This article was first published in the On the Trail 2024 newsletter. Sign up to receive the newsletter in your inbox on Tuesday and Friday mornings here. To submit a question to next week’s Friday Mailbag, email onthetrail@deseretnews.com.
Hello, friends. A wild week in Milwaukee, where the Republican National Convention wrapped up last night.
Before we jump into the news of the week, a bit of sentimentality: We launched the On The Trail 2024 newsletter from Milwaukee 11 months ago, when Republicans held a primary debate here. Since then, we’ve cracked 10,000 subscribers, interviewed candidates and key powerbrokers, and broke news driving the race. It’s been a fun ride, and we still have three-and-a-half months to go. We’ll hang in there together.
3 things to know
- Trump is officially the Republican nominee. In a lengthy speech Thursday night — clocking in at 96 minutes, the longest acceptance speech by a major-party candidate ever — former President Donald Trump said he would “unify” the country and be a president “to all Americans.” But much of his speech resembled his typical rhetoric from campaign speeches — including inflammatory rhetoric on immigration, foreign policy and Biden’s accomplishments. Read more here.
- Utah Gov. Spencer Cox expressed support to Trump in a letter this week obtained by the Deseret News. “you have the opportunity to do something that no other person on earth can do right now: unify and save our country,” Cox wrote. Cox is one of a few GOP governors who has not formally endorsed the former president. Read more here
- A new accessory trend has emerged during the Republican National Convention. Some seemingly uninjured delegates have been spotted wearing ear bandages similar to the one worn by Trump after he was wounded during an assassination attempt at a campaign rally in Pennsylvania. Read more here.
The Big Idea
Republicans to Biden: Don’t drop out
The walls around the Biden campaign are coming down. In the three weeks since June 27′s disastrous debate, President Joe Biden has warded off calls from top Democrats to drop out. This weekend, according to new reporting, some of his close allies — former President Barack Obama, former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer — have joined the chorus. Biden could drop out as soon as this weekend, reports say.
Republicans have been calling Biden unfit for months. But in a surprise turn, it’s now Republicans who most desperately want him to stay.
Last week, The Atlantic’s Tim Alberta reported that Trump’s top campaign advisers have engineered a campaign to highlight Biden’s feebleness and poor fitness for office. They now fear the plan has backfired. For Trump to win (in a “landslide,” as they predict), their best chance is Biden staying in the race.
That feeling is shared by other top Republicans. In a recent leadership meeting of the House Republican Conference, GOP leaders joked about putting up “a resolution of support” for Biden’s candidacy. “He would be the likely easiest candidate to beat,” said Rep. Blake Moore, R-Utah, the vice chair of the House GOP Conference.
Rep. Burgess Owens, R-Utah, said Biden is being “selfish” and “heartless” by staying in. But Owens wouldn’t change a thing. “As a Republican who loves my country, my message is, ‘Run, Joe, run,’” he said. “I love him staying in there because it shows the difference between our party and his. It shows the chaos he’s brought.”
Layne Bangerter, a Utah delegate and a former EPA administrator in the Trump administration, said he’s “happy to see (Biden) as the Democratic nominee.” If Biden isn’t competent to run for president, he added, “he isn’t competent to be president, and he should resign.”
Brad Bonham, a Republican National Committeeman from Utah, said if he were a Democrat, he “would be doing everything in my power to get him to drop out.”
“As a Republican,” he added, “I hope he stays in, as I think it’s our easiest path to getting Trump elected.”
If Biden drops out, polls show other possible contenders — like Vice President Kamala Harris, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer or California Gov. Gavin Newsom — faring not much better. Moore points to Whitmer and Gov. Wes Moore of Maryland as “probably pretty strong candidates.”
“I just don’t know if there’s time to build up their name ID and all that,” he said.
Bonham pointed to Harris, Newsom, Michelle Obama and Oprah Winfrey as “the only Dems that could run in a nationwide election in such a short period of time.”
“Outside of that, there simply isn’t time for them to develop a candidate and get them ready for the national stage,” he speculated.
For the time being, Moore is enjoying the show. “Lately, it’s been very fun to see my Democratic colleagues have to avoid press and squirm around this question,” he said. “Usually it’s Republican lawmakers that are getting hounded by the press. It’s the Democratic lawmakers now, and it’s so fun to watch.”
Weekend reads
On the fringes of the RNC, a group of Trump-averse Republicans gathered for nightly panels and cocktail hours — commiserating, mingling, sorrowing over the death of the party they once knew. Half the reason one person came, she said, was to get involved politically; “the other half,” she added, “is therapy session.” On the edge of despair with the GOP convention’s last Never Trumpers (Jesus Rodriguez, The Washington Post)
There were warning signs long before a would-be assassin pulled the trigger Saturday. For years, a growing share of Americans said political violence is acceptable. How to get out of the cycle? “Americans could look in the mirror, be shocked by what they see, and stop normalizing the incendiary rhetoric and violence that is leading to these sorts of events.” America’s Political Violence Crisis (Vera Bergengruen, Time)
Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, sat down for a lengthy interview about his transformation from Trump hater to Trump lover. The whole thing is interesting, but this bit, in particular stood out: When pressed on Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election, he refused to defend them, instead saying the 2024 election is a “binary choice.” But it’s worth noting that Lee endorsed Trump before a single ballot was cast in the Republican primary. Mike Lee’s Journey From Trump Critic to Trump Supporter (Steve Hayes, The Dispatch)
See you on the trail.
Editor’s Note: The Deseret News is committed to covering issues of substance in the 2024 presidential race from its unique perspective and editorial values. Our team of political reporters will bring you in-depth coverage of the most relevant news and information to help you make an informed decision. Find our complete coverage of the election here.