Trump pays Biden rare compliment before debate as key hearing in classified documents case begins: Live
Donald Trump has paid a rare compliment to his counterpart Joe Biden in the run up to their first face-to-face debate, describing the current US president as a “worthy” opponent.
In an episode of the “All In” podcast, hosted by Silicon Valley entrepreneurs, Mr Trump said he did not want to “underestimate” Mr Biden.
“I assume he’s gonna be somebody that will be a worthy debater. … I don’t want to underestimate him,” he said.
His comments were a peculiar u-turn on former remarks. After the presidential debates were announced earlier this year, the former White House resident described Mr Biden as “the WORST debater” he had competed against.
“Crooked Joe Biden is the WORST debater I have ever faced – He can’t put two sentences together!” he wrote on his social media site Truth Social.
It comes as the federal judge presiding over the classified documents case against Mr Trump is hearing arguments today on a long-shot defense effort to get the indictment thrown out based on the claim that the prosecutor who brought the charges was illegally appointed.
Key Points
- Trump out-raises Biden by nearly double in May
- Trump calls latest Fox News poll ‘TRASH’
- Trump falls behind Biden in latest Fox News poll as he insists ‘nobody can ever trust’ network
- Trump-appointed judge in classified documents proceedings declined requests to leave case
- Republican ‘backtracks’ on plan to stay in Chicago during RNC after Milwaukee furore
- Former president ‘still believed he had foreign policy powers after leaving White House’
Motion after motion puts Trump Florida case in slow motion as 3-day hearing begins
11:45 , Tom Watling
The federal judge presiding over the classified documents case against former President Donald Trump is hearing arguments Friday on a long-shot defense effort to get the indictment thrown out based on the claim that the prosecutor who brought the charges was illegally appointed.
The arguments over the legality of special counsel Jack Smith’s appointment kick off a three-day hearing that is set to continue next week and bring further delays to a criminal case that had been scheduled for trial last month but has been snarled by a pileup of unresolved legal disputes. The motion questioning Smith’s selection and funding by the Justice Department is one of multiple challenges to the indictment the defense has raised, so far unsuccessfully, in the year since the charges were brought.
Democrats are suddenly concerned about a law from 1873 — and with good reason
11:15 , Oliver O’Connell
Eric Garcia writes:
On Thursday, Senator Tina Smith of Minnesota launched the next phase of Democrats’ push to protect abortion rights. She did so by introducing legislation to roll back the 1873 law that Democrats fear Republicans would use to ban medication abortion.
Smith is the only Senator who has worked at a Planned Parenthood clinic and she quickly became Senate Democrats’ leading policymaker on protecting abortion rights after the Dobbs v Jackson decision that killed Roe v Wade.
Her new legislation would repeal the Comstock Act of 1873, which targeted the mailing of contraceptives, pornography and anything “intended for producing abortion, or for any indecent or immoral use.” Comstock has largely not been enforced for the past 100 years, particularly after Roe. But now Democrats are worried it could make a legislative return.
Continue reading:
Why Democrats are suddenly so concerned about a law from 1873
Trump cuts fundraising deficit with Biden by half in two months
10:30 , Tom Watling
Donald Trump has cut the fundraising cash deficit with US president Joe Biden by at least half after he out-raised his counterpart by nearly double in May.
Mr Trump raised $56 million more than Mr Biden in May and $25 million more in April, despite being found guilty of 34 felonies at the end of that period.
Mr. Trump was a daunting $100 million behind Mr. Biden at the start of April.
‘Prove Mike wrong’: MyPillow founder Mike Lindell’s THIRD lawyer deserts him in $5m dispute
10:15 , Oliver O’Connell
MyPillow founder Mike Lindell has lost yet another lawyer involved in a civil lawsuit he hopes will avoid him paying out $5m in award money he offered in an election fraud evidence competition.
Lindell, an avid Donald Trump supporter, launched the ‘Prove Mike Wrong’ challenge in 2021 and promised to pay the huge prize to anyone who could prove alleged evidence of 2020 election fraud false.
