Harris snubs one of the few Dems open to being her VP: report
Vice President Kamala Harris has begun vetting possible running mates, sending materials to several potential candidates to join her on the ticket. However, the popular Democratic governor of a reliably red state was not among them. The Harris campaign sent vetting materials to North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., according to a report from the Wall Street Journal. Notably absent from the list was Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, who many have speculated could be a frontrunner for the job. Beshear has also been one of the few in the group to express interest in potentially filling the role, telling CNN on Monday he would join the ticket if it would help further the interest of the people of Kentucky. HEAD HERE FOR THE LATEST FOX NEWS REPORTING ON HARRIS REPLACING BIDEN AS THE DEMOCRAT’S 2024 PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE “The only reason I’d ever consider something else is if I felt that I could help my people in Kentucky more in a different role or that there was a chance to move past the partisanship, the constant fighting,” Beshear said. However, Beshear also acknowledged that he had not received any vetting materials when asked by CNN, telling the outlet that he has “not been personally asked to submit information at this point.” Meanwhile, other potential running mates have dodged questions about their openness to joining the ticket. Cooper, Shapiro, Pritzker and Kelly have all offered Harris their endorsement but stopped short of expressing interest in becoming the next vice president. “I couldn’t be more confident that Vice President @KamalaHarrisis the right person to defeat Donald Trump and lead our country into the future,” Kelly said in a post on X. “She has my support for the nomination, and Gabby and I will do everything we can to elect her President of the United States.” HARRIS GOES OVER THE TOP IN SECURING THE DEMOCRATIC NOMINATION “I love being the governor of the state of Illinois, and I’ve been out on the campaign trail fighting hard for Democrats to win,” Pritzker told MSNBC when asked about his interest. “I appreciate people talking about me, but I think the focus right now needs to be on her this week,” Cooper said when asked the same question by the outlet. In an interview with NBC News, Shapiro argued that the focus should be on defeating former President Trump. “Our conversation was all about how we beat Donald Trump and protect our freedoms here in this commonwealth,” Shapiro told the outlet when asked if his conversations with Harris discussed the possibility of him joining the ticket. VICE PRESIDENT RAKES IN A STAGGERING HAUL SINCE BIDEN DROPPED OUT Whitmer, meanwhile, issued the most forceful denial of interest in joining the ticket, taking to social media to declare that she is “not planning to go anywhere.” “I’m not leaving Michigan,” she said on X. “I’m proud to be the governor of Michigan. I have been consistent. I know everyone is always suspicious and asking this question over and over again – I know you’re doing your job – I’m not going anywhere.” Walz, on the other hand, was another one of the few to express openness to the idea. “She mentioned she would need my help. And I said she has it in any way that she sees fit,” Walz said in an interview with Minnesota Now. “If that’s the direction she goes, I guess that’s fine.” The Harris campaign did not immediately respond to a Fox News Digital request for comment. Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.
Harris campaign breaking fundraising records in race against Trump since Biden bowed out
Vice President Kamala Harris raised $100 million from Sunday afternoon – when President Biden ended his re-election bid and endorsed his vice president to succeed him as the Democratic Party’s presidential nominee – through Monday night, her campaign announced on Tuesday morning. And the Harris campaign also touted that the fundraising in the wake of the president’s blockbuster news came from more than 1.1 million unique donors, with 62% of them first-time contributors. The Harris campaign has been spotlighting the surge in fundraising, and in an email release on Monday afternoon highlighted that the money raised was the “largest 24-hour raise in presidential history.” But the Harris campaign hasn’t offered a breakdown of what percentage of the cash haul was raised online by small-dollar donations and what share came from top-dollar donors. The haul includes money raised by the campaign, the Democratic National Committee and joint fundraising committees. HEAD HERE FOR THE LATEST FOX NEWS REPORTING THE PUSH BY DEMOCRATS TO NOMINATE HARRIS TO REPLACE BIDEN “The historic outpouring of support for Vice President Harris represents exactly the kind of grassroots energy and enthusiasm that wins elections,” campaign spokesperson Kevin Munoz said in a statement. “Already, we are seeing a broad and diverse coalition come together to support our critical work of talking to the voters that will decide this election.” DEMOCRATS TO MEET WEDNESDAY TO HAMMER OUT TIMING OF HARRIS PRESIDENTIAL NOMINATION On Monday, the Harris campaign spotlighted that they hauled in $81 million in the 24 hours following Biden’s announcement. The one-day haul easily topped the nearly $53 million former President Trump’s campaign