Donald Trump is alive in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and ready for the Republican National Convention, which kicks off on Monday. This event comes off the attempted assassination attempt on the former president in Butler, Pennsylvania, where Mr. Trump escaped death by millimeters. A gunman, Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, took a position on a rooftop with a clear vantage point toward the stage where Trump was addressing supporters. The round clipped Trump’s right ear.
Along with the June 27 debate, where Trump demolished President Joe Biden, this event, albeit a tragic one, might have sealed the deal regarding the election. That feeling is reportedly strong among liberal Democrats on the Hill, where one senior House member said that there is resignation that Donald Trump will be back in the Oval Office come January. Yet, for now, the campaign to oust Biden has all but fizzled in the aftermath of Donald Trump’s attempted assassination in Butler, Pennsylvania (via Axios):
What we're hearing: A second senior House Democrat told Axios that the Trump shooting has taken some of the heat off because it would "be bad form to make any statements against President Biden."
Another Biden-skeptical Democrat, asked about lingering questions around the president's candidacy, told Axios: "I don't think that's the focus right now."
Zoom in: Biden is adopting a similar posture, with his campaign pulling ads in the immediate aftermath of the shooting and the president condemning the shooting and calling Trump personally.
Biden's visit to Austin, Texas, which was scheduled for Monday, will be postponed, the White House said.
What to watch: Most lawmakers who spoke to Axios said it is too early to say whether the cessation in tensions will last until the Democratic National Convention next month.
But the second senior House Democrat offered one reason for why it might: "We've all resigned ourselves to a second Trump presidency."
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) was not pleased with this report:
If you’re a “senior Democrat” that feels this way, you should absolutely retire and make space for true leadership that refuses to resign themselves to fascism.
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) July 15, 2024
This kind of leadership is functionally useless to the American people. Retire. https://t.co/5oKQeMrOI0
There may be quiet on the Western Front in the Democratic bloodsports over Biden, but they’ll resume shortly.
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