What's happening on the campaign trail today
- Former President Donald Trump, while stumping in the Midwest today, sat down with NBC News before his rally in Potterville, Michigan, and said he would protect access to in vitro fertilization treatments if elected. He's holding a town hall in Wisconsin tonight alongside former Democratic Rep. Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii, who recently endorsed him.
- Vice President Kamala Harris and her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, held their first sit-down interview since the start of their campaign. It will air at 9 p.m. ET on CNN. In a clip of the interview, Harris said she would appoint a Republican to her Cabinet if she wins in November.
- Harris held a rally in Savannah, capping a two-day bus tour of southeastern Georgia. While Harris sees an opening in the battleground state, Trump is working hard to put it back in the GOP column in November, even repairing his long-standing feud with the state's popular Republican governor, Brian Kemp.
- Both running mates are also hitting the campaign trail today. Walz spoke at a campaign reception in Raleigh, North Carolina, while Republican vice presidential nominee JD Vance addressed a convention of firefighters, rescue workers and emergency medical workers in Boston, where he drew a mix of cheers and boos.
Harris caps two-day Georgia bus tour with appeal to voters at Savannah rally
Reporting from Savannah, Ga.
Harris today worked to shore up Democratic support in Georgia by visiting a part of the battleground state politicians don’t frequent nearly as much as the more heavily populated Atlanta area.
“For the past two election cycles, voters in this very state, you who are here, have delivered,” Harris said. “You sent two extraordinary senators to Washington, D.C.”
She said that Georgians mobilized to put a Democrat in the Oval Office four years ago and that she’s hoping for a repeat.
Abortion-rights group mocks Trump's IVF comments
The head of EMILY’s List, a group dedicated to electing Democratic candidates who back abortion rights, mocked Trump for saying today that he wants to make the government or insurance companies pay for IVF treatments.
“Congratulations to Donald Trump for realizing that his position and his record on abortion are wildly unpopular, particularly with women who will decide this election," EMILYs List President Jessica Mackler said in a statement.
"But rather than give him credit for a disingenuous and unserious proposal that contradicts his own GOP platform, we’ll credit him for something he actually did: overturning Roe v. Wade, ending abortion access for millions of women across the country, and jeopardizing reproductive freedom for all of us," she added.
Trump said in an interview with NBC News today that if he is elected his administration would not only protect access to in vitro fertilization but would also have either the federal government or insurance companies cover the cost of the expensive service for women who need it.
Wes Moore says past claim of Bronze Star was an 'honest mistake'
Maryland Gov. Wes Moore said he regrets not correcting a White House fellowship application in which he falsely claimed he had received a Bronze Star for his military service, calling the error an "honest mistake."
In his January 2006 application, first reported by The New York Times, Moore, a Democrat, said he was awarded a Bronze Star by the 82nd Airborne Division, despite not ever having received such a distinction.
In a statement, Moore said his deputy brigade commander — who recommended him for a Bronze Star — encouraged him to include the award on his application "after confirming with two other senior-level officers that they had also signed off on the commendation" and receiving confirmation that his senior leadership had signed and approved the Bronze Star.
"In the military, there is an understanding that if a senior officer tells you that an action is approved, you can trust that as a fact," Moore said. "That is why it was part of the application, plain and simple."
However, he ultimately did not receive a Bronze Star — and did not correct future mentions of the accolade.
"I sincerely wish I had gone back to correct the note on my application," Moore said. "It was an honest mistake, and I regret not making that correction. But do not think for a moment that this attack on my record holds any bearing on how I feel about my service, my soldiers, or our country."
The renewed scrutiny surrounding Moore's military record comes amid similar discussion surrounding Harris' running mate, Walz, who has also faced criticism for referring to "weapons of war, that I carried in war," even though he was not deployed to a combat zone.
Trump to supporters: I’ve got your back, your heart and ‘every other part of your body’
Wrapping up his remarks in Michigan, Trump emphasized that his supporters can trust him, saying, "I have your back, I have your heart, and I have every other part of your body."
It was unclear what specifically Trump was referring to.
Earlier today, he told NBC News he would protect access to in vitro fertilization, a key issue for many voters heading into the election.
"We are paying for that treatment, or we’re going for all Americans that get it, all Americans that need it. So we’ll be paying for that treatment, or we’re going to be mandating that the insurance company pay," he told NBC News earlier.
Trump refers to Arlington incident at campaign event
While he was about to wrap his speech in Michigan, Trump mentioned the incident involving a campaign staffer during his visit to Arlington National Cemetery.
