March 10 - 2024 campaign updates

Republican Sen. Katie Britt attends the Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee hearing in Dirksen Building, on January 11, in Washington, DC.

Republican Sen. Katie Britt acknowledged Sunday that her graphic anecdote criticizing President Joe Biden Biden’s border policies took place before he was president or vice president.

During her Republican response to Biden’s State of the Union address, Britt described a woman’s story of being “sex trafficked by the cartels starting at age 12.” But the story she seemed to describe didn’t take place during Biden’s time as president or vice president, nor did it happen in the United States.

“I very clearly said I spoke to a woman who told me about when she was trafficked when she was 12. So I didn’t say a teenager, I didn’t say a young woman, a grown woman. A woman, when she was trafficked, when she was 12,” Britt told Shannon Bream on “Fox News Sunday” when asked if that particular story was something that took place under Biden’s watch. 

Asked if she meant to give the impression it had taken place during Biden’s time in office, Britt said: “No, Shannon. Look, I very specifically said this is what President Biden did during his first 100 days. Minutes coming into office, he stopped all deportations, he halted construction of the border wall. And he said I’m going to give amnesty to millions. Those types of things act as a magnet to have more and more people here.”

Republican Sen. James Lankford arrives for a Senate Republican meeting at the US Capitol on February 8, in Washington, DC.

Republican Sen. James Lankford said Sunday that President Joe Biden’s State comments about the bipartisan border deal during his State of the Union address were accurate, even as he reaffirmed his support for Donald Trump’s immigration policies.

“I was listening to the President and obviously he’s walking through and I could hear some of my colleagues around me saying, ‘none of that’s true.’ And I was actually listening to the President and said, ‘no, that part actually is true,’” Lankford told CNN’s Jake Tapper.

The bipartisan immigration bill, which Lankford pushed, was scuttled after former President Donald Trump urged Republicans in Congress to sink the bill. Still, Lankford said Sunday that while the misinformation around the bill is “frustrating,” he supports Trump’s border policies.

US President Joe Biden speaks during a State of the Union address at the US Capitol in Washington, DC, on March 7.

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said Sunday that President Joe Biden’s State of the Union speech showed a leader “in command.”

“Anybody who watched that address saw not just in the substance, but in the delivery of President Biden’s remarks, a leader who is in command, showing strength and clarity of vision,” Buttigieg told ABC’s George Stephanopoulos.

The president’s age remains a concern for Democratic voters. In a recent CNN poll, 46% cite Biden’s age when asked to name their biggest concern about him as a presidential candidate, with 5% mentioning his mental competence or sharpness.

Buttigieg on Sunday echoed some of the president’s talking points from Thursday evening about his age, saying “what matters most is the age of a leader’s ideas.” 

Former US President and 2024 presidential candidate Donald Trump gestures to the crowd after speaking at a campaign event in Rome, Georgia, on March 9.

House Republican leaders are now bullishly predicting they will grow their majority in the 2024 elections, contending former President Donald Trump will be an asset in swing suburban districts that voted for President Joe Biden four years ago.

For much of the past year, GOP prospects of keeping the House appeared to be dim, especially given the constant internal feuding that led to the unprecedented ouster of a sitting speaker and their inability to advance a legislative agenda.

But the outcome of key primaries and redistricting fights in several states – along with a handful of Democratic retirements in swing districts and Biden’s persistently low approval ratings – have given Republicans new hope they can hang on despite what once seemed to be extremely grim odds.

“Well, right now he’s popular everywhere,” Rep. Richard Hudson, the North Carolina Republican who chairs the House GOP’s campaign arm, told CNN when asked about Trump’s impact in districts Biden carried four years ago. “He’s won in every battleground state. And I think the turnout models are much different in a presidential election year for us. Brings out a lot of voters that don’t vote in the midterms. And so I think it’s a net positive.”

Read more here.

US Vice President Kamala Harris, from left, President Joe Biden, and House Speaker Mike Johnson during a State of the Union address at the US Capitol in Washington, DC, on March 7.

