Earlier, his campaign acknowledged the “anxiety” on Capitol Hill as more Democratic members of Congress join the growing chorus calling for the president to drop his reelection bid.
House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries met with Biden after his news conference Thursday night, but did not offer his endorsement, according to a source. In a letter to colleagues on Friday, Jeffries said he “directly expressed” views from the caucus to Biden.
Next week, the Republican National Convention, where the GOP will formally nominate Trump as its presidential candidate, kicks off in Milwaukee.
California Rep. Norma Torres urges fellow Dems to support Biden, says "this case is closed"
From CNN's Piper Hudspeth Blackburn
Rep. Norma Torres speaks on Capitol Hill on June 13.
Anna Rose Layden/Getty Images/File
California Rep. Norma Torres told CNN’s Pamela Brown on “NewsNight” that it was time for her fellow Democratic lawmakers to support President Joe Biden as the party’s nominee and that its time to “step aside and let Biden be who he is.”
More than a dozen Democratic House members and at least one Democratic senator have publicly called on Biden to withdraw from his reelection campaign. Biden met with the Congressional Hispanic Caucus on call on Friday, and Torres said he “was upfront about his commitment to be in this race and to run the best race that he could.”
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Milwaukee radio host apologizes for editing Biden interview after campaign request
From CNN's Piper Hudspeth Blackburn
Radio host Earl Ingram appears on CNN on July 12.
CNN
A Milwaukee radio host on Friday apologized for agreeing to a request from the Biden campaign to make edits to an interview he recorded with the president earlier this month.
In an exclusive interview with CNN’s Erin Burnett that will air on “Laura Coates Live,” WAUK-AM host Earl Ingram said if he had to do it all over again, he would have said “absolutely not” to the campaign.
When asked if he felt pressured by the campaign, he described being flattered when presented with the “opportunity to interview the most powerful man in the world.”
Ingram told CNN that he used four out of five questions given to him by the campaign, but couldn’t say whether he asked them word-for word. He said the questions were largely about the Black community.
Civic Media, the Wisconsin-based radio network that hosts Ingram’s show, released the edited clips and the entire unedited interview on Thursday. A Biden campaign spokesperson acknowledged it had asked the station to edit the interview.
The edited clips, it said, included Biden saying: “…and in addition to that, I have more Blacks in my administration than any other president, all other presidents combined, and in major positions, cabinet positions.”
A reference to former President Donald Trump’s call for the death penalty for the so-called Central Park Five was also removed. “I don’t know if they even call for their hanging or not, but he–but they said […] convicted of murder,” Biden said.
Ingram, who noted that the station has put things in place that will prevent a similar situation from occurring going forward, said Friday that he doesn’t understand how the things Biden said would be “met with so much consternation as it is today.”
When asked whether he was offended by Biden’s comments, the radio host insisted that the president is working to address disparities between Black and White Americans.
“President Biden, even with those faux pas, is a guy who’s making an effort and attempting to do something to address those issues,” he continued. “So, no, those things did not irritate me or upset me, or I think most Blacks.”
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“He raped her,” Biden cites judge’s ruling in Trump’s sexual abuse case at rally
From CNN's Nikki Carvajal and Arlette Saenz
President Joe Biden sought to draw policy contrasts Friday night with former president Donald Trump, directly tying him to the conservative policy blueprint known as “Project 2025.”
He attacked Trump in a number of new ways, including explicitly saying that Trump raped a woman. Biden read from a judge’s ruling against Trump in the defamation case of E. Jean Carol.
Among his other direct attacks on Trump, Biden called the former president a “loser,” and a “convicted criminal.” He accused Trump of “riding around in his golf cart, filling out a scorecard before he hits the ball,” and said he “filed for bankruptcy 6 times.”
“He even went bankrupt running a casino,” Biden said. “I didn’t think that was possible. Doesn’t the house always win in a casino?”
Biden also pointed out Trump’s own verbal slips – the day after Biden himself called Ukrainian President Volodymr Zelensky “President Putin” and referred to Vice President Kamala Harris as “Vice President Trump”
“I guess they don’t remember that Trump called Nikki Haley ‘Nancy Pelosi,’” Biden said.
