Trump news: Latest updates on Republican candidates Donald Trump and JD Vance
Donald Trump is back on the campaign trail having returned to Pennsylvania for his first campaign rally in the swing state since he came within inches of being killed by a would-be assassin’s bullet on July 13.
The former president and Republican nominee spoke in Harrisburg, just hours after a confrontational interview with the National Association of Black Journalists in Chicago.
During the interview, Trump insulted his presumptive 2024 Democratic Party opponent, Kamala Harris, and falsely accused her of lying about her race — stating that she recently “became Black”. Harris, who is biracial, is Black and Indian-American.
At the evening rally, Trump remained largely tied to his prepared remarks and attacked Harris for supposedly wanting to “destroy” Pennsylvania’s economy.
His next big campaign event will be a joint appearance with his vice presidential pick, JD Vance. That will take place in Atlanta on Saturday, at the same venue Harris held a barnstorming first rally of her campaign earlier in the week.
We are temporarily pausing our Trump campaign blog.
Please join us in our main US election 2024 blog for full coverage of both campaigns as the race to the White House gathers pace.
Key Points
Trump v Harris — LIVE: All the latest from the 2024 campaign trail
Trump brings on stage woman who operated immigration chart during assassination attempt
Trump returns for indoor Pennsylvania rally for first time since assassination attempt in state
Second Gentleman slams Trump at Maine fundraiser
Donald Trump says he will ‘probably’ debate Kamala Harris
Watch: Trump appears to have very little knowledge of Sonya Massey case
Wednesday 31 July 2024 20:00 , Oliver O'Connell
Trump at NABJ asked why the cop who shot Sonya Massey should have immunity. Trump says he "doesn't know the exact case but I saw something" as the crowd gasps. pic.twitter.com/HAvkm4yTZd
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) July 31, 2024
Full story: Trump claims Kamala Harris only recently ‘became a Black woman’ in unhinged remarks to Black journalists
Wednesday 31 July 2024 20:30 , Oliver O'Connell
Moments into a heated question-and-answer session with Black journalists in Chicago, Donald Trump claimed that vice president Kamala Harris “happened to turn Black” only recently.
“I didn’t know she was Black,” he said on Wednesday. “She happened to turn Black, and now she wants to be known as Black. So I don’t know, is she Indian or is she Black? ... I respect either one, but she obviously doesn’t, because she was Indian all the way and all of a sudden she made a turn and she became a Black person.”
Trump — responding to questions about whether he agrees with Republican allies who claimed that she was selected to run for office only because of her race — frequently interrupted and sparred with three Black women media workers at the National Association of Black Journalists conference.
Read Alex Woodward’s full report.
Trump questions Kamala Harris’ ethnicity in remarks to Black journalists
Fox anchor who appeared on Trump panel doesn’t address his false claims about Kamala Harris’s identity
Wednesday 31 July 2024 20:45 , Alex Woodward
Fox News host Harris Faulkner, who appeared alongside ABC’s Rachel Scott and Semafor’s Kadia Goba during the NABJ panel on Wednesday, was asked for her “thoughts” about Trump’s inflammatory comments when she re-appeared on the network.
”It was chippy at times but for the most part” the audience “was laughing,” she claimed.
Harris Faulkner is asked about Trump’s comments on Kamala Harris’ race. Doesn’t look like she chose to answer the question pic.twitter.com/u13QeAux2g
— Acyn (@Acyn) July 31, 2024
Responding to another question, she said “what I loved about we could not see today was how much of that audience was enjoying the moment of hearing from the candidate that they ight not always agree with.”
Trump says he ‘crushed’ his disastrous panel appearance
Wednesday 31 July 2024 20:57 , Alex Woodward
Trump hopped on Truth Social after his question-and-answer panel at a conference with the National Association of Black Journalists, where he questioned Kamala Harris’s ethnicity and grew defensive and combative with the Black women journalists who questioned him.
“The questions were Rude and Nasty, often in the form of a statement, but we CRUSHED IT!” he wrote.
Wednesday 31 July 2024 21:00 , Oliver O'Connell
Harris campaign responds to Trump’s ‘tirade’
Wednesday 31 July 2024 21:10 , Alex Woodward
Harris’s campaign said Trump’s “tirade” was “the same hostility he has shown throughout his life, throughout his term in office, and throughout his campaign for president.”