President Joe Biden’s presidential campaign said Sunday that it raised $10 million in the 24 hours after Thursday evening’s State of the Union address.

“Ten million dollars in 24 hours. To quote the boss, that’s a BFD,” Biden campaign manager Julie Chavez Rodriguez said in a statement. “The President’s State of the Union address reminded so many of our supporters who is fighting for them, and the stakes of this election for our freedoms, our rights, and our democracy.”

The president raised at least $42 million for his reelection campaign and the Democratic Party in February, campaign officials previously told CNN, a total fueled by the strongest month of grassroots donations during this election cycle.

Senator Rev. Raphael Warnock (GA-D) speaks at a campaign event for President Joe Biden at Pullman Yards on March 9, in Atlanta, Georgia.

Georgia Sen. Raphael Warnock on Sunday criticized politicians who, he said, are using the recent murder of Laken Riley to score “political points.”

“It’s unfortunate that in this moment of grief, there are those who are trying to score cheap political points,” Warnock told CNN’s Jake Tapper on “State of the Union.”

Riley was found dead last month after jogging near a lake on the University of Georgia campus. Police say she was killed by a man who illegally crossed the border. 

Riley was a focal point of Donald Trump’s campaign event Saturday. Signs featuring Riley were passed out to the crowd, and Riley’s parents met with Trump backstage before he spoke.

The House on Thursday afternoon passed the Laken Riley Act, with all GOP members in attendance plus 37 Democrats supporting the bill. The legislation, introduced by freshman conservative Republican Rep. Mike Collins of Georgia, requires the detention of any migrant who committed burglary or theft.

Former President Donald Trump and President Joe Biden.

President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump held dueling events Saturday in Georgia, where they each attacked the other as their rematch for the White House ramps up.

Here’s what you should know:

Biden continues post-State of the Union campaign swing

The president delivered fiery remarks during his rally in Atlanta, slamming Trump for hosting Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán at his Mar-A-Lago club Friday. Biden said the former president “has been sucking up to wannabe dictators and authoritarian thugs all over the world.”

Biden repeated his view of the 2024 general election, calling it “a contest between competing forces in the battle for the soul of this nation.” 

Trump slams Biden over his State of the Union address

At his first rally since emerging as the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, Trump criticized Biden’s State of the Union address as “partisan” and “angry.” 

“Two nights ago, we all heard crooked Joe’s angry, dark, hate-filled rant of a State of the Union address,” Trump said at his rally in Rome, Georgia.

Killing of Laken Riley

Biden said in an interview with MSNBC on Saturday that he should have used the term “undocumented” to describe Laken Riley’s alleged killer after calling him an “illegal” during Thursday’s State of the Union. 

Riley, the 22-year-old nursing student who police say was killed by an undocumented immigrant on the University of Georgia campus last month, was a focal point of Trump’s event Saturday. Signs featuring Riley were passed out to the crowd, and Riley’s parents met with Trump backstage before he spoke.

Trump slammed Biden after the president said he shouldn’t have used the term “illegal.”

“He was an illegal immigrant. He was an illegal alien. He was an illegal migrant, and he shouldn’t have been in our country, and he never would have been under the Trump policy,” the former president said. “Biden should be apologizing for apologizing to this killer.”

Four states, a territory and the official arm of the Democratic Party for Americans living overseas are voting in presidential nominating contests Tuesday.

Former President Donald Trump, the presumptive Republican nominee, is hoping to win enough delegates from Tuesday’s elections to officially clinch his party’s 2024 nod. Trump has 1,076 delegates to date, CNN estimates, following his win Friday in the American Samoa Republican caucus.

It takes 1,215 of 2,429 delegates to win the Republican nomination.

Here’s are look at the contests taking place Tuesday:

Georgia presidential primaries

Washington state presidential primaries

Mississippi presidential and down-ballot primaries

Hawaii Republican presidential caucuses

Northern Mariana Islands Democratic primary (party-run)

Democrats Abroad presidential primary

Former President Donald Trump on Saturday invited any “disillusioned” Democrats to join his “Make America Great Again” movement as he continued to bash President Joe Biden and his State of the Union address. 

