Texas Weekly Online

WATCH: Thousands descend on Michigan town for first Trump rally since failed assassination attempt

WATCH: Thousands descend on Michigan town for first Trump rally since failed assassination attempt

Thousands of people lined the streets of Grand Rapids, Michigan, Saturday to show support for former President Trump at his first rally since a would-be assassin tried, but failed, to take his life last week. “Fight, fight, fight!” some in the swing-state crowd began to chant as Fox News Digital asked if there was any sense of nervousness after what happened at the rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, where a 20-year-old gunman killed one rallygoer, critically wounded two others and shot Trump in the ear. “West Michigan is fired up, and they are ready for a change in Washington,” Michael Markey, the Republican candidate for Michigan’s 3rd Congressional District, told Fox as he greeted rallygoers waiting in the growing line to enter Van Andel Arena. RNC DELEGATES, GUESTS MAKE PREDICTIONS ABOUT BIDEN’S POLITICAL FUTURE AMID REPORTS HE MIGHT EXIT 2024 RACE “Just one week ago, West Michigan stood in prayer for President Trump, the victims of the attack in Pennsylvania and our nation. Today, we are enthusiastically standing in line to see President Trump and show him we are are ready to fight, fight, fight,” Markey said. Some rallygoers told reporters they spent the night outside the arena, while others said they showed up nearly 12 hours early to get a spot in line. It’s unclear how many thousands of people will file into the arena, which can hold up to 12,000, but the rally is Trump’s first joint campaign appearance alongside his vice presidential running mate, Ohio Sen. JD Vance, which is expected to add more excitement. ALINA HABBA TAKES ON MAJOR ROLE IN TRUMP CAMPAIGN, DISHES ON HIS HIGHLY ANTICIPATED RNC SPEECH The rally is being held as the Secret Service continues to face questions about the assassination attempt and how the shooter was able to climb on top of a building unhindered with a direct line of sight to Trump as he spoke. The agency reportedly requested additional support from local law enforcement to beef up security at the event in Grand Rapids. Trump and Vance officially accepted their party’s nominations for president and vice president at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee earlier this week. Saturday’s rally is expected to kick off at 5 p.m. ET. Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.

DNC committee moving forward with plans for virtual roll call vote in early August

DNC committee moving forward with plans for virtual roll call vote in early August

The Democratic National Convention is set to follow through on plans for an early roll call nominating President Biden as their presidential candidate next month. DNC Rules Committee members voted Friday for a virtual roll call on August 7 to certify Biden’s victory, despite widespread upset over what many call visible mental decline. The nearly 200 committee members will meet again on or before July 26 to formally adopt the virtual roll call format. The vote itself is expected to serve as a mere rubber stamp for the Biden campaign. CAMPAIGN CHAIRS SAY BIDEN IS BOTH ‘MORE COMMITTED THAN EVER’ TO PRESIDENTIAL RACE AND ‘ASKING FOR INPUT’ President Biden is planning campaign events weeks in advance, preparing to hit the ground running after his current illness with a high-profile fundraiser. The Biden-Harris ticket is holding a fundraising event on July 29th in Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts, that will feature special guests — talk show legend David Letterman and Hawaiia Gov. Josh Green. President Biden and first lady Jill Biden will be in attendance. Green, who has been governor of Hawaii since 2022, is a personal friend of the Bidens. The governor is among the administration’s closest political allies. EXCLUSIVE: FIRST SON HUNTER BIDEN ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE COUNTRY WHILE DAD FIGHTS FOR POLITICAL LIFE Axios reported that Biden has started laying out his travel plans as he recovers from COVID-19 at his Delaware beach house in Rehoboth. He has resisted calls from his party to step down, with his communications team holding a remote press conference on Saturday to push the argument for a second Biden term. The calls for Biden to step down has drawn over 30 sitting Democrat congressmembers: Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, on Friday urged Biden to “end his campaign,” arguing that “our full attention must return to these important issues.” One senior Democrat official told Axios that the entire issue feels “stuck” at the moment, adding that it’s “not to say it’s going to stay stuck.” Senior officials are pushing Biden to make a final decision over the weekend and have continued arguing with Biden advisers as to why bowing out would best serve the party. “It’s a fairly universal sentiment internally that we have reached the end of the road,” one Biden aide admitted, noting that some key hold-outs will keep fighting to keep Biden in the race.

