Jäger: "Michelle Obama is the only one with better values than Trump"
Biden stays in the race or withdraws his candidacy? Political scientist Thomas Jaeger speaks of a "self-destruction of the Democrats" and a "campaign led by Nancy Pelosi and Barack Obama". Nobody had better chances to defeat Trump than Biden.
12:04 Christie: "Trump hated what he said"Republican politician Chris Christie criticizes Trump's party convention speech. The US presidential candidate failed to unite the nation, says Christie to ABC. Trump showed restraint when speaking about the attack on him. But "he hated what he said", judges Christie regarding Trump's appeal for national "unity". The former governor of New Jersey Christie is one of the sharpest critics of Trump in the Republican Party.
11:02 Pistorius: Germany would be "even more demanded" after Trump victoryAccording to Federal Defense Minister Boris Pistorius, Germany's military role in Europe would be required independently of the outcome of the US presidential election. "Should Donald Trump become US President, the weights within the NATO are likely to shift faster," he tells the "Tagesspiegel". The Federal Republic as the largest economy in the EU would "then be even more demanded". This development should also be reflected in the federal budget.
10:23 Biden follows Trump speech sick at home - and angryIn a long thread on X, US President Joe Biden sharply criticizes his opponent Donald Trump's speech at the Republican National Convention. "Since I'm at home with Covid, I had the misfortune of seeing Donald Trump's speech before the RNC," writes Biden, who is currently recovering from a Corona infection. Biden criticizes Trump's tax policy. "He said he would start with 'debt forgiveness' and further lower taxes. That's a joke," so Biden. "Trump exploded the deficit in his first term, and his tax cut plan would make it even worse in a second term." In addition, he accused Trump of wanting to be a dictator.
09:41 Snyder: "Trump has chosen the far-right camp"For historian Timothy Snyder, Donald Trump is "entirely responsible" for the political climate of violence in the US. He doesn't believe that the attack on the US presidential candidate could unite the country. With J.D. Vance as his running mate, Trump "has chosen the far-right camp", says Snyder in an interview with ntv.de. "He can't use the attack as a unifying theme because Vance has already unfairly accused the Democrats."
The full interview with Timothy Snyder appears at 15:00 on ntv.de
08:51 Biden in video: "I'm looking forward to going on the campaign trail"The debate over a possible withdrawal of sick US President Joe Biden from the race heats up. Leading Democrats are trying to convince the 81-year-old to withdraw in order to improve the Democrats' chances against former President Donald Trump. But Biden wants to campaign again next week.
07:51 Democrat: Biden no longer recognized meRepresentative Seth Moulton is part of a group of Democrats calling for US President Joe Biden to exit the campaign. In an opinion piece for the "Boston Globe", he justifies his position with concerns about Biden's constitution. "Recently, I saw him in a small group in Normandy on the occasion of the 80th anniversary of D-Day. For the first time, he didn't recognize me," writes Moulton. "Of course, that could happen with increasing age, but when I watched the disastrous debate a few weeks ago, I had to admit that what I saw in Normandy was part of a deeper problem."
06:47 Voter group announces initiative for DemocratsWhile some big donors of US President Biden have withheld financing, the liberal umbrella organization "America Votes" announced in a press release that they will spend $40 million in the next two weeks. The money will be used to win voters and voters in five contested states for the Democratic Party, according to a press release. "Our partners know how to beat Donald Trump and Co., because they have done it in three consecutive elections," Daria Dawson, head of the group, was quoted as saying by the "New York Times." The democracy is at stake in the November election.
05:31 Pelosi against direct nomination of Harris, if Biden drops outCalifornia Representative Nancy Pelosi reportedly prefers a "competitive" process of an open primary for the nomination of Vice President Kamala Harris as the new Democratic presidential candidate in the event of Biden's withdrawal. This was reported by the "New York Times" with reference to sources in the California Democratic delegation. At a meeting with the delegation, Pelosi reportedly argued strongly for Biden's withdrawal. With Biden, the Democrats would lose every chance.