and the Republican National Committee announced that they brought in nearly two months ago through their online digital fundraising platform in the first 24 hours after Trump was convicted on 34 felony counts in his criminal trial in New York City. The surge in fundraising comes as the party started to quickly coalesce behind the vice president after Biden ended his bid. The president endorsed Harris immediately after suspending his own campaign, which ignited a surge of endorsements by Democratic governors, senators, House members and other party leaders in backing her to succeed Biden as the party’s 2024 standard-bearer. Harris on Monday night announced that she’d locked up the nomination by landing commitments of backing from a majority of the nearly 4,000 delegates to next month’s Democratic National Convention, which kicks off Aug. 19 in Chicago. 10 DEMOCRATS KAMALA HARRIS COULD NAME AS HER RUNNING MATE Biden on Sunday suspended his campaign amid mounting pressure from within the Democratic Party for him to drop out after a disastrous debate performance last month. The 81-year-old president’s uneven delivery and awkward answers during the first 20 minutes of the debate in front of a national audience quickly prompted questions about his mental and physical ability to serve another four years in the White House. The money brought in over the past two days by Harris will help rebuild a once-massive Biden campaign war chest that was partially depleted as fundraising started to dry up amid the increasing chorus of calls for the president to drop out of the race. Munoz said in a statement that “there is a groundswell behind Kamala Harris, and Donald Trump is terrified because he knows his divisive, unpopular agenda can’t stand up to the Vice President’s record and vision for the American people.” The Biden campaign and the DNC enjoyed a fundraising lead over Trump and the RNC this year. But Trump and the RNC topped Biden and the DNC, $331 million to $264 million, during the April-June second quarter of 2024 fundraising. The Trump campaign tells Fox News that they “continue to have robust fundraising” and that they’ve “demonstrated a level of fundraising that we’re satisfied with.” The Trump campaign highlights that their fundraising efforts are “doing what we need to do.” As of the end of last month, the Biden campaign had nearly $100 million in its coffers. And on Sunday, the campaign filed new paperwork with the Federal Election Commission (FEC) naming Harris as the principal candidate, in a move to give the vice president complete control over the funds. On Monday, the Harris campaign sent out a slew of fundraising emails and text messages. “Now is our chance to make history,” the vice president emphasized in one text as she asked donors for a $20 contribution. Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.
Harris says Biden is currently capable of serving as president amid growing concerns over his fitness
Vice President Kamala Harris’ office told Fox News Digital Tuesday morning that she believes President Biden is currently capable of serving as president – after the sudden suspension of his campaign heightened concerns over his ability to complete his term. Biden dropped out of the 2024 presidential race on Sunday after more than 30 Democratic lawmakers called on him to withdraw. Pressure mounted following his catastrophic performance at the first presidential debate in June, where he was seen speaking with a raspy voice and jumbling up his words. Lawmakers immediately began to question Biden’s ability to serve the remainder of his term if he is unable to seek re-election, but the vice president remains confident in Biden’s ability to serve. Asked if Harris believes Biden is currently capable of serving as president, the vice president’s office told Fox News Digital, “Yes.” BRACE YOURSELF, AMERICA, WITH KAMALA HARRIS, DEMOCRATS ARE ABOUT TO PUT ON AN INCREDIBLE SHOW “As the Vice President has said many times before, the nation is lucky to have President Biden leading our nation,” Ernesto Apreza, press secretary to the vice president, told Fox News Digital on Tuesday. The president has been isolated in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, for nearly a week since testing positive for COVID-19 on Wednesday. The White House physician released several updates on the president’s health since his diagnosis, writing Monday that he “continues to perform all of his presidential duties.” TOP DEMS THREATENED TO FORCIBLY REMOVE BIDEN FROM OFFICE, SET HIM UP TO FAIL AT TRUMP DEBATE: SOURCES The president said in his withdrawal announcement that he will spend the remainder of his term “solely on fulfilling my duties as President,” but some lawmakers are calling on his Cabinet to take action and remove him immediately. Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-Mo., sent a letter to Harris and every member of Biden’s Cabinet on Monday demanding they invoke the 25th Amendment, which states that a vice president and Cabinet majority can vote to oust the president in the case that he is unfit to serve. “Joe Biden has decided he isn’t capable of being a candidate; in so doing his admission also means he cannot serve as President,” Schmitt said. Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., said she would be introducing a similar resolution to call on Harris to invoke the measure.
