Politics

(MILWAUKEE, W.I.) — Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance’s opposition to more U.S. aid for Ukraine is stoking anxiety among Kyiv’s supporters about sustained U.S. support and Ukraine’s ability to fend off Vladimir Putin’s invasion.

“I do not think that it is in America’s interest to continue to fund an effectively never-ending war in Ukraine,” Vance said during a speech in May, adding “we’ve done more than our fair share.”

Although Vance’s isolationist approach to foreign policy has even vexed members of his own party, he has candidly voiced his skepticism since the earliest days of the conflict.

“I gotta be honest with you, I don’t really care what happens to Ukraine one way or another,” Vance said in February 2022, amid an explosion of bipartisan support for country in the immediate aftermath of Russia’s invasion.

Two U.S. officials and a European official tell ABC News they see Donald Trump’s decision to pick Vance as his running mate as a clear sign the former president intends to double down on his “America First” vision if he wins a second term by disengaging from international concerns.

They expressed concern that if Trump, who has described Ukraine as a burden, is able to cut off aid to the country, Ukrainian troops may be unable to hold current lines and Kyiv’s position at any negotiation table would be severely weakened.

In April, Vance broke with Senate Republican leaders to vote against a foreign aid package that included nearly $61 billion for Ukraine, asserting Moscow’s threat to global stability had been overstated.

“Vladimir Putin is not Adolf Hitler. It doesn’t mean he’s a good guy, but he has significantly less capability than the German leader did,” Vance said in a speech on the Senate floor.

“If Ukraine thinks that it’s getting another $60 billion supplemental out of the United States Congress, there’s no way,” he later told reporters.

Vance has also defended his pessimistic outlook on Ukraine’s ability to triumph over Russia, calling himself a “realist.”

In an April op-ed in the New York Times titled “The Math on Ukraine Doesn’t Add Up,” Vance argued that the U.S. could not possibly provide enough munitions to Ukraine to turn the tides of the war and called Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s goal of restoring the country to its 1991 boundaries “fantastical.”

At the Munich Security Conference in February, Vance also said that focusing on Ukraine was distracting Washington from confronting other challenges such as China.

“There are a lot of bad guys all over the world. And I’m much more interested in some of the problems in East Asia right now than I am in Europe,” Vance said.

But despite Trump and Vance’s apprehension on assistance for Ukraine, many of their fellow Republicans have so far remained steadfast in their support.

In April, South Carolina Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham, a hawkish conservative, called Vance’s arguments against assistance for Ukraine “garbage.”

“I challenge J.D. Vance to go to Ukraine and get a briefing from the Ukrainian military and talk to the Ukrainian people,” he said in a televised interview.

In an interview with Punchbowl News earlier this month, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell — one of Ukraine’s most influential allies on Capitol Hill — predicted that future support for Kyiv would depend not only on the outcome of the election in November, but also on whether Ukraine makes progress on the battlefield in the coming months.

“The conflict over the summer and how it is perceived to turn out is extremely important in answering the question inevitably coming up in democracies — can they win?” McConnell said.

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(WASHINGTON) — President Joe Biden has tested positive for COVID-19 and is experiencing mild symptoms, according to the White House.

UnidosUS CEO Janet Murguía had also announced the diagnosis from the podium where the president was set to speak at the organization’s conference in Las Vegas on Wednesday.

Biden, 81, tested positive for COVID-19 earlier Wednesday, following his first event in Las Vegas, according to the White House.

“He is vaccinated and boosted and he is experiencing mild symptoms,” the White House said in a statement. “He will be returning to Delaware where he will self-isolate and will continue to carry out all of his duties fully during that time.”

The White House said it will provide regular updates on the president’s status “as he continues to carry out the full duties of the office while in isolation.”

The White House also shared a note from Biden’s doctor, who said the president had upper respiratory symptoms — including a running nose and cough — and “general malaise” Wednesday afternoon.