04:49 Threats against Trump and Vance: Arrest in FloridaBecause he allegedly threatened Republican US presidential candidate Donald Trump and his designated vice president J.D. Vance on social media with death, a man was arrested in Florida. The authorities were alerted through online tips and reports from neighbors, according to a Facebook post by the Jupiter Police Department in the US state of Florida. During the investigation of his Facebook account, the officers discovered threats against Trump and Vance. Further threats were directed against their family members. The man was taken into custody.
04:03 Report: Biden "angry" at PelosiPresident Joe Biden is facing a new round of dissenting Democrats who publicly urged him to leave the presidential race. Among them is California Representative Zoe Lofgren, a close ally of former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi. According to CNN, Biden is "angry" with Pelosi, who has publicly expressed her support for the president.
02:45 Trump supporter scouted event location with droneThe Trump assassination suspect scouted the event location with a drone, according to a report by the "Wall Street Journal." He was able to take aerial photographs of the fairgrounds in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13, only a few hours before the attack, the newspaper reported, citing law enforcement officials familiar with the matter. The findings could raise further questions about whether the event location was adequately secured.
01:39 Important Biden supporter departs from advisorReid Hoffman, an important Democratic donor and billionaire co-founder of LinkedIn, is parting ways with his long-time political advisor Dmitri Mehlhorn. Mehlhorn states that his views on the future of the Democratic Party have become a "distraction." The two were the spearhead of major donors encouraging Democrats to hold onto President Biden as their party's candidate.
00:29 More Democrats call for Biden to withdrawRepresentative Gabe Vasquez from New Mexico is urging President Biden to "step aside to give the Democrats the best chances to win in November." Vasquez, who faces a tight race for his seat in the House of Representatives, joins a list of endangered Democrats who have urged the President to drop out. Ten Democrats from the House have joined the chorus of party members calling for Biden to abandon his campaign today.
23:20 Harris tries to calm down hundreds of Democratic donors - and failsVice President Kamala Harris attempts to reassure the largest donors of the Democratic Party by informing around 300 of them that there is little cause for concern regarding President Biden's campaign. Several participants in the video call tell the "New York Times" that they found the meeting overall unproductive and sometimes even condescending. Many believe, according to the report, that Harris' message ignored the legitimate concerns of donors about Biden's campaign.
22:21 Trump's first campaign appearance since the attack, alongside VanceA week after the attack, former US President Donald Trump held his first campaign appearance on Saturday in Grand Rapids, Michigan, with his vice presidential candidate J.D. Vance. Trump was nominated as the Republican presidential candidate at the US Republican Party convention and received a triumphant welcome.
21:50 Union foreign policy spokesperson Hardt: We need to adapt to new RepublicansThe foreign policy spokesperson of the Union faction, Jürgen Hardt, expects the Republicans to realign ideologically with their presidential candidate, regardless of the November election result. Trump's campaign promises are described as a "wonder cabinet."
21:23 While withdrawal calls grow louder: Harris visits Tyra Banks' pop-up ice cream shopAs withdrawal calls for President Joe Biden as a candidate for the US elections in November grow louder, even from within the Democratic ranks (see entry 20:56), his potential successor Kamala Harris spends time with her nieces at a pop-up ice cream shop in the US capital, Washington DC. Former supermodel Tyra Banks has opened the pop-up ice cream shop "Smize&Dream." Together with her two nieces, the US Vice President enjoys an ice cream - served personally by the ex-model.
20:56 Democrats openly call for Biden to withdraw
More and more Democrats are openly urging US President Joe Biden to withdraw from the presidential race for the US elections. In the past few hours, Representatives Betty McCollum from Minnesota, Kathy Castor from Florida, Zoe Lofgren from California, and Greg Landsman have given statements calling on Biden to retire. Shortly before that, Democrats Jared Huffman from California, Mark Veasey from Texas, Chuy Garcia from Illinois, and Mark Pocan from Wisconsin - Democrats from the US House of Representatives - had recently expressed their support in an open letter for Biden to "pass the torch to a new generation of democratic leaders."
20:18 Biden to go back on campaign trail next week
US President Joe Biden announced that he would be back on the campaign trail next week and would win the November election. Recently, Biden had paused due to Corona symptoms. In the past few days, the number of Democratic Party members calling on the 81-year-old to retire and make way for a more promising person had grown.
