Trump claims being president is a ‘dangerous business’ and praises Harris for ‘very nice call’ at town hall: Live

Vice President Kamala Harris gave interview to panel from National Association of Black Journalists, also commenting on second assassination attempt against Donald Trump

Donald Trump jokes as he describes golf course assassination attempt

Donald Trump has claimed that being president is a “dangerous business” during a town hall event in Flint, Michigan on Tuesday night.

Addressing the recent assassination attempt, Trump said, “It’s a dangerous business ... being president, it’s a little bit dangerous.”

He added: “You know, they think race car driving is dangerous. They think bullriding, that’s pretty scary, right? No, this is a dangerous business, so we have to keep it safe.”

To boos from the audience, Trump said he received a “very nice” call from Kamala Harris after the assassination attempt.

“A little while ago, I got a very nice call from Kamala. It was very nice ... and we appreciate that, but we have to take back our country ... We’re going to win, and we’re going to make America great again,” he said.

Harris on Tuesday gave a 45-minute interview to a panel of three members of the National Association of Black Journalists, the group whom Trump appeared on stage for at their annual meeting earlier this summer.

The vice president spoke about her plans for the “opportunity economy”; the realities of post-Roe healthcare for women; the hateful rhetoric deployed by Trump and JD Vance against the Haitian community in Springfield, Ohio; and the second assassination attempt against the former president.

Key Points

• New poll: Harris leads Trump by record margin of six points nationally
• Watch: Walz calls Trump assassination attempt ‘horrific situation'
• Donald Trump recounts latest attempted assassination in detail: 'It was quite something’
• Trump attacks ‘Marxist communist’ Harris’s as allies call on Democrats to ‘tone down’ rhetoric
• Republican nominee launches cryptocurrency platform from Mar-a-Lago after latest security scare
• Assassination suspect Ryan Wesley Routh lurked in bushes for ‘almost 12 hours’

[17 September 2024 16:55 · AP]

Apparent second attempt on Trump’s life raises questions about how it could have happened again

An apparent attempt to assassinate former President Donald Trump as he played golf in Florida has rocked a presidential campaign already marred by violence and raised questions about how such a thing could have happened for the second time in as many months.

US Secret Service agents opened fire Sunday afternoon on a man who was spotted pointing an AK-style rifle through a fence while hiding in the bushes as Trump golfed at his club in West Palm Beach. The FBI described it as an apparent attempted assassination on the GOP nominee.

At a Pennsylvania rally in July, Trump was grazed in the ear by a bullet when a gunman was able to gain access to an unsecured roof, unleashing a hail of bullets that left one of Trump’s supporters dead and two others badly injured.

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[17 September 2024 16:35 · Oliver O'Connell]

ICYMI: Vance distances himself from Laura Loomer’s racist slur

JD Vance, who is married to an Indian-American wife, has tried to distance himself from far-right activist and conspiracy theorist Laura Loomer and her racist slur about Kamala Harris.

Controversial Trump crony Loomer has faced backlash in recent weeks after she shared a post on X claiming that the White House “will smell like curry & White House speeches will be facilitated via a call center” if Harris wins the election in November – an obviously racist reference to the vice president’s Indian heritage.

The conspiracy theorist later deleted the message, but has aggressively fought back against members of both parties who called it a racist remark.

John Bowden reports from Washington, DC.

[17 September 2024 16:28 · Oliver O'Connell]

New poll: Harris leads Trump by record margin of six points nationally

The latest Morning Consult poll has Kamala Harris leading Donald Trump nationally by a record margin.

The vice president leads the former Republican president by a record-high of six percentage points among likely voters, 51% to 45%, up from a three-point advantage before their debate last week.

Her 51% of support among likely voters, which is also at a record high, is driven largely by her best figures to date among Democrats, Biden 2020 voters, liberals, women, 18- to 34-year-olds, and millennials.