The president mostly spoke using a teleprompter but did seem to veer off script at several points in the speech.
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"I am running and we’re going to win," Biden tells an energetic crowd at a rally in Detroit
From CNN's Nikki Carvajal and Arlette Saenz
President Joe Biden speaks at a campaign rally at Renaissance High School in Detroit on July 12.
Mandel Ngan/AFP/Getty Images
President Joe Biden charged forward with his campaign before an enthusiastic crowd in Detroit on Friday, declaring unequivocally, “I am running.”
He attacked Donald Trump in a number of new ways, including explicitly saying that Trump raped a woman.
“I am running and we’re going to win,” he said to cheers.
Supporters attend President Joe Biden's campaign rally at Renaissance High School in Detroit on July 12.
Elizabeth Frantz/Reuters
The speech at a Detroit high school comes as the president has remained defiant in the face of growing calls from Democratic lawmakers and donors for him to step aside in the race. The Michigan crowd encouraged Biden to stay in the race, breaking out in a chant of “Don’t you quit!”
For the first time, Biden also laid out what his priorities would be for the first 100 days of his second term, which included codifying Roe v. Wade, making the child tax cuts permanent, expanding Medicare and Medicaid, raising the minimum wage and banning assault weapons.
Biden was clearly engaged with the crowd throughout his lengthy remarks which ran for 36 minutes.
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Biden advised he must show openness after comment that only "the Lord Almighty" could get him to exit race
From CNN's MJ Lee and Pamela Brown
President Joe Biden is interviewed by ABC News anchor George Stephanopoulos in Madison, Wisconsin, on July 5.
When President Joe Biden told George Stephanopoulos more than a week after his disastrous debate performance that only “the Lord Almighty” could get him to exit the 2024 race, some Democrats were furious.
Biden’s response was received as a clear message that nothing – even detrimental polling – could make him change his mind.
A Biden ally, who has spoken with the president multiple times since the June 27 debate, tells CNN that since that ABC News interview, concerns about those specific comments have been conveyed to the president.
That may help explain why – when asked at a news conference at the NATO summit Thursday night if he would reconsider his decision if he were presented with data showing that Vice President Kamala Harris would perform better against Donald Trump – Biden showed a little more openness than in his initial answer to Stephanopoulos.
“No,” Biden said. “Unless they came back and said there’s no way you can win.”
The source acknowledged that Biden heard the criticism of the “Lord Almighty” comments and appears to be shifting his approach by trying to turn down his instinct of: “You’re not going to push me aside.”
“He heard that level of fierce determination was misread by folks and he’s not an arrogant man,” the source says, adding, “he was genuinely surprised” by the criticism.
The only dynamic that this source believes could change Biden’s mind is if Democratic governors and senators came to Biden with strong and reliable polls showing a shocking collapse in support and if fundraising fell off dramatically. While some post-debate polls show movement toward Trump, the Biden campaign has been more focused on polls showing him within the margin of error, especially the recent NPR/PBS/Marist poll showing Biden and Trump in a tight race within the margin of error.
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"Pod Save America" hosts fire back at Biden campaign: "What are you spending time on us for?"
From CNN's Piper Hudspeth Blackburn
Dan Pfeiffer, Jon Lovett, Jon Favreau and Tommy Vietor pose for a portrait in the green room minutes after filming Pod Save America's live HBO show on Friday September 28, 2018, in Los Angles.
Jessica Pons for The Washington Post/Getty Images/File
Two co-hosts of the “Pod Save America” podcast on Friday fired back at Biden campaign staffers who have reportedly dismissed their calls for the president to consider stepping down from the Democratic ticket.
In an episode released Friday, Dan Pfeiffer called it “infuriating” to think that he and co-host Jon Favreau, both former Barack Obama aides, are questioning whether Joe Biden can win out of “personal animus.” It’s the latest episode of Democratic infighting since the president’s disastrous debate performance in June kicked off a flurry of calls for the president to withdraw.
