White House reveals if Biden will pardon Hunter now he has dropped out

By Emily Goodin, senior White House correspondent

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre reiterated that President Joe Biden will not pardon his son Hunter.

‘It’s still a no,’ she said at her briefing on Thursday.

Hunter Biden is scheduled to be sentenced in October on federal charged related to a handgun purchase.

He faces trial in September on tax charges.

Biden has said repeatedly he will not pardon his son or commute any sentence.

During her first year as vice president, the Biden adminstration tried to saddle Kamala Harris with the border issue as Republicans and former President Donald Trump savaged the adminstration with their failures on immigration.

A look back at what Joe Biden wanted Harris to do and how she tried to wriggle out of the assignment:

Vice President Kamala Harris said Thursday that she wants to stick to the debate agreed to by the Biden and Trump campaigns before she became the likely Democratic nominee.

That debate would take place September 10 and be organized by ABC News.

Speaking to reporters at Joint Base Andrews, Harris pointed out Trump had previously agreed to the September showdown.

‘Now it appears he’s backpedaling, but I’m ready,’ Harris said.

She said she believes the voters ‘deserve to see the splitscreen that exists in this race on a debate stage.’

‘I’m ready, let’s go,’ she said.

After President Joe Biden dropped out of the race Sunday, former President Donald Trump started pushing to have the second debate moved from ABC to a more conservative-friendly network.

The heads of Fox News Channel reached out to the campaigns of both Trump and Harris and pitched a September 17 debate in the swing state of Pennsylvania.

Kamala Harris leads Donald Trump by one point in the latest Morning Consult poll.

Harris led 46 percent to 45 percent in the poll which was carried out between July 22 and 24 and surveyed 11,000 voters.

The Democrat also had a two-point lead among independents.

Morning Consult said Harris’ level support was higher than they had ever previously recorded for Joe Biden earlier in the 2024 race.

Another fresh poll is showing a tighter 2024 race with Vice President Kamala Harris topping the Democratic ticket.

The latest New York Times/Siena College poll found Harris within one point of Trump – 47 to 48 percent – among likely voters and within two points of the Republican nominee – 46 to 48 percent – among registered voters.

Those numbers represent a virtual tie with the margin of error at plus or minus 3.3 percent for likely voters and 3.4 percent for registered voters.

They shook hands and took their seats, exchanging pleasantries in the Oval Office. They did respond to multiple questions from journalists.

Republicans are at odds about whether President Joe Biden should remain in office through the election as doubts about his mental and physical health increase.

Since Biden announced he won’t be seeking reelection on Sunday, scores of GOP lawmakers have come out saying he needs to be removed from office immediately because he’s not fit to serve.

Former President Donald Trump, however, made it clear Thursday that he is against the maneuver, saying, ‘I don’t think they should use the 25th Amendment.’

Despite Trump’s warning, some Republicans are still insisting that the never-before-used amendment must be invoked immediately to boot out Biden.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrived at the White House at 1 pm on Thursday to meet with President Joe Biden in the Oval Office.

The meeting comes amid growing pressure for a permanent ceasefire in Middle East.

The administration believes that a deal ‘is in the closing stages and it’s reaching a point that we believe a deal is closable, and it’s time to move to close that agreement,’ a senior administration official told reporters on Wednesday.

‘We’re closer than we’ve ever been,’ the official noted. ‘It’s up to the Israelis to accept it.’

It is the first time Netanyahu has been to the White House since Donald Trump was president. And it is the first time he has meet with Biden since Biden traveled to Israel shortly after the October attack.

From Sarah Ewall-Wice, Senior U.S. Political Reporter:

Former President Obama is expected to endorse Kamala Harris for president soon.

The Obama team has been in touch with the campaign, according to a source familiar, but exact timing on that endorsement is not yet clear.

The former president and vice president have regularly been in touch.

Obama is served as a sounding board for her, according to the source, as he has been over the 20 years they have known each other.

When President Obama dropped out of the presidential race, Obama praised his former vice president as ‘one of America’s most consequential presidents. He also called Biden a dear friend and partner to him.

In his statement at the time, Obama did not mention Harris but instead said he has ‘extraordinary confidence that the leaders of our party will be able to create a process from which an outstanding nominee emerges.’

According to the source, Obama believed it was important for Democrats to have a legitimate process where delegates select a nominee.

Less than 48 hours after Biden’s exit, Harris had locked in enough Demoratic delegates to secure the nomination.

Holding off on endorsing right away in the presidential race is not unusual for Obama.

Back in 2020, Obama waited until August to endorse his former vice president, Biden, until after the crowded primary had ended even though Biden’s final opponent in that race dropped out four months earlier in April.

That year, he released his endorsement in the form of a video.

