Trump praises Secret Service response to apparent assassination attempt
Former U.S. President and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump attends a town hall meeting moderated by Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders at the Dort Financial Center in Flint, Michigan, on Sept. 17, 2024. (JEFF KOWALSKY/AFP via Getty Images)
(WASHINGTON) — Former President Donald Trump on Tuesday praised the Secret Service for stopping an apparent assassination attempt Sunday, speaking in a phone interview with ABC News.
“I’m fine. The Secret Service did a good job, actually,” he said.
A Secret Service agent fired several shots at Ryan Wesley Routh, who was allegedly concealed in a tree line armed with a rifle at the Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida, about 300 to 500 yards from the Republican presidential nominee, authorities said.
The suspect was able to get into a car and drive off, but was stopped by law enforcement.
He appeared in court on Monday and currently faces two felony gun charges. The investigation is ongoing.
Trump spoke about the heightened threat environment, telling ABC News, “Probably always been dangerous, but it’s more so now, I think.”
He reiterated satisfaction with how the Secret Service handled Sunday’s incident.
“On that on that event, I thought they were excellent,” he said.
Trump also discussed his phone call with President Joe Biden following the incident, calling the conversation “very, very nice.”
“He called me just to, you know, express his sort of horror that a thing like that could happen. But it was a very good conversation,” Trump said.
Trump said Biden told him he wants to be sure the Secret Service has all the resources it needs to do its job, adding, “I hope that is the case.”
(WASHINGTON) — Republicans are stepping up their efforts to change Nebraska’s electoral vote process to winner-take-all — a move that would benefit former President Donald Trump in an expected close November election in which a single vote could make a key difference in the Electoral College.
The winner-take-all electoral change could be pivotal if the Republican-leaning state allocates all of its five electoral votes solely to Trump instead of dividing them with Kamala Harris.
Nebraska split its electoral votes in 2020, with President Joe Biden flipping the 2nd District, which includes the Democratic stronghold of Omaha.
Trump endorsed the winner-take-all system in April.
Pressure continues to grow on state lawmakers to as the state’s full federal delegation, all Republicans, and other national GOP figures continue to push for the change.
But amending Nebraska’s electoral college process is not simple.
Gov. Jim Pillen, a Republican, would have to convene a special legislative session. Pillen released a statement on Friday saying he would not call a session unless GOP legislators show they have 33 votes needed to break an expected Democratic filibuster.
Yet, state senators are not confident they have the votes; State Sen. Tom Berwer told the Nebraska Examiner he anticipates the group to come shy with 30 or 31 votes. That is a reason why Trump-ally Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina have been brought in to make the case. Graham flew to Nebraska Wednesday to meet with key stakeholders.
“I went and talked to some senators as the Governor. Senator [Pete] Ricketts and the Governor asked me to come out and to the caucus. I guess that’s what you call it, about the state of the play in the world and the consequences of the next election on a foreign policy front,” Graham told ABC News on Thursday.
“I hope they will allow winner-take-all. [Splitting electoral votes] was created in ’92 to help Clinton. Trump’s going to win the state by 20 points. You know, I told the conference, I’ve never seen so many challenges and threats to our country as I do now. I think she would make things worse,” he said, referring to Harris. “I was glad to go out and talk about the world as I see it, and I hope the people in Nebraska that this may come down to a single electoral vote,” he added.
Ricketts told reporters at the U.S. Capitol later on Thursday that he encouraged Graham to go to Nebraska to push for winner-take-all. “I think Senator Graham is a great spokesperson for it, he is very savvy about why we need to make sure that all of our voters have an opportunity to have their voices heard on what the other states are doing,” he said.
All five members of Nebraska’s federal delegation — all Republicans — joined together on Wednesday night, penning a letter to vouch for the change. The letter — signed by GOP Reps. Mike Flood, Don Bacon, Adrian Smith and Republican Sens. Deb Fischer and Ricketts — said the state should “speak with a united voice in presidential elections.”
“We need a President that will represent all of us, from Omaha to Scottsbluff and everywhere in-between. Senators and Governors are elected by the state as a whole because they represent all of the people of Nebraska equally, and the state should speak with a united voice in presidential elections as well. After all, we are Nebraskans first, not members of Nebraska’s three congressional districts,” the letter reads.
