August 10, 2024, presidential campaign news | CNN Politics (2024)

Former President and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks during an election campaign rally in Bozeman, Montana, on August 9.

Donald Trump on Saturday accused Vice President Kamala Harris of copying him after she backed the elimination of taxes on tips for hospitality workers, a policy first proposed by the former president.

Speaking at a Las Vegas rally Saturday, Harris promised to advance policies to benefit working families, pointing to the elimination of taxes on tips as an example.

Trump first raised the proposal at a June rally in Las Vegas, saying, “When I get to office, we are going to not charge taxes on tips. We’re going to do that right away, first thing in office, because it’s been a point of contention for years … and you do a great job of service — you take care of people.”

Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris speaks at a campaign rally at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas on August 10.

Vice President Kamala Harris on Saturday backed the elimination of taxes on tips for hospitality and service workers, endorsing a policy first proposed by former President Donald Trump.

Speaking to a crowd of thousands at a Las Vegas rally, which included members of the state’s powerful culinary workers union, Harris promised to advance policies to benefit working families, pointing to the elimination of taxes on tips as an example.

Harris’ support for eliminating taxes on tips comes after Trumpproposedthe idea at a campaign rally in Las Vegas in June.

Harris is seeking to coalesce support from the sizable coalition of service industry workers in the key battleground state. The vice president recognized members of the Culinary Workers Union Local 226 in attendance at the rally, one day after the union endorsed her.

After Trump proposed eliminating taxes on tips in June, the union’s secretary-treasurer, Ted Pappageorge, pushed back on his promise, saying, “Relief is definitely needed for tip earners, but Nevada workers are smart enough to know the difference between real solutions and wild campaign promises from a convicted felon.”

The proposal is among the first notable policies offered by Harris since ascending to the top of the Democratic ticket last month. Speaking to reporters in Arizona earlier Saturday, Harris said she plans to roll out her economic policy platform next week, noting that it will be focused on “what we need to do to bring down costs and also strengthen the economy.”

A San Francisco fundraiser for the Harris Victory Fund has raised more than $12 million, a Harris-Walz campaign spokesperson said a day ahead of the event.

Vice President Kamala Harris is set to travel to San Francisco following her Saturday rally in Las Vegas.The Democratic presidential nominee will deliver remarks at Sunday’s fundraiser, as will former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

The campaign has seen a significant cash boost since Harris launched her presidential bid last month, including raising $36 million in the 24 hours after she announced Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as her running mate Tuesday.

The campaign also said it raked in a whopping $310 million in its July fundraising efforts.

Democratic vice presidential nominee Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz speaks at a campaign rally on August 10.

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz thanked supporters for braving the extreme heat at a joint rally with Vice President Kamala Harris in Las Vegas on Saturday, joking that “I’m melting like a snowman outside.”

The Democratic vice presidential nominee also apologized to those who were turned away after the doors closed early as some people in line fell ill from the high temperatures.

During his remarks, Walz briefly paused to allow medical staff to provide treatment to a person near the front of the crowd.

Local law enforcement in Las Vegas closed the doors to Kamala Harris’ Saturday rally early after people waiting in line were falling ill from extreme heat, the campaign told reporters traveling with the vice president.

The Harris campaign said law enforcement closed the doors “in the last hour” as thousands of people waited in line to enter the rally.

CNN observed ambulances and medical professionals on scene as people entered the venue. Harris campaign staff passed out water bottles and fans to those waiting, while some portions of the line were covered by tents and cooled by large fans. Some people were observed being treated for illness outside the venue.

A crowd of thousands awaited Harris’ remarks Saturday evening, although many seats remained empty ahead of the event.

Vice President Kamala Harris speaks to reporters at a hotel in Phoenix on Saturday.

Vice President Kamala Harris said Saturday that she will roll out her economic policy platform next week and that it will focus on inflation.

