Harris campaign deploying Walz in new push for male voters in swing states
(WASHINGTON) — Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz on Friday kicks off new push to reach male voters in swing states, Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign confirmed to ABC News.
As part of the push, the campaign is highlighting ABC’s Michael Strahan exclusive interview with Walz that aired on “Good Morning America” Friday morning.
Walz travels to Michigan, where he will deliver remarks on “protecting workers and investing in manufacturing, and then join a political engagement with Black male voters,” the campaign said.
Walz will do a round of local TV interviews in Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin that will be taped on Friday — focused on hunting and high school football.
Later in the day, Walz will return to Mankato West — the Minnesota high school where he taught and also coached football.
He will attend the school’s homecoming game and deliver a pep talk before the team takes on rival Mankato East.
This year marks the 25th anniversary of Mankato West’s state championship win, according to the campaign.
The campaign will also release a video on Walz’s social media channels featuring what it says is never-before-aired footage from the state championship game and interviews with Tim and Gwen Walz’s former students and players.
Saturday marks the Pheasant Opener in Minnesota and a group of outdoors digital creators will join Walz for an early morning hunt in Sleepy Eye, Minnesota.
(WASHINGTON) — Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin sent a weekend letter to Congressional appropriators urging them to pass government funding bills after the election in the “vulnerable time around transitions” to “uphold the bipartisan tradition of funding our nation’s defense prior to the inauguration of a new president,” a source in the department told ABC News.
In his letter to bipartisan committee chairs on government funding, Austin urged lawmakers to avoid a six-month stopgap funding measure, calling a regular funding bill for the Pentagon “the single most important thing that Congress can do to ensure U.S. national security.”
Speaker Mike Johnson has proposed the six-month continuing resolution to fund the government beyond the inauguration of a new president. The government funding deadline is September 30.
Austin’s letter does not signal opposition to a one-month stopgap – but he urges “action immediately after the election.”
“The repercussions of Congress failing to pass regular appropriations legislation for the first half of FY 2025 would be devastating to our readiness and ability to execute the National Defense Strategy,” Austin writes.
The defense secretary points out to Congressional leaders that a six-month continuing resolution “would represent the second year in a row, and the seventh time in the past 15 years” the Pentagon has been stalled until midyear in receiving its funding orders from the legislative branch.
“I am fully aware of the political pressures that will challenge the Congress from fulfilling its duty before our national elections conclude,” he writes. “No matter who wins this election, there will be a Presidential transition. I urge you and your colleagues to take up action immediately after the election to limit damage to our national security during this vulnerable period around transitions and uphold the bipartisan tradition of funding our nation’s defense prior to the inauguration of a new President.”
(LOS ANGELES) — Former President Donald Trump on Friday said he would conduct a mass deportation of immigrants living in Springfield, Ohio, and dismissed a question from ABC News about the bomb threats the town is experiencing in the wake of unsubstantiated claims about Haitian migrants.
“We’re going to have the largest deportation in the history of our country,” Trump said as he took reporter questions in Los Angeles, California. “And we’re going to start with Springfield and Aurora, [Colorado].”
The remark comes after Trump and his running mate, Ohio Sen. JD Vance, amplified unsubstantiated claims of Haitian migrants in Springfield eating pets. Trump did not repeat the baseless rumor when speaking in California, but called the Haitian migrants “illegal” despite the city explaining the Haitian population is in the U.S. legally under the Immigration Parole Program.
Two schools were evacuated and another was closed in Springfield on Friday after bomb threats were sent “to multiple agencies and media outlets” in the city, according to the city commission office. The mayor said he believes these threats are directly connected to the unfounded rumors spread online about Haitian migrants.
ABC News Senior National Correspondent Terry Moran asked Trump, “The mayor of Springfield, Ohio, the police chief, the Republican governor of Ohio, have all debunked this story about people eating pets, and now there are bomb threats at schools and kids being evacuated. Why do you still spread this false story?”