“If you’re a disillusioned Democrat, of which there are many today, I extend an open hand, an open invitation, and I ask you to join us on the noble quest of saving our country,” Trump said at a campaign rally in Rome, Georgia.

“To all Americans, whether you are a Republican, an independent or a disillusioned Democrat, of which there are many, all you had to do was watch that horrible State of the Union. That was the worst president in history making the worst State of the Union speech in history,” Trump said.

Trump’s remarks came days after Biden repeatedly attacked the former president in his State of the Union address, drawing a sharp contrast between himself and Trump on key issues such as abortion, immigration and taxes. Biden did not mention Trump by name in his speech but repeatedly attacked his “predecessor” as a threat to democracy. 

Trump’s stop in Georgia came the same day as Biden held a rally in Atlanta.

“He’s at another part of your state, where he’s really said some bad things today,” Trump said.

Former President Donald Trump speaks at a campaign rally in Rome, Georgia, on March 9.

Former President Donald Trump on Saturday continued to claim that E. Jean Carroll had made false accusations against him, a day after he posted a $91.63 million bond in his appeal of the judgment against him in the former magazine columnist’s defamation case.

“Can you believe this? Sometimes it’s not good to be rich. I just posted a $91 million bond, 91 million, on a fake story, totally made-up story,” Trump said at a campaign rally in Rome, Georgia.

Trump continued, “I could say things about what it would cost normally, 91 million, based on false accusations made about me by a woman that I knew nothing about, didn’t know, never heard of.”

In January, a federal jury awarded Carroll $83.3 million in damages as a result of Trump’s defamatory statements denying he raped her, saying she wasn’t his type, and accusing her of making up the allegation to boost sales of her book. The bond size is greater than the judgment because the district court generally requires a party to post 110% of the bond.

Former President Donald Trump slammed President Joe Biden for saying he shouldn’t have used the term “illegal” to describe the alleged killer of Laken Riley, the slain 22-year-old whose family Trump met with before his rally in Rome, Georgia, on Saturday. 

“He was an illegal immigrant. He was an illegal alien. He was an illegal migrant, and he shouldn’t have been in our country, and he never would have been under the Trump policy,” Trump said, adding, “Biden should be apologizing for apologizing to this killer.”

Earlier Saturday, Biden said in an interview with MSNBC that he should have used the term “undocumented” to describe Riley’s alleged killer after calling him an “illegal” during Thursday’s State of the Union. 

Trump also criticized Biden for misstating Riley’s name as “Lincoln” in a tense exchange with GOP Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene during the State of the Union.

He called Greene, who was present at the rally in her district in Georgia, “very brave” for pressing Biden to say Riley’s name during his remarks on immigration.

President Joe Biden speaks at a campaign event in Atlanta on March 9.

President Joe Biden delivered fiery remarks from Atlanta on Saturday, continuing his post-State of the Union campaign swing while rallying supporters just 60 miles from his GOP rival, former President Donald Trump.

“All of you here today — you know, you’re the reason we’re going to win. … Donald Trump has a different constituency — here’s a guy who’s kicking off his general election campaign up the road with Marjorie Taylor Greene,” Biden said, referring to the Georgia Republican congresswoman. “It can tell you a lot about a person, who he keeps company with.” 

Biden also slammed Trump for hosting Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán at his Mar-A-Lago club Friday, saying the former president “has been sucking up to wannabe dictators and authoritarian thugs all over the world.” 

The president repeated his view of the 2024 general election, calling it “a contest between competing forces in the battle for the soul of this nation.” 

“My lifetime has taught me to embrace the future of freedom and democracy. Trump and I have a very different value set; mine is based on core values that defined America, and the rest of the world looks at us that way: decency, honesty, fairness, equality. But we all know Donald Trump sees a different America, an American story of resentment, revenge and retribution. That’s not me, that’s not you,” Biden said.

Former President Donald Trump speaks at a campaign rally in Rome, Georgia, on March 9.