“I go there, they ask me to have a picture, and they say I was campaigning. The one thing I get is plenty of publicity. I don’t need that," he said.
He denied claims that he used the visit to campaign and instead criticized Biden for the deaths of 13 service members during the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, as well as his response in general.
“Not one general or incompetent bureaucrat was fired for the most embarrassing moment in the history of our country, and then they accused me of having a picture taken at the tombstone with the family because they love the president. They love me, and I love them," he said, referring to the Gold Star families of the victims of the Abbey Gate bombing, several of whom joined him at the cemetery.
Trump jokes about Biden sleeping while on vacation
At his event in Pottersville, Michigan, Trump criticized Biden for sleeping on the beach and not being at the White House. Biden is on vacation in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware.
“Who wants to sleep in public? He’s sleeping. Do you think Kim Jong Un is sleeping from North Korea with his nuclear weapons all over the place? They don’t sleep so much. But we have a guy sleeping,” he asked.
He said he's going to start referring to him as "Sleepy Joe" again instead of "Crooked Joe Biden."
"We have nobody running our country. We have nobody at the Resolute Desk. There’s nobody. The two of them. She’s no good, and he’s sleeping," he said.
Trump says he wants to make government or insurance companies pay for IVF treatments if elected
Reporting from Potterville, Michigan
Trump said in an interview with NBC News today that if he is elected, his administration would not only protect access to in vitro fertilization but would also have either the government or insurance companies cover the cost of the expensive service for American women who need it.
“We are going to be, under the Trump administration, we are going to be paying for that treatment,” Trump said, adding, “We’re going to be mandating that the insurance company pay.”
Biden to visit Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin next week
Biden hasn’t held a formal campaign event since he ended his candidacy last month, but he will return to a familiar trio of battleground states next week in a preview of the role he expects to play in the campaign’s final 10 weeks.
A White House official said today that Biden will travel to Michigan on Sept. 6 for an economy-focused event, which will follow a previously announced trip next Thursday to Wisconsin focused on promoting his “Investing in America” agenda.
The solo stops will follow the first joint campaign appearance by Biden and Harris since she replaced him on the Democratic ticket, as the former running mates will attend a Labor Day event in Pittsburgh on Monday.
Before Biden dropped his re-election bid, campaign officials maintained that his clearest, surest path to victory was through the so-called Blue Wall states. And that’s precisely where Biden is making his return to the campaign trail after a two-week vacation following his emotional address at the Democratic convention.
The White House said Biden will spend the coming the weeks traveling around the country to try to illustrate how his legislative accomplishments have begun to “transform communities and neighborhoods across the country, and the need to keep building on this progress.”
The White House official said Biden will also continue to focus on implementing those initiatives with an emphasis on lowering costs.
“We are finally putting Main Street over Wall Street, beat Big Pharma, and wealthy and corporations paying more in taxes, and our alliances are stronger than ever,” the official said.
Harris plans to tax unrealized stock gains — but only for people worth $100 million
Harris’ endorsement of a Biden administration plan that includes a tax on stock holdings that have grown in value has emerged as a talking point among conservative pundits and Trump supporters who argue it amounts to socialism or even communism.
Under the current system, the federal government taxes only profits from stock investments — commonly known as capital gains — once a stock is sold. The plan backed by Harris would impose a levy on stock holdings as their value increases, whether they’re cashed in or not.
There is, however, a catch. The proposal would apply only to a narrow — and very wealthy — slice of the population: people whose net worth is at least $100 million. That’s about 10,660 people in the U.S., according to one estimate.
Currently, no such tax exists — which advocates across the political spectrum, though mostly progressive-leaning ones, view as regressive. By most estimates, the top 1% has about 40% of its wealth tied up in unrealized capital gains.
Harris pledges to appoint a Republican to her Cabinet if elected
Harris said she plans to appoint a Republican to her Cabinet if she’s elected.
In a clip of a CNN interview scheduled to air in full tonight, Harris said she was committed to welcoming diverse points of view.
Harris plans to roll out a small-business tax credit proposal next week
Harris said today in Savannah that she plans to announce a small-business tax credit proposal next week.
"I’m telling you, this is one of my singular priorities, is to invest and grow our small businesses," Harris said on a visit to the restaurant Dottie’s Market, where she announced the plans.