“Today’s tirade is simply a taste of the chaos and division that has been a hallmark of Trump’s MAGA rallies this entire campaign,” said Harris for President communications director Michael Tyler.
“It’s also exactly what the American people will see from across the debate stage as Vice President Harris offers a vision of opportunity and freedom for all Americans,” he added.
“All Donald Trump needs to do is stop playing games and actually show up to the debate on September 10.”
Harris campaign reacts to Trump's NABJ appearance
Wednesday 31 July 2024 21:23 , Oliver O'Connell
Harris for President communications director Michael Tyler released the following statement after Donald Trump’s appearance at the National Association of Black Journalists convention in Chicago.
“The hostility Donald Trump showed on stage today is the same hostility he has shown throughout his life, throughout his term in office, and throughout his campaign for president as he seeks to regain power and inflict his harmful Project 2025 agenda on the American people.
“Trump lobbed personal attacks and insults at Black journalists the same way he did throughout his presidency – while he failed Black families and left the entire country digging out of the ditch he left us in. Donald Trump has already proven he cannot unite America, so he attempts to divide us.
“Today’s tirade is simply a taste of the chaos and division that has been a hallmark of Trump’s MAGA rallies this entire campaign. It’s also exactly what the American people will see from across the debate stage as Vice President Harris offers a vision of opportunity and freedom for all Americans. All Donald Trump needs to do is stop playing games and actually show up to the debate on September 10.”
Watch: Rev Al Sharpton reacts to Trump’s NABJ
Wednesday 31 July 2024 21:28 , Oliver O'Connell
Rev. Al Sharpton says Trump's attacks on NABJ journalists during his interview today was intentional:
"He came to use them as a backboard to score with the MAGA crowd, to say ... 'I will go to their own conference and do everything but call them the n-word.'" pic.twitter.com/eLD0HhDzk7— The Recount (@therecount) July 31, 2024
Former Trump staffers react to NABJ interview
Wednesday 31 July 2024 21:32 , Oliver O'Connell
And whoever allowed him to repeat the phrase “black jobs” should also be fired. https://t.co/980YBuFGGu
— Alyssa Farah Griffin (@Alyssafarah) July 31, 2024
Trump campaign spokesperson warns Harris wants to ‘ban our assault weapons'
Wednesday 31 July 2024 21:40 , Oliver O'Connell
Trump campaign spokesperson Caroline Sunshine warned on Fox News this morning that Kamala Harris wants to “ban our assault weapons”.
Trump campaign spox Caroline Sunshine complains on Fox & Friends that Kamala Harris wants to "ban our assault weapons" pic.twitter.com/t1Y5QvbI6i
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) July 31, 2024
The majority of Americans (65 per cent of registered voters) support such a ban.
Trump offers his own review of his NABJ performance
Wednesday 31 July 2024 21:44 , Oliver O'Connell
OK...
Watch: Trump repeats lie about Democrats supporting murder of babies
Wednesday 31 July 2024 22:00 , Oliver O'Connell
Trump is asked about JD Vance's comments about "childless women like myself or divorced people like yourself" and whether Republicans are getting too judgy about people's private lives. Trump starts ranting about Democrats supporting the murder of babies (which is a lie) pic.twitter.com/PJ2DDN2iqY
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) July 31, 2024
Wednesday 31 July 2024 22:09 , Oliver O'Connell
There will be a few “savvy” reporters who will be saying all the attention on @realDonaldTrump’s meltdown is exactly what he wants as if this was part of a strategy.
Pay them no heed. They don’t have the stones to push back on obvious BS from Trumpworld sources.— Andrew Feinberg (@AndrewFeinberg) July 31, 2024
Wednesday 31 July 2024 22:13 , Oliver O'Connell
Republican Senator for North Dakota Kevin Cramer was asked about Donald Trump’s comments about Kamala Harris’s racial identity by Igor Bobic of HuffPost.
“I don't think he's doubting her blackness. What he's doing is he's making fun of the fact that she chooses it when it's convenient, and chooses another race when that's convenient.”
Senator Cramer went on to say he wants Trump to steer clear of making such comments because “nuance or satire is often confused, is often confusing.”
He adds: “It'll provide people opportunity to take words literally and apply them in a different way.”
Yet Cramer wants Trump to steer clear of making such comments because “nuance or satire is often confused, is often confusing.”