Computer forensics expert Robert Zeidman did just that, but Lindell refused to pay and tried to renege on his offer.
Here’s what happened next.
MyPillow founder THIRD lawyer deserts him in $5m ‘prove Mike wrong’ dispute
Trump out-raises Biden by nearly double in May
09:51 , Tom Watling
Presidential hopeful Donald Trump has out-raised his counterpart Joe Biden by nearly double in May, the latest figures from both campaign trails have shown.
Mr Trump and his Republican National Committee raised $141 million last month while Mr Biden’s team raised around $85 million.
US wouldn’t ‘be second in line’ to press nuclear button, Trump once insisted
09:15 , Oliver O’Connell
Then-Puerto Rico Governor Ricardo Rossello was stunned by what he heard then-President Donald Trump say in 2017 as they toured storm damage from Hurricane Maria, which killed thousands of people and inflicted major damage on the island’s infrastructure.
“If nuclear war happens, we won’t be second in line pressing the button,” Trump reportedly mused during a helicopter tour of the devastation.
That’s terrifying.
Gustaf Kilander has the story.
Trump once insisted US wouldn’t ‘be second in line’ to press nuclear button
Trump ready to accept Republican nomination even if he’s in prison
08:15 , Oliver O’Connell
Donald Trump could be sentenced to prison just days before the Republican National Convention — but the RNC co-chair says that won’t stop him from accepting the party’s nomination.
Lara Trump, who is also Trump’s daughter-in-law, discussed the possibility that hush money trial judge Juan Merchan could jail the former president days before the GOP convention during an interview with Real America’s Voice host Terrance Bates.
That could make for a highly unique convention, as Kelly Rissman reports.
Lara Trump: Don’s ready to accept Republican nomination even if he’s in prison
Listen: New audio includes Trump admitting he lost 2020 election
07:15 , Oliver O’Connell
Trump’s face. On money?
06:15 , Oliver O’Connell
Is this what he has always dreamed of?
House Republicans are doing everything they can to get noticed by former President Donald Trump.
Earlier this month, Florida Representative Greg Steube introduced legislation to change the name of parts of the oceans surrounding the US after Trump. Now, another Republican wants to see Trump on the $500 bill.
Gustaf Kilander reports on the latest attempt to win favor with the former president.
Republicans want to see Trump’s face on the $500 bill
Trump campaign reports having more cash than Biden’s
05:43 , Namita Singh
For the first time, Donald Trump’s presidential campaign reported having more cash in its main account than Joe Biden’s re-election campaign had in its account, financial disclosures showed on Thursday, as both sides built their war chests ahead of the presidential election.
Trump’s campaign had about $116 in them bank at the end of May, more than double what it had a month earlier, while Mr Biden’s campaign told the Federal Election Commission it had about $91m in the bank, just above what it had at the end of April.
The full financial picture for the two camps isn’t clear because while both campaigns had a Thursday deadline to report their finances to the federal regulator, several of their associated fundraising committees won’t report on recent activity until July.
Mr Biden’s campaign and his party had earlier released unofficial figures touting $212m in cash holdings, but did not detail which committees held that money.
The figures disclosed to the Federal Election Commission appear to represent a dramatic financial turnaround for the Trump campaign, which had lagged behind Biden earlier in the year. The two candidates are neck-and-neck in national public opinion polls, while Trump leads in several battleground states.
Trump to speak at Road to Majority conference on Saturday
04:45 , Oliver O’Connell
Donald Trump will be back in Washington, DC on Saturday to speak at the conservative Christian activist group Faith & Freedom Coalition’s 2024 Road to Majority Conference.
The former president is set to speak at the event at the Washington Hilton on Saturday, June 22 at 1.30pm — we’ll be covering it live.
“We are honored to welcome President Trump back to the largest gathering of conservative Christian activists in the nation,” said Ralph Reed, Founder and Chairman of the Faith & Freedom Coalition. “This will be his ninth appearance at the Road to Majority Policy Conference. I am confident President Trump will receive the enthusiastic response from our grassroots activists that he has earned for being such a solid champion for our shared values of faith and freedom.”