Former President Donald Trump on Saturday criticized President Joe Biden’s State of the Union address as “partisan” and “angry.” 

“Two nights ago, we all heard crooked Joe’s angry, dark, hate-filled rant of a State of the Union address,” Trump said at a rally in Rome, Georgia.

“Joe Biden gave the most divisive, partisan, radical and extreme speech ever delivered by a president in that chamber, not even close. Rather than trying to bring our country together, he tried to cling to power by tearing our country apart,” Trump said.

Trump added: “Joe Biden should not be shouting angrily at America. America should be shouting angrily at Joe Biden.”

President Joe Biden speaks at a campaign event in Atlanta on March 9.

Three minutes into his remarks Saturday at a campaign stop in Atlanta, President Joe Biden was interrupted by a demonstrator calling for a ceasefire in Gaza. 

“Genocide Joe, how will history view you?” the protester could be heard yelling. 

The president paused his remarks as supporters chanted, “Four more years.”

“Look, I don’t resent his passion,” Biden said. “There’s a lot of Palestinians who are being unfairly victimized.” 

The man was quickly escorted out of the event site. As he was escorted out, he continued to shout, “Free Palestine.”

An undated file photo of Laken Riley.

The parents of Laken Riley, a 22-year-old nursing student who police say was killed by a man who illegally crossed the border, are attending Donald Trump’s rally Saturday in Georgia and met with the former president backstage, according to Trump co-campaign manager Chris LaCivita. 

Trump has repeatedly invoked Riley’s death as he rails against illegal immigration and pushes his hardline immigration proposals, including a mass deportation of undocumented immigrants. His campaign on Saturday passed out signs to supporters with Riley’s photo and “Say Her Name” written on them. LaCivita said the campaign spoke to Riley’s parents about using her image on the signs. 

LaCivita criticized President Joe Biden, who said earlier Saturday in an interview with MSNBC that he should have used the word “undocumented” instead of “illegal” when describing Riley’s suspected killer in his State of the Union address.  

“He’s more interested in apologizing for using the correct term to define the killer as opposed to apologizing to the parents,” LaCivita told reporters.

Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. speaks during a rally in Grand Rapids, Michigan, on February 10.

An outside group backing independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s White House bid has gathered enough signatures to put Kennedy on the ballot in two more states, including Michigan, a crucial battleground ahead of November’s election.

A spokesperson for American Values 2024 said in a statement to CNN the group has gathered the necessary signatures needed to qualify Kennedy for the ballot in Michigan and South Carolina, notching two more states toward Kennedy’s goal of appearing on the ballot in all 50 states and Washington, DC, while further complicating the dynamics of a rematch between President Joe Biden and presumptive GOP nominee Donald Trump. 

A New York Times/Siena College poll conducted in October 2023 showed Kennedy earning 26% support among registered voters in a hypothetical three-way race with Biden, who received 31%, and Trump, who received 34%. 

Michigan is the latest battleground state where Kennedy’s allies have met the signature gathering threshold. The super PAC announced last month it collected enough signatures to gain ballot access in Georgia and Arizona. 

Kennedy’s campaign has gathered enough signatures to gain ballot access in Nevada, another pivotal swing state, as well as in New Hampshire and Hawaii. Kennedy is officially on the ballot in one state, Utah. 

Former President Donald Trump arrives for a campaign rally in Waterford Township, Michigan, on February 17.

The 2024 presidential general election is here, for all intents and purposes. Joe Biden and Donald Trump are set to face off in the first presidential rematch since 1956. It’s also the first rematch between a current and a former president since 1892.

But unlike in 2020, when Biden was favored over Trump for the entirety of the campaign, the president faces a rougher road this time around. Indeed, he has no better than a 50-50 shot for reelection, and fans of Biden should be aware that Trump has a real chance at retaking the White House.

Consider:

National polling: Surveys from The New York Times/Siena College, CBS News/YouGov, Fox News and The Wall Street Journal all gave Trump a higher percentage of the vote than Biden by margins ranging from 2 to 4 points. (KFF had Biden scoring 3 points higher than Trump.)