Speaker Johnson says Secret Service Director Cheatle ‘did the right thing’ resigning
Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., is praising U.S. Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle’s decision to step down from her role. Kimberly Cheatle announced Tuesday she was resigning her role in the wake of the failed assassination attempt against former President Trump. “I’m glad she did the right thing. Look, our reaction, the immediate reaction to her resignation, is that it is overdue. She should have done this at least a week ago,” Johnson said on Tuesday. The House Speaker had just announced the end of his weekly press conference when news broke that Cheatle was stepping down, returning to the microphone after a reporter alerted him to the update. TRUMP SHOOTING: TIMELINE OF ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT RAISES QUESTIONS ABOUT HOW GUNMAN EVADED SECURITY “I’m happy to see that, I’m happy to see that she has heeded the call of both Republicans and Democrats. Now we have to pick up the pieces. We have to rebuild the American people’s faith and trust in the secret services,” Johnson said. “I hope that the interim director or whomever is appointed to replace Director Cheatle will be very sober-minded about the responsibility and take into account the very dangerous times in which we live. We’ll do everything we can in the House to ensure that that’s true.” Cheatle had been under bipartisan pressure to resign after a 20-year-old shooter was able to open fire on Trump’s Butler, Pennsylvania rally from a roof just outside the event perimeter, killing one rally attendee and critically injuring two others. TOP REPUBLICAN WARNS OF ‘RUDE AWAKENING’ IF ‘STONEWALLING’ CONTINUES AS SECRET SERVICE FACES HEARING Trump himself was shot in the upper part of his right ear and was rushed offstage by Secret Service agents. Cheatle was grilled for hours during a tense House Oversight Committee hearing on Monday, after which the top two lawmakers on the panel, Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., and ranking member Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., released a rare joint statement calling on her to resign. Comer said in response to her stepping down, “While Director Cheatle’s resignation is a step toward accountability, we need a full review of how these security failures happened so that we can prevent them going forward. We will continue our oversight of the Secret Service in support of the House Task Force to deliver transparency, accountability, and solutions to ensure this never happens again.” TRUMP SHOOTER THOMAS MATTHEW CROOKS’ PARENTS REGISTERED PENNSYLVANIA PROFESSIONAL COUNSELORS: RECORDS CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Raskin’s statement read, “Chairman Comer and I issued a bipartisan call for USSS Director Cheatle to resign so the Secret Service can swiftly guarantee protection to its details. She has resigned. I wish Chairman Comer would join me in legislation to ban AR-15s and other assault weapons to keep all Americans—not just presidents but schoolchildren and firefighters—safe from more mass shootings.” Johnson told reporters during his press conference that he had a candid conversation with Cheatle before the Monday hearing and told her, “It’s not personal, but there must be accountability.”