Post-presidency, Trump claimed he ‘needed to go upstairs to deal with Afghanistan’ author says
04:15 , Oliver O’Connell
The author of a new book about Donald Trump’s background in reality television has recounted a disturbing anecdote alleging that the former president still believed he had foreign policy powers long after he had left the White House.
That doesn’t sound good.
Joe Sommerlad has the story.
Trump ‘still believed he had foreign policy powers after leaving White House’
Trump calls latest Fox News poll ‘TRASH’
03:45 , Oliver O’Connell
Donald Trump is far from done complaining about Fox News. Here’s what he just wrote on Truth Social:
The latest Fox News poll is TRASH! They used a biased, Democrat-leaning sample of voters, polling more Biden 2020 voters than Trump 2020 voters to skew the results in favor of Crooked Joe. I am leading BIG in virtually every other poll, including in all of the key battleground states, like Wisconsin, where I just held a massive rally, and Pennsylvania, where I will be on Saturday.
Also, the #1 issue in this Country is not protecting democracy. It is INFLATION and IMMIGRATION! If it is protecting democracy, Trump is your best choice, because Crooked Joe Biden is the greatest threat to democracy in history with his Open Border and weaponization of our justice system against his political opponent, ME! Fox News polls have never treated me, or MAGA, fairly! Don’t worry, we will WIN!!! Fox News should get rid of Paul Ryan, and get a new Pollster, but they won’t….
….Real Clear Politics just came out and has me leading by a lot, especially in the all important Swing States. My best numbers yet, despite the Biden “Weaponization of Justice.”
He’s not happy.
Roger Stone’s plan to help Trump challenge 2024 election results revealed by secret recording
03:15 , Oliver O’Connell
A secret recording has revealed the plan of Trump political consultant Roger Stone to help the former president challenge the 2024 election results.
Liberal journalist Lauren Windsor provided Rolling Stone magazine with a recording in which the self-described “dirty trickster” says Donald Trump and his allies are on an “offensive footing” and that they’re better prepared than they were during 2020.
Gustaf Kilander has the story.
Recording reveals Roger Stone’s plan to help Trump challenge 2024 election results
Fauci talks about his relationship with Trump on ‘The View’
02:45 , Oliver O’Connell
Dr Anthony Fauci told talked about his complicated relationship with Donald Trump during the Covid-19 pandemic in an appearance on The View this morning.
“We kind of had that New York — he calls it ‘swagger’ — with each other… That was really good in the beginning until he wished and hoped that the outbreak would disappear,” he said.
“We did have a good relationship, but he was really very upset about the fact that I had to get up and say, you know, no, it’s not going to disappear like magic, and, no, hydroxychloroquine doesn’t work no matter what Laura Ingraham is telling you.”
RFK Jr’s presidential campaign raised just $2.6m in May
02:15 , Oliver O’Connell
Uh oh…
Robert F Kennedy Jr took in just $2.6 million for his presidential campaign in May, a very distinct difference from the two top players in the presidential race, President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump.
The figure was released in a new Federal Election Commission filing on Wednesday, revealing that his campaign spent around $6.3m last month, with a lot of those funds sent through a limited liability company focusing on ballot access, CNN reported.
Eric Garcia and Amelia Neath report.
RFK Jr’s presidential campaign raised just $2.6m in May
RFK Jr fails to qualify for CNN presidential debate
01:45 , Oliver O’Connell
Robert F Kennedy Jr has failed to qualify for the first presidential debate hosted by CNN next week.
The independent presidential candidate will not join President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump on the stage in Atlanta on June 27.
Only Biden and Trump have met “the constitutional, ballot qualification and polling thresholds”, the network said in an article published on Thursday morning saying only the 45th and 46th presidents had met those targets.
Kennedy failed to meet CNN’s polling threshold of 15 per cent in at least four approved national polls, only hitting the mark in three ahead of the deadline of midnight Eastern time last night.
He also did not meet the requirement of being on the ballot in enough states to potentially win 270 electoral college votes. Kennedy is believed to be on the ballot in 10 states and attempts to get on the ballot in others are held up by the verification and application process.