“He felt OK for his first event of the day, but given that he was not feeling better, point of care testing for COVID-19 was conducted, and the results were positive for the COVID-19 virus,” his doctor said, according to the White House.

Biden has received his first dose of Paxlovid, according to his doctor, who noted that the president’s respiratory rate, temperature and pulse oximetry are normal.

The president gave a thumbs-up to reporters as he prepared to depart Las Vegas when asked how he was feeling and responded, “Good. I feel good,” according to the pool.

He was seen maskless boarding Air Force One in Las Vegas on Wednesday afternoon to head to Rehoboth, Delaware.

Biden also shared his COVID-19 diagnosis on X later Wednesday night, writing, “I am feeling good and thank everyone for the well wishes.”

“I will be isolating as I recover, and during this time I will continue to work to get the job done for the American people,” he said.

Biden previously tested positive for COVID-19 in 2022 and took Paxlovid then, the White House said at the time.

The president was slated to deliver remarks Wednesday afternoon at the annual conference for UnidosUS, the nation’s largest Hispanic civil rights and advocacy organization, when Murguía announced from the stage that he would no longer be able to appear.

“Regrettably, I was just on the phone with President Biden and he shared his deep disappointment at not being able to join us this afternoon,” Murguía told the crowd. “The president has been at many events as we all know, and he just tested positive for COVID. So, of course, we understand that he needs to take the precautions that have been recommended, and he did not obviously want to put anybody at risk.”

“He said to tell my folks that you’re not going to get rid of him that quickly,” Murguía continued. “We’re going to have a chance to hear from him in the future directly. He’s just really sorry he couldn’t be with us.”

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

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(WASHINGTON) — According to multiple well-connected Democratic sources, President Joe Biden’s support from elected party leaders is crumbling.

As one person who has been defending Biden publicly since his debate performance said Wednesday, “Biden is going to see the whole house of cards come down soon.”

Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer went to see Biden in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, on Saturday. Shortly after the meeting, Schumer’s office put out a statement, saying only, “I sat with President Biden this afternoon in Delaware; we had a good meeting.”

The meeting didn’t get much attention as it happened shortly before the assassination attempt later that day on former President Donald Trump in Pennsylvania.

A knowledgeable source close to both men tells me Schumer had a blunt conversation with Biden, making the case it would be best if Biden dropped out of the 2024 presidential race.

When asked about this, Schumer’s spokesperson declined to comment on specifics of the meeting, saying only that “Leader Schumer conveyed the views of his caucus.”

Later, the leader’s spokesperson added: “Unless ABC’s source is Chuck Schumer or President Joe Biden the reporting is idle speculation. Leader Schumer conveyed the views of his caucus directly to President Biden on Saturday.”

Former Speaker Nancy Pelosi spoke with Biden about a week ago, telling the president that she and other members of the Democratic Party are concerned about him staying in the race, a source confirmed to ABC News.

A source familiar with the matter tells ABC News that House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries has expressed similar views directly to Biden, suggesting he should drop out of the race.

Asked about that, a spokesperson for Jeffries told ABC News, “The letter sent by Leader Hakeem Jeffries to his House Democratic colleagues speaks for itself. It was a private conversation that will remain private.”

In that letter, dated July 12, Jeffries told House Democrats, “In my conversation with President Biden, I directly expressed the full breadth of insight, heartfelt perspectives and conclusions about the path forward that the Caucus has shared in our recent time together.”

Jeffries in the letter did not address whether he urged Biden to drop out of the race or to stay in.

“The President told both leaders he is the nominee of the party, he plans to win, and looks forward to working with both of them to pass his 100 days agenda to help working families,” said White House spokesperson Andrew Bates.

Biden continues to have strong support from some influential and powerful figures in the Democratic Party, including the Congressional Black Caucus and progressive leaders, including Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York.

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(MILWAUKEE, W.I.) — Kai Trump, daughter of Donald Trump Jr. and granddaughter of former President Donald Trump, spoke at the Republican National Convention on Wednesday night.