All those results were officially within the margin of error, but put together they paint a picture of a troubled incumbent.

Electoral College: Polls also show Trump ahead, however narrowly, in enough states to win the Electoral College and the presidency.

Biden is trailing by 5 points or more in the most recent polling from Arizona, Georgia and Nevada. He’s also trailing in Michigan, where the average of polls over the past six months that meet CNN’s standards for publication has him down 4 points.

Top campaign issues: Americans say the top problems facing the country are either related to the economy or immigration. Trump is considerably more trusted than Biden on both issues.

Read more here.

President Joe Biden holds up a button with Laken Riley's name as he delivers his State of the Union address at the Capitol in Washington, DC, on March 7.

President Joe Biden said Saturday he should have used the term “undocumented” to describe Laken Riley’s alleged killer, who is an undocumented immigrant, after calling him an “illegal” during Thursday’s State of the Union. 

“I shouldn’t have used ‘illegal,’ it’s undocumented,” Biden told MSNBC anchor Jonathan Capehart in an interview Saturday. 

The comment is a pivot from earlier in the week, when Biden said he didn’t regret using the term “illegal” despite criticism from Democratic lawmakers and immigrant advocates. 

Shortly after the State of the Union, Rep. Nancy Pelosi told CNN that Biden “should have said undocumented.” 

Riley, a 22-year-old nursing student, was allegedly killed by an undocumented immigrant on the University of Georgia campus last month.

Speaking to Capehart, Biden also sought to distance his comments from his likely 2024 presidential election opponent, Donald Trump, by recalling his predecessor’s rhetoric saying immigrants are “poisoning the blood of our country.” 

“When I spoke about the difference between Trump and me, one of the things I talked about on the border was the way he talks about vermin, the way he talks about these people polluting the blood. … I will not treat any of these people with disrespect,” Biden said Saturday. 

Former President Donald Trump’s campaign on Saturday released a new video attacking President Joe Biden over his age.  

The video opens with a clip of Biden saying, “Look, I’m not a young guy. That’s no secret.” The clip was from a new Biden campaign ad that touts the president’s record. Biden is 81 and Trump is 77. 

The video then runs clips of Biden falling up the stairs as he boards Air Force One, onstage at the US Air Force Academy graduation ceremony and on his bike in Rehoboth Beach. 

The ad is running only on digital platforms, according to Trump campaign spokesman Jason Miller. 

Trump, who is only a few years younger than Biden, has said several times that he doesn’t think Biden is “too old” to be president, and has instead argued he is “too incompetent.” But the former president’s campaign appears to be taking more direct aim at Biden over his age. 

President Joe Biden delivers his State of the Union address at the Capitol in Washington, DC, on March 7.

As President Joe Biden hits the campaign trail after his fiery State of the Union address, some voters in his home state of Delaware are showing mixed feelings about his reelection efforts. 

George Wilson, 60: A Wilmington resident, Wilson said his first impression of the address was that the president’s age “is catching up on him.” 

But Wilson, who voted for Biden in the past and plans to vote for him again, said he has seen improvements in the economy and noticed that communities in his state have become safer. 

“I’m hoping his health doesn’t give out too soon. I hope he keeps his strength up, and still makes America great again,” Wilson said. Asked why he wouldn’t support former President Donald Trump, he responded, “I don’t feel safe with Trump.”

Kelly Meding, 49: The Dover resident praised Biden’s recent address to Congress. 

“I know a lot of people have said a lot of bad things,” she told CNN, referring to Biden. “But if you look at our economy, it’s turning around. I mean, he’s really done a great job.” 

Meding, who plans to vote for Biden again, added: “I think as he gets out of office eventually, I think we’re going to look back and realize how much he’s actually done for this country.”

Ken Carly, 65: A Republican, Carly said he will not support Biden in the upcoming election and will most likely vote for Trump.

“I’m not happy with the current situation,” he said. 

When asked what he is unhappy with, Carly noted that Democrats have accused Trump of committing crimes and referred to the multiple criminal indictments that have been filed against the former president.