Pence laments pro-life principles ‘fell short’ at RNC, thanks delegates for ‘noble’ fight
FIRST ON FOX – Former Vice President Mike Pence sent letters to pro-life Republican National Convention delegates who worked to amplify pro-life issues on the GOP’s 2024 platform that ultimately softened its language on abortion. “As you battled to restore the pro-life platform, you were an inspiration to millions of pro-life Americans, who remain profoundly disappointed by the Republican Party’s decision to water down the previously strong pro-life platform for political expediency,” Pence wrote in the Tuesday letters. “While we ultimately fell short in our noble effort to restore the historic pro-life principles included in the 2016 and 2020 platforms, we did so with moral clarity and compassion about advancing the cause of life,” he continued in a letter exclusively obtained by Fox News Digital. The GOP platform this election cycle notably only mentions abortion once, instead focusing on the preservation of life and returning power to the states when developing laws surrounding abortion. In 2016, when Pence ran as Trump’s running mate, the GOP platform used the word “abortion” 35 times. MIKE PENCE’S GROUP URGES GOP TO OPPOSE MEASURE INCLUDING WOMEN IN FUTURE DRAFT The softening of language surrounding abortion this year sparked some condemnation from those in the pro-life movement, including Pence. “Now is not the time to surrender any ground in the fight for the right to life. The 2024 platform removed historic pro-life principles that have long been the foundation of the platform. I urge delegates attending next week’s Republican Convention to restore language to our party’s platform recognizing the sanctity of human life and affirming that the unborn child has a fundamental right to life which cannot be infringed,” Pence said earlier this month when the draft of the GOP platform first surfaced. Advancing American Freedom, a nonprofit founded by Pence that advocates for conservative values and policy proposals, had urged conservatives and delegates earlier this year to “remain vigilant in defense of a strong conservative platform,” including on abortion. Fox News Digital spoke with Tennessee Sen. Marsha Blackburn, who chaired the Republican National Committee’s Platform Committee, earlier this month when the platform’s draft was first released. Blackburn said when crafting the platform, committee members had to take into account the Supreme Court’s 2022 Dobbs decision, which overturned Roe v. Wade, effectively ended the recognition of a constitutional right to abortion, and ruled that individual states have the power to allow, limit or ban abortion procedures. ‘CONCISE’ TRUMP-APPROVED GOP PLATFORM NOT CRAFTED WITH BIDEN, DEM DISARRAY IN MIND “And so, having as we do with all other issues, whether it’s defending religious liberty, or protecting free speech, or working to end the gender insanity – this left-wing gender insanity – and protecting our rights and freedoms. What the platform says is we proudly stand for families and for life.” Trump has also repeatedly hammered that he believes abortion laws and issues should be left up to the states. The DNC has, meanwhile, attacked Trump and Republicans as working to ban abortion federally if the 45th president is re-elected. ‘REMAIN VIGILANT’: PENCE NONPROFIT URGES CONSERVATIVES NOT TO ‘BACK AWAY’ FROM THESE KEY POLICY VICTORIES “Donald Trump said himself there’s a ‘vital role for the federal government’ in banning abortion, and then proudly chose JD Vance as his running mate – a man who has repeatedly supported national abortion bans and even admitted he wants abortion to be ‘illegal nationally.’ If given the chance, Trump and Vance will enact their dangerous Project 2025 agenda to ban abortion nationwide with or without Congress, threaten access to IVF and contraception, and strip away our fundamental rights,” DNC spokesperson Aida Ross said in a statement Monday. Pence continued in his letter to pro-life delegates that he is “proud to play an important role in the most pro-life administration in American history,” touting that “we sent Roe v. Wade to the ash heap of history and advanced the cause of life wherever and however we could.” MIKE PENCE: THE TIME HAS COME FOR A MINIMUM NATIONAL STANDARD ON ABORTION “Today, we see an America led by the most extreme pro-abortion administration in American history. Yet Republicans seemingly insist that we retreat rather than courageously advance the cause of life,” he continued. The GOP platform was officially adopted by the party last week during the RNC in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and pledges to enact policies that would seal the border and end the “migrant invasion,” end inflation, prevent “World War Three” and unite the U.S. “by bringing it to new and record levels of success.” “The Republican Party must return to being the party of life. We must not rest or relent until the sanctity of life is restored to the center of American law in every state in our land. With pro-life voices like yours, I have no doubt that one day life will win again. Generations born and unborn deserve nothing less,” Pence continued in his letter to pro-life delegates. “The fight for life is not over. And we will win in this great campaign. So help us God.”