Kai Trump, the oldest daughter of Donald Trump Jr., addressed the delegates — and a national TV audience — just before her father.

“I’m speaking today to share the side of my grandpa that people don’t often see.,” she said. “To me, he’s just a normal grandpa. He gives us candy and soda when our parents are not looking. He always wants to know how we’re doing in school. When I made the high honor roll, he presented it out to his friends how proud he was of me.

“He calls me during the middle of the school day to ask how my golf game is going and tells me all about his. But then I have to remind him that I’m in school and I will have to call him back later,” she said.

“A lot of people have put my grandpa through hell and he’s still standing. Grandpa, you are such an inspiration and I love you. The media makes my grandpa seem like a different person, but I know him for who he is,” she said.

“He’s very caring and loving. He truly wants the best for this country and he will fight every single day to make America great again,” she said.

“I am honored to be speaking at the RNC at 9 pm (CDT),” she posted earlier on social media along with a photo of the former president and his vice presidential pick, Sen. J.D. Vance.

Kai Trump is the 17-year-old daughter of Donald Trump Jr. and his ex-wife Vanessa Trump. She is also the eldest of Trump’s 10 grandchildren.

As one of the former president’s grandchildren, she is no stranger to being in the spotlight. During the Trump administration, she attended events such as his inauguration and the White House Easter Egg Roll.

The 17-year-old is an avid golfer with social media accounts — including a YouTube page — dedicated to her passion for the sport.

Earlier this year, she posted on social media that she won the ladies club championship at Trump’s golf course in Palm Beach, Florida.

“Very proud of my game and where it’s heading but there is always room for improvement,” she wrote in the post.

Over the weekend, Kai Trump posted a photo of the former president pumping his fist after being shot at his Pennsylvania campaign rally, writing: “We love you Grandpa. Never stop fighting!”

In June, she posted a photo of herself with Donald Trump at what appears to be a Turning Point Action event in Detroit, Michigan.

Tune in to ABC News on Wednesday night for full coverage of the RNC, where you can watch Kai Trump speak.

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(WASHINGTON) — On Saturday, roughly an hour before the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump — President Joe Biden was in the midst of a heated phone call with moderate House Democrats.

The Zoom call, according to multiple sources, did not go well for the president.

The call was between the New Democrat Coalition, which includes a mix of nearly 100 moderate and some progressive-adjacent members, and President Biden, and focused mostly on members’ concerns about Biden’s ability to win the election.

One House Democrat on the call told ABC News that Biden was not prepared for questions, that he gave “rambling responses” without answering questions, and downplayed their concerns.

Members were largely dismayed with Biden’s presentation, lack of a strategy, and preparation for anticipated questions, according to sources.

He was also late to the call by about 30 minutes, per sources.

The call turned personal during what was described as a “tense” exchange with Colorado Democrat Rep. Jason Crow, per multiple sources.

Crow questioned Biden’s mental fitness and if his age is a “national security risk.” The president was “defensive” in his responses, sources say.

A member described to ABC News the exchange was “hard to watch” and detailed how Crow referenced voters’ concerns about Biden being “at the helm when they go to sleep at night.”

The conversation became personal when Biden mentioned Crow’s Bronze Star and attempted to bring up his son Beau, the member said. Two sources described Biden’s exchange with the former Army Ranger as “incoherent” and “unintelligible.”

One member suggested to ABC News that members on the call were left “aghast” after this particular exchange — with members shaking their heads, some with their hands on their faces in apparent shock.

One member confirmed to ABC News the accuracy of the following comments from Biden aimed towards Crow:

“You saw what happened recently in terms of the meeting we had with NATO. I put NATO together,” Biden said.

“Name me a foreign leader who thinks I’m not the most effective leader in the world on foreign policy. Tell me! Tell me who the hell that is! Tell me who put NATO back together!’ he said.