“It'll provide people opportunity to take words literally and apply them in a different way.”— Igor Bobic (@igorbobic) July 31, 2024
Trump says he could ‘absolutely’ step down as president if health declined
Wednesday 31 July 2024 22:20 , Oliver O'Connell
Lost amidst the flurry of outrageous statements he made at today’s NABJ convention in Chicago was that Donald Trump said he would step down as president if his health declined.
Asked by Semafor’s Kadia Goba if he would step down as president if he felt his health was declining, Trump, 78, replied: “Oh, absolutely.”
He continued: “If I thought that I was failing in some way … I’ll go a step further, I want anybody running for president to take an aptitude test, to take a cognitive test, I think it’s a great idea. And I took two of them and I aced them.”
Trump then said anyone running for president should take such tests no matter what their age, before saying he would do another and so should Kamala Harris.
Watch: Fox News host calls Trump remarks ‘complete absolute dumpster fire’
Wednesday 31 July 2024 22:25 , Oliver O'Connell
Jessica: My reaction is it was an complete absolute dumpster fire for the former president, I don't feel the need to give him any credit for showing up there because he came with a terrible attitude pic.twitter.com/5ilh4T80tn
— Acyn (@Acyn) July 31, 2024
Report: Truth Social nears lowest audience mark since its launch
Wednesday 31 July 2024 22:30 , Oliver O'Connell
Donald Trump’s social media platform Truth Social has suffered some of its worst-ever audience numbers as of late, according to a media analysis.
Last month, the site had just over 2.11 million unique visitors down 38 percent compared to the same period last year.
It is the second lowest site traffic has dipped since June 2022, when Truth Social attracted 1.8 million visitors, according to Howard Polskin, of media monitoring firm TheRighting, who based his analysis on Comscore data. And it’s a world away from the site’s more than 3.2 million visitors upon launch in February of 2022.
Josh Marcus reports.
Trump’s Truth Social nears lowest audience mark since its launch, report says
Watch: Buttigieg says Project 2025 is first time candidate has disavowed own policy framework
Wednesday 31 July 2024 22:35 , Oliver O'Connell
Buttigieg: Project 2025 is wildly unpopular. So much so that I'm pretty sure it is the first time in modern history that a presidential candidate has had to disavow his own policy framework. pic.twitter.com/0xAkjQ6Kp3
— Acyn (@Acyn) July 31, 2024
Vance says it’s time to ‘load the muskets’ in foreword on new Project 2025 book
Wednesday 31 July 2024 22:40 , Oliver O'Connell
JD Vance has said that it is “time to circle the wagons and load the muskets” in a foreword to a book on the controversial Project 2025.
The Ohio Senator – Donald Trump’s running mate for the 2024 presidential race – also praised the leader of the project despite the former president previously denying all connection to it.
Amazon’s listing of the book, Dawn’s Early Light, describes it as outlining “a peaceful ‘Second American Revolution’ for voters looking to shift the power back into the hands of the people.
Mike Bedigan reports.
JD Vance says it’s time to ‘load the muskets’ in foreword on new Project 2025 book
In pictures: Crowd gathers for Trump’s first Pennsylvania rally since assassination attempt
Wednesday 31 July 2024 22:45 , Oliver O'Connell
Watch: Buttigieg comments on Trump diminishing office of vice president
Wednesday 31 July 2024 22:56 , Oliver O'Connell
Pete Buttiegeg criticizes Trump for dismissing the importance of picking a running mate amid attacks on JD Vance:
“It did not occur to him to even pretend to be interested in the impact of the vice presidential choice on the country." pic.twitter.com/pt9XXA5dZE— The Recount (@therecount) July 31, 2024
Watch live as Trump holds rally in battleground state of Pennsylvania
Wednesday 31 July 2024 23:06 , Oliver Browning
Warning: This livestream has not been independently fact-checked and may contain misinformation.
Watch live as Donald Trump holds a rally in the battleground state of Pennsylvania on Wednesday 31 July.
The Republican presidential nominee is holding the rally hours after a contentious interview at the country’s largest annual gathering of Black journalists in Chicago.
During the appearance, Mr Trump questioned whether his Democratic rival Kamala Harris is “Indian” or “Black”.
“She was always of Indian heritage, and she was only promoting Indian heritage. I didn’t know she was Black, until a number of years ago, when she happened to turn Black, and now she wants to be known as Black,” he said, drawing a smattering of jeers from an audience of about 1,000 people.
Harris, who is of Indian and Jamaican heritage, has long self-identified as both Black and Asian. She is the first Black person and Asian American person to serve as US vice president.