19:33 CNN analyst: These Democrats could beat Trump
Should US President Joe Biden decide to withdraw from his candidacy, the Democrats have no reason to worry - they have a women's duo in the party that could still defeat the likely Republican candidate Donald Trump, according to Julian Zelizer, a political analyst for CNN and Princeton Professor, in a commentary on CNN. Zelizer believes that Kamala Harris as a presidential candidate and Gretchen Whitmer, Governor of Michigan, as her running mate have the best chances of leading the party through this crisis. US Vice President Kamala Harris is being widely discussed as a top contender for the Biden succession in the US presidential elections in November. Whitmer is one of the rising stars in the Democratic Party. Furthermore, Zelizer sees the potential for a campaign by these two Democrats to win over voters and achieve a historic result.
18:17 Report: Biden family discusses withdrawal scenarios
Members of the Biden family have discussed how a withdrawal from the campaign might look. NBC News reports this based on two sources familiar with the discussions. The discussions reportedly focused on withdrawal options for Biden. The sources quoted by NBC News describe two conditions for a potential withdrawal plan that were a "common theme" in the discussions: Should Biden decide to step down, his withdrawal must put the party in the best position to defeat former President Donald Trump. It is also important that Biden leaves office with dignity. The fact that Biden is even considering withdrawing and discussing potential withdrawal plans with his family is a new development, according to NBC News.
17:03 Could Kamala Harris beat Trump?
The pressure on US President Joe Biden from within his own party is growing. According to polls, his Vice President Kamala Harris has better chances against the Republican challenger and frontrunner Donald Trump. But does she have what it takes to be the most powerful woman in the world?
16:23 Team Speaker: Biden takes Democrats' concerns seriously
US President Joe Biden, according to his team, will return to campaigning in the next week after completing his isolation period due to mild Corona symptoms. Jen O'Malley Dillon, the head of his campaign team, made the announcement in an interview with MSNBC. "He's absolutely in it," she says. The 81-year-old is taking the concerns of some Democrats seriously but is determined to fight for a second term. In recent days, pressure on Biden has increased. Many representatives of his Democratic Party have publicly questioned his physical and mental fitness for a candidacy and his chances of winning. Biden has withdrawn to his home in Delaware due to a Corona infection.
15:38 Kamala Harris counters Trump's unity promise
In his speech at the Republican Party convention in Milwaukee, Presidential candidate Donald Trump aims to unite the deeply divided American population. In response, Vice President Kamala Harris writes clearly on social media: "If you claim to stand for unity, you must do more than just use the word." Harris writes that he can't just claim to stand for the unity of the USA when he follows an agenda that denies fundamental freedoms, opportunities, and dignity to entire groups of Americans.
14:33 Media report: Biden considering dropping out of the race
According to media reports, ailing US President Joe Biden is now considering withdrawing from the race for the White House. The "New York Times" cites several sources close to Biden, who say the 81-year-old is beginning to accept that he may not be able to win the election against his rival Donald Trump in November. "Reality is setting in," the "New York Times" quotes from Biden's circle. The source is not surprised if Biden soon supports Vice President Kamala Harris as the Democratic Party's presidential candidate. Another person close to the president emphasized, however, that Biden has not yet made a decision.
13:50 Attacker informed himself about other school shooters
The Trump assassin informed himself about another school shooter, who shot and killed four students at a high school in Michigan in 2021, and the charges against his parents, CNN reports, citing FBI and Secret Service agents.
13:17 Hulk Hogan pays tribute to "Gladiator" Trump in bizarre speech
As a professional wrestler, Hulk Hogan became a folk hero in the USA in the 80s and 90s. Commercial and film appearances followed. Now, he enters the presidential campaign in a spectacular way. At the Republican Party convention, Hulk Hogan pays homage to Donald Trump in a wrestling-style speech.