Kennedy filed a Federal Election Commission complaint in May against CNN and the Biden and Trump campaigns complaining about how the debate was set up.
It is possible that he could still qualify for the September 10 debate hosted by ABC News.
A statement from RFK Jr reads: “Presidents Biden and Trump do not want me on the debate stage and CNN illegally agreed to their demand.”
“My exclusion by Presidents Biden and Trump from the debate is undemocratic, un-American, and cowardly. Americans want an independent leader who will break apart the two-party duopoly. They want a President who will heal the divide, restore the middle class, unwind the war machine, and end the chronic disease epidemic.”
Trump will get the final word at next week’s first presidential debate
01:15 , Oliver O’Connell
President Joe Biden won a coin toss ahead of next’s week presidential debate and chose where he will stand on the stage, instead of speaking last, when he squares off with Donald Trump.
That means Trump will now get the final word during closing statements at the first debate on CNN.
Biden and his campaign elected to stand on the right side of the stage instead of reserving a speaking slot. It’s unclear why the president viewed the speaking location as the most important decision.
Alex Woodward reports.
Trump will get the final word at first presidential debate
Trump could see an easy win in the polls after the first debate — but not because of Biden’s age
Friday 21 June 2024 00:45 , Oliver O’Connell
Donald Trump may see a bump in the polls after the first debate because of a long-running trend: Incumbents tend to do worse in the first debate of the presidential election season.
Presidential debate historian Alan Schroeder explained to NBC News that a president’s life exists in a “protected bubble.” The first debate takes them outside of that bubble, where they’re forced to face off against a pumped up opponent who’s been itching for a showdown.
Read more from Gustaf Kilander:
Trump could see an easy win in the polls after the first debate
Lincoln Project rips Trump over his ‘hollow and baseless’ faith
Friday 21 June 2024 00:30 , Oliver O’Connell
Anti-Trump group The Lincoln Project has released another scathing takedown of Donald Trump, this time centered on his faith, contrasting some of the Ten Commandments with a selection of his statements and recent scandals and comments including his hush money trial, alleged affair with Stormy Daniels, threat to shoot someone on Fifth Avenue, and civil fraud trial.
The ad states: “He’s not a Christian. He’s not a leader. He’s a con man. Don’t get conned.”
Watch below:
Trump ready to accept Republican nomination even if he’s in prison
Friday 21 June 2024 00:15 , Oliver O’Connell
Donald Trump could be sentenced to prison just days before the Republican National Convention — but the RNC co-chair says that won’t stop him from accepting the party’s nomination.
Lara Trump, who is also Trump’s daughter-in-law, discussed the possibility that hush money trial judge Juan Merchan could jail the former president days before the GOP convention during an interview with Real America’s Voice host Terrance Bates.
Kelly Rissman has the story.
Lara Trump: Don’s ready to accept Republican nomination even if he’s in prison
Watch: Maggie Haberman explains how Trump is preparing for CNN debate
Friday 21 June 2024 00:00 , Oliver O’Connell
Biden allies raising $10m to challenge Trump social media machine
Thursday 20 June 2024 23:45 , Oliver O’Connell
US President Joe Biden’s main re-election SuperPAC is raising millions of dollars to try to solve a problem vexing Democrats: how to compete with Donald Trump’s social media machine as it spits out viral videos.
The previously unreported effort by the highly-secretive Future Forward USA Action underscores broad concerns among Democrats and Biden donors that he and his campaign are losing a viral-video war with the Republican Party, which relentlessly portrays him as too old and out of touch.
Democrats say they are playing catch-up in a battlefield with few rules or ways to police manipulated or misleading content before it reaches tens of millions of Americans on their smartphones.
The Palo-Alto-based SuperPAC, backed by tech giants like Facebook co-founder Dustin Moskovitz and LinkedIn founder Reed Hoffman, is raising at least $10 million to help better understand the algorithms that help Trump and his allies dominate vertical video platforms.