“No no, no. The real threat is what’s happening at our border,” Trump said. “Because you have thousands of people being killed by illegal migrants coming in — and also dying.” (There is no evidence of thousands of people being killed by migrants crossing the border illegally.)
Trump used Ohio to reinforce his promise of overseeing the largest mass deportation operation, one of his most discussed campaign promises this cycle.
“I can say this. We will do large deportations from Springfield, Ohio, large deportations,” he said. “We’re going to get these people out. We’re bringing them back to Venezuela.”
On Friday, President Joe Biden weighed in on the controversy, saying it has “no place in America.”
“This has to stop, what he’s doing. It has to stop,” Biden said, referring to Trump.
Trump became angry as he started talking about immigration on Friday, calling America a “dumping group” for people from other countries, stereotyping them as criminals.
Earlier on Friday, Trump’s running mate Vance continued to make what appeared to be unsubstantiated claims about Haitian migrants in Springfield. Vance claimed on X that “there has been a massive rise in communicable diseases, rent prices, car insurance rates, and crime. This is what happens when you drop 20,000 people into a small community.”
Haiti does not have access to the same access to vaccines or requirements as the United States, but Ohio is already working to address those concerns. Gov. Mike DeWine earlier this week announced he was earmarking $2.5 million to expand primary care access for the entire city.
Springfield’s mayor also told ABC News that while there are discrepancies in vaccines, the biggest issue they’re dealing with when it comes to the migrants is traffic violations. DeWine also said he’s directed the Ohio State Highway Patrol to support the local police with traffic enforcement.
Trump was also asked about Laura Loomer joining him as the campaign trail this week. Loomer is a far-right activist who has spread baseless claims about Springfield on social media.
Loomer’s presence has prompted push back from several Republicans, including Sen. Thom Tillis, who said she was “a crazy conspiracy theorist who regularly utters disgusting garbage intended to divide Republicans.”
Trump claimed she was just a supporter who has “strong opinions” over whom he had no control. He also claimed to not have seen her more controversial posts, including conspiracies about the 9/11 attacks, including that it was an “inside job.”
“She’s a free spirit … I mean, look, I can’t tell Laura what to do. Laura’s a supporter,” Trump said. “I have a lot of supporters, but so I don’t know what exactly you’re referring to.” He said he would review what he called her “strong opinions” and put out a statement.
Loomer out out a statement, saying in part, “I am a private citizen and an independent journalist. I don’t work for President Trump. I am simply a ride or die supporter and I believe in President Trump and his agenda to Make America Great Again.”
ABC News’ Hannah Demissie and Armando Garcia contributed to this report.
(WASHINGTON) — Former President Donald Trump’s campaign is claiming it was hacked by “foreign sources” with the intent to interfere in the upcoming election.
The Trump campaign statement cited a report published by Microsoft on Friday, which said, “In June 2024, Mint Sandstorm — a group run by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) intelligence unit — sent a spear-phishing email to a high-ranking official of a presidential campaign from a compromised email account of a former senior advisor. The phishing email contained a fake forward with a hyperlink that directs traffic through an actor-controlled domain before redirecting to the listed domain.”
The IRGC is a branch of the Iranian Armed Forces.
Microsoft does not identify the presidential campaign in its report. Microsoft has also not responded to ABC News’ request for more information.
A White House National Security Council spokesperson deferred to the Justice Department when asked for comment on the allegations.
“The Biden-Harris Administration strongly condemns any foreign government or entity who attempts to interfere in our electoral process or seeks to undermine confidence in our democratic institutions,” the spokesperson said.
They added that they take any reports of “such activity extremely seriously.”
The Department of Homeland Security and Department of Justice declined to comment.
Outside of the Trump campaign statement, ABC News has not confirmed the campaign was hacked by foreign sources with the intent to interfere in the election.
The Secret Service referred ABC News to the Trump campaign and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence didn’t respond to ABC News’ request for comment.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
ABC News’ MaryAlice Parks, Michelle Stoddart and Ivan Pereira contributed to this report.