“Tell me who enlarged NATO, tell me who did the Pacific basin! Tell me who did something that you’ve never done with your Bronze Star like my son — and I’m proud of your leadership, but guess what, what’s happening, we’ve got Korea and Japan working together, I put Aukus together, anyway!” he said.

“Things are in chaos, and I’m bringing some order to it. And again, find me a world leader who’s an ally of ours who doesn’t think I’m the most respected person they’ve ever—” he said.

Biden also called on members of Congress to do a “better job” of promoting his successes, implying their lack of support was somehow the reason for his eroding electoral standing, according to a source.

According to a source, the call was controlled by the Biden team and ended before members could ask questions. Biden told members he had to go to Mass.

Sources told ABC News that were it not for the assassination attempt against the former president, multiple Democrats were potentially ready to call for Biden to step aside after the call ended.

The next day — on Sunday — Crow appeared on television, saying the conversation with the president and the New Dem Coalition was “robust.”

“Listen, you know, this is a tough business. There’s a lot at stake. Emotions can run high,” he said Sunday on CBS’ “Face the Nation.”

“I think the president heard our message very clearly, and in fact he promised to come back to us with more information,” he added.

Several Democrats also released statements after the call commending the president.

New Hampshire Democratic Rep. Ann Kuster, chair of the New Democrat Coalition, said the conversation was “candid, respectful, and productive.”

“Moving forward we expect President Biden to do everything in his power to demonstrate to the American people that Democrats will keep the White House and flip the House,” she said in a statement.

The Biden-Harris campaign declined to comment but pointed to various social media posts from members supportive of the president.

The campaign also did not dispute the account of Crow’s exchange with the president.

ABC’s Mariam Khan, Gabriella Abdul-Hakim and Lauren Peller contributed to this report.

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(MILWAUKEE, W.I.) — The Republican National Convention is bringing a hoard of die-hard Donald Trump supporters from across the country to Wisconsin, where some residents are echoing they’re support for the former president.

At Milwaukee Public Market, ABC News asked local voters who they plan to support in the 2024 election.

“Donald Trump, 100%. I’ve been voting for him since 2016, and I’ll keep doing it till he stays alive,” said Joseph Savaglio, who grew up in Milwaukee and has lived here for decades. “Because he hasn’t changed his stance one bit on anything he’s started with, and he’s going to stay the same way till he goes.”

Savaglio said the issues that matter to him most are the economy and border security.

Mary Jo McBurney, a born-and-raised Milwaukeean, also said she is all in for Trump.

“We need to balance our checkbook,” she said. “In Washington, they don’t care what they spend our money on. And it’s not their money. It’s the people’s money. And they just act like it’s theirs. It’s okay. Spend it however they want, and it’s not fair. And I think I’ve always thought a businessperson should run the country.”

But for other residents of the city, Election Day is still months away and they’re minds are not yet made up. These are the voters that both President Joe Biden and former President Trump will have to vye for in the critical swing state that was determined by just 20,000 votes in the 2020 election.

Wayne Beckes, said he has not decided who he will vote for in 2024, and believed both Biden and Trump were too old to be president and didn’t support Vice President Kamala Harris.

The lack of choices, he said, means he will either look to go “third party or have to knuckle down to figure out which one of the other guys is going to get it.”

What is he looking for in a leader?

“Somebody decisive. Somebody that wants to take control of situations that need to be taken control of and make quick decisions and get things done,” he said.

Beckes said his top concerns as a voter were funds being sent overseas, as he’d like to see that money spent helping Americans, as well abortion rights and gun control. He said he supports a woman’s right to choose and would like to see some form of gun control passed.

Atlas, a 23-year-old who just moved to the area, expressed similar frustration about Biden and Trump being the major candidates.

“It’s crazy,” she said. “I think it’s insane. I just think, I wish anything else was happening, any other presidential candidates were possible.”

As things stand right now, she said she was leaning more toward Biden.