Biden will address nation from Oval Office on decision to exit 2024 race
President Biden will address the nation on Wednesday after his decision to drop out of the 2024 presidential election. Biden will speak to the American people about why he decided to exit the race and what he plans to focus on for the remaining six months of his first term. His address will be delivered from the Oval Office, the White House said. The president is expected to be seen in public for the first time in six days on Tuesday as he returns to the nation’s capital from his home in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware. Biden has not appeared publicly since reportedly testing positive for COVID-19 last week. His only public remarks on his stunning decision to withdraw from the 2024 presidential election came Monday during a brief phone call into the campaign headquarters of Vice Presidential Kamala Harris, who is now the presumptive Democratic nominee. DOJ REVEALS IT HAS BIDEN TRANSCRIPTS AT ISSUE IN CLASSIFIED DOCS CASE AFTER INITIAL DENIAL According to the president’s public schedule, Biden will depart from Delaware at 12:30 p.m. He will then fly from Dover Air Force Base to Joint Base Andrews to return to the White House at around 2:30 p.m. The president will receive his daily briefing at 3 p.m. There are no public events on his schedule. In a letter released on X Sunday, Biden said he believes it is in the “best interest of my party and the country for me to stand down and focus solely on fulfilling my duties as President for the remainder of my term.” “I will speak to the Nation later this week in more detail about my decision,” he added, though he gave no details on the time, place or manner in which he would speak. Last week, Biden began to self-isolate after reportedly testing positive for COVID-19. He was last seen publicly deplaning in Delaware on July 17. In a letter updating the status of 81-year-old Biden’s medical condition on Friday, the physician to the president, Dr. Kevin O’Connor, wrote that Biden “completed his sixth dose of PAXLOVID this morning.” JOE BIDEN RETURNING TO WHITE HOUSE FOR FIRST TIME SINCE ENDING PRESIDENTIAL BID, COVID DIAGNOSIS Biden “is still experiencing a loose, non-productive cough and hoarseness, but his symptoms continue to improve steadily,” O’Connor wrote in the letter released by the White House. “His pulse, blood pressure, respiratory rate and temperature remain absolutely normal,” the doctor said. “His oxygen saturation continues to be excellent on room air. His lungs remain clear.” The doctor said Biden has the KP .2.3 variant, which accounts for approximately 33.3% of new infections in the United States, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “The President continues to tolerate treatment well and will continue PAXLOVID as planned,” the letter says. “He continues to perform all his presidential duties.” BIDEN MAKES BIZARRE CALL IN TO HARRIS HEADQUARTERS HOURS AFTER DROPPING OUT OF RACE Biden will meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday at the White House, according to a U.S. official. Netanyahu arrived in the U.S. a little more than 24 hours after Biden announced that he would no longer seek re-election. On Wednesday, Netanyahu will give a speech in front of Congress, though Harris reportedly declined to preside over the address, according to the Washington Post. Before departing Israel for D.C., Netanyahu told reporters that his country would stand by the U.S. “regardless [of] who the American people choose as their next president.” “In this time of war and uncertainty, it’s important that Israel’s enemies know that America and Israel stand together,” the leader said. Netanyahu also requested a meeting with former President Trump this week, according to Politico. It is unclear if Trump agreed to the meeting. Fox News’ Kaitlin Sprague and Fox News Digital’s Danielle Wallace and Andrea Vacchiano contributed to this report.
Trump reacts to Secret Service director resigning: ‘She never gave me proper protection’
EXCLUSIVE: Former President Trump reacted to the news of Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle resigning in the wake of the assassination attempt against him, telling Fox News Digital in an exclusive interview that “she never gave me proper protection.” Cheatle resigned Tuesday morning amid pressure from Republican and Democrat lawmakers amid scrutiny over the massive security failure that led to the shooting at the Butler, Pa. Trump rally earlier this month. SECRET SERVICE DIRECTOR CHEATLE RESIGNS AFTER MOUNTING PRESSURE IN WAKE OF TRUMP ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT Trump, during his rally, ever-so-slightly turned his head—narrowly missing the bullet shot by 20-year-old suspect Crooks’ AR-15-style rifle by just a quarter of an inch. The bullet hit him, instead, in his upper right ear. The bullet killed firefighter, father and husband Corey Comperatore as he protected his family from the shots, and severely injured two others. “She never gave me proper protection, so I ended up having to take a bullet for democracy,” Trump told Fox News Digital Tuesday after she resigned. “Many requests were made by on-site Secret Service for more people, always with a turn down or no response,” Trump said. “I have the biggest crowds in history, and they should be treated accordingly.” TOP FIVE MOMENTS FROM SECRET SERVICE DIRECTOR’S HOURS-LONG GRILLING AFTER TRUMP ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT Trump told Fox News Digital, though, that “big improvements have been made over the last week.” Fox News reviewed the letter Cheatle sent to the U.S. Secret Service Tuesday morning, just a day after she testified before the House Oversight Committee Monday and over a week after a would-be assassin Thomas Crooks attempted to take the life of Trump at his rally in Butler, Pa. on July 13. “To the Men and Women of the U.S. Secret Service, The Secret Service’s solemn mission is to protect our nation’s leaders and financial infrastructure,” Cheatle wrote in a letter to the agency. “On July 13th, we fell short on that mission.” SECRET SERVICE EXPLANATION CONTINUES TO EVOLVE ONE WEEK AFTER ATTEMPTED ASSASSINATION Cheatle said that the “scrutiny” over the last week “has been intense and will continue to remain as our operational tempo increases.” “As your Director, I take full responsibility for the security lapse,” she wrote. “In light of recent events, it is with a heavy heart that, I have made the difficult decision to step down as your Director,” Cheatle wrote. The Department of Homeland Security’s inspector general has opened an investigation into the Secret Service’s handling of security for the Trump rally on July 13.
