Democrats struggle in election battle with Biden
Democrats in tight House races are trying to focus their campaigns as Biden, who has faced questions about his future as the party’s nominee, adamantly declares he’s not going anywhere.
Democrats were already preparing to distance themselves from the front of the nomination race as Biden struggled in battleground states and districts before his brutal defeat in last month’s debates, but his performance made that task more urgent and potentially more difficult.
Many of the House Democrats locked in the hotly contested battle this week shunned reporters on Capitol Hill, holding cellphones to their ears or being whisked away by staffers as they ignored questions about Biden’s future.
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Democratic group criticizes Biden for mistakenly calling Zelensky ‘President Putin’
Democrats who formed a group called “Pass the Torch” criticized Biden for mistakenly referring to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky as “President Putin” at a NATO event today.
“It is disturbing that the president cannot hold a single event without making a mistake that will serve as ammunition for attacking Trump,” the group said in a statement. “Now we all wait in suspense to see whether the president will be able to hold a press conference, one of the most fundamental activities in politics.”
“Donald Trump threatens our rights, freedoms and democracy,” the statement added. “To beat him, we need a candidate for whom a single press conference is not a herculean task.”
All eyes are on Biden ahead of his first solo White House news conference in two years, which may be his final chance to silence criticism of his recent debate performances. NBC News’ Hallie Jackson breaks it down on “TODAY.”
Democratic congresswomen appear to suggest Biden should resign as president
Rep. Marie Grusenkamp Perez (D-WA) appeared to suggest in a statement today that Biden should resign as president.
“Over the past two weeks, I have heard constituents in my district express concerns about the president’s age and health,” said Rep. Grusenkamp Perez, who represents a district won by Trump in 2020. “Like most people in Southwest Washington that I represent, I have questions about the president’s health, his ability to do his job, and his judgment about whether it is he, and not his unelected advisors, who should be making important decisions for our country.”
“The American people should feel that the president is fully capable of doing the job,” she added. “The crisis of confidence in the president’s leadership needs to end. He should do what he knows is right for the country and put the national interest first.”
Her office and campaign did not respond to questions about whether she has asked Biden to withdraw from reelection.
Grusenkamp Perez represents a southwest Washington district that Trump won by more than 4 percentage points in 2020. She lost her seat to a Democrat by less than 1 percentage point in the 2022 election, and Republicans have targeted her this year as a front-runner to flip the seat in November.
NBC affiliate KGW in Portland, Oregon, first reported Grusenkamp-Perez’s statement.
Trump asks judge to throw out conviction in hush money case following Supreme Court ruling
Trump urged a New York state judge to throw out his conviction, pointing to the Supreme Court’s recent immunity decision that outlined when former presidents should be immune from prosecution.
Any attempt to throw out the jury verdict is likely to face an uphill battle with Judge Juan Marchan, but a last-ditch effort has already been successful in delaying President Trump’s sentencing date.
The verdict had been scheduled for today, but Marchan postponed it last week to allow more time to consider briefs from both sides on the immunity issue. Prosecutors are expected to respond to the latest complaint by July 24, and the verdict is currently scheduled for September 18.
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Biden corrects himself by referring to Ukrainian president as “President Putin”
After briefly speaking about U.S. and NATO support for Ukraine in its war with Russia, Biden asked “President Putin” to speak on his behalf, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who was also in attendance.
“And now I want to hand it over to a president of Ukraine who is just as determined and just as courageous: ladies and gentlemen, President Putin,” Biden said before walking away from the podium.
Shortly after leaving, Trump returned to the podium and said, “President Putin? We’re going to defeat President Putin, President Zelensky. I’m focused on defeating President Putin. We have to worry about him. Anyway, Mr. President.”
Zelensky chuckled before approaching the podium and told Biden, “I’m better than Putin,” to which Biden replied, “You’re much better.”
Former U.S. Ambassador to Russia Michael McFaul appears on “Meet the Press Now” to discuss Ukraine’s path to NATO membership and what President Trump’s reelection means for the Russia-Ukraine war.
President Trump has disavowed Project 2025 but has long-standing ties to some of its key designers.
Biden’s campaign is trying to bounce back from a poor debate performance two weeks ago and is seeking to draw attention to “Project 2025,” a sweeping conservative plan for a second term for Trump that is backed by more than 100 groups.
President Trump has sought to distance himself from Project 2025 over the past week.
“I know nothing about Project 2025,” he said in a Truth Social post on Friday. “I have no idea who is behind it.”
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Ahead of Biden’s news conference at the NATO summit, NBC News’ Monica Alba, Ryan Nobles and Jonathan Allen discussed the challenges facing Biden’s team and called on the president to not seek reelection.