Kate Heltzel, a spokesperson for the Nebraska legislature outlined the legislative process that would need to unfold in order to implement the change.
“A senator would introduce a bill once the special session convenes, which likely would be referenced to the Government, Military and Veterans Affairs Committee, which would then hold a public hearing. If the bill is advanced by the committee, it would move to the floor of the Legislature and would need to advance through three rounds of debate before final passage. There is no set time frame for how long a special session lasts — that is up to the senators after it begins — except that the process requires a minimum of seven days for a bill to move from introduction to final passage, based on constitutionally required layover days between rounds of debate, etc.”
Some members mentioned to the Examiner that Trump himself may begin to make calls on the matter. ABC News is awaiting a response from Trump campaign.
However, if Pillen does call a special session, and members are able to break a filibuster, changes can be enacted quickly. According to Nebraska’s deputy secretary of state, Cindi Allen, “If winner-take-all is passed by the legislature before the election, barring any challenges, winner-take-all would go into effect.” This applies to any time in the election cycle. Even after early voting starts on Oct. 7. The secretary’s office confirmed that if there are no legal challenges, the Nebraska legislature could push the change through at the very last minute, on Nov. 2 or 3, for example.
Kate Heltzel, a spokesperson for the Nebraska legislature, sees more of a gray area.
“Some argue that the rule cannot be changed after general election voting begins in Nebraska. In-person early voting begins 30 days before an election, or Oct. 7 this year. Others contend that the only requirement is that the law be changed before Electoral College members cast their votes in December. To my knowledge, the attorney general has not officially weighed in on the issues, so I don’t have a definitive answer,” she wrote.
ABC News’ Allison Pecorin contributed to this report.
(WASHINGTON) — Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz’s preparation for the Oct. 1 vice presidential debate with Sen. JD Vance is well underway, sources familiar with the process have confirmed to ABC News.
He’s already held some mock debates, sources said, with Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, in his personal capacity, acting as a Vance stand-in, and held policy sessions with his own longtime aides, Biden White House alumni and members of the Harris-Walz campaign team.
Buttigieg was in Minneapolis as recently as Wednesday to help him prepare. Walz has also been practicing on the road as he campaigns.
Biden White House alumni Rob Friedlander and Zayn Siddique are running the preparations. Siddique, who is currently an attorney at the firm Paul Weiss and served as senior adviser to Bruce Reed, the White House deputy chief of staff under President Joe Biden, has also been part of the vice president’s debate preparations.
Friedlander was chief of staff for the White House National Economic Council and senior adviser for communications.
Friedlander and Siddique are being supported by a larger team that includes Liz Allen, a veteran political operative who stepped down from her role as head the State Department’s public diplomacy office in August to become chief of staff on Harris’ running mate team. Chris Schmitter, Walz’s longtime aide who led his gubernatorial races and debate, is also helping along with Harris-Walz communications director Michael Tyler, sources say.
The vice presidential debate hosted by CBS News is set to be in New York City, the network has announced, with both Walz and Vance agreeing to participate. The debate will be moderated by “CBS Evening News” anchor and managing editor Norah O’Donnell and “Face the Nation” moderator and CBS News chief foreign affairs correspondent Margaret Brennan.
The sources stress that the vice presidential debate won’t be the “end all be all” for Walz, who has acknowledged himself that he’s “working hard” to “try and learn the issues” but is up against Vance, who “as a United States senator, a Yale Law guy” will come prepared.
“You’ll hear me talk like I have about things that impact Americans, making sure they have the opportunity to thrive, making sure that we’re being factual in how we talk about that. And so I’m looking forward to it. I’ll work hard. That’s what I do,” Walz said about the VP debate on MSNBC in the aftermath of the presidential debate between Harris and former President Donald Trump. “I fully expect that Senator Vance, as a United States Senator, a Yale Law guy, he’ll come well prepared.”
“Debates and VP Debates don’t matter all that much in polling — this will be one of many data points for voters,” sources said about the significance of the debate, also stressing that “Vance is a skilled debater.”