By Nikki Schwab, Chief Campaign Correspondent in Washington, D.C.

Vice President Kamala Harris put out a statement condemning the ‘pro-Hamas graffiti and rhetoric’ coming from protesters who were demonstrating during Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s address to Congress Wednesday.

The fountain outside of D.C.’s Union Station was covered in graffiti including the words ‘Hamas is coming.’ The crowd also burned American flags and Netanyahu in effigy.

A number of Republican lawmakers, including House Speaker Mike Johnson, visited the train station late Wednesday and replaced Palestinian flags hung by protesters with the American flags that are usually there.

The official statement from Harris, the likely Democratic nominee, said:

Yesterday, at Union Station in Washington, D.C. we saw despicable acts by unpatriotic protestors and dangerous hate-fueled rhetoric.

I condemn any individuals associating with the brutal terrorist organization Hamas, which has vowed to annihilate the State of Israel and kill Jews. Pro-Hamas graffiti and rhetoric is abhorrent and we must not tolerate it in our nation.

I condemn the burning of the American flag. That flag is a symbol of our highest ideals as a nation and represents the promise of America. It should never be desecrated in that way.

I support the right to peacefully protest, but let’s be clear: Antisemitism, hate and violence of any kind have no place in our nation.

The House passed a resolution Thursday condemning Vice President Kamala Harris as President Joe Biden’s failed ‘border czar.’

The measure passed 220 to 196 with the support of all Republicans and the help of six Democrats.

Following Joe Biden’s monumental withdrawal from the presidential race, Republicans started focusing their attacks against Kamala Harris’ handling of the ‘catastrophic open border crisis.’

From Sarah Ewall-Wice, Senior U.S. Political Reporter:

Democratic voters already appear more enthusiastic with Vice President Kamala Harris poised to be at the top of the ticket. Now they want to know who she plans to pick as her running mate and already have their own favorites.

Roughly a dozen prominent Democrats have been floated as a potential number two including Governors Josh Shapiro, Roy Cooper, J.B. Pritzker, Gretchen Whitmer and Tim Walz as well as Senator Mark Kelly of Arizona and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg.

Harris is breaking barriers as the first woman of color to become the presumptive presidential nominee on a major party ticket. She will also be the first candidate from the west coast to secure the Democratic nomination.

Her supporters at her rally Tuesday in Milwaukee signaled they’re open to the list of names that have already surfaced.

But many told DailyMail.com what is most important is picking the person who best helps her beat Donald Trump and balances the ticket. There is not a clear frontrunner on who that would be.

Melania Trump is releasing her memoir, her office announced on Thursday, as the former first lady moves to tell her own story after years of being defined by her marriage to Donald Trump.

‘Melania’ will be the ‘powerful and inspiring story of a woman who has carved her own path, overcome adversity and defined personal excellence,’ her office said.

The book will be released in the fall but no specific date was provided. It’s unclear if it will be released before the election or afterward.

The memoir will include ‘personal stories and family photos she has never before shared with the public,’ her office said.

‘May your experience reading my book be as enjoyable as the writing process was for me,’ Melania Trump wrote on X about the book.

From Rob Crilly, Chief U.S. Political Correspondent in Charlotte

‘It’s a Man’s, Man’s, Man’s World,’ is a Donald Trump favorite. He plays the James Brown and Pavarotti duet to show off his new sound system aboard Trump Force One and it is a regular on the pre-rally playlist.

d out the opening line, ‘This is a man’s world,’ on Wednesday evening it had taken on added significance.

Joe Biden was out of the race and Trump was now facing a female opponent just as he had in 2016.

With a pre-rally playlist dripping in a throwback idea of masculinity, think 70s and 80s guitars and Kid Rock singing about sleeping with ‘hoes’, the message was clear: I am the leader who will deliver strength.

Trump was appearing for his first rally since Biden upended the election on Sunday. Supporters at the Bojangles Coliseum in Charlotte, North Carolina, were the first to see just what that meant for his rally speeches.

Capitol Police confronted pro-Palestinian protesters with pepper spray and riot shields as chaos erupted during Benjamin Netanyahu’s address to Congress on Wednesday.

Officers were engaged in violent scenes as thousands of demonstrators descended in Washington D.C. to vent their fury at the Israeli Prime Minister over the war in Gaza.

Protesters also tore down the American flag flying outside Washington, D.C.’s Union Station, threw it to the ground and lit it on fire. They burned an effigy of Netanyahu and displayed another one of him with devil horns and blood spraying out of his mouth.

They spray painted statues outside the city’s train station with slogans like ‘Hamas is coming’ and ‘Zionists are bastards.’

Kamala Harris released her first official 2024 presidential campaign ad on Thursday.

The video painted a picture of the stark difference between what her presidency would bring compared to Republican former President Donald Trump.