Vance wants former boss Peter Thiel to 'get off the sidelines'
In an interview published today by The Financial Times, Vance said he's urging Silicon Valley billionaire Peter Thiel, his former boss, to help fund the Trump campaign.
Vance said he would "keep talking" to Thiel, who co-founded PayPal and Palantir Technologies, saying he "needs to get off the sidelines and support the ticket.”
Thiel endorsed Trump's 2016 presidential bid and donated $1.25 million at the time to his campaign and other pro-Trump Super PACs.
Vance previously worked at an investment firm co-founded by Thiel called Mithril Capital.
Vance also cast himself as neither favoring nor opposing Wall Street, telling the paper, “I’m not anti-Wall Street, I’m not pro-Wall Street. I’m just pro the real economy and actually building things and making things in America.”
He also commented about an antitrust lawsuit against Google, saying he thinks the company "ought to be broken up."
“I think it’s way too big, way too powerful, and we’ll see how things look in 2025," he said.
North Carolina election board votes to keep RFK Jr. on ballot
There's another swing state where Robert F. Kennedy Jr. will remain on the ballot this fall despite his attempts to drop out and endorse Trump: North Carolina.
When Kennedy dropped out last week, he said he'd work to remove his name from swing state ballots where he could be considered a "spoiler." But state laws have frustrated that attempt in Michigan and Wisconsin, and now North Carolina.
The State Board of Elections voted 3-2 along party lines against a resolution to remove Kennedy from the ballot in a virtual meeting today (Democrats voted to keep him on the ballot, and Republicans voted to remove him). His We the People Party asked the state to remove him yesterday, five days after he dropped his bid.
A main issue for the commissioners who voted yes was that dozens of counties, 67 according to Democratic board member Siobhan O’Duffy Millen, have already begun printing ballots. And they said the state has to ensure ballots are ready when mail-in voting begins late next week.
"We heard eloquent testimony from We the People, the petitioners, about their very unique political views and their opposition to the 'uniparty' and the 'duopoly' when we were discussing the issue as to whether We the People was an authentic party or a vanity project," O’Duffy Millen said in the virtual meeting.
"It's impractical, it's confusing, and it would incur needless expense to reprint ballots."
Kevin Lewis, a Republican board member, disagreed.
"We actually do have the statutory authority in this instance to remove that party's candidates from the ballot. There's plenty of time, as I understand what's been said. It could be tight, but we've got a lot of competent workers," he said.
Harris spokesman says campaign has been asked to give into Trump team's wishes on debate rules
Harris spokesman Brian Fallon wrote in a post on X that the campaign has been asked to give in to Trump's team's wishes on the rules for the Sept. 10 debate on ABC News.
"Our latest understanding is that even though Trump said Monday he would be fine with an unmuted mic, his handlers don’t trust him to spar live with VP Harris and are asking ABC to ignore Trump’s comments and keep the mics muted or else they will back out of the debate for a third time," Fallon wrote.
He continued, "We have been asked to accede to Trump’s handlers’ wishes on this point for the sake of preserving the debate. We find the Trump’s team’s stance to be weak, and remain in discussions with ABC on the final rules."
NBC News has reached out to the Trump campaign and ABC News for comment.
Vance draws mix of boos and cheers during remarks at firefighters convention in Boston
Upon taking the stage at the International Association of Fire Fighters convention in Boston, Vance was met with a mix of mild cheers and boos, acknowledging there might be some “haters” in the crowd.
Trump’s running mate also drew a mix of audible boos and cheers after he claimed that he and the former president are “proud to be the most pro-worker Republican ticket in history.”
“And I want to talk about why we’re fighting for working people,” Vance said, prompting a mix of boos and cheers from the crowd. “Why we’re going to fight for unions and non union alike.”
Vance sought to draw a contrast between the Republican and Democratic conventions, saying that the Republican National Convention featured “everyday American workers” while the Democratic convention “was a parade of celebrities and billionaires.”
Vance later acknowledged his past remarks criticizing Trump and said that he changed his mind about the former president thanks to a firefighter friend of his from Dayton, Ohio, who “persuaded me that I was wrong” about Trump.
“The truth is, I didn’t fully believe in the promises Trump made. I didn’t believe in the promises that any politician made, and you shouldn’t either. But I didn’t change my mind because of Donald Trump’s promises. I changed my mind because he did a good job for the American people,” he said, citing Trump’s economic record on wages and American manufacturing.
