeli military has “dropped millions of flyers, sent millions of text messages” to warn civilians prior to airstrikes, but Netanyahu said Hamas militants use their civilians as human shields.
“For Hamas, it’s a strategy,” Netanyahu said. “They actually want Palestinian civilians to die so that Israel will be smeared in the international media.”
Prior to Netanyahu’s speech, House Speaker Mike Johnson said Israel is a victim of an “information wars.”
The Louisiana Republican shook hands with the prime minister and his wife against the backdrop of American and Israeli flags upon their arrival just after 1 p.m.
“The threats Israel faces are not only kinetic. Jerusalem is also combatting lawfare and information wars and double standards from the U.N. and the media,” Johnson said.
Harris campaigns during Netanyahu visit
Vice President Kamala Harris did not preside over Netanyahu’s joint address, as is tradition for the officeholder who is also the president of the U.S. Senate.
Rather, the likely Democratic presidential nominee departed Washington Wednesday morning for a speech in Indianapolis, followed by travel to Houston.
Harris’s office did not respond to a request for comment Wednesday.
Both Biden and Harris are expected to meet Netanyahu separately on Thursday, followed by a joint meeting with the families of American hostages still held by Hamas.
“The leaders will discuss developments in Gaza and progress towards a ceasefire and hostage release deal and the United States’ ironclad commitment to Israel’s security, including countering Iran’s threats to Israel and the broader region,” according to a statement released Wednesday by White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre.
The Republican National Committee pounced on Harris’s absence in a statement, calling it “disgraceful snub” and accusing the vice president of being “weak” on Israel.
The Senate’s president pro tempore, Patty Murray of Washington, also did not preside, citing opposition to the war in a statement reported in the Spokesman-Review, a Spokane newspaper.
Instead, Sen. Ben Cardin of Maryland, chair of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, took the seat behind Netanyahu.
“The United States relationship with the State of Israel transcends politics and partisanship, and it transcends any one Israeli government or any one U.S. administration. Its foundation is cemented in the ties between our people,” Cardin said in a statement.
Schumer said he attended Netanyahu’s address because the leader’s visit presented the latest opportunity to draw attention to hostages, including some of his New York constituents, who remain in Hamas captivity.
“Even though I disagree with many of Bibi Netanyahu’s policies, I will attend the speech because the United States’ relationship with Israel remains ironclad and transcends any prime minister or president. And we must do all we can to get our hostages home,” Schumer said on the Senate floor Wednesday morning.
Schumer, a Democrat, delivered sharp criticism of Netanyahu on the Senate floor in March when he called for a complete overhaul of Israeli and Palestinian Authority leadership. Schumer said on March 14 that Netanyahu had “lost his way” and proposed the country hold new elections.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell met with Netanyahu Wednesday and affirmed the U.S. commitment to the Middle East nation.
“The American people can take pride in the resilience of our friends fighting Iran-backed terror. But Israel’s fight is America’s fight, too. Like our friends on the front lines of Russian and Chinese aggression, Israel’s defiance of the world’s most active state sponsor of terror deserves America’s utmost support,” McConnell said in a statement.
Democrats boycott
Dozens of Democratic lawmakers boycotted Netanyahu’s address to protest the tens of thousands of civilian deaths in the Gaza Strip and the continued delay of a cease-fire agreement while hostages taken on Oct. 7 remain in Hamas captivity.
Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Netanyahu’s speech “was by far the worst presentation of any foreign dignitary invited and honored with the privilege of addressing the Congress of the United States.”
“Many of us who love Israel spent time today listening to Israeli citizens whose families have suffered in the wake of the October 7th Hamas terror attack and kidnappings. These families are asking for a ceasefire deal that will bring the hostages home – and we hope the Prime Minister would spend his time achieving that goal,” she wrote on social media following the prime minister’s visit.
Rep. Mark Pocan, a Wisconsin Democrat, called Congress’s invitation to Netanyahu “wildly inappropriate” because the Israeli leader “has violated international human rights law so severely that an arrest warrant for war crimes has been recommended by the International Criminal Court.”
“I regret that one has not been issued yet, as I would have gladly served it to him on the House floor,” Pocan said in a statement Wednesday.
Rep. Summer Lee of Pennsylvania said on the House floor that Israel has “decimated” the Gaza Strip using U.S.-provided weapons.
“When Putin commits war crimes, we condemn him. When Netanyahu commits war crimes, we give him excuses and bombs,” the freshman Democrat said, referring to U.S. support of Ukraine as Russian President Vladimir Putin continues his attack on the neighboring country.
Rep. Rosa DeLauro, the top House Democratic appropriator, did not attend the speech, citing anger that “Republicans have used this address to score political points and stoke division.”
“And I am shocked by the ongoing Israeli military campaign in the Gaza Strip, spearheaded by Prime Minister Netanyahu, that has been indifferent to the loss of Palestinian lives and settler violence. For these reasons, I will not attend the joint address,” the Connecticut Democrat said in a statement.
DeLauro joined Democrats Jim Clyburn of South Carolina and Jamie Raskin of Maryland to meet with hostages’ families earlier in the day.
Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky was the rare Republican absence during Netanyahu’s address, dismissing it as “political theater on behalf of the State Department.”
“The purpose of having Netanyahu address Congress is to bolster his political standing in Israel and to quell (international) opposition to his war,” Massie wrote on social media.
Protests
U.S. Capitol Police said they deployed pepper spray on protesters marching toward the Capitol just before 2 p.m., when Netanyahu’s speech got underway.
Inside the Capitol, police reported arresting six people in the House gallery for “unlawful conduct” during the Israeli leader’s address.
Later, demonstrators marched on Washington’s Union Station and raised Palestinian flags that Washington Metropolitan Police eventually removed, according to local reports. It was unclear how many protesters were arrested.
Thousands demonstrated on the National Mall and surrounding avenues leading to the Capitol beginning early Wednesday. Numerous coalitions of advocacy groups converged on Washington carrying signs that read “Free Palestine” and attempting to burn an effigy of Netanyahu, according to reporters who were present.
The A.N.S.W.E.R. coalition — short for Act Now to Stop War and End Racism — held court before a large crowd on Pennsylvania Avenue for nearly three hours of rotating speakers including actress Susan Sarandon.
A sit-in Tuesday night in the Cannon House Office Building ended with roughly 200 arrests, according to Capitol law enforcement.
Tall, black security fencing surrounded the Capitol complex, and U.S. Capitol Police increased its presence along with federal law enforcement and other partners.
Netanyahu’s visit came almost exactly one year after Israeli President Isaac Herzog addressed a joint meeting of Congress to mark the 75th anniversary of Israel’s independence. At the time of Herzog’s visit, Netanyahu was facing massive protests in his own country for a law that would shift the judiciary in his favor.
Negotiations over a U.S. and internationally-backed cease-fire proposal are limping along in Cairo as parties struggle to finalize a path forward for the Palestinian territories following the war, according to numerous reports. Israel’s parliament last week rejected the establishment of a Palestinian state, rejecting the Biden administration’s advocacy for a two-state solution.
Netanyahu met separately Tuesday with several families of hostages and evangelical Christian leaders in Washington, according to a statements released by his office.
Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump said on his online platform Truth Social that he will welcome Netanyahu to his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida on Friday.
Ashley Murray covers the nation’s capital as a senior reporter for States Newsroom. Her coverage areas include domestic policy and appropriations.
SC Daily Gazette is part of States Newsroom, the nation’s largest state-focused nonprofit news organization.
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