“I will not be voting for Biden … because Democrats are very issue-oriented about the way they present their issues. It’s always against the other side,” he said.

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene leaves after President Joe Biden delivered his State of the Union address at the Capitol in Washington, DC, on March 7.

The Democratic National Committee is launching a billboard campaign in northwest Georgia Saturday attacking former President Donald Trump and his allies in Congress, such as Rep. Marjorie Taylor Green, for blocking a bipartisan deal to secure the US-Mexico border.

“Donald Trump and Marjorie Taylor Greene have no interest in making our country safer and securing our border – they only care about gaining power to pursue their extreme and unpopular MAGA agenda,” DNC Rapid Response director Alex Floyd said in a statement Saturday. “That’s why both Trump and Greene put politics ahead of border security by blocking the toughest, fairest border deal in decades.”

Former President Donald Trump raises his fist after speaking at a rally in Las Vegas on January 27.

The billboards will be on display in locations in Cedartown, Cartersville, Dalton, and Villa Rica, Georgia. Trump is set to rally supporters in nearby Rome, Georgia, on Saturday, along with Greene, who represents the city in Congress. Biden is also scheduled to hit the trail in Atlanta Saturday.

 “Donald Trump tanked the toughest border security deal in decades,” one billboard reads. “Why? To benefit his campaign.”

Some context: Speaking at a campaign rally in January, Trump urged Republicans to reject the bill negotiated in the Senate, which would include some of the most harsh border restrictions in years. He told lawmakers to “Blame it on me,” if they faced any blowback — a line that Biden and his campaign have jumped on. 

A supporter holds a sign with a photo of Laken Riley at a campaign rally for former President Donald Trump in Rome, Georgia, on March 9.

Signs with photos of Laken Riley, the 22-year-old nursing student who was killed allegedly by an undocumented immigrant on the University of Georgia campus last month, are being passed out to the crowd gathering for Donald Trump’s Saturday rally in Rome, Georgia.

The former president has told audiences at his recent rallies that he spoke with Riley’s parents and has tied her death to President Joe Biden’s immigration policies.

The signs read “Say her name” on the front below a photo of Riley, and “Remember our angels” on the back.

Trump’s rally is in the district of GOP Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, who got into a notable exchange with Biden at his State of the Union address when Greene pushed Biden to say Riley’s name as he spoke about immigration.

Picking up a pin Greene handed to him as he walked into the House chamber, Biden acknowledged the death of “Lincoln Riley, an innocent young woman who was killed by an illegal” — at once misstating her name and using a term for undocumented individuals that many Democrats consider a pejorative.

Greene is expected to attend Trump’s rally in Rome. Biden is scheduled to hold a campaign event this evening in the Atlanta area.

Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. holds a campaign rally in Phoenix on December 20.

The Democratic National Committee is placing a mobile billboard in Austin, Texas, highlighting independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s ties to a Republican megadonor.

The billboard will travel around Austin on the first weekend of the popular annual festival South by Southwest. Kennedy is not scheduled to make public appearances at events connected to the festival, but he’s expected to hold multiple fundraisers in the city next week.

Alex Floyd, the DNC’s rapid response director, called Kennedy “a stalking horse” for former President Donald Trump, citing donations made by Trump donor Tim Mellon to Kennedy’s super PAC.

“Voters shouldn’t be fooled by this scheme — RFK Jr. is nothing more than a chaos agent who MAGA Republicans believe will help Trump return to the White House,” Floyd said in a statement.

President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump.

President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump will hold dueling events Saturday in Georgia ahead of the Peach State’s primary on Tuesday.

Their head-to-head appearances separated by about 60 miles arrives as their rematch for the White House moves from an inevitable likelihood to an inescapable reality. The rallies will offer an early window into the competing strategies for courting an electorate less-than-enthused about a Biden-Trump rematch.

Biden is looking to amplify his State of the Union messaging on the trail. The Biden campaign is kicking off what it’s calling the “I’m on Board” campaign, looking to “dramatically expand our volunteer engagement, scale up our battleground staff, launch our coalition groups, and invest in new paid media campaigns,” according to campaign manager Julie Chavez Rodriguez.