Trump says he had ‘automatic chemistry’ with Vance despite past criticisms: ‘He didn’t know me’
Former President Trump said he had “automatic chemistry” with his running mate, Ohio Sen. JD Vance, in a Fox News interview on Monday. Trump dismissed the pair’s past disagreements as a misunderstanding before they got to know each other, saying Vance is now among his strongest allies. “Originally, JD was probably not for me, but he didn’t know me,” Trump said in the “Jesse Watters Primetime” interview. “And then when we got to know each other, he liked me maybe more than anybody liked me.” JD VANCE CALLS FOR 25TH AMENDMENT TO BE INVOKED AFTER BIDEN EXITS PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN The former president continued, “And he would stick up for me. And he’d fight for the worker as much as I fight for the worker. We just had an automatic chemistry.” Vance was an early critic of Trump in 2016, when the former president was campaigning to eventually beat Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton. At the time, Vance had dismissed Trump as “cultural heroin” who was leading the disenfranchised working class into a “very dark place.” Private text messages leaked by Vance’s former roommate show him calling Trump a “cynical” leader and wondering if he would be “America’s Hitler.” BIDEN CAMPAIGN SLAMS JD VANCE, SAYS TRUMP VP PICK WILL ‘ENABLE’ AN ‘EXTREME MAGA AGENDA’ Vance’s stance began to shift while Trump was in office, which the Ohio senator said proved many of his assumptions wrong. Vance told Fox in 2021 that he would never deny having been anti-Trump going into his first administration but that he was happy to have been proven wrong. “I’ve been very open that I did say those critical things and I regret them, and I regret being wrong about the guy,” Vance said. “I think he was a good president, I think he made a lot of good decisions for people, and I think he took a lot of flak.” Trump endorsed Vance for the Senate in his successful 2022 campaign, further solidifying their alliance. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP “I was wrong about him,” Vance told CNN in May. “I didn’t think he was going to be a good president. And I was very, very proud to be proven wrong. It’s one of the reasons why I’m working so hard to get him elected.” In the recent interview with Watters, Trump offered specific praise for Vance’s 2016 memoir, “Hillbilly Elegy,” which shed light on the struggles of the White underclass in the U.S. – the world in which Vance grew up. “It was all about the working men and women and how they aren’t being treated fairly. And he was right about that,” Trump said. “And I understood that maybe better than anyone else. And we just have had a great relationship. And he had serious competition.”