A New York Times report Wednesday described Biden’s advisers as dismissing the “Pod Save America” co-hosts as “operatives who worked for a cerebral, cool-guy president and never understood the world according to the scrappy kid from Scranton.”
“What are you spending time on us for? Go f**king just beat Donald Trump or … help your candidate be on message,” he said.
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Cornel West submits signatures to qualify for ballot access in Pennsylvania
From CNN's Aaron Pellish
Independent presidential candidate Cornel West submitted signatures on Thursday to qualify for ballot access in Pennsylvania, a key battleground state.
West’s campaign announced on Friday it “exceeded the required signature threshold” in Pennsylvania. Independent presidential candidates are required to submit 5,000 valid signatures to qualify in Pennsylvania.
The Pennsylvania Department of State confirmed to CNN on Friday the West campaign did submit its petitions on Thursday.
West’s push to qualify for the Pennsylvania ballot is part of a renewed effort to qualify for the ballots specifically in battleground states. The campaign submitted signatures last week to qualify for the ballot in Georgia, another battleground state.
West is currently on the ballot in four states: South Carolina, Alaska, Oregon and Colorado
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Washington Post Editorial Board: "Biden remains in denial"
From CNN's Brian Rokus
President Joe Biden attends a campaign event at Renaissance High School in Detroit on July 12.
Elizabeth Frantz/Reuters
The editorial board of the Washington Post is calling on President Joe Biden’s allies to have a “candid conversation with him” but is not outright calling on him to leave the race.
“Based on his comments Thursday, Mr. Biden seems to be somewhat oblivious to the political furor surrounding him and in denial about his frailty, personally and politically,” the Post wrote in a Friday opinion piece. “He needs to come to grips with reality,” the headline reads.
The board ended by calling for those close to the president to speak with him.
“Mr. Biden said on Thursday he’s ‘not in this for my legacy.’ Well and good. What, then, is he in it for? The only right answer is the good of the country. And those with influence and access to the president need to explain forcefully and candidly what that calls for now.”
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Democratic lawmaker calls on colleagues to "suck it up and move forward" amid pressure on Biden to step down
From CNN's Camila DeChalus
Democratic Rep. Adriano Espaillat of New York is downplaying the mounting pressure from a group of lawmakers calling on President Joe Biden to step down.
More than a dozen Democratic House members and at least one Democratic senator have publicly called on Biden to withdraw from his reelection campaign.
Espaillat did not participate in the president’s call with the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Friday, but said he plans on participating in the Congressional Progressive Caucus’ call Saturday. He added that he supports Biden’s decision to continue to run for reelection.
“He was there for us during the pandemic, the biggest crisis of my lifetime. He was there for us and saved lives. I believe strongly that he’s fit now. I think that he can beat Donald Trump. I think that when voters make a decision and they compare them, they will see a vast difference between the both candidates,” he told CNN.
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Biden makes unannounced stop in Detroit, promises voters that he’s doing “okay"
From CNN's Nikki Carvajal and Arlette Saenz
President Joe Biden speaks during a stop at Garage Grill and Fuel Bar in Northville, Michigan, on July 12.
Elizabeth Frantz/Reuters
President Joe Biden promised a group in Detroit, Michigan, that he’s “okay,” following weeks of speculation about his health.
“I promise you I am – I’m okay,” Biden said, speaking at a previously unannounced stop at a diner in Michigan Friday. He spoke without a prompter, mic in hand, and moved around the room.
Biden quipped about his age, saying he was “only 41,” but adding that “for the longest time I was too young.” He still said he was “not too old” but that he hoped “with a little bit of age comes a little bit of wisdom.”
“In this moment, I think the alternative is not much of an alternative,” Biden said. “And I do think ethics matter. I do think decency matters. I do think we should reflect with the American – we are an optimistic – we are a decent, we are an honorable country.”
The president spoke for over 15 minutes – longer than many of his other off the record stops, where he generally greets people without giving formal remarks.
Throughout the event Biden joked with Rep. Debbie Dingell.
