Ivanka Trump addresses father’s legal battles for first time after he claims ‘total exoneration’: Live

Twice-impeached convicted felon and Republican presidential candidate handed huge win by conservative-majority Supreme Court as Biden struggles to soothe Democratic fears about his health

President Joe Biden addresses the nation after the US Supreme Court’s ruling on presidential immunity

Ivanka Trump, daughter of Republican presidential contender Donald Trump, has described her father’s recent criminal conviction as “painful” and revealed she plans to attend this year’s Republican National Convention in Milwaukee to watch him accept the GOP nomimation for the presidency.

The candidate himself has meanwhile claimed that the Supreme Court’s ruling that he has “absolute” immunity from criminal prosecution for “official” acts carried out during his presidency represents a “total exoneration” of his conduct, despite being twice impeached by Congress, convicted at his hush money trial and found liable for offenses in two further civil cases.

Trump enjoyed another “win” on Tuesday when he secured a two-month delay in his sentencing by Judge Juan Merchan, which will not now take place until September 18.

On the other side of the aisle, Joe Biden is still struggling to convince Democrats that he is in good health and remains the right man to lead them into November’s election following his disastrous debate performance last week, blaming his lacklustre showing on jet lag and exhaustion yesterday.

Democratic state governors have demanded a meeting with the White House to discuss the crisis as polling shows support nosediving.

Key Points

• Ivanka Trump describes father’s criminal conviction as ‘painful’
• Trump claims ‘total exoneration’ after Supreme Court’s immunity ruling
• Former president’s hush money sentencing delayed until September
• Biden blames jet lag for debate debacle: 'I almost fell asleep on stage’
• Democratic governors demand meeting with White House over Biden’s debate

[3 July 2024 14:35 · Joe Sommerlad]

RFK Jr confronted with allegations about barbecued dogs and sexual assault

And you thought Joe Biden was having a rough week...

He says the accusations are “garbage” but that he is not a “church boy” (?) and had a “rambunctious youth”.

[3 July 2024 14:15 · Joe Sommerlad]

Trump-backed challenger ousts Freedom Caucus chair Bob Good in revenge for DeSantis support

The GOP’s presumptive presidential nominee has taken his revenge against the chair of the House Freedom Caucus in a primary that proves his endorsement is still a kingmaker within the Republican Party.

The race in Virginia’s 5th district was called Tuesday afternoon, with all 24 localities reporting.

Virginia’s Department of Elections declared that John McGuire, a retired Navy SEAL and state senator, won the primary with 31,209 votes compared to representative Bob Good’s 31,583, creating a margin of just 374 votes.

The results took days to come in as the race remained on a knife edge and Good, who earned Trump’s animosity by backing Florida governor Ron DeSantis in the primaries, has already said that he will ask for a recount.

Here’s more from John Bowden and Eric Garcia.

[3 July 2024 13:55 · Joe Sommerlad]

Trump sneaker line sues over knockoffs

The company behind Trump’s line of vulgar “Never Surrender” high-top sneakers has filed a lawsuit alleging trademark and copyright infringement against a number of retailers it accuses of marketing and selling knockoff versions of the shoes online.

And one of their customers appears to be MAGA favourite Lauren Boebert!

Here’s our story.

[3 July 2024 13:35 · Joe Sommerlad]

Trump on the importance of ratings: ‘You can be evil, horrible, cruel, or elegant'

Ramin Setoodeh, author of the new book Apprentice in Wonderland, is proving a real thorn in Trump’s side and yesterday emerged with fresh audio in which the Republican offers some revealing thoughts on the oxygen of publicity.

Here’s some of our previous reporting on the writer’s other revelations from the six interviews he conducted with the the former reality TV star turned aspiring dictator.

[3 July 2024 13:15 · Joe Sommerlad]

Ivanka to attend RNC as she calls Trump’s conviction ‘painful’

Trump’s daughter plans to attend the upcoming Republican National Convention (RNC) and witness his formal nomination as the GOP’s presidential candidate, despite maintaining more public distance from his political machine in recent months.

Josh Marcus reports.

[3 July 2024 12:55 · Joe Sommerlad]

Democratic congressman says Trump will win election ‘and I’m OK with that’

If the Doggett line weren’t bad enough for Biden, Jared Golden of Maine is also distancing himself from the president in an op-ed in his state’s Bangor Daily News.

Golden writes that Biden’s debate performance “didn’t rattle me as it has others, because the outcome of this election has been clear to me for months: While I don’t plan to vote for him, Donald Trump is going to win. And I’m OK with that.”

He continues: “There are winners and losers in every election. Democrats’ post-debate hand-wringing is based on the idea that a Trump victory is not just a political loss, but a unique threat to our democracy. I reject the premise.

“Unlike Biden and many others, I refuse to participate in a campaign to scare voters with the idea that Trump will end our democratic system.”

Golden argues that the election is about the economy, not democracy and “when it comes to our economy, our Congress matters far more than who occupies the White House”.

[3 July 2024 12:35 · Joe Sommerlad]

First Democratic lawmaker calls for Biden to drop out of 2024 race

Representative Lloyd Doggett of Texas has called for Biden to end his re-election campaign, marking the first time a sitting Democratic member of Congress has supported the president dropping out of the race.

Biden has run “substantially behind” other Democratic candidates in high-stakes races, has trailed Trump in most polls and then “failed” to expose his Republican rival’s lies during the debate, according to Doggett.

“Our overriding consideration must be who has the best hope of saving our democracy from an authoritarian takeover by a criminal and his gang,” he said in a statement on Tuesday.

Alex Woodward reports.

[3 July 2024 12:15 · Joe Sommerlad]

Pelosi says voters’ questions about Biden are ‘legitimate’

Former House speaker and party elder Nancy Pelosi spoke fairly frankly about Biden’s plight to MSNBC host Andrea Mitchell last night.

Here’s Ariana Baio on what else she had to say.

[3 July 2024 11:55 · Joe Sommerlad]

Biden’s debate woes hit down-ballot Democrats

The president’s strength has always been his ability to unify the Democratic Party, writes Eric Garcia.

Now, Republicans are using that against vulnerable Democrats.

[3 July 2024 11:35 · Joe Sommerlad]

Biden staffers are ‘scared s***less of him’

Members of Biden’s staff are said to be “scared s***less” of him, prompting advisers to carefully curate their briefings to ensure they don’t “set him off”, according to a senior official.

Biden’s close-knit group of advisors and spin doctors have worked tirelessly to portray a positive public image for the oldest president in US history but that appears to be unravelling as his campaign remains mired in crisis.

James Liddell has the story.