In a voice over, the vice president said:

In this election we each face a question – What kind of country do we want to live in? There are some people who think we should be a country of chaos, of fear, of hate. But us? We choose something different. We choose freedom.

The ad featured Beyoncé’s song Freedom, which has also been Harris’ walk out song at rallies. A source familiar confirms the mega star’s team gave the Harris campaign permission to use it.

It concluded with Beyoncé singing the lyrics:

Imma keep running ’cause a winner don’t quit on themselves

Donald Trump has slammed the the president’s address to the nation as ‘barely understandable’.

The Republican nominee took to his Truth Social app to slate Joe Biden’s performance, which he watched from aboard his private jet ‘Trump Force One’.

‘Crooked Joe Biden’s Oval Office speech was barely understandable, and sooo bad!’ He posted shortly after the address on Wednesday.

His review came after Biden addressed the nation for the first time since he announced his decision to drop out of the election race.

However his delivery clearly left Trump unimpressed as he followed up his initial post up with another also attacking the Vice President.

President Joe Biden mumbled his way through an 11-minute farewell address to the nation and claimed he could have served another four years if he wanted to.

Biden, 81, spoke quietly, at times haltingly, and his voice was scratchy as he explained his stunning decision not to seek reelection.

The President said he had chosen to ‘pass the torch’ to Vice President Kamala Harris because it was time for ‘younger voices’ and he believed that would ‘unite’ the country and ‘save’ democracy.

Biden looked intently into the camera during the primetime address for which he was seated behind the Resolute Desk in the Oval Office.

He said: ‘I believe my record as president, my leadership in the world, my vision for America’s future, all merited a second term.

‘But nothing, nothing, can come in the way of saving our democracy, and that includes personal ambition, so I decided the best way forward is to pass the torch to a new generation.’

He added: ‘There is a time and a place for long years of experience in public life. There’s also a time and a place for new voices, fresh voices. Yes, younger voices.’

Biden did not address questions over his own age, health and mental acuity, which have plagued his presidency from the start.

Doubts about his ability to do the job intensified following a disastrous debate performance last month, which shocked senior Democrats into calling for him to leave the 2024 presidential race.

Republicans slammed Joe Biden’s address explaining why he decided to cancel his reelection bid, saying the president should have given up the position much sooner since he ‘hasn’t been running the show.’

President Biden addressed the nation from the Oval Office Wednesday evening to explain his rationale for suddenly dropping out of the presidential race on Sunday after weeks of pressure from Democratic allies like Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y.

His speech was the first direct address to the American people he has delivered since dropping out of the 2024 election and since being diagnosed with COVID one week ago.

During the address, he said he believed ‘fresh voices’ and ‘younger voices’ are better suited to run the country, address its many concerns and coalesce the country around a capable candidate.

Republicans, meanwhile, called the speech a cop out, with Rep. Tim Burchett, R-Tenn., saying ‘It’s very evident to me that he hasn’t been running the show for quite some time.’

‘Everybody knows about it,’ he continued.

Liberals fawned over President Biden’s farewell address on Wednesday night with one political fanboy barely able to speak while holding back tears.

On CNN, progressive fanboy Van Jones was overcome with emotion as he waxed poetic about his ‘hero’ Joe Biden.

‘The kid with a stutter did good. He did good. That’s a good man,’ Jones said, referring to Biden’s childhood struggles with speech.

Senior Democrats, including  Vice President Kamala Harris and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, thanked Biden for his service, hailing him as a ‘great American president’ who demonstrated ‘wisdom’ and ‘magnificent leadership’.

But on Trump Force One, the unimpressed former president simply grimaced while the image of a befuddled Biden played on TV in the background.

‘Crooked Joe Biden’s Oval Office speech was barely understandable, and sooo bad!’ Donald Trump wrote on Truth Social.

Former first lady Melania Trump has a memoir coming out this fall, ‘Melania,’ billed by her office as ‘a powerful and inspiring story of a woman who has carved her own path, overcome adversity and defined personal excellence.’

It’s the first memoir by Trump, who has been mostly absent as her husband, former President Donald Trump, seeks to return to the White House.

‘Melania’ will be released by Skyhorse Publishing, which has published nooks by Donald Trump supporters including former New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani and attorney Alan Dershowitz.

Skyhorse also has worked with third-party candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and former Trump insider Michael Cohen, who later became one of his harshest critics. Some Skyhorse books include forewords by Trump ally Steve Bannon.

Melania Trump’s memoir was announced Thursday by her office, which neither provided a specific release date nor mentioned whether it would come out before Election Day in November.

Trump has been the subject of other books, including one by former adviser Stephanie Winston Wolkoff, but she has never told her own story at length before.