What’s next for Kamala Harris now that she’s seemingly locked up the Democratic presidential nomination
Less than 36 hours after President Biden ended his re-election campaign and endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris to succeed him as the Democratic Party’s presidential nominee, Harris announced that she’d locked up the nomination. “I am proud to have earned the support needed to become our party’s nominee,” the vice president wrote in a social media post just after midnight early Tuesday morning. Harris showcased that she’d won commitments of backing from a majority of the nearly 4,000 delegates to next month’s Democratic National Convention, which kicks off Aug. 19 in Chicago. As much of the Democratic Party – including governors, senators and House members as well as party leaders – quickly coalesced behind Harris following Biden’s blockbuster news, state delegations to the convention started huddling the past two days and announced their support for the vice president. And an Associated Press survey of Democratic delegates indicated by late Monday that Harris had gone over the top. HEAD HERE FOR THE LATEST FOX NEWS REPORTING ON HARRIS REPLACING BIDEN AS THE DEMOCRAT’S 2024 PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE “As a daughter of California, I am proud that my home state’s delegation helped put our campaign over the top,” Harris said in her statement. Harris’ clinching of the nomination will likely become official within the next two weeks, as the Democratic National Committee moves forward with a virtual presidential nomination roll call of the delegates. HARRIS GOES OVER THE TOP IN SECURING THE DEMOCRATIC NOMINATION The DNC’s Rules Committee meets Wednesday to approve how the roll call will play out. But a draft of the proposed plan – in a memo obtained on Monday night by Fox News – indicates the voting will be completed before Aug. 7, 12 days before the start of the convention. “We are living through an unprecedented moment in history and, as a party, we are tackling it with the seriousness that it deserves,” DNC chair Jaimie Harrison said on a conference call with reporters. “We are prepared to undertake a transparent, swift and orderly process to move forward as a united Democratic Party with a nominee who represents our values.” And pushing back against criticism from former President Trump’s campaign and other Republicans that the Democrats are ignoring the will of their voters by quickly nominating Harris to replace Biden as the party’s standard-bearer, Harrison argued that Democrats “can, and will, be both fast and fair as we execute this nomination.” The DNC said the vice president, as well as any other candidate who qualifies for the roll call, would have a few days to court delegates for support before the virtual voting starts, which could come as early as next week. But the announcement by Harris a few hours later that she had secured enough delegates to lock up the nomination – as well as the continued endorsements of her from across the party – seemed to put to rest any possibility someone else would seriously challenge her for the nomination. VICE PRESIDENT RAKES IN A STAGGERING HAUL SINCE BIDEN DROPPED OUT As Harris locks up the nomination, she’s also hauling in a staggering amount of campaign cash. The Harris campaign announced on Tuesday morning that the vice president had hauled in more than $100 million in fundraising since Biden dropped out of the race and endorsed his vice president on Sunday afternoon. The campaign spotlighted that the fundraising came from more than 1.1 million unique donors, with 62% of them being first-time contributors to the campaign. Separate from the fundraising, the vetting process for a Harris running mate is also underway, a source familiar with the campaign’s thinking confirmed to Fox News. Meanwhile, Harris heads out on the campaign trail on Tuesday for the first time since Biden suspended his bid. The vice president heads to Milwaukee, the largest city and top Democratic bastion in the crucial Midwestern battleground state of Wisconsin, in a trip that was initially planned on Friday. The stop by Harris in Milwaukee comes five days after Trump gave his presidential nomination acceptance speech in the city’s Fiserv Forum, where the four-day Republican National Convention was held. Harris made her first foray on the campaign trail on Monday, as she stopped by the Biden – now Harris – campaign headquarters in Wilmington, Delaware, to rally the troops. In a tease of her argument against Trump, Harris took aim at the GOP presidential nominee. “As many of you know, before I was elected as vice president, before I was elected as United States senator, I was the elected attorney general of California. Before that, I was a courtroom prosecutor. In those roles I took on perpetrators of all kinds,” Harris said. “Predators who abused women, fraudsters who ripped off consumers, cheaters who broke the rules for their own gain. So hear me when I say, I know Donald Trump’s type,” she emphasized as she pointed to Trump’s multiple lawsuits and criminal cases, many of which are ongoing. Trump, in a slew of posts the past two days on his Truth Social platform, has been slamming Harris. Among other things, the former president called her “Dumb as a Rock” and “a totally failed and insignificant Vice President.” Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.