There are plans for Biden and Harris to travel to every battleground state in the coming weeks, the campaign said. Next week, Biden will head to New Hampshire, Wisconsin and Michigan.

Meanwhile, there are headwinds for Trump in Georgia. The former president has had a contentious relationship with several Georgia officials following his 2020 defeat. He baselessly accused statewide Republican officeholders of concealing widespread voter fraud and blamed his loss on Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp and state Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger. One Republican strategist in the state said Trump’s antics there have hardened many swing voters against the former president. 

A Trump senior adviser told CNN that his team expects to build out its campaign operations in Georgia in the coming weeks. His messaging, though, has already shifted to the general election, particularly seizing on national angst over the flow of migrants crossing the US-Mexico border.

President Joe Biden attends a campaign event in Wallingford, Pennsylvania, on March 8.

President Biden is hitting television airwaves this week with a minute-long advertisement that immediately addresses one of his biggest political vulnerabilities: his age.

“Look, I’m not a young guy,” a smiling Biden, wearing a quarter-zip sweater over a white shirt, says straight to camera at the start of the 60-second spot. “That’s no secret. But here’s the deal: I understand how to get things done for the American people.” 

He goes on to list accomplishments like steering the country from the Covid-19 pandemic, overseeing an economic recovery, lowering prescription drug prices and signing into law new infrastructure investments, all while seeking to draw a contrast with former President Trump, who is shown in the ad driving a golf cart.

“Donald Trump believes the job of the president is to take care of Donald Trump. I believe the job of the president is to fight for you, the American people. And that’s what I’m doing,” Biden says.

The overall tone of the ad is serious. But after the legally required sign-off — “I’m Joe Biden and I approve this message” — a voice asks: “Can we do one more take?”

Biden returns to the screen with a different take on his age: “Look, I’m very young, energetic and handsome. What in the hell am I doing this for?” he asks, to laughter.

It’s the first time Biden and his team have cut a commercial addressing the issue of his advanced years and signals a more aggressive approach to countering voter unease about the prospect of the 81-year-old Biden running for a second term.

The ad is the first in a $30 million battleground state campaign, and will air on national cable networks and local broadcast stations in Michigan, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Arizona, Georgia, Nevada and North Carolina, according to Biden’s campaign.

President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden travel to Atlanta Saturday, where he’ll accept an endorsement from three national political action committees aimed at ensuring equality for AAPI, Black and Latino Americans.

The Democrat is looking for a repeat of 2020, where a narrow win in Georgia propelled him to the presidency and secured control of the US Senate for his party.

Biden is scheduled to attend an endorsement event in Atlanta with Collective PAC, a PAC aimed at building Black political power; AAPI Victory Fund, which aims to increase representation in US politics for Asian American and Pacific Islanders; and Latino Victory Fund, which seeks to do the same for Latinos.

“The stakes of this election could not be higher for voters of color, and President Biden and Vice President Harris could not be more honored to earn the support of these three national organizations that represent both the diversity of our party and the backbone of the coalition that stood up and voted in record numbers to defeat Donald Trump in 2020,” Biden campaign Manager Julie Chavez Rodriguez said in a statement shared with CNN Friday.

Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, she said, “have spent their first term fighting for communities of color.”

Former President Donald Trump won Friday’s Republican caucus in American Samoa, according to a projection from the CNN Decision Desk. 

Trump won all 110 votes cast in the contest and all nine of the South Pacific US territory’s national convention delegates. The territory participates in both parties’ presidential nominating races but not in the general election in November.  

Some context: Trump’s victory follows his dominant Super Tuesday performance — one in which he won every state but Vermont and knocked his lone serious challenger, former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, out of the race. 

President Joe Biden speaks during a campaign event in Wallingford, Pennsylvania, on March 8.

President Joe Biden on Friday took his pitch for a second term to the crucial battleground state of Pennsylvania, contrasting himself with his predecessor in what was effectively his first rally of the 2024 general election campaign.