Whitmer’s former opponent warns Dems would be making big mistake replacing Biden with her

Whitmer’s former opponent warns Dems would be making big mistake replacing Biden with her

MILWAUKEE – Former Michigan GOP gubernatorial candidate Tudor Dixon warned that adding Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer to the presidential ticket would be a bad move for Democrats but “fantastic” for Republicans. Rumors have swirled in recent weeks that President Biden will yield to pressure and bow out of the 2024 presidential race, with some saying that Whitmer would be a top choice to step in. Dixon told Fox News Digital she has heard rumbling that Whitmer would be a top choice to be the vice president for Kamala Harris, which she called “shocking” but also “fantastic” for Republicans. “I think that would be absolutely fantastic for us as Republicans, because I know that she has strong weaknesses when it comes to debating and for her to go up against a Senator, J.D. Vance, that would be a very big challenge for her and would show the country exactly who she is.” Biden called on Americans to “lower the temperature in our politics” following the assassination attempt on Trump, but Republicans have criticized his campaign for launching more negative attacks since the attempted assassination. Whitmer is no stranger to criticism for inciting violence dating back to 2020 when the Trump campaign slammed her for appearing on camera while the digits “8645” in bubble letters were perched by a house plant on a coffee table behind her.  GOV. WHITMER TELLS ‘THE VIEW’ SHE NEVER SAID MICHIGAN’S UNWINNABLE FOR BIDEN: ‘CRAZIEST THING TO THINK’ At the time, the Trump campaign accused her of encouraging an assassination attempt, given that “86” can be shorthand for killing someone. “She’s always, she’s constantly gone out and told people that so-and-so is a threat,” Dixon said. “Here’s a threat. There is a threat against your reproductive rights, and it’s all going to be taken away. But, you know, you talk about the 86, 45, and let’s not forget that she went out on national television and literally put a call to assassinate Donald Trump on her set right behind her, so the entire country would see it. I can’t think of anything more disgusting than having a sitting governor go out there and call for the assassination of a sitting president.” DO THESE POTENTIAL BIDEN REPLACEMENTS HAVE WHAT IT TAKES TO BEAT TRUMP? Whitmer, long rumored to be an option for Democrats if Biden drops out, would fare the best in a matchup with Trump, with a Fox News poll from November showing the Democratic governor within the margin of error of the former president, garnering 46% of the support of registered voters compared to 48% for Trump. The two-term governor of the crucial Midwestern swing state could be an attractive option for Democrats, though Whitmer has reportedly expressed annoyance that her name is being mixed in as a potential replacement for Biden. Responding to a recent Politico report that the Michigan governor warned the Biden campaign the president no longer had a shot at winning her home state following the debate, Whitmer took to social media and asserted that anyone who thinks she would make such a claim is “full of s—.” Fox News Digital reached out to Whitmer’s office for comment but did not receive a response.  Fox News Digital’s Michael Lee contributed to this report.

Kamala Harris reassures Democratic Party donors that there’s nothing to worry about

Kamala Harris reassures Democratic Party donors that there’s nothing to worry about

Vice President Kamala Harris held a brief conference with the Democratic Party’s top donors yesterday in a show of support for her running mate. Harris spoke with approximately 300 major Democratic Party donors on Friday, telling them there was nothing to worry about within President Biden’s campaign, despite the media kerfuffle. “I will start by sharing something with all of you, something I believe in my heart of hearts. It is something I feel strongly you should all hear and should take with you when you leave, and tell your friends too,” Harris told the donors, according to multiple reports. “We are going to win this election. We are going to win.” CAMPAIGN CHAIRS SAY BIDEN IS BOTH ‘MORE COMMITTED THAN EVER’ TO PRESIDENTIAL RACE AND ‘ASKING FOR INPUT’ “We know which candidate in this election puts the American people first: our President, Joe Biden,” Harris said in support of her running mate. Harris spoke to donors via video for approximately five minutes, championing the Biden administration and sharply criticizing former President Donald Trump’s rhetoric at the Republican National Convention. “Let me be clear: Trump’s convention this week was one big attempt to distract people,” Harris reportedly told donors. “He wants to distract attention away from his record and his Project 2025 plan. Can you believe they put it in writing? It is further empirical evidence that the stakes of this election couldn’t be higher.” SCHUMER ‘FORCEFULLY’ TOLD BIDEN HE SHOULD DROP HIS RE-ELECTION BID: REPORT The call was intended to quell fears among party donors that backlash against Biden from within his party could prove disastrous for his campaign. However, Harris did not take questions from the donors following her short address, causing some to wonder what the point of the communication was. Additionally, the call came on the same day that nearly a dozen Democratic lawmakers voiced preference for Biden to drop out of the race. Biden has been consistent and clear that he intends to stay in the race and run against Trump in November as the Democratic Party nominee. While critics of the administration within the Democratic Party have treated Biden’s re-election bid as a decision yet to be made, the White House has been consistent and firm in its statements that he is indeed running. “The president’s in this race,” Campaign Chair Jen O’Malley Dillon told the hosts of MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” on Friday morning. “You’ve heard him say that time and time again.”