The economy remains a critical issue for voters, as anNPR/PBS News/Marist poll released Tuesday finds that Americans trust Donald Trump over Harris to handle the economy — but it is closely split. Fifty-one percent say Trump would be better at handling the economy, while 48% say Harris would be.

When asked about the independence of the Federal Reserve, and suggestions that Trump has made that he would try to exertdirect power over monetary policy — Harris said she would “never interfere” in decisions made by the Fed.

Asked about concerns about a potential recession, Harris said, “There was some turbulence this week, but it seems to have settled itself, and we’ll see what decisions they make next. I hear about them about the same time you do.”

The White House said Saturday that it condemned any attempt at foreign interference in American elections after the Trump campaign said it was hacked by Iran.

On the specifics of the Trump campaign’s allegations, the National Security Council deferred to the Justice Department but said the White House takes “any reports of such activity extremely seriously.”

Politico reported earlier Saturday that it had received emails from an anonymous account with documents from inside Donald Trump’s campaign operation.

The Trump campaign pinned blame on Iran, though it is unclear whether the country was involved.

CNN has reached out to the Iranian mission to the United Nations, the FBI and the Justice Department for comment.

Vice President Kamala Harris said Saturday that “far too many civilians” have been killed in Gaza, after an Israeli strike on a school and mosque killed at least 93 Palestinians, according to local officials.

Gaza Civil Defense officials said people were performing dawn prayers at the Al-Tabi’in compound in the Al-Daraj neighborhood in the eastern part of Gaza City when it was hit overnight into Saturday. Israel confirmed it carried out the strike, saying Hamas was operating there.

Harris added, “We need to get the hostages out. We need a hostage deal, and we need a ceasefire. And I can’t stress that strongly enough, it needs to get done.”

Harris’ comments about Israel on Saturday amounted to some of the most substantial on a policy-related matter since she became the Democratic standard-bearer.

Like President Joe Biden, she is confronting a political and diplomatic tightrope when it comes to Gaza.

While she and the White House have held out hope for a hostage and ceasefire deal that would bring an end to fighting in Gaza and lower regional temperatures, the power to reach such an agreement rests with Hamas and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu — neither of whom has given final sign-off.

Celine Dion attends a screening of “I Am: Celine Dion” in New York on June 17.

Singer Celine Dion issued a statement Saturday slamming Donald Trump’s campaign for the “unauthorized usage” of her music, adding that she does not endorse its use or any other similar use.

The Trump campaign has played Dion’s “My Heart Will Go On” at multiple campaign rallies throughout 2023 and 2024, though Dion’s statement says she and her management team had only recently become aware of its use, specifically pointing to it being played at the former president’s rally in Bozeman, Montana, on Friday.

CNN has reached out to the Trump campaign regarding whether it will cease playing the song at events.

Rihanna, theRolling Stones,Ozzy Osbourne,Queen and theestate of George Harrison, among other musicians, have all previously objected to Trump’s presidential campaigns using their music, dating to his original run in 2016.

Former President Donald Trump arrives to speak at a campaign rally in Grand Rapids, Michigan, on July 20.

Former President Donald Trump’s campaign on Saturday said in a statement it had been hacked.

Politico reported earlier on Saturday it had received emails from an anonymous account with documents from inside Trump’s campaign operation.

Cheung pointed to a recent report published by Microsoft that said Iranian operatives had ramped up their attempts to influence and monitor the US presidential election by creating fake news outlets targeting liberal and conservative voters and by trying to hack an unnamed presidential campaign.

“On Friday, a new report from Microsoft found that Iranian hackers broke into the account of a ‘high ranking official’ on the U.S. presidential campaign in June 2024, which coincides with the close timing of President Trump’s selection of a Vice Presidential nominee. This comes after recent reports of an Iranian plot to assassinate President Trump around the same time as the Butler, PA tragedy,” Cheung said.