Biden’s speech in the Philadelphia suburbs was essentially an abridged version of the State of the Union address he gave the previous night — though there were some notable differences. Biden on Friday didn’t hesitate to refer to his predecessor and likely 2024 rival by name, something he avoided during his State of the Union.

“Donald Trump with the MAGA Republicans are trying to take away our freedoms,” Biden told the crowd. “That’s not an exaggeration.”
“Well, guess what?” the president added. “We will not let him.”

Biden repeatedly referred to the former president by name during his Friday remarks, lambasting Trump’s role in overturning Roe v. Wade, the $2 trillion tax cut he signed while he was in office and his recent comments that he would encourage Russian President Vladimir Putin to do what he wants to NATO member countries who don’t fulfill funding obligations.

“He thinks Putin is a strong — basically, he’s a decent guy,” Biden said of Trump.

He also referenced Trump’s meeting at Mar-a-Lago on Friday with Hungary’s strongman Prime Minister Viktor Orbán.

Read more about Biden’s speech in Pennsylvania

Cornel West, left, and Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

The Joe Biden vs. Donald Trump rematch is a presumptive reality after the president and former president both dominated Republican and Democratic primaries on Super Tuesday.

The flaws, general unpopularity and baked-in perceptions of both candidates suggest the coming election will be one of mutually assured destruction, where Republicans try to make Biden seem as old and feeble as possible and Democrats equate a second Trump term with the end of democracy as we know it.

What are the alternatives? If 2024 is anything like 2020 (or 2016, for that matter), the Republican or Democratic winner will eke past the loser in a handful of key states – which means third-party or independent candidates, even though they have little chance of winning such a hotly contested election, could play an important role in deciding the outcome.

Third parties: The Libertarian Party has been on the ballot in every state in recent elections. The Green Party is usually on the ballot in most but not all states. Those parties have not traditionally drawn large followings, but in elections with close margins, the tens of thousands of votes they win in key states in any given year lead to a lot of speculation.

Independent candidates: This year, there is a different kind of wild card than in 2020, when the rapper Kanye West ran for president. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has a famous name, a history in politics and deep-pocketed supporters helping him get on November ballots as an independent. The academic and social justice advocate Cornel West is also running as an independent and formed a new party: Justice for All.

No Labels: Sensing frustration with the major parties, No Labels formed as a centrist group, not a political party, that set about seeking ballot access for an unnamed “unity” candidate. No such candidate has emerged, at least not yet. No Labels members will vote this week on whether or not to seek a candidate.

Read more.

E. Jean Carroll arrives for her defamation trial against former President Donald Trump in New York on January 25.

Former President Donald Trump has posted a $91.63 million bond as he appeals the judgment against him in the E. Jean Carroll defamation case.

The notice of Trump’s bond and appeal was made with the federal court in New York on Friday.

In January, a federal jury awarded Carroll $83.3 million in damages as a result of Trump’s defamatory statements denying he raped her, saying she wasn’t his type, and accusing her of making up the allegation to boost sales of her book. Carroll will not collect the award during the appeal.

Former President Donald Trump speaks in New York on January 17. Trump held a press conference after leaving the second day of his defamation trial involving E. Jean Carroll.

Insurance company Chubb underwrote the bond for Trump, which the former president signed on Tuesday. Under the terms of the bond, Chubb will only secure the appeal of the $83.3 million judgment, not any future appeals.

The bond size is greater than the judgment because the district court generally requires a party to post 110% of the bond.

In a statement, a Chubb spokesperson declined to comment on the specifics of Trump’s bond.

President Joe Biden delivers his State of the Union address at the Capitol in Washington, DC, on March 7.

President Joe Biden delivered a raucous third State of the Union address Thursday that could be among his most important speeches as he seeks reelection.

His list of objectives was long: Tout his accomplishments in office, look ahead to a second-term agenda, allay concerns about his age and fitness, and provide a contrast with Republicans, including his rival Donald Trump.

Here are some of the key takeaways:

Catch up on all of the takeaways from Biden’s third State of the Union address.