Since launching her White House campaign earlier this month, Harris has faced a barrage of sexist and racist attacks online, with some far-right accounts questioning her racial identity. Republican Party leaders have urged lawmakers to refrain from personal attacks and focus on her policy positions.
Trump attorney claims Harris doesn’t know where she comes from
Wednesday 31 July 2024 23:15 , Gustaf Kilander
After Trump’s controversial comments about Harris’s heritage earlier today, his attorney Alina Habba appeared to double down while speaking in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania on Wednesday.
“Unlike you Kamala, I know who my roots are and where I come from,” she said.
Habba: Unlike you Kamala, I know who my roots are and where I come from pic.twitter.com/DMpdu2h861
— Acyn (@Acyn) July 31, 2024
Trump’s nephew slams former president for ‘lack of empathy’ and ‘insanity'
Wednesday 31 July 2024 23:30 , Gustaf Kilander
Fred Trump: I feel that my name has been attached to his… batshit crazy pic.twitter.com/vfBON74v8P
— Acyn (@Acyn) July 31, 2024
Second Gentleman slams Trump at Maine fundraiser
Wednesday 31 July 2024 23:45 , Gustaf Kilander
The Second Gentleman, Doug Emhoff, slammed Trump during a fundraiser in Maine for the former president’s comments about his wife’s racial identity.
“A worse version of an already horrible person,” he said regarding Trump, according to The Washington Post.
“The insults, the BS, shows a lack of character—but it’s a distraction,” he added.
DNC blasts Trump for overseeing ‘loss of Pennsylvania jobs'
Thursday 1 August 2024 00:00 , Gustaf Kilander
Donald Trump already oversaw the loss of Pennsylvania jobs and hurt working families when he was president – losing 275,000 jobs in Pennsylvania alone.
If Trump is reelected, he will betray working families once again.
Trump’s extreme Project 2025 playbook would force a typical middle-class family to pay an additional $2,500 a year, raising prices and taxes on working American families.
The Biden-Harris administration has made massive progress with their pro-working family agenda, and Vice President Harris’ vision for the nation will build on that progress, delivering for working families.
The Democrats have delivered historic infrastructure investments and generated good-paying jobs, all while fighting to bring down costs.
Pennsylvania voters remember Trump’s failures and know exactly how much is at stake in November.
That’s why they’ll reject Trump and Vance and their extreme Project 2025 agenda, and elect Kamala Harris to keep fighting for working families in the Oval Office.
DNC Spokesperson Addy Toevs
Trump says he’s going back to site of assassination attempt as he slams Harris rally
Thursday 1 August 2024 00:08 , Gustaf Kilander
Seemingly in reference to Harris’s Georgia rally, Trump said he didn’t need a “star” to pull a massive crowd in Harrisburg.
“It's a great crowd ... over 20,000 people couldn't get in and we didn't need anybody to get the people here. We didn't need a star,” Trump said.
“In about six minutes everyone was leaving they were pouring out we don't need that,” he claimed.
Trump went on to say that he would be returning to the site of his assassination attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania.
Trump: Over 20,000 people couldn't get in, and we didn't need anybody to get the people here. We didn't need a star. We didn't need a star. We didn't need some entertainer pic.twitter.com/H54qw128iH
— Acyn (@Acyn) July 31, 2024
Trump calls Harris ‘totally scripted'
Thursday 1 August 2024 00:14 , Gustaf Kilander
Trump went on to say that Harris is “totally scripted” and that she’s “owned and controlled by the donors and the power brokers ... who rip off our government and make billions and billions of dollars.”
"Unlike her I cannot be bought" -- Trump murders irony by (baselessly) accusing Kamala Harris of being corrupt pic.twitter.com/j8K4O3LfdH
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) July 31, 2024
Trump campaign displays headlines focusing on Harris’s Indian heritage
Thursday 1 August 2024 00:15 , Gustaf Kilander
Wow -- Newsmax reporter says that the Trump campaign is displaying headlines on the video board ahead of his rally in Harrisburg "showing that Kamala Harris was first sworn in as one of the first Indian American senators." They're really focusing the campaign on racist smears. pic.twitter.com/rsCvHgI0y4
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) July 31, 2024
Trump calls Biden a ‘phony’ of the ‘radical left'
Thursday 1 August 2024 00:19 , Gustaf Kilander
Trump said in Harrisburg that Biden is “destroying our country. She's worse than he is. She is actually worse than he is because she's a real radical left. He's a phony radical left.”