Cheung continued: “The Iranians know that President Trump will stop their reign of terror just like he did in his first four years in the White House. Any media or news outlet reprinting documents or internal communications are doing the bidding of America’s enemies and doing exactly what they want.”

Still, it’s not clear whether Iran was responsible for the hacking, and the Microsoft report doesn’t say whether Iran was successful. CNN has reached out to the Iranian mission to the United Nations for comment.

CNN has also asked the Trump campaign whether it contacted law enforcement andhas also reached out to the FBI and Department of Justice for comment.

Republican vice presidential nominee JD Vance speaks at a campaign event in Shelby Township, Michigan, on August 7.

Republican vice presidential nominee JD Vance sought to brush off his Democratic rivals’ attempts to brand him as “weird,” claiming that Vice President Kamala Harris and her running mate,Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, “aren’t comfortable in their own skin.”

The Ohio senator’s comments came asDemocrats seize on a messagethat stems from Walz — weeks before his selection as Harris’ ticket mate — describing former President Donald Trump and Vance as “just weird” in an interview on MSNBC.

Bash noted that Harris and Walz have discussed policy positions and are trying to define the Republican ticket in voters’ eyes as well.

“Dana, if you go to Kamala Harris’ campaign page right now, they still don’t have a policy — policy positions about what they’re going to do,” Vance said. “I think that’s really insulting to Americans.”

Harris’ campaign website includes biographies of the vice president and Walz, as well as fundraising, volunteering and merchandise sections, but it does not feature a section laying out policy positions.

For Dana Bash’s full interview with JD Vance, watch “State of the Union” on Sunday at 9 a.m. ET.

Vice President Kamala Harris and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz will wrap up their battleground state campaign blitz with a rally in Las Vegas, Nevada, later today.

The rally, which will be held at the University of Las Vegas, comes on the heels of anendorsem*ntfrom the Culinary Union, which is Nevada’s largest labor union, representing 60,000 workers across the state.

Harris and Walz will be introduced by Tillie Torres, a local Clark County teacher of 24 years and cancer survivor, who had student loans forgiven under the Biden-Harris administration, according to the campaign.

Additional speakers at the event include Rep. Steven Horsford, Rep. Susie Lee, Rep. Dina Titus, Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto and Sen. Jacky Rosen. Entertainment will be provided by DJ D-Nice.

Other attendees at the event include former Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak and League of United Latin American Citizens President Roman Palomares. The political arm of LULAC endorsed the Harris-Walz ticket on Friday, the first time the civil rights organization has endorsed a presidential candidate in its almost 100-year history.

President Joe Biden walks toward the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, DC, on August 5.

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President Joe Biden touted new statistics that show violent crime is lower than when he and Vice President Kamala Harris took office, as reducing crime remains a top 2024 campaign issue.

The data shows violent crime is at a “50-year low,” according to new statistics from the Major Cities Chiefs Association.

Official data published by the FBI shows violent crime dropped significantly in the US in 2023 and in the first quarter of 2024, though there were increases in some communities. Violent crime is now lower than it was in 2020.

Reducing crime remains a top political issue for both parties, accordingto polling earlier this yearfrom the Pew Research Center; 68% of Republicans and 47% of Democrats rated reducing crime as a “top political priority,” which is an increase for both parties since 2021.

Former President Donald Trump speaks at a campaign rally in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, on July 31.

The Trump campaign’s chief pollster downplayed a new set of polls from The New York Times and Siena College that show a close presidential race with no clear leader in three crucial states: Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.

Tony Fabrizio claimed the polls “dramatically understated President Trump’s support both among all registered voters and in their likely-voter model,” in a statement released Saturday, adding he believes they are part of “a series of public surveys released with the clear intent and purpose of depressing support for President Trump.”

What the polls show: In head-to-head matchups among registered voters, Trump takes 48% to Harris’ 45% in Michigan; while in Pennsylvania, it’s 49% Harris to 46% Trump; and in Wisconsin, it’s 50% Harris to 46% Trump. There’s a margin of sampling error of 4 percentage points or more for the poll in each state.