It also plans to collaborate with left-leaning influencers to help generate and disseminate new content, according to two sources familiar with the plans.
Many popular social media platforms, such as TikTok and Instagram have embraced short, vertical videos as their primary format. They’ve given birth to a network of “influencers” who use the platforms to reach millions of Americans with content on what they are eating, wearing and thinking.
Future Forward joined with Democratic groups Way to Win and Hub Project last month at an upscale hotel in Washington DC to host 140 influencers for a three-day event called “Trending Up,” organizers say.
The current effort by Future Forward is focused on Instagram Reels, YouTube Shorts and TikTok, the sources said.
Reuters
‘Prove Mike wrong’: MyPillow founder Mike Lindell’s THIRD lawyer deserts him in $5m dispute
Thursday 20 June 2024 23:15 , Oliver O’Connell
MyPillow founder Mike Lindell has lost yet another lawyer involved in a civil lawsuit he hopes will avoid him paying out $5m in award money he offered in an election fraud evidence competition.
Lindell, an avid Donald Trump supporter, launched the ‘Prove Mike Wrong’ challenge in 2021 and promised to pay the huge prize to anyone who could prove alleged evidence of 2020 election fraud false.
Computer forensics expert Robert Zeidman did just that, but Lindell refused to pay and tried to renege on his offer.
Amelia Neath explains what happened next.
MyPillow founder THIRD lawyer deserts him in $5m ‘prove Mike wrong’ dispute
Listen: New audio includes Trump admitting he lost 2020 election
Thursday 20 June 2024 22:45 , Oliver O’Connell
Trump campaign pushes back on Fox News poll with swing state numbers
Thursday 20 June 2024 22:32 , Oliver O’Connell
Roger Stone’s plan to help Trump challenge 2024 election results revealed in secret recording
Thursday 20 June 2024 22:15 , Oliver O’Connell
A secret recording has revealed the plan of Trump political consultant Roger Stone to help the former president challenge the 2024 election results.
Liberal journalist Lauren Windsor provided Rolling Stone magazine with a recording in which the self-described “dirty trickster” says Donald Trump and his allies are on an “offensive footing” and that they’re better prepared than they were during 2020.
Gustaf Kilander has the details.
Recording reveals Roger Stone’s plan to help Trump challenge 2024 election results
Trump seals policy flip on crypto with Winkelvoss donation
Thursday 20 June 2024 22:04 , Oliver O’Connell
Donald Trump’s complete U-turn on TikTok and cryptocurrency is being rewarded with a $1m donation of bitcoin from Tyler Winkelvoss, founder of crypto trading platform Gemini with his twin brother Cameron.
In the opening paragraphs of a lengthy statement attacking the Biden administration over the regulation of cryptocurrency, Winkelvoss said: “I just donated $1 million in bitcoin (15.47 BTC) to @realDonaldTrump and will be voting for him in November. Here’s why:
“Over the past few years, the Biden Administration has openly declared war against crypto. It has weaponized multiple government agencies to bully, harass, and sue the good actors in our industry in an effort to destroy it. This Administration’s actions have been nothing short of an unprecedented abuse of power wielded entirely for twisted political gain at the complete expense of innovation, the American taxpayer, and the American economy. There is nothing the Biden Administration can do or say at this point to pretend otherwise.”
Trump has previously made anti-cryptocurrency statements and threatened to ban TikTok.
You can read the full statement here:
Missouri Republican tells Black Americans to ‘kindly’ leave US if they don’t like country
Thursday 20 June 2024 21:45 , Oliver O’Connell
A Missouri Republican told Black Americans to “kindly” leave the US if they “don’t like” the country in a message posted before the Juneteenth national holiday celebrating the end of slavery.
Trump supporter Valentina Gomez has become well-known for her controversial and attention-grabbing stunts, such as when she told followers not to be “weak and gay” while running in a bulletproof vest.
On Tuesday, she called Juneteenth the “most [wretched]” of holidays as she argued against reparations for slavery.
Gustaf Kilander reports on her comments.