“I don’t want to ruin her reputation but … seriously, when she and I are together, she looks like my wife, Jill,” Biden said. “And they go, ‘Are you married?’ and I say, ‘Yeah.’ I don’t tell them to who.”
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UAW chief urges Democrats to not "hide from reality"
From CNN's Aaron Pellish
United Auto Workers President Shawn Fain speaks at the UAW conference in Washington, DC, on January 24.
Ting Shen/Bloomberg/Getty Images/File
United Auto Workers President Shawn Fain on Friday urged the Democratic Party to not “put our heads in the sand and hide from reality” during remarks at a progressive conference on Friday but stopped short of directly criticizing President Joe Biden or calling on him to step aside.
Fain told an audience gathered at Netroots Nation in Baltimore, Maryland that he believes Democrats are not “meeting the moment” ahead of November’s election. He drew comparisons to the 2016 election when then-Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton lost to Donald Trump.
Fain’s remarks come a day after CNN reported members of the UAW board, including Fain, have expressed concerns about Biden’s ability to win reelection. The UAW formally endorsed Biden in January, a significant moment for Biden’s campaign as he courts working class voters in Michigan and Wisconsin. CNN reported Thursday that the union is not considering rescinding its endorsement.
Fain nevertheless made clear in his remarks he isn’t afraid to break from the Democratic Party even if it’s “inconvenient” for Biden, although he did not do so on Friday.
“Real democracy is when everybody gets a say, even when it’s inconvenient, whether in the Democrat Party, whether in labor unions or in our workplaces,” Fain said.
Fain, who briefly praised Biden for the “incredible gains” made on behalf of the labor movement during his administration, sharply criticized Trump. He pointed towards his ties to wealthy donors to portray another Trump administration as “a disaster for the working class” while imploring the audience to unify against him.
“The dream and the scheme of a man like Donald Trump is that the vast majority of working class people who literally make our country run will remain divided. That’s how they win,” he said.
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Biden’s solo news conference watched by 24.2 million viewers, according to Nielsen data
From CNN's Jon Passantino
President Joe Biden's news conference plays on television July 11 at The New Fashioned bar in Milwaukee, which sits across the street from the Republican National Convention venue.
Joe Raedle/Getty Images
President Joe Biden’s highly anticipated Thursday evening news conference was watched by 24.2 million viewers across eight broadcast and cable television networks, according to Nielsen data.
Biden’s nearly one-hour news conference on the sidelines of the NATO summit was carried by the broadcast networks NBC, ABC, CBS, Fox and Univision, which broke into regular programming to air special reports, as well as cable networks CNN, MSNBC and Fox News.
Biden took nearly a dozen questions from the press corps amid mounting scrutiny over his health and a growing number of Democrats calling on the president to exit the 2024 race in the wake of his disastrous debate performance last month.
CNN’s June 27 debate with Biden and former President Donald Trump was watched by 51.27 million viewers across 22 networks, making it the most watched non-sports program of the year so far on television.
The debate and ensuing news cycle have provided a much-needed jolt in viewership in what has otherwise been a lackluster year for television news ratings despite a high-stakes presidential election.
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Biden will attack "Project 2025" and lay out plans for 2nd term in remarks in Michigan today, campaign says
From CNN’s Nikki Carvajal and Arlette Saenz
President Joe Biden will tie former President Donald Trump directly to “Project 2025” and lay out his most comprehensive plans yet for a possible second term when he speaks at a campaign event in Michigan, according to excerpts of his remarks released by the Biden-Harris campaign Friday.
CNN reporting earlier this week verified that more than 140 people who worked in the Trump administration also worked on Project 2025, the conservative blueprint for the next Republican president that has attracted considerable blowback in his race for the White House.
Biden will also call on the country to “stop treating politics like its entertainment or a reality TV show,” a new line he had not used in recent campaign speeches.
Biden is also expected to detail his plans for a second term, including introducing — as his first piece of legislation — a bill to codify the protections provided by Roe v. Wade and a pledge to sign the John Lewis Voting Rights Act and the Freedom to Vote Act into law.
