Welcome to the online version of From the policy deskevening bulletin that brings you the latest reporting and analysis from the campaign trail, the White House and Capitol Hill from the NBC News Politics team.
In today’s edition, we report on the final stages of Donald Trump’s VP search. Plus, Chief White House Correspondent Peter Alexander takes a look at the latest debate between Trump and Joe Biden — More than 1300 days ago — for tips on the next.
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Trump resets his VP finalists
Henry J. Gomez, Jonathan Allen, Dasha Burns, Carol E. Lee, Matt Dixon, and Olympia Sonnier
Former President Donald Trump’s search for his own running mate reveals two top finalists: The governor of North Dakota. Doug Burgum and Sen. JD Vance Ohio State.
In interviews with NBC News, more than a dozen sources involved in the process described the intensifying debate over the strengths and weaknesses each candidate would bring to the ticket.
A third perspective, Sen. Marco Rubio The dispute with Florida State is ongoing, sources said. But doubts about his enthusiasm for the job and concerns about a constitutional suspension requiring Trump or Rubio to establish residency in another state continue to threaten his chances.
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Trump has publicly said he expects to announce his choice on or near the Republican National Convention, which begins on July 15 in Milwaukee. However, three sources familiar with the discussions said timing remains a topic of discussion.
One option is for Trump to announce days earlier – right after the July 11 verdict 34 felonies — to quickly bypass the harmful news cycle.
However, one source said the choice could come either before Trump’s sentencing or in an effort to raise money divorced from the convention, both of which expect significant donations from allies. Another source said the script didn’t fear her legal troubles would quickly drown out news of her running mate’s revelation.
The campaign’s vice presidential debates have been heavily guarded and, given Trump’s love of the element of surprise, could suddenly veer in other directions.
A source familiar with the search said the main point of internal tension and indecision is balancing Trump’s desire for someone who could be considered the future of the movement with the desire for a candidate who poses no threat. The source added that the tension has continued throughout the campaign, including with Trump.
Read more about Trump’s VP search →
What we learned from the last Biden-Trump debate
By Peter Alexander
It’s been more than 1,300 days since the last debate between Joe Biden and Donald Trump — and the last time either man appeared on the debate stage.
Usually, it is the president who sits face to face lack of general election debatesbecause they are not used to face-to-face attacks.
But both Biden and Trump face the same challenge heading into Thursday’s showdown in Atlanta: Neither has debated in four years, though both have plenty of experience in primary and general election debates over the past two decades (2008, 2012 and 2020 for Biden). ; 2016); and 2020 for Trump).
So what did we learn from that last debate moderated by my colleague Kristen Welker on October 22, 2020?
1. Covid prevailed: It’s been easy to forget because it has now disappeared as a national storyline, but given the deaths, hospitalizations and the coming vaccine, the topic of Covid dominated the opening minutes of this debate.
“We have an upcoming vaccine, it’s ready. This will be announced and delivered within weeks. We have a military operation, Warp Speed, which is going to spread the vaccine,” Trump said in his opening remarks.
Biden responded: “220,000 Americans died. If you hear nothing else I’m saying tonight, hear this: Whoever is responsible for not taking control — actually, … by first saying, “I bear no responsibility” — whoever is responsible for so many deaths should not be president. of the United States of America.”
2. It was more civilized than the first: The first debate of 2020 — then moderated by Fox News’ Chris Wallace — was full of interruptions and insults.
But the second one was more civilized. One reason: the Commission on Presidential Debates silent Candidates’ microphones for each topic area during two-minute opening remarks. (Another reason: Welker moderated masterfully.)
After these opening remarks, the microphones were opened again, but the candidates refrained from interrupting each other. With the microphones turned off for the candidate who won’t speak in the upcoming debate, the second debate of 2020 could be a preview of what we might see on Thursday night.
“I want to open schools,” Trump said in response to a question about whether schools would be open during the coronavirus pandemic. “We must open our country. You know I say this often – the cure can’t be worse than the problem and that’s what happened and [Biden] wants to close. If one person in our massive bureaucracy … says we should shut it down, he will shut down the country.”
Asked for his answer, Biden said: “It’s just not true. We will be able to walk and chew gum at the same time. We should be able to open safely, but we need resources to open them.”
3. Biden consistently tried to bait Trump: Biden took multiple opportunities to get under Trump’s skin — much like Hillary Clinton did in the 2016 debates.
“This is the man who told you it would be over by Easter for the last time. This [is] It’s the same guy who told you, don’t worry, we’ll get it done by summer,” Biden said of Covid.
Biden was about Trump’s taxes: “You have not disclosed a single year of your tax return. What are you hiding? Why don’t you want to?”
4. When attacked, Trump responded: And every time Biden rushed Trump, the then-president hit back.
“I mean, your brother made millions of dollars in Iraq. Your other brother made a fortune and it was all at your expense, Joe. And they say you get some of it. And you live very well. You have houses everywhere. You live very well,” Trump said during the tax exchange.
Here’s Trump’s response to Biden’s attack on his handling of Covid: Biden “took the H1N1 swine flu and it was an absolute disaster. Less deadly. But it was a complete disaster.”
🗞️ The best stories of the day
- ⚖️ Day of decision: The Supreme Court upheld a federal law barring orders barring domestic violence victims from owning firearms, a step away from recently upholding broad gun ownership. More →
- ⌚The waiting game: A federal judge in Florida has heard a challenge to whether there should be a special counsel appointed to investigate allegations of Trump’s misuse of classified documents. appointed as unconstitutional as no test date is visible. More →
- 📲 Convert the script: The Biden campaign is trying to focus attention on Trump by posting many unflattering videos of the former president on social media. More →
- 📉 Biden vs. Elections: Biden and his allies have increasingly criticized public polls for trying to avoid data showing he is actually tied with or trailing Trump. More →
- 🠠 New York State of Mind: Politico is entering a key Democratic primary in upstate New York to face GOP Rep. Brandon Williams in 2020 in a district Biden won by 12 points. More →
- 💰The riders are here: Businessman Timothy Mellon donated $50 million to a pro-Trump super PAC a day after the former president was convicted in New York, new campaign finance records show. More →
- 🚦Green light for green cards? Trump proposed that non-citizens who graduate from US colleges should automatically receive green cards. More →
- 🚫 Convention crisis averted: Trump’s campaign has moved to head off a potential disruption at the GOP convention by seeking to replace six delegates they feel will potentially start “unnecessary distractions” on the floor. More →
For now, that’s it from The Politics Desk. If you have feedback – like it or not – send us an email politicsnewsletter@nbcuni.com
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