He added that Biden “didn't believe this stuff. He didn't believe in open borders and she does, she wants to open your borders.”
Trump says he’s not ending outdoor rallies
Thursday 1 August 2024 00:21 , Gustaf Kilander
Even amid security concerns following the attempt on his life, Trump said he wasn’t giving up on outdoor rallies.
“Although they prefer that we be in an arena. I don't know why,” Trump said after addressing the assassination attempt.
“But we're not giving up the outdoor rallies, you know all those people that we had to turn away today,” he said.
“At an outdoor rally ... we had 107,000 people show up in New Jersey,” he claimed.
Trump: We had 107,000 people show up in New Jersey, 107,000. But, you know, in the South Bronx we had 25,000 people. It was like a love fest. pic.twitter.com/qPN6WWIK0t
— Acyn (@Acyn) July 31, 2024
Trump says Biden is ‘not old’
Thursday 1 August 2024 00:25 , Gustaf Kilander
Trump on Biden: "He's not old. You know, 81 is not old." (LOL) pic.twitter.com/puIBWIEGjF
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) July 31, 2024
Trump says he expects to win in ‘massive landslide'
Thursday 1 August 2024 00:29 , Gustaf Kilander
Trump claimed on Wednesday night that “This November the American people are going to reject Kamala Harris's dangerous liberal extremism in a massive landslide.”
“We're not going to let her turn the United States into a communist San Francisco colony,” he added. “We're not gonna let it happen. That's what they want to do. They want to destroy our country. She's the worst.”
Rightwing broadcasters say Harris is ‘elevating and pushing her Black side'
Thursday 1 August 2024 00:30 , Gustaf Kilander
"She really is elevating and pushing her Black side. I think it's 25 percent, maybe" -- Right Side Broadcasting is just going full racist pic.twitter.com/4WULX1NTVX
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) July 31, 2024
Trump says he didn’t know Harris’s name two weeks ago
Thursday 1 August 2024 00:35 , Gustaf Kilander
Trump: I mean, two weeks ago, I was talking about Biden. I didn't even know her name. Nobody did. Kamala. Hello beautiful. I didn't even know her name. Kamala. pic.twitter.com/iQpA5x4qqj
— Acyn (@Acyn) July 31, 2024
Trump returns for indoor Pennsylvania rally for first time since assassination attempt in state
Thursday 1 August 2024 00:40 , John Bowden
Donald Trump was in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania on Wednesday for his first campaign rally in the swing state of Pennsylvania since he came within inches of being killed by a would-be assassin’s bullet earlier this month.
The former president spoke at an indoor rally where thousands packed in to see him just hours after he appeared for a confrontational interview with the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) in Chicago. In that appearance, Trump insulted his opponent, Kamala Harris, and falsely accused her of lying about her race — stating that she recently “became Black”. Harris, who is biracial, is Black and Indian-American. He walked out to Lee Greenwood’s “Proud to be an American”, days after Greenwood himself appeared at the Republican National Convention and endorsed him.
“As you know, this is my first rally since Butler,” Trump said. “We’re going back to Butler, by the way.”
READ MORE:
Trump returns to Pennsylvania for first time since assassination attempt
Trump praises chart that saved his life
Thursday 1 August 2024 00:43 , Gustaf Kilander
Trump: I love that chart. I'm going to sleep with that chart for the rest of my life. pic.twitter.com/rxHDofiQdG
— Acyn (@Acyn) July 31, 2024
Trump makes bizarre claims about January 6 Select Committee
Thursday 1 August 2024 00:54 , Gustaf Kilander
Donald Trump claimed without evidence on Wednesday that the House Select Committee investigating January 6 destroyed evidence and argued that they should indicted.
Trump accuses the January 6th committee of destroying evidence and says they should be indicted pic.twitter.com/QE0hdNdO9x
— Acyn (@Acyn) July 31, 2024
Trump on Jan 6th: The crowd was it was the largest crowd I've ever spoken before. And a small portion walked peacefully and patriotically down to the Capitol.. If you have an insurrection, you don't say peacefully and patriotically. You say let’s go pic.twitter.com/1nIkrWNevO
— Acyn (@Acyn) July 31, 2024
Trump brings on stage woman who operated immigration chart during assassination attempt
Thursday 1 August 2024 00:58 , Mike Bedigan
Donald Trump introduced the woman who operates his new favorite immigration chart, which he claims has “saved his life”.