Other goals he’ll outline include passing the PRO Act to “end union-busting once and for all,” banning assault weapons and investing more in clean energy.
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Meta will lift restrictions on Trump’s Facebook and Instagram accounts ahead of the GOP convention
From CNN's Samantha Delouya
Former president Donald Trump speaks at a campaign rally in Philadelphia on June 22.
Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images
Meta announced Friday that it would remove restrictions placed on former President Donald Trump’s Facebook and Instagram accounts ahead of the Republican National Convention next week.
The company said the decision was made to ensure that Trump, the presumptive Republican nominee for president, would have equal standing with DemocratPresident Joe Biden.
Trump’s accounts on both Facebook and Instagram were reinstated in early 2023, following a two-year ban in the wake of the January 6, 2021, insurrection. At the time, Meta said it would place additional guardrails on Trump’s accounts to “deter repeat offenses.”
On Friday, Meta said the penalties placed on Trump’s accounts have not had to be deployed.
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Biden campaign says Biden has "been making gaffes for 40 years" and will probably continue to do so
From CNN’s Donald Judd
President Joe Biden holds a news conference in Washington, DC, on July 11.
Kent Nishimura/Getty Images
The Biden campaign acknowledged President Joe Biden made a few gaffes during Thursday’s NATO summit, but insisted the president’s misspeaks — including moments where he referred to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky as “President Putin” and Vice President Kamala Harris as “Vice President Trump” — pale in comparison to proposals from Donald Trump.
In remarks earlier this year, Trump warned of a “bloodbath” if he lost the 2024 election, but his comments were specifically referring to the auto industry domestically and overseas.
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Democratic lawmaker made plea for Biden to help win over Latino voters during caucus meeting with president
From CNN’s MJ Lee
On a call Friday with members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, President Joe Biden at one point received pleas from California Democratic Rep. Lou Correa to “help with Latino voters.”
The congressman went on to ask Biden for a “strong message of hope,” as he lamented the plight of many undocumented families in his community who do not have a pathway to American citizenship.
Biden responded: “I strongly agree with every word you just said, not a joke. I’m being deadly earnest.”
The president then went on to blast Donald Trump for preventing a bipartisan immigration compromise proposal on Capitol Hill from getting across the finish line and touted executive actions he has taken on immigration.
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Trump campaign says a teacher, a veteran and a rancher among those scheduled to speak at RNC
From CNN's Brian Rokus
Former President Donald Trump’s campaign and the Republican National Convention announced more people expected to speak at next week’s convention in Milwaukee.
The convention’s Committee on Arrangements released on Friday a list of “everyday Americans” slotted to give remarks.
Included in the list of speakers are a teacher, a veteran, a rancher who has property on the US-Mexico border, a small business owner, the head golf professional at Trump International and the golf general manager at Trump National Doral, according to a statement.
Also scheduled to speak is a sibling of Rachel Morin who was allegedly murdered by a man who illegally crossed the border in 2023.
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No member told Biden to step down on his call with Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus
From CNN’s MJ Lee
No lawmaker who participated in a call organized by the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus with President Joe Biden this afternoon directly asked the president to abandon his reelection campaign, according to two sources briefed on the call.
Some background: As CNN reported, in a meeting with members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, Rep. Mike Levin directly called on Biden to step down as the nominee.
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Biden campaign acknowledges anxiety from lawmakers and says president will continue outreach
From CNN’s Donald Judd
President Joe Biden’s campaign acknowledged the “anxiety” on Capitol Hill as more Democratic members of Congress join the growing chorus calling for Biden to drop his reelection bid.
Still, Biden campaign communications director Michael Tyler insisted the president will continue outreach to lawmakers to shore up his support.
Tyler declined to weigh in on Biden’s virtual meeting Friday with the political arm of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, following reports Biden was an hour late and faced tough criticism from lawmakers on the call.
“I’m not going to read out private conversations between the president and Congressional leaders,” Tyler said, adding that he thinks House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and other lawmakers have showed support. Jeffries said in a letter that he met with Biden Thursday night but did not offer an endorsement of the president.