The campaign statement comes as Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign has seen a surge of enthusiasm in recent weeks since President Joe Biden dropped out of the race and endorsed the vice president.

Former President Donald Trump’s campaign on Saturday denied that Trump has repeatedly called Vice President Kamala Harris a “b*tch” in private in recent weeks, after The New York Times reported on Saturday that he had used the derogatory term to refer to his Democratic rival.

The campaign pointed to a clip that is circulating on social media where Harris is heard saying, “As a woman, there’s a balance to be struck between being tough and being a b*tch.” The Trump campaign played the video during Trump’s campaign speech in Bozeman, Montana, on Friday night.

Vice President Kamala Harris greets supporters at a high school in West Allis, Wisconsin, in July. It was her first campaign event as a presidential candidate.

Vice President Kamala Harris, quoting her mother, told a group of newly sworn-in commissioners for a White House initiative for Hispanics that their work on education and economic opportunity would be done in the context of their communities.

It went viral. First, as a criticism of Harris on right-wing social media accounts, including @RNCResearch, the rapid response account of the Republican National Committee. But slowly, then all at once — around the time she became the presumptive Democratic nominee — it was co-opted by her supporters, who remixed and reposted the meme and catapulted Harris onto the “for you page” for TikTok users across the country and globe.

For years as vice president, Harris has been quietly laying the digital groundwork behind the scenes — meeting with young voters, social media influencers and several grassroots organizations. Now, with less than 90 days until the November election, the Harris campaign has made subtle shifts to capitalize on the momentum around her candidacy — and translate her growing social media following into votes.

Since President Joe Biden stepped aside and endorsed his vice president for the Democratic nomination 20 days ago, the Harris campaign’s digital structure and strategy have largely stayed the same, sources say. But there have been subtle shifts to better reflect the younger nominee at the top of the ticket.

The number of plays Harris’ @KamalaHQ TikTok received for its 65 posts in 20 days is more than double what the @BidenHQ’s 335 posts received in roughly five months.

Read more here on Harris’ viral social media posts.

Read more on Harris’ viral social media posts.

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz is pictured at a campaign rally in Philadelphia on August 6.

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz “misspoke” in a newly resurfaced video from 2018 in which he said he handled assault weapons “in war,” a Harris campaign spokesperson told CNN on Saturday.

Walz’s military record has been heavily scrutinized by Republicans, including GOP vice presidential nominee JD Vance, in the days after being tapped as Vice President Kamala Harris’ running mate on Monday. Vance has accused Walz of “stolen valor,” pointing to a video from 2018 circulated by the Harris campaign this week of Walz referring to weapons “that I carried in war” while explaining his support for an assault weapons ban.

“We can make sure those weapons of war, that I carried in war, are only carried in war,” Walz saidin the video.

Lauren Hitt, a Harris campaign spokesperson, said in a statement the governor misspoke in the clip.

“Governor Walz would never insult or undermine any American’s service to this country — in fact, he thanks Senator Vance for putting his life on the line for our country. It’s the American way,” Hitt said in the statement.

Walz served in the Army National Guard for 24 years, most recently in the Minnesota National Guard, before retiring to run for Congress in 2005. He deployed with his unit to Italy in 2003 in support of the US war effort in Afghanistan, but did not deploy to a combat zone as part of his service.

Clarification: The post has been updated to reflect Walz served 24 years total in the Army National Guard, including in the Minnesota National Guard.

Former President Donald Trump attends a campaign rally in Bozeman, Montana, on August 9.

Former President Donald Trump on Friday launched another string of attacks on Vice President Kamala Harris as he continued to pressure her to answer more questions from reporters.

“If you can’t do a press conference, you cannot be president,” Trump said at a campaign rally in Bozeman, Montana.