“I love that chart. I’m gonna sleep with that chart for the rest of my life,” he told the cheering crowd.
“You know the amazing stuff, the people that operate the computers and all the brilliant equipment things we have backstage.
“She said to me… she’s great… she should come out, just tell her to come out here for a second, quick, quick, quick you gotta get her out. She’s never done this before… she saved my life in a sense…here she is! Wow!”
The former president shared an awkward embrace with the young woman and gave her a peck on the cheek, before describing her as “a computer genius”.
She declined to say anything major, sheepishly saying “hi” into the microphone before exiting the stage to more cheers from Trump supporters.
Trump claims he would end Ukraine war before coming into office
01:07 , Gustaf Kilander
Trump claimed that he would end the war between Russia and Ukraine before even coming back into office, saying that he would negotiate an end to the war “after the election as president-elect.”
Trump promises to negotiate an end to the Russia-Ukraine war "after the election as president-elect" pic.twitter.com/WE6Bv6q5DF
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) August 1, 2024
VIDEO: Trump kisses female 'genius' behind 'life-saving' chart in first rally in Pennsylvania since shooting
01:10 , Reann Philogene
Pennsylvania Republican Senate candidate takes the stage
01:15 , Gustaf Kilander
Pennsylvania Senate candidate David McCormick took the stage on Wednesday night, saying “This is the most important election of our lifetime. We know it.”
“We also know that this is ground zero, which is going to put you back in the White House and a majority in the Senate,” he told Trump.
Trump: ‘Can anybody imagine Kamala Harris dealing with President XI of China'
01:45 , Gustaf Kilander
Trump: Can anybody imagine Kamala Harris dealing with President XI of China, who's a fierce individual, fierce person? pic.twitter.com/2LQRd0932V
— Acyn (@Acyn) July 31, 2024
Trump yet again mentions Hannibal Lecter
02:15 , Gustaf Kilander
Trump: They want to try and say he's cognitively impaired. I stand up here for two hours and I speak without a mistake. But when I say Hannibal Lecter, they say, why does he keep mentioning? Because Hannibal Lecter was a serious psycho, right? pic.twitter.com/3TZ5W6J83Y
— Acyn (@Acyn) July 31, 2024
Harris condemns ‘same old show of divisiveness’ after Trump questions her heritage at Black journalist event
03:00 , Andrew Feinberg
Hours after former president Donald Trump questioned whether she was truly a Black woman, Vice President Kamala Harris slammed Trump’s racist remark as she spoke before a cheering crowd of members of a predominantly Black sorority in Houston, Texas.
Harris told sisters of the Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, inc — a member of the “Divine Nine” group of historically Black fraternities and sororities — that Trump’s remarks before the National Association of Black Journalists, in which he claimed that she had “all of a sudden she made a turn and ... became a Black person,” were “the same old show” of “divisiveness and disrespect” from the ex-president.
Trump’s comments came during a bizarre 30-minute sit-down at the journalism organization’s annual conference in Chicago moments after he told ABC’s Rachel Scott that he “didn’t know” that Harris “was Black.”
READ MORE:
Harris condemns ‘same old show of divisiveness’ after Trump questions her heritage
In pictures: Trump speaks in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
04:00 , Gustaf Kilander
Donald Trump falsely suggests Kamala Harris misled voters about her race
04:14 , Namita Singh
Donald Trump falsely suggested Kamala Harris had misled voters about her race as the former president appeared before the National Association of Black Journalists in Chicago in an interview that quickly turned hostile.
The Republican wrongly claimed that Ms Harris, the first Black woman and Asian American to serve as vice president, had in the past only highlighted her Indian heritage.
“I didn’t know she was Black until a number of years ago when she happened to turn Black and now she wants to be known as Black. So, I don’t know, is she Indian or is she Black?” Trump said while addressing the group’s annual convention.
Harris is the daughter of a Jamaican father and an Indian mother, both immigrants to the US. As an undergraduate, Ms Harris attended Howard University, one of the nation’s most prominent historically Black colleges and universities, where she also pledged the historically Black sorority Alpha Kappa Alpha. As a US senator, Harris was a member of the Congressional Black Caucus, supporting legislation to strengthen voting rights and to reform policing.
Trump has levelled a wide range of criticisms at Harris since she replaced president Joe Biden atop the likely Democratic ticket last week. Throughout his political career, the former president has repeatedly questioned the backgrounds of opponents who are racial minorities.