12:36 Spahn praises Trump's foreign policy stances
Union Vice-Fraction leader Jens Spahn expresses approving words for Trump's foreign policy positions. Spahn mentioned on MDR approximately the stance on containing China and the existence rights of Israel. The former Federal Health Minister also touched upon Trump's announced peace initiative for Ukraine. He said Europeans should "be part of these talks" and should not be content with the spectator role. Regarding the Redaktionsnetzwerk, Spahn emphasized, as an observer at the Republican Party convention, that Trump "is often right in foreign policy." "Our Iran policy was wrong in retrospect, his was right. Our policy on Nord Stream 2 was wrong, he had warned us." Trump has been urging "for many years" that Europe should do more for its security, Spahn added. "We have kept our eyes closed for too long."
11:52 Communications expert: Trump strikes "unusual tones"
With over 90 minutes, Donald Trump delivers the longest nomination speech to date. However, it's not just the "typical campaign with a ton of fake news," says communications expert Christian Galvez, but also "unusual tones" for the Republicans:
11:26 Trump's performance recalls "Life of Brian" for security experts
According to security expert Christian Mölling, the content of the speeches at the US Republican Party convention is not the deciding factor. "When you see that people really cling to this band. [...] That's just like in Life of Brian," he says in the "Stern" podcast "Die Lage." "There's this scene at the end where everyone is chasing after someone, who through coincidence has become some kind of icon, so revered. It doesn't matter if it's a shoe or a band: Trump is being stylized as the savior and he styles himself that way as well, and that's why the contents, I believe, are totally banal."
10:55 Political scientist on Trump's calculations: "Arithmetic carries immense risk"
How surprising or expected was Trump's speech at the Republican Party convention? Political scientist Thomas Jäger takes a look at the potential consequences of his announcements for Ukraine and other US allies:
10:19 Trump accuses Biden of causing more damage than "ten worst presidents" combined
Trump initially did not intend to mention Biden in his speech, but he deviated from his script once again. "The damage he has caused to this country is unimaginable," Trump said about the incumbent president. When the "damage" caused by the ten worst presidents in US history is compared, it is not as great as the damage caused by Biden.
09:51 When Trump strays from the script, chaos ensues
In Milwaukee, Trump recounted the assassination attempt against him; he appeared tired but was then celebrated by delegates and did not always stick to the script - "old tunes resurfaced." NTV reporter Hanna Klouth shares her impressions of Trump's nomination speech as the now official Republican presidential candidate:
09:15 Trump makes over 20 false claims in speechCNN counts over 20 false claims in Trump's campaign speech. Many of them were previously made by the presidential candidate, some for years. Affected topics include Economy, Immigration, Crime, Foreign Policy, and Elections. The statement that he left the Biden administration a world at peace is labeled as "absurd" by the network. Trump also repeated the allegation of election fraud against the Democrats, even though this was not mentioned in the speech manuscript according to the report.
08:45 Trump obfuscates Taiwan issue in speechChina was mentioned only once by Trump in a national security context in his speech. He said, "The country surrounds Taiwan" - without specifying whether his administration would come to Taiwan's aid if his re-election is secured and China attacks the country. Trump has not yet committed on this issue.
You can read about all previous developments [here].**
- According to political scientist Thomas Jaeger, if Joe Biden decides to withdraw from the US Presidential Election 2024, it could lead to a "self-destruction of the Democrats" and a "campaign led by Nancy Pelosi and Barack Obama".
- Despite Biden's Corona infection, he is determined to return to the campaign trail next week, ignoring calls from some Democrats for him to withdraw to improve the Democrats' chances against Donald Trump.
- Representative Seth Moulton is among those calling for Biden to leave the race, citing concerns about his constitution and noting that he "no longer recognized me" when they met recently in Normandy.
- In response to Trump's criticism of Democrats in his Republican National Convention speech, Biden sharply criticized his opponent's tax policy, calling it a "joke" and accusing him of wanting to be a dictator.
- While some Democratic big donors have withheld financing, the liberal umbrella organization "America Votes" announced that they will spend $40 million in the next two weeks to help the Democratic Party in five contested states.
- Reporters have suggested that Vice President Kamala Harris could be a strong contender for the Democratic Party's presidential nomination if Biden decides to withdraw, given her better chances against Trump in polls.