Trump falsely claimed that Harris was “refusing to debate” him. Harris and Trump have bothagreed to a debate hosted by ABC Newson September 10, and Harris told reporters Thursday she would be “happy” to discuss another debate after that.

Trump also said he didn’t care if he mispronounced Harris’ name and claimed without elaborating that “nobody really knows her last name.”

“Kamala, sometimes referred to as Kamala, you know, she’s got about nine different ways of pronouncing the name. And because the press is so dishonest, no matter how you say it, they’ll say you were wrong. You were wrong. I don’t care if I get it right, actually, I couldn’t care less,” Trump said.

Vice President Kamala Harris speaks during a campaign rally in Glendale, Arizona, on August 9.

Vice President Kamala Harris responded Friday to pro-Palestinian protesters who interrupted her remarks at a rally in Glendale, Arizona, by saying that she and President Joe Biden are “working around the clock” to broker a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas and that “now is the time … to get the hostage deal done.”

As Harris began her remarks, a group of protesters began chanting off to her right. It was unclear to CNN what exactly was being said The crowd initially attempted to drown out the protesters with chants of “U-S-A.” As they continued to interrupt her, Harris stopped her planned remarks to address the protesters, while indicating she could not hear exactly what they were saying.

“We are all in here together, I’m told an extraordinary number of folks who are here together, because we love our country. We’re here to fight for our democracy, which includes respecting the voices that I think that we are hearing from,” she said.

Harris then pivoted back to her prepared remarks, telling the protesters, “I respect your voice, but we are here to now talk about this race in 2024.”

The remark is Harris’ latest rebuff of pro-Palestinian protesters following her terse response to a group of people who interrupted her at a rally in Michigan on Wednesday. “If you want Donald Trump to win, then say that. Otherwise, I’m speaking,” she said to the protesters.

Former Los Angeles city councilman and state Sen. Nate Holden is pictured in Los Angeles on March 3, 2020.

Former Los Angeles city councilman and state Sen. Nate Holden said Fridaythat he was with former President Donald Trump in a helicopter ride that made an emergency landing, despite Trump saying it was former San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown.

Trump told reportersgathered at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida on Thursdaythat he was involved in a helicopter emergency landing with Brown, who has since rejected Trump’s account as “obviously wrong” during a phone call with CNN, adding, “I’ve never been in a helicopter with him in my life.”

Thursday wasn’t the first time Trump referenced the incident as occurring with Brown. In one of Trump’s books, “Letters to Trump,” the former President recalled the event as “a little scary for both of us.” Trump campaign spokesperson Steven Cheung noted that in a post on X Saturday.

Holden said that he was in touch with Trump’s team during the 1990s as they were trying to build on the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles, the district that Holden represented at the time, according to Politico.

With fewer than 90 days until Election Day, here’s where the presidential candidates are expected to be on Saturday:

Former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris.

A set ofNew York Times/Siena College pollsreleased Saturday morning shows a close presidential race with no clear leader in three crucial states — Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin — with signs that Vice President Kamala Harris is improving on President Joe Biden’s standing in each state.

In head-to-head matchups among registered voters, former President Donald Trump takes 48% to Harris’ 45% in Michigan; in Pennsylvania, it’s 49% Harris to 46% Trump; and in Wisconsin, it’s 50% Harris to 46% Trump. There’s a margin of sampling error of 4 percentage points or more for the poll in each state.

Looking at just those considered likely voters showsequally tight head-to-head races in Michigan (Harris 50%, Trump 46%), Pennsylvania (Harris 50%, Trump 46%) and Wisconsin (Harris 50%, Trump 46%).

The numbers in each of the three states mark an improvement for the Democratic ticket compared with NYT/Siena polling testing the race between Biden and Trump earlier this year.