Michael Tyler, the communications director for Harris’ campaign, said in a statement that “the hostility Donald Trump showed on stage today is the same hostility he has shown throughout his life, throughout his term in office, and throughout his campaign for president as he seeks to regain power”.
“Trump lobbed personal attacks and insults at Black journalists the same way he did throughout his presidency – while he failed Black families and left the entire country digging out of the ditch he left us in,” Mr Tyler said. “Donald Trump has already proven he cannot unite America, so he attempts to divide us.”
Rudy Giuliani agrees to last-minute deal to end bankruptcy case, paying out $400k
05:00 , Kelly Rissman
Cash-strapped Rudy Giuliani has reached an agreement with his bankruptcy creditors on the conditions of his case dismissal, which requires the former New York City mayor to pay $400,000 in administrative expenses.
The deal was announced on Wednesday after Judge Sean Lane threw out the bankruptcy case earlier this month. But the disgraced ex-mayor is still on the hook to pay two defamed election workers, whom he owes $148m. He is also required to pay administrative fees for the case, which the former Trump lawyer had refused to pay despite it being a legal requirement for dismissal.
READ MORE:
Rudy Giuliani agrees to last-minute deal to end bankruptcy case, paying out $400k
Trump attorney claims Harris doesn’t know where she comes from
06:00 , Gustaf Kilander
After Trump’s controversial comments about Harris’s heritage earlier today, his attorney Alina Habba appeared to double down while speaking in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania on Wednesday.
“Unlike you Kamala, I know who my roots are and where I come from,” she said.
Habba: Unlike you Kamala, I know who my roots are and where I come from pic.twitter.com/DMpdu2h861
— Acyn (@Acyn) July 31, 2024
Second Gentleman slams Trump at Maine fundraiser
07:00 , Gustaf Kilander
The Second Gentleman, Doug Emhoff, slammed Trump during a fundraiser in Maine for the former president’s comments about his wife’s racial identity.
“A worse version of an already horrible person,” he said regarding Trump, according to The Washington Post.
“The insults, the BS, shows a lack of character—but it’s a distraction,” he added.
Trump’s nephew slams former president for ‘lack of empathy’ and ‘insanity'
08:00 , Gustaf Kilander
Fred Trump: I feel that my name has been attached to his… batshit crazy pic.twitter.com/vfBON74v8P
— Acyn (@Acyn) July 31, 2024
Vance shrugs off criticisms over his sexist comments that have dragged down his favorability
09:00 , Kelly Rissman
Donald Trump’s running mate JD Vance brushed off the onslaught of negative media coverage over his past misogynistic remarks — and once again stood by his “childless cat lady” comment.
Much of the media hysteria has focused on a resurfaced interview from 2021 in which Vance referred to Vice President Kamala Harris, who has two stepchildren, as a “childless cat lady.” The comment sparked the wrath of Harris allies, social media users, Jennifer Aniston and even Kerstin Emhoff — the ex-wife of second gentlemen Doug Emhoff.
Speaking to NBC News on Tuesday, Vance defended his past attack but clarified that he did not mean for it to include those having difficulty conceiving.
READ MORE:
Vance shrugs off criticisms over his sexist remarks that have impacted his popularity
Trump says he’s going back to site of assassination attempt as he slams Harris rally
10:00 , Gustaf Kilander
Seemingly in reference to Harris’s Georgia rally, Trump said he didn’t need a “star” to pull a massive crowd in Harrisburg.
“It’s a great crowd ... over 20,000 people couldn’t get in and we didn’t need anybody to get the people here. We didn’t need a star,” Trump said.
“In about six minutes everyone was leaving they were pouring out we don’t need that,” he claimed.
Trump went on to say that he would be returning to the site of his assassination attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania.
Trump: Over 20,000 people couldn't get in, and we didn't need anybody to get the people here. We didn't need a star. We didn't need a star. We didn't need some entertainer pic.twitter.com/H54qw128iH
— Acyn (@Acyn) July 31, 2024
Trump brings on stage woman who operated immigration chart during assassination attempt
11:00 , Mike Bedigan
Donald Trump introduced the woman who operates his new favorite immigration chart, which he claims has “saved his life”.
“I love that chart. I’m gonna sleep with that chart for the rest of my life,” he told the cheering crowd.