“I don’t see a world in which I vote for Trump, ever,” she said. “Because he’s a felon, he is sexist, misogynistic, has said racist comments.”

But she said she believes both are too “old to be president.”

Endia Frazier, a young Black voter, said she was trying to do research on different candidates and wasn’t supportive of either Trump or Biden.

“The candidates we have is just not up to par to what the United States really needs honestly,” she said, adding that an ideal candidate is someone younger who can understand the current issues most Americans are facing and someone they want to celebrate.

“I don’t want to just not use my vote because my vote has been fought for through generations. So I know my vote is very important, but the candidates that are presented to me right now, they suck, honestly.”

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(MILWAUKEE, W.I.) — As Donald Trump made his way into the Republican National Convention on Monday, his first public appearance since the attempted assassination attempt on him, the delegates greeted him with thunderous applause.

Then came booming chants of what’s become a steady rallying cry — complete with raised fists — for the thousands gathered in battleground Wisconsin this week: “Fight, fight, fight!”

They’re inspired, of course, by the iconic moment when Trump returned to his feet after the shooting and, with blood streaming down his face, pumped his own fist in the air to those at his Pennsylvania rally and mouthed those three now-famous words.

“He put himself aside and he told us, not knowing how badly he was hurt, to keep fighting. And I thought, could I love this man any more?” said Laurie Schaefer, an Illinois delegate who said she was a Democrat until Trump ran in 2016, as she sat outside waiting to enter the second day of the convention.

Trump called for unity in the wake of the shooting, a marked shift in tone from his usual blazing rhetoric against President Joe Biden and Democrats. The former president said he is rewriting his acceptance speech for Thursday to emphasize bringing the country together.

But there’s still plenty of criticism of Democrats this week from key speakers. Sen. Ron Johnson, who later said the wrong speech was loaded into the teleprompter, called Democrats’ policies “a clear and present danger to America.” House Speaker Mike Johnson, too, said conservative principles were being “trampled under foot by the radical left,” and Gov. Ron DeSantis took shots at President Joe Biden’s administration being a “Weekend at Bernies” presidency.

So, what then do the words “fight, fight, fight” mean to some of Trump’s most loyal supporters? Do they clash with Trump’s new call for unity?

“Take back our country the way we feel it should be run,” said Randy Garber, a state representative from Kansas who is an alternate delegate. Garber then added, “Without violence, though.”

Tom O’Connor, a delegate from California who is a union carpenter running for city council, said being a Republican in the blue state means “everything is a fight.”

“So, for the president to literally say now’s the time to fight, it’s more of a war cry and we need to push, we need to get more and more conservatives in office to fix the wrongs that have been done to the American people,” he said.

O’Connor, when asked about Trump’s unity appeal and how it would change his campaign rhetoric, argued it’s Democrats who are still stoking division and that he didn’t believe Trump’s messaging would ultimately change much as a result.

“Then how do we become more unified?” ABC News asked.

“That’s a good question. I don’t have the answers, but I’m looking for them,” he said.

Most attendees who spoke with ABC News insisted they didn’t view Trump’s words of “fight, fight, fight” as calling for violence.

“We can’t give up. That’s what it means,” said Anna Villa, a guest at the RNC who drove 13 hours from New York to be in Milwaukee. “So, you know that we can’t be discouraged, that we have to really keep going. You know, it’s an encouragement.”

“It doesn’t mean to me like I have to go and shoot someone,” she said. “It means that we have to like, probably try to encourage some people that want to stay in and not go vote to get them out and vote for it.”

“I think what that means to me is that go get out the vote, stay diligent to your precinct committee role to help your neighbors, make sure they vote the whole ballot, make sure they vote for good moral values, because with good morality, we have more liberty,” said Clayton Taylor, an alternate delegate from Florida. “I don’t think it should be taken out of context.”