Trump aide ‘abruptly pushed aside’ an Arlington National Cemetery employee, official says
An aide to Donald Trump “abruptly pushed aside” an Arlington National Cemetery employee Monday when the former president attended a commemoration with family members of U.S. service members killed in the 2021 Kabul airport attack during the withdrawal from Afghanistan, an Army spokesperson said today.
The Trump aide pushed the cemetery employee out of the way in order to take photos and video at Section 60, where service members killed in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars are buried, two Defense Department officials said.
Military police were called and wrote up an incident report, but they are not expected to pursue the matter further. Although they arrived at the scene while Trump’s motorcade was there, they didn’t obtain a formal statement from his team, officials said.
The Army spokesperson said the cemetery employee does not intend to press charges, and the Army considers the matter closed.
Trump says plan to make U.S. ‘crypto capital of the planet’ coming within hours
Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump is pumping the Trump Organization’s new crypto platform, which has just been rebranded from “The DeFiant Ones,” to “World Liberty Financial.”
In a post to his 90 million followers on X, the former president shared a video of himself with voiceover: “This afternoon, I’m laying out my plan to ensure that the United States will be the crypto capital of the planet. They want to choke you. They want to choke you out of business. We’re not going to let that happen.”
It was unclear who Trump meant by “they,” and a Trump campaign spokesman did not immediately respond to questions about the announcement from CNBC.
Vance set to attend high-dollar fundraiser in Florida later today
No stranger to the donor circuit, JD Vance is set to attend a campaign fundraiser in Pasco County, Florida, this evening, according to an invitation for the gathering obtained by NBC News.
Billed as a “roundtable discussion” hosted by Florida’s Republican Commissioner of Agriculture Wilton Simpson, a $50,000 donation to the campaign grants attendees access to the roundtable, as well as a photo with the vice presidential hopeful.
Before making his way down the East Coast, Vance is shipping up to Boston to address the International Association of Fire Fighters convention this afternoon. Harris’ running mate, Tim Walz, addressed the assembly earlier this week. The union offered Biden an early endorsement during his 2020 presidential bid but has yet to back either ticket in 2024.
Residents of Savannah say Harris should address abortion rights and high costs everyday Americans are facing
Several residents of Savannah, Georgia, spoke to NBC News ahead of Harris’ rally there this evening. They expressed their enthusiasm for her campaign and what issues they think she should address in her speech at her rally tonight.
Lucy M., 61, said she thinks Harris is going to be a “great president,” citing the vice president’s education and background, and that will “help women’s rights and all the other issues that are now happening.”
She said Harris should speak about abortion rights in her speech tonight. “I think that’s one of the major issues right now, conflicting most of our country as girls not being able -- the younger generation doesn’t even have the rights when I was a teenager,” she said, adding that abortion rights have “gone backwards.”
Damone Truitt, 64, who is originally from Detroit, said Harris should keep “bodyguards around her,” citing Trump’s “history of negativity.”
“It seemed like he’s capable of doing a whole lot of negative stuff to accomplish his goals and then act like, quote-unquote, like he hasn’t done nothing,” he said, referring to Trump, who has aimed a series of personal attacks on Harris that largely center on her race and gender.
“But all the time he's been, you know, what you would say, shaking the tree so that the coconuts can fall on your head and miss him,”
Truitt said Harris' speech tonight should address high costs that everyday Americans are facing and suggested that Harris should call for a tax break to help alleviate high costs.
"Well, the taxes, because everything’s pretty high in Savannah, and that’s everything from food to gas, housing, you know, everything’s to the roof," he said.
"So maybe we should go with, like, something on a tax break or something to help all levels of life," he added. "Rich, poor, well off. You know all that. You know they help everybody."
Second gentleman Doug Emhoff and Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo to appear together in Michigan
Second gentleman Doug Emhoff and Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo are set to deliver remarks in Grand Rapids, Michigan, at 11:25 a.m. ET today. The two will be at Broad Leaf Brewery, where they will highlight Harris' economic agenda, including cutting taxes for the middle class and boosting home ownership.
Emhoff will also deliver remarks at a campaign event in Ketchum, Idaho, at 6:20 p.m. ET. On Friday, the second gentleman will deliver remarks at a campaign reception in San Francisco and, later, at a campaign reception in Aspen, Colorado.
"The Vice President has made clear that building up the middle class will be a defining goal of her presidency," the campaign said in a release, adding Harris' goal is to lift up "all Americans so that they can not just get by, but get ahead."