“You know the amazing stuff, the people that operate the computers and all the brilliant equipment things we have backstage.
“She said to me… she’s great… she should come out, just tell her to come out here for a second, quick, quick, quick you gotta get her out. She’s never done this before… she saved my life in a sense…here she is! Wow!”
The former president shared an awkward embrace with the young woman and gave her a peck on the cheek, before describing her as “a computer genius”.
She declined to say anything major, sheepishly saying “hi” into the microphone before exiting the stage to more cheers from Trump supporters.
VIDEO: Trump kisses female 'genius' behind 'life-saving' chart in first rally in Pennsylvania since shooting
12:00 , Reann Philogene
Harris condemns ‘same old show of divisiveness’ after Trump questions her heritage at Black journalist event
13:00 , Andrew Feinberg
Hours after former president Donald Trump questioned whether she was truly a Black woman, Vice President Kamala Harris slammed Trump’s racist remark as she spoke before a cheering crowd of members of a predominantly Black sorority in Houston, Texas.
Harris told sisters of the Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, inc — a member of the “Divine Nine” group of historically Black fraternities and sororities — that Trump’s remarks before the National Association of Black Journalists, in which he claimed that she had “all of a sudden she made a turn and ... became a Black person,” were “the same old show” of “divisiveness and disrespect” from the ex-president.
Trump’s comments came during a bizarre 30-minute sit-down at the journalism organization’s annual conference in Chicago moments after he told ABC’s Rachel Scott that he “didn’t know” that Harris “was Black.”
READ MORE:
Harris condemns ‘same old show of divisiveness’ after Trump questions her heritage
Trump returns for indoor Pennsylvania rally for first time since assassination attempt in state
14:00 , John Bowden
Donald Trump was in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania on Wednesday for his first campaign rally in the swing state of Pennsylvania since he came within inches of being killed by a would-be assassin’s bullet earlier this month.
The former president spoke at an indoor rally where thousands packed in to see him just hours after he appeared for a confrontational interview with the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) in Chicago. In that appearance, Trump insulted his opponent, Kamala Harris, and falsely accused her of lying about her race — stating that she recently “became Black”. Harris, who is biracial, is Black and Indian-American. He walked out to Lee Greenwood’s “Proud to be an American”, days after Greenwood himself appeared at the Republican National Convention and endorsed him.
READ MORE:
Trump returns to Pennsylvania for first time since assassination attempt
Mark Kelly calls out Trump’s ‘racist’ attack: ‘Scared, old man’
14:30 , Oliver O'Connell
Mark Kelly, the Arizona senator and rumored-to-be vice presidential pick for Kamala Harris, has blasted Donald Trump by denouncing him as a “desperate and scared old man.”
Speaking to CNN’s Kaitlan Collins on The Source, Kelly was asked for his reaction to Trump questioning Harris’ heritage and identity as both black and Indian in front of the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) in Chicago on Wednesday (31 July).
Myriam Page reports.
Harris VP candidate calls out Trump’s ‘racist’ attack: ‘Scared, old man’
Trump trolled over claims about Kamala Harris’ race
15:00 , Oliver O'Connell
The hashtag #WhenIturnedBlack is now trending on X as social media users troll Donald Trump over his unhinged comments claiming Kamala Harris “happened to turn Black.”
Former Comedy Central star Roy Wood Jr kicked off the viral trend on Wednesday, clapping back at the former president’s racially-charged remarks with a sarcastic social media post.
Amelia Neath reports on what happened next...
#WhenIturnedBlack trends on X as Trump is trolled over claims about Harris’ race
JD Vance tries to dismiss Trump’s attack on Harris’ heritage as ‘hysterical’
15:19 , Oliver O'Connell
JD Vance, who has three biracial children with his wife of Indian heritage, has tried to brush off Donald Trump’s stunning attack on Kamala Harris’ racial heritage by calling the backlash “hysterical.”
The Republican vice presidential nominee – who is also facing backlash over his misogynistic comments branding Harris and other women “childless cat ladies” – was asked about the former president’s comments on his campaign plane on the way to a rally in Arizona on Wednesday.
Myriam Page has the story.
JD Vance tries to dismiss Trump’s attack on Harris’ heritage as ‘hysterical’
15:21 , Oliver O'Connell
We are pausing our live coverage of the Trump campaign in this blog.
Please join us over in the main US Election 2024 blog for coverage of both campaigns as the race to the White House gathers pace.
Thank you.