The campaign sees the debate as one of “many” opportunities for Walz to present Harris’ agenda to Americans. He’ll also use the debate to introduce himself and highlight the Democratic ticket’s vision for the future.
“This debate will serve as another clear opportunity for Governor Walz to present Vice President Harris’ winning vision of a New Way Forward to the American people who are ready to turn the page on Donald Trump,” Emily Soong, a spokesperson for the Harris-Walz campaign said in a statement to ABC News.
Vance’s team has not commented to ABC News on how he’s preparing for the debate. The Washington Post was first to report the details of Walz’s preparations.
ABC News’ Hannah Demissie contributed to this report.
(WASHINGTON) — Billionaire businessman Mark Cuban, who has thrown his weight behind Vice President Kamala Harris, told ABC News on Tuesday that he tried to set up a private meeting between Elon Musk and Harris, but her team declined.
Cuban said the campaign passed because “they didn’t think Elon Musk could keep the conversation private.”
“The things he says about Kamala are so far off I thought it would be beneficial for them to talk,” Cuban said of Musk.
If Harris wins the race, Cuban said he’d still try to set up a conversation between Harris and Musk, given that he’s one of the “best entrepreneurs.” The move is “not political — it’s common sense,” Cuban added.
Cuban also said that Musk’s pledge to give away $1 million a day to voters for signing his political action committee’s petition is a move out of “desperation” that could “backfire.”
With two weeks until Election Day, Cuban told CNBC that the Harris campaign’s biggest challenge is that “they’re not great salespeople.”
Cuban elaborated, saying being a salesperson is not Harris’ strength.
“Harris is just not a good salesperson — she’s strong on policy, integrity, ethics, understanding, self-awareness, open-mindedness,” said Cuban, a star of the ABC reality TV show “Shark Tank” and the former majority owner of the NBA’s Dallas Mavericks. “She’s great on politics for business and policies across the board. That’s where her strengths lie. Not everyone is a great salesperson.”
“Trump is the opposite. He will say things that are not remotely true,” Cuban said, adding that Trump will repeat falsehoods to make the sell.
Cuban said he has talked to Harris’ team about her improving as a salesperson, but said that in the sprint to the finish, “you’re not going to send her to a sales class at this point.”
“If I’m voting for someone who is ethical and honest — I’ll take the person who is not a great salesperson,” Cuban said, adding that surrogates like himself can help make the sell on the trail and that the candidate themself doesn’t have to be the best salesperson.
As Election Day rapidly approaches, Cuban and other surrogates are talking to voters about the value their candidate brings and their vision for the country in what’s expected to be a close contest. Earlier this month, Cuban embarked on a multi-day speaking tour through battleground Pennsylvania touting the Harris-Walz ticket.
Cuban said he spoke to Harris recently, remarking that her schedule is “worse than a professional sports team” so he wanted to see how she’s doing.
“I asked her how she is. She’s doing well. She’s holding up. She’s a workout machine. Harris is a workout machine,” Cuban said, referring to her exercise routine. “Whereas Donald Trump can’t see his toes.”
Cuban said that Harris’ economic plan is an improvement over Trump’s, which he said would raise costs for businesses and consumers.
“The second largest line item for every business is healthcare, it’s benefits, and she is looking to cut down those costs. Donald Trump has concepts of a plan,” Cuban said, referencing Trump’s response during the ABC News presidential debate when asked about his health care plan.
“He said he’s going to do across the board tariffs. That could be 60% of everything. Almost everything you buy for Christmas is made at some point from China. If that happens this time next year, then every household is going to have to cut back on what they buy for Christmas,” Cuban added.
Despite the polls tightening, Cuban insists that the momentum is still on Harris’ side.
On July 23, Harris’ favorability rating was 51.6% “unfavorable” and 38.6% “favorable,” according to 538’s favorability averages. At the moment, 47.2% see her as unfavorable and 46.6% as favorable.
Cuban said 13 weeks ago, Harris’ “favorables were negative,” but things have improved now.
“She was behind what Joe Biden was pulling at the time. And in those 13 weeks at worst she’s caught up and at best she’s ahead. Do you realize how incredible that is? Versus someone who is a former president and ran last cycle and has been campaigning almost the entire time since.”