Favorability of the candidates: In combined results from Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, 73% of registered voters say they’re satisfied with their choice of candidates in this year’s election, up from 58% in May, with the share of Democratic voters who say they’re satisfied (87%) now slightly outpacing the share of Republican voters saying the same (79%).

Across the three states, Harris’ favorability rating stands at 48% favorable, and 49% unfavorable among registered voters; Trump is slightly further underwater, with 46% viewing him favorably and 52% unfavorably. Both candidates are described by a majority of voters across states as intelligent and having a clear vision for the country, with voters more likely to see Harris than Trump as honest and having a presidential temperament. Half of voters say that Harris “will bring about the right kind of change,” with 47% saying the same of Trump.

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz attends a campaign rally in Glendale, Arizona, on August 9.

Donald Trump on Friday attacked Tim Walz’sprogressive policiesin the former president’s first campaign rally since the Minnesota governor became Vice President Kamala Harris’ running mate.

At a rally in Bozeman, Montana, Trump highlighted bills that Walz signed that expanded health care coverage for undocumented immigrants in Minnesota and that mandated that schools provide free menstrual products in all restrooms – for both girls and boys – regularly used by students in grades 4 to 12. He criticizedWalz’s handling of the civil unrest that followed the murder of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer in 2020 and pointed to recent remarks the governor made that “one person’s socialism is another person’s neighborliness.”

“But I’m not talking about him, I’m talking about her. This is her ideology, that’s why she picked him,” Trump said of Harris, whom he spent much of his campaign speech attacking.

Trump made a quick reference to the forcefulattacks about Walz’s military servicethat the former president’s running mate, JD Vance, has deployed against the governor all week.

While Montana is reliably red, the state is hosting a pivotal Senate race, with Republicans looking to unseat Democratic Sen. Jon Tester this year. Trump on Friday praised Tester’s GOP opponent,retired Navy SEALTim Sheehy, saying,“His really is valor. It’s valor for heroism award. You know, the other one talks about valor, he has a different kind of a valor, it’s the opposite.”

Background:Vance hasaccused Walz of “stolen valor” for language he used in a 2018 speech advocating an assault weapons ban, which the Harris campaign has included in a video on social media. Walz at the time said he wanted to “make sure that those weapons of war, that I carried in war, is the only place where those weapons are at.” Walz never deployed to Afghanistan or Iraq or a combat zone as part of his service.

Vice President Kamala Harris defended her record on securing the nation’s border, pointing to her experience as California’s attorney general.

“I was attorney general of a border state. I went after the transnational gangs, the drug cartels and human traffickers,” she said at a rally in Arizona on Friday. “I prosecuted them in case after case and I won. So I know what I’m talking about.”

Her comments come as Republicanshave attacked Harris’ stanceon border security.

Harris reiterated her commitment to sign the bipartisan border security bill that failed to pass Congress earlier this year, while accusing former President Donald Trump of pressuring Republicans to vote against the bill to “help him win an election.”

Harris told the thousands gathered at an arena in the Phoenix suburbs she will sign the bill, while calling for immigration reform that includes both “strong border security” and “an earned pathway to citizenship” and drawing a contrast to Trump’s record on immigration.

“Earlier this year, we had a chance to pass the toughest bipartisan bill in decades. But Donald Trump tanked the deal because he thought by doing that it would help him win an election. But when I am president I will sign the bill,” she continued, eliciting loud cheers from the audience.

Former President Donald Trump (L) and Vice President Kamala Harris.

Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign is responding to former President Donald Trump’s stated reasoning for not hitting the campaign trail recently.

Trump said during a news conference at his Mar-a-Lago resort on Thursday thathe hasn’t been campaigning because “I’m leading by a lot and I’m letting their convention go through.”

The latest polls show a tight race ahead of the Democratic National Convention, which starts on August 19.

In a statement, Harris-Walz 2024 spokesperson James Singer said:

“Donald Trump is too lazy to fight for anything but himself or leave his country club – fine by us,” the statement added.