Missouri Republican tells Black Americans to ‘kindly’ leave US in Juneteenth message
George Santos launches OnlyFans account
Thursday 20 June 2024 21:15 , Oliver O’Connell
At this point, why not?
Gustaf Kilander reports.
George Santos launches OnlyFans account to share ‘full behind the scenes access’
Trump to speak at Road to Majority conference on Saturday
Thursday 20 June 2024 21:05 , Oliver O’Connell
Donald Trump will be back in Washington, DC on Saturday to speak at the conservative Christian activist group Faith & Freedom Coalition’s 2024 Road to Majority Conference.
The former president is set to speak at the event at the Washington Hilton on Saturday, June 22 at 1.30pm — we’ll be covering it live.
“We are honored to welcome President Trump back to the largest gathering of conservative Christian activists in the nation,” said Ralph Reed, Founder and Chairman of the Faith & Freedom Coalition. “This will be his ninth appearance at the Road to Majority Policy Conference. I am confident President Trump will receive the enthusiastic response from our grassroots activists that he has earned for being such a solid champion for our shared values of faith and freedom.”
ICYMI: Biden takes lead over Trump in latest Fox News poll
Thursday 20 June 2024 20:45 , Oliver O’Connell
Donald Trump has fallen behind Joe Biden in the latest election poll from Fox News.
The Republican candidate is two points behind President Biden in the latest national presidential election poll by Fox News, which is the first time Biden has taken the lead in a Fox poll since October.
Amelia Neath and Joe Sommerlad report on the latest survey.
Biden takes lead over Trump in latest Fox News poll
Trump team moves to have judge recused from civil fraud trial (four months post-verdict)
Thursday 20 June 2024 20:33 , Oliver O’Connell
Donald Trump’s legal team has moved to have Judge Arthur Engoron recuse himself from the civil fraud case against the Trump Organization, four months after the trial resulted in a verdict against the former president and his co-defendants, including his two eldest sons.
Legal adviser Alina Habba posted on X: “The New York Code of Judicial Conduct exists to ensure that litigants are afforded a fair and impartial trial. Justice Engoron’s communications with Attorney Adam Leitman Bailey regarding the merits of this case, however, directly violate that code and demonstrate that Judge Engoron cannot serve as a fair arbiter. It is clear that Judge Engoron should recuse himself immediately.”
Justice Engoron and Mr Bailey spoke in the courthouse before the judge delivered his verdict.
Bailey is a real estate litigator who had previously appeared before the court and subsequently publicly discussed the conversation he had with Judge Engoron and conveyed the impression he had influenced the proceedings, the Trump legal team argues.
You can read their motion for recusal here and the supporting documents are linked above.
Trump legal team files response to opposition of appeal to Fani Willis ruling
Thursday 20 June 2024 20:15 , Oliver O’Connell
Donald Trump’s legal team has filed a response regarding the opposition of the state of Georgia’s opposition to their appeal of the Fani Willis disqualification ruling.
The Fulton County District Attorney was permitted to remain on the sprawling racketeering and election interference case against the former president and his alleged co-conspirators after an extensive and embarrassing hearing about her relationship with chief prosecutor Nathan Wade.
Wade subsequently resigned from the case but the defendants appealed, still wanting to remove Willis and thereby likely jeopardize the whole prosecution.
The filing with the State of Georgia’s Court of Appeals reads:
Without citation to any applicable authority, the State filed this “Hail Mary” motion to dismiss these meritorious appeals, accusing this Court of “improvidently” granting interlocutory review. There is no proper procedural vehicle for the State to relitigate this Court’s sound decision to hear the merits. The State’s attempt to do so conflicts with applicable statutes and this Court’s Rules.
In its desperate bid to avoid disqualification of a deeply conflicted District Attorney who has engaged in – and continues to unapologetically engage in – extrajudicial forensic misconduct, the State argues that the trial court’s factual findings were not clearly erroneous. According to the State, then, this Court is powerless to overturn the trial court’s order denying the dismissal of the case and the disqualification of District Attorney Willis and her office. Of course, as this Court well knows, that has never been, and is not now, the law.