The polling also shows that among likely voters who watched the presidential debate (61%) — including one in five Republicans — said Harris performed best, compared with 33% who said Trump was the winner. That 28-point margin in Harris’ favor is even larger than the 25-point advantage Trump garnered against President Joe Biden in our post-debate survey in late June.

Harris’s image among voters is also improving, with 53% of likely voters having a favorable view of her, the largest share Morning Consult has measured this election cycle. By comparison, just 44% of voters view Trump favorably.

There is a also a growing trust in congressional Democrats, with likely voters increasingly likely to trust Democrats in Congress over their Republican counterparts to handle a variety of issues since before the debate.

This is especially true with regard to immigration and national security, with respective 13- and eight-point advantages for congressional Republicans dwindling to seven and three-point edges since last week.

The latest survey was conducted from September 13-15, 2024, among 11,022 likely voters, with an unweighted margin of error of +/-1 percentage point.

[17 September 2024 16:22 · Oliver O'Connell]

Watch: Walz calls Trump assassination attempt ‘horrific situation'

[17 September 2024 16:15 · AP]

Ohio town cancels cultural festival after furor over Haitians

An Ohio city at the center of a political furor over Haitian migrants canceled its annual celebration of cultural diversity on Monday in response to days of violent threats that have closed schools and government offices. The governor, meanwhile, said resources would be surged to Springfield to help city officials deal with the fallout.

Springfield’s two-day CultureFest, which highlights diversity, arts and culture, had been scheduled to begin Sept. 27 but was canceled “in light of recent threats and safety concerns,” the city announced.

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[17 September 2024 16:05 · Oliver O'Connell]

Watch: Lincoln Project releases new ad in support of Harris

[17 September 2024 15:55 · Oliver O'Connell]

COMMENT: The tweet that has finally taught Elon Musk a lesson

Sean O’Grady writes:

“Well, one lesson l’ve learned is that just because I say something to a group and they laugh doesn’t mean it’s going to be all that hilarious as a post on X”.

If you’ve got better things to do with your time than muck around on social media (anyone?) then you might have missed that rare glimpse of self-awareness on the part of Elon Musk, posted on X, better known as Twitter. The tweet referred to an earlier one he’d posted, a quote tweet in response to a favourite of his, @DogeDesigner – “Why they want to kill Donald Trump?”

Musk made a topical joke in poor taste about assassination. He’s now deleted it. In case you missed it (ICYMI), it read: “And no one is even trying to assassinate Biden/Kamala” – with a “thinking face” emoji attached.

Continue reading...

[17 September 2024 15:35 · Oliver O'Connell]

Why are people worried by Trump’s new crypto project?

Three years after deriding bitcoin as a “scam” and “disaster waiting to happen”, former US president and convicted felon Donald Trump has unveiled his own crypto project - one he promises will “revolutionise” finance.

Led by his two sons Eric and Donald Jr, with 18-year-old son Barron as its “visionary”, World Liberty Financial claims that it will challenge the power of big banks and revolutionise finance through the launch of a brand new cryptocurrency.

More than a million people tuned in to the live event on X (formerly Twitter), which was broadcast from Trump’s Mar-A-Lago residence in Florida last night, all keen to find out what exactly the new crypto project is.

Anthony Cuthbertson reports.

[17 September 2024 15:27 · Oliver O'Connell]

Watch: ‘Pay attention, America,’ pleads Morning Joe journalist

[17 September 2024 15:15 · Oliver O'Connell]

Blow for Trump as judge rules RFK Jr’s name must stay on ballot in key state

Robert F Kennedy Jr‘s name will remain on the presidential ballot in Wisconsin after a judge denied his request for it to be removed, with the ruling marking a potential blow for Donald Trump’s re-election chances.

RFK Jr abandoned his own independent presidential campaign late last month to endorse the former president – who offered him a cabinet post if he returns to the office.

The former Democrat has since scrambled to remove his name from the ballots across swing states, noting that if his name remains, “I would likely hand the election over to the Democrats,” he said after culling his presidential run.

James Liddell has the details.