Matt Heilman, a state representative and delegate from North Dakota, said: “What I think of when he says that it’s just to continue on and push forward no matter no matter what. The state of the environment that you’re in, just keep pushing forward and you fight on and hope for a better tomorrow.”

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(WASHINGTON) — President Joe Biden is seriously considering proposing major changes to the Supreme Court in the coming weeks, including proposals for legislation to establish term limits for justices and an enforceable ethics code, according to a source briefed on the plans.

The president is also seriously considering calling for a constitutional amendment to eliminate broad immunity for presidents and other constitutional officeholders, according to the source.

These changes would resonate with the president’s liberal base and comes after outrage in his party over the Supreme Court’s overruling landmark decisions and ethics scandals involving Justice Clarence Thomas.

The plans would need approval from Congress and a constitutional amendment would need to pass even more hurdles.

The details were first reported by the Washington Post.

On Tuesday, in an interview with BET, Biden warned about what he believes a future Trump presidency would bring.

“There’s gonna probably be two more appointments to the court,” he said.

“There’s probably two people gonna resign or resign, retire. Just imagine a court if he has two more appointments on that — what that means forever,” he continued.

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(MILWAUKEE, W.I.) — Former Trump adviser Peter Navarro was released from federal prison Wednesday morning after completing his sentence on contempt of Congress charges.

Navarro was convicted in September of two counts of contempt of Congress for refusing to provide testimony and documents to the House Select Committee that investigated the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol.

He served four months in a low security facility in Miami.

Navarro was scheduled to speak Wednesday night at the Republic National Convention in Milwaukee, and on Wednesday morning was on his way from Miami to Milwaukee, according to sources.

In testimony during Navarro’s trial, former Jan. 6 committee staff director David Buckley said the House panel had been seeking to question Navarro about efforts to delay Congress’ certification of the 2020 election, a plan Navarro dubbed the “Green Bay Sweep” in his book, “In Trump Time.”

Navarro unsuccessfully argued that former President Donald Trump had asserted executive privilege over his testimony and document production.

During his sentence, Navarro worked in the prison library and lived in the “elder dorm,” Navarro’s prison consultant, Sam Mangel, told ABC News.

Navarro experienced no issues with other inmates or staff, and was “well respected,” Mangel said.

The prison consultant told ABC News that Navarro got through his sentence with “surprising grace and fortitude.”

“At four o’clock in the afternoon and 10 o’clock at night, you have to stand by your bed and be counted,” said Mangel. “Everybody wears the same color clothes, eats the same food and sleeps in the same bunk.”

“It’s a very degrading, humiliating experience for anyone,” Mangel said. “I’m quite sure he’s happy it’s over and he’s now able to move on with his life.”

Navarro, who under Trump was the director of the White House Office of Trade and Manufacturing Policy, was the first former Trump adviser to report to prison for actions related to the Jan. 6 attack. Former Trump adviser Steve Bannon , who was also convicted of contempt of Congress, began his four-month prison term earlier this month.

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(MILWAUKEE, W.I.) — Day 3 of the Republican National Convention features the prime-time debut of J.D. Vance introducing himself both to Republicans and Americans nationwide.

He’ll speak to the delegates as Donald Trump is again expected at the convention hall to watch his running mate make his national debut.

Tonight’s theme at the RNC is “Make America Strong Once Again.”

JD Vance to introduce himself to voters

Donald Trump’s running mate – the 39-year-old first-term senator from Ohio – gets his chance in the national spotlight when he makes a prime-time speech at the RNC.

J.D. Vance can be expected to tell his personal story of growing up in Middletown, Ohio, and the upbringing that inspired him to write his best-seller “Hillbilly Elegy.”

Even with that, he is largely an unfamiliar face to many Americans – even to Republicans – including those in the convention hall.

Trump can again be expected to be watching from his presidential box.

Vance will be introduced by his wife, Usha Chilukuri Vance, after strong Vance- backer Donald Trump Jr. speaks right before.

-ABC’s Soorin Kim

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