EXCLUSIVE PICS: Hunter Biden on the other side of the country while dad fights for political life

EXCLUSIVE PICS: Hunter Biden on the other side of the country while dad fights for political life

Fox News Digital exclusive photos show Hunter Biden out and about in Los Angeles while his father, President Joe Biden, remained hunkered down on the other side of the country, battling to save his legacy. The younger Biden, who has reportedly been closely advising his father as a chorus of key Democrats call on him to end his re-election bid, was seen shopping Friday and leaving the home of “Sugar Bro” Kevin Morris, the entertainment lawyer who funded his defense in a recent criminal trial. President Biden has reportedly relied heavily on his troubled Yale Law graduate son and his wife, first lady Jill Biden, as he tries to fend off claims he is not mentally fit to serve another four years as president. The calls reached a crescendo following his disastrous performance in his June 27 debate against former President Donald Trump, the Republican nominee. The president is spending the weekend at his vacation house in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware. Hunter Biden started sitting in on meetings between his father and close staff at the White House just a week after the debate, with one White House source telling NBC at the time the sudden presence caused confusion and prompted many to ask “What the hell is happening?”  Biden appeared to rely on his son not only in those meetings, but on phone calls as well, sources had reported.  JD VANCE, OTHERS SAY BIDEN SHOULD RESIGN PRESIDENCY IF HE DROPS OUT OF THE RACE Hunter Biden was also reported to be one of the biggest advocates for his father staying in the race during a gathering at Camp David in the aftermath of the president’s poor debate performance, with some critics arguing the president using his son as a top adviser has become a conflict of interest. Rep. Greg Steube, R-Fla., responded to Hunter Biden’s involvement in these top-level meetings by labeling him “a walking national security threat.” BIDEN’S CAMPAIGN ISSUES A RESPONSE AFTER TRUMP’S RNC SPEECH Some have alleged that Hunter Biden is seeking to have his father pardon him for two cases brought against him in Delaware and California, even trying to request the cases dismissed in the same manner as those involving former President Trump. DEMOCRATS PLOT COUP TO ‘SAVE DEMOCRACY,’ BUT WHAT HAPPENS IF THEY FAIL? His lawyers are requesting that both federal cases be thrown out, arguing that Special Counsel David Weiss was illegally appointed. Hunger Biden was convicted last month on three felony charges related to a handgun purchase in 2018, and a case in California about alleged federal tax crimes is ongoing.  “It’s just a pure and simple massive interest in his dad staying president so he can pardon not only Hunter, but Joe and the rest of the family for the crimes they committed, and probably Merrick Garland, too, for his role in the cover-up,” Mike Howell, the executive director of the Oversight Project at the Heritage Foundation, told Fox News Digital earlier this month.  Hunter Biden was found guilty on all charges in the Delaware gun case, including counts of making a false statement in the purchase of a gun, making a false statement related to information required to be kept by a federally licensed gun dealer, and possession of a gun by a person who is an unlawful user of or addicted to a controlled substance. Fox News Digital’s Michael Lee and Adam Shaw contributed to this report. 

Tudor Dixon previews what to expect at Trump’s first campaign rally since assassination attempt

Tudor Dixon previews what to expect at Trump’s first campaign rally since assassination attempt

MILWAUKEE – Former Michigan GOP gubernatorial candidate Tudor Dixon will be in attendance at former President Trump’s highly anticipated rally in Michigan on Saturday and she revealed what she expects to see in the wake of the failed attempt on his life. “I think we feel good because it’s inside, and so I feel like there’s more control when it’s inside, when you’re inside a building like that,” Dixon said during an interview with Fox News Digital, referring to safety concerns for the event.  “So I feel like there’s going to be a lot of eyeballs on the Secret Service. Obviously, they’re going to change their protocols and make sure there’s as much as possible. If you look around here [the RNC Convention], everybody has to feel secure. Every time you turn around. There’s not just a police officers, there’s a group of police officers or the Secret Service around the perimeter. So I feel like we are incredibly safe.” Dixon said she expects to hear a speech centered around unity and the appeal of newly nominated vice presidential candidate JD Vance, who will be speaking at the rally in Grand Rapids. JD VANCE BY THE NUMBERS: FIRST SPEECH SIGNALS HEAVY CAMPAIGN PRESENCE IN BATTLEGROUND RUST BELT “It’ll be so exciting to have him and J.D. Vance in Michigan for their first rally after the announcement that he is the vice presidential nominee,” Dixon said. “I think it’s going to be a message of unity, but I think it’s also going to be a strong message for manufacturing in the Midwest with J.D.” Dixon said that Vance helps form an “incredibly strong ticket” that will be a “very big challenge” for Democrats in swing states. ADAM SCHIFF CALLS ON BIDEN TO EXIT PRESIDENTIAL RACE AS DEM CONFIDENCE DWINDLES ” I just overall think that they’re seeing a lot of support for the Republican Party amongst young people,” Dixon said. “That’s always been their demographic, and they’re losing it right now, so they’re getting pretty desperate.” Trump plans to hold the rally in Grand Rapids, Michigan, on July 20 with Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance, whom the former president chose as his running mate Monday, marking his first campaign appearance with Vance as his vice presidential candidate. The rally will be held inside the Van Andel Arena, with Secret Service officials recently warning the Trump campaign against holding outdoor rallies. Fox News Digital’s Michael Lee contributed to this report.