With flannel, football and pheasants, Harris and Walz make a play for Trump territory
Expect to see more of Tim Walz this fall — in orange. Walz, the Democratic vice presidential candidate, will be donning a bright vest and carrying a rifle while pheasant hunting. That’s when he isn’t wearing tacky flannels, talking about cleaning his gutters or singing, “Save big money at Menards.”
The EveryDad image, rounded out by his nickname, “Coach Walz,” is an unmistakable signal aimed at reaching white working-class and rural voters, the kind of electorate the ticket of Vice President Kamala Harris and Walz is trying to attract in anticipation of fights to the finish in battleground states where narrowing loss margins in red counties could put them over the top.
Democrats say that for years, they all but ceded rural counties and even some exurbs to former President Donald Trump. Rural counties in states like Wisconsin and Nevada transformed into deep-red Trump territory and have been just about impenetrable to the left since 2016.
Harris campaign officials believe they have an opportunity with white moderate and blue-collar voters — among whom Harris may have softer appeal — by emphasizing Walz’s Midwest roots, military background, ties to labor, experience as a hunter and career as a football coach.
Muslim Women for Harris-Walz says it still supports the campaign and calls a Trump presidency a 'clear danger'
Muslim Women for Harris-Walz issued a statement yesterday clarifying that it backs the campaign despite having rescinded its support last week after it said a request from uncommitted delegates to the Democratic National Convention for a Palestinian American to deliver remarks onstage was rejected.
The group said in its latest statement that it started with the aim of highlighting policy differences between Harris’ campaign, the Biden administration’s actions, what it called “the impending danger” of a potential second Trump administration, and its desire to “see a change in vision” on the war in Gaza.
The group said Harris’ appointment of Walz as a running mate was a “much-needed step in the right direction,” but added that “the promise of a big tent is an empty one without the inclusion of Palestinian Americans in 2024 and beyond.”
The group applauded the “Uncommitted Movement” of Democrats working to advocate for the people of Gaza before going on to argue that a second Trump presidency would pose a “clear danger” for Black and brown communities.
“With less than 70 days until the November election, we have to be honest with ourselves about what is at stake here for Muslim women: our reproductive rights, access to healthcare, climate change, immigration reform, access to quality public education, economic opportunity and the clear danger a Trump presidency could pose for our Black and Brown communities,” the group said.
The group said that’s why it’s urging the Muslim community to vote for Harris and Walz in November “with the stated caveat” that it will "continue to both pressure the Biden administration for a permanent ceasefire in Gaza, and for real policy change from the Harris-Walz campaign."
“As a result of the November elections, we will either have Kamala Harris or Donald Trump as our next president — and we pray for the sake of all of us here and abroad, that it is Kamala Harris,” the group said.
The group called on the Harris campaign to invite Georgia state Rep. Ruwa Romman, a Palestinian American, to join their bus tour in the battleground state. It also asked the campaign to meet with members to “ensure that our communities have a seat at the table” and to “make abundantly clear that even our allies are not above international law.”
GOP crackdowns on noncitizen voting ensnare newly naturalized Americans
Esternita Watkins, 42, became an American citizen nearly two years ago, wearing a green dress and a big smile at her naturalization ceremony in Montgomery, Alabama.
She’d been living in the U.S. since 2015, when she arrived on a fiancée visa to marry Christopher Watkins, 54, now her husband, whom she’d met on Facebook. Soon after she earned citizenship, she registered to vote and was looking forward to casting her first ballot in this year’s presidential election. But she got a letter this month saying state Secretary of State Wes Allen had flagged her for having a noncitizen identification number and deactivated her voter registration.
Harris continues to campaign in southeastern Georgia
Harris will continue her bus tour in southeastern Georgia today, followed by a rally in Savannah in the evening. She will stop at local small businesses and thank volunteers in Chatham County (where Savannah is located), according to the campaign.
Harris and Walz will also tape a joint CNN interview in the afternoon before Walz departs for North Carolina campaign events.
Harris will zero in on Project 2025 during the rally and contrast Trump's agenda with her own, the campaign said.
Trump team downplays Arlington ‘incident’ in an effort to minimize political fallout
Trump’s campaign is playing down reports of an altercation during his visit to Arlington National Cemetery on Monday, a move that signals its concern about potential political fallout from the incident.
“A nameless bureaucrat at Arlington whose job it is to preserve the dignity of the cemetery is doing the complete opposite in trying to make what was a very solemn and respectful event into something it was not,” said Trump campaign senior adviser Chris LaCivita, a retired Marine who was with Trump at the cemetery Monday.