Secret Service Director Cheatle resigns after mounting pressure in wake of Trump assassination attempt
U.S. Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle resigned Tuesday in the wake of mounting pressure following the assassination attempt on former President Trump, Fox News confirmed. Fox News reviewed the letter Cheatle sent to the U.S. Secret Service Tuesday morning, just a day after she taking bipartisan heat during testimony before the House Oversight Committee Monday and over a week after a would-be assassin Thomas Crooks attempted to take the life of Trump at his rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13. “To the Men and Women of the U.S. Secret Service, The Secret Service’s solemn mission is to protect our nation’s leaders and financial infrastructure,” Cheatle wrote in a letter to the agency. “On July 13th, we fell short on that mission.” Cheatle said that the “scrutiny” over the last week “has been intense and will continue to remain as our operational tempo increases.” “As your Director, I take full responsibility for the security lapse,” she wrote. Biden, who did not fire Cheatle in the 10 days since the shooting, said he is “grateful to Director Kim Cheatle for her decades of public service,” and that he will appoint a new director soon. “As a leader, it takes honor, courage, and incredible integrity to take full responsibility for an organization tasked with one of the most challenging jobs in public service,” Biden said. “We all know what happened that day can never happen again. As we move forward, I wish Kim all the best.” Cheatle said, though, that the “incident does not define us.” “We remain an organization based on integrity and staffed by individuals of exceptional dedication and talent,” she wrote, adding that the agency “will move forward with our investigatory and protective mission in a steadfast manner.” “We do not retreat from challenge,” she wrote. “However, I do not want my calls for resignation to be a distraction from the great work each and every one of you do towards our vital mission.” Cheatle said that when she got the call asking whether she would return to the Secret Service after her brief retirement from the agency, she said she “did not hesitate.” “I love this agency, our mission, and the great men and woken who sacrifice so much every day,” she wrote. “I have, and will always, put the needs of this agency first.” “In light of recent events, it is with a heavy heart that, I have made the difficult decision to step down as your Director,” Cheatle wrote. WATCH: Rep. Mace says Secret Service director ‘full of s—‘ at hearing Cheatle reflected on her career, reminding that she served as a special agent for 27 years, securing events for then-First Lady Hillary Clinton; worked as a supervisor on then-Vice President Dick Cheney’s detail; supervised then-Vice President Biden’s detail; lead RTC and more–including “overseeing the agency’s protective mission under the Trump Administration as AD-OPO.” “As I stated in the hearing yesterday, all of you are worthy of trust and confidence,” Cheatle wrote. “You deserve the nation’s support in carrying out our critical mission.” Cheatle said “one of my favorite things about this workforce is that the men and women are fiercely committed to our mission.” “Thank you for all that you do, and will continue to do, for our great nation,” she wrote, signing the letter “kac.” SECRET SERVICE EXPLANATION CONTINUES TO EVOLVE ONE WEEK AFTER ATTEMPTED ASSASSINATION Trump, during his rally, ever-so-slightly turned his head—narrowly missing the bullet shot by 20-year-old suspect Crooks’ AR-15-style rifle by just a quarter of an inch. The bullet hit him, instead, in his upper right ear. The bullet killed firefighter, father and husband Corey Comperatore as he protected his family from the shots, and severely injured two others. Cheatle admitted under oath that the Secret Service “on July 13th, we failed.” “As the director of the United States Secret Service, I take full responsibility for any security lapse of our agency,” she said. “We must learn what happened and I will move heaven and earth to ensure that an incident like July 13th does not happen again.” Cheatle added: “Our agents, officers and support personnel understand that every day we are expected to sacrifice our lives to execute a no fail mission.” House Republicans, including House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, had been calling on Cheatle to resign, calling her and the agency under her watch “the face of incompetence.” “It is my firm belief, Director Cheatle, that you should resign,” Comer said during the hearing. “The safety of Secret Service protectees is not based on their political affiliation. And the bottom line is that under Director Cheatle’s leadership, we question whether anyone is safe.” But Cheatle had defied those calls for days, maintaining she would not tender her resignation, and instead appeared before Congress to answer questions for the American people. SECRET SERVICE UNDER HOMELAND SECURITY INSPECTOR GENERAL INVESTIGATION AFTER TRUMP ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT Cheatle’s initial explanation of why there was such a significant security lapse that led to the near assassination of Trump included details about the roof Crooks was perched upon. “That building in particular has a sloped roof at its highest point. And so, you know, there’s a safety factor that would be considered there that we wouldn’t want to put somebody up on a sloped roof,” Cheatle said last week. “And so, you know, the decision was made to secure the building, from inside.” During the hearing, Cheatle said the Secret Service is “still looking into the advanced process and the decision made” as to why an agent wasn’t positioned on top of the roof that Crooks used to fire at former President Trump. “The building was outside of the perimeter on the day of the visit. But again, that is one of the things that during the investigation, we want to take a look at and determine whether or not other decisions should have been made,” she said. She added that “I’m not going to get into the specifics of the numbers of personnel