The RNC and Doubt About Biden
Welcome back to another week of Politics Explained! This week may have been our busiest as we’ve kept up with the Trump assassination attempt, the Republican National Convention* (RNC), skepticism over Biden, and much more. In this blog, we’ll focus on takeaways from the RNC, the possibility of Biden stepping away from the presidential race, and also list out some quick recaps from the week. If you’re new here, make sure to follow our Instagram @PoliticsExplained1776, our X @PoliticsExp1776, and our TikTok @PoliticsExplained1776. There’s a lot to cover, so let’s get started!
Starting Monday, two days after Trump’s rally where he was shot in an attempt on his life, the Republican National Convention has been held in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Yesterday, Thursday (7/19), was the last day of the convention. Throughout, speakers such as Nikki Haley, Vivek Ramaswamy, Tucker Carlson, Dana White, and many other allies have shared remarks in support of the former president. Other takeaways include the announcement of Trump’s Vice President and running mate: JD Vance. JD Vance is a senator from Ohio, author of “Hillbilly Elegy,” former venture capitalist, former marine, and most interestingly, former critic of Trump. In past remarks, he had called himself a “never Trump guy,” that “Mr. Trump is unfit for our nation’s highest office,” and that he is “America’s Hitler.” That has since changed as Vance and Trump team up in a bid for office. The convention ended with a speech from Trump where he described the events of the attempted assassination attempt (bringing many in the crowd to tears), criticized the Biden administration, outlined the goals of a second term, and accepted the nomination from the Republican party.
On the other side of the race is President Joe Biden, who was diagnosed with COVID this past week. Alongside this, many prominent figures within the Democratic Party have shown skepticism over his bid for re-election. Most recently, Former President Barack Obama has reportedly expressed concerns to allies. Additionally, Former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi privately told Biden that his continued campaign could put the House at risk of being controlled by Republicans. Pelosi showed Biden recent polls which she argued shows that it’s unlikely that he would win against Donald Trump. Multiple Democratic Congresspeople have also publicly called for Biden to step down for the race. The possibility of Biden stepping down seems to continue to become more and more likely, as sources show that he could be withdrawing as soon as this weekend, most likely on Sunday. Allies close to Biden have also said they believe Biden is starting to accept the idea that he may not be able to beat Trump, and may have to drop out. Kamala Harris is at the top of the list of those that might take his spot as the Democratic nominee, alongside Governors Gavin Newsom of California, Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan, JB Pritzker of Illinois, and Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania. Stay tuned for updates on this!
Some other quick recaps from this week also include:
Senator Bob Menendez was found guilty of corruption.
Judge Aileen Cannon dismissed Trump’s classified documents case, which was considered to be the strongest of the four criminal cases against him. It is expected that this decision will be appealed.
The gunman who attempted to assassinate Former President Trump was reportedly a 20-year-old registered as a Republican.
Definition of the Week (National Convention): Each party holds a national convention to select a final presidential nominee. State delegates from the primaries and caucuses selected to represent the people then “endorse” their favorite candidates and the final presidential nominee from each party is officially announced at the end of the conventions.
