Welcome to the online version of From the Political Bureauan evening newsletter featuring the latest reporting and analysis from the NBC News Politics team from the campaign trail, the White House and Capitol Hill.
In today’s edition, we report on the final stages of the search for Donald Trump’s vice president. Plus, Chief White House Correspondent Peter Alexander looks back on the final debate between Trump and Joe Biden — more than 1,300 days ago — for clues on what’s next.
Sign up here to receive this newsletter in your inbox every weekday.
Trump focuses on its VP finalists
By Henry J. Gomez, Jonathan Allen, Dasha Burns, Carol E. Lee, Matt Dixon and Olympia Sonnier
Former President Donald Trump’s search for a running mate has identified two top finalists: North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum and Ohio Senator JD Vance.
In interviews with NBC News, more than a dozen sources involved in the process described an intensifying debate over the strengths and weaknesses each candidate would bring.
A third potential candidate, Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida, remains in contention, sources said. But doubts about his enthusiasm for the job and concerns about navigating a constitutional roadblock that would require Trump or Rubio to establish residency in another state have persisted in ways that could jeopardize his chances.
Do you have a news tip? Let us know
Trump has said publicly that he expects to announce his choice closer to or during the Republican National Convention, which begins July 15 in Milwaukee. But three sources familiar with discussions said timing remains a subject of discussion.
One option is for Trump to announce days earlier — immediately after his July 11 conviction on 34 felonies — in an effort to quickly move past a damaging news cycle.
However, a source said the pick could also come before the conviction, in an effort to generate a fundraising windfall separate from Trump’s conviction or the convention, which his allies expect to generate significant donations. Another source said this scenario was unlikely, fearing his legal troubles would quickly drown out news from his running mate reveal.
The campaign’s VP deliberations are closely guarded and could move abruptly in other directions given Trump’s love of the element of surprise.
Internally, a key point of tension and indecision is the balance between the desire for a running mate who is non-threatening and the desire for someone who could also be seen as the future of Trump’s movement, according to a source familiar with the search . That tension, the source added, continues throughout the campaign, including with Trump.
Read more about Trump’s VP search →
What we learned from the last Biden-Trump debate
By Peter Alexander
It’s been more than 1,300 days since the last debate between Joe Biden and Donald Trump – and the last time both men appeared on a debate stage.
Usually, it is the sitting president who faces a disadvantage in general election debates because he is not used to being attacked face-to-face.
But both Biden and Trump face the same challenge ahead of Thursday’s showdown in Atlanta: Neither has debated in four years, though both have had extensive experience in primary and general election debates over the past two decades (2008, 2012 and 2020 for Biden 2016). and 2020 for Trump).
So what did we learn from that last debate, moderated by my colleague Kristen Welker, on October 22, 2020?
1. Covid dominated: It has become easy to forget as it has now disappeared as a national storyline, but the topic of Covid dominated the opening minutes of that debate – given the deaths, hospitalizations and the coming vaccine.
“We have a vaccine coming, it’s ready. It will be announced and delivered within a few weeks. We have Operation Warp Speed, where the military is going to distribute the vaccine,” Trump said in his opening statement.
Biden countered: “220,000 Americans dead. If you hear nothing else I say tonight, hear this: Anyone who is responsible for not taking control – in fact… and initially says, “I don’t take responsibility” – anyone responsible for so many deaths, should not remain President of the United States of America.”
2. It was more civilized than the first: The first debate of 2020 – moderated by Chris Wallace, then of Fox News – was full of interruptions and insults.
But the second was much more civilized. One reason why: The Commission on Presidential Debates muted the candidates’ microphones during the two-minute opening statement for each issue section. (Another reason why: Welker did masterful moderation.)
Although the microphones were opened again after the opening speech, the candidates largely did not interrupt each other. And now that the microphones have been turned off for the candidate who doesn’t speak at the upcoming debate, that second debate in 2020 could be a preview of what we could see Thursday night.
“I want to open the schools,” Trump said in response to a question about whether schools should be open during the coronavirus pandemic. “We have to open up our country. You know, I’ve said it many times: the cure can’t be worse than the problem itself, and that’s what happens, and [Biden] want to close. He will shut down the country if one person… in our vast bureaucracy says we should shut it down.”
Asked for his answer, Biden said: “Simply not true. We can walk and chew gum at the same time. We should be able to open safely, but they need resources to open.”
3. Biden consistently tried to lure Trump: Biden took numerous opportunities to get under Trump’s shoes — just as Hillary Clinton did in the 2016 debates.
“This is the same guy who told you last time that this will end at Easter. This [is] the same guy who told you that, don’t worry, we’re going to end this by the summer,” Biden said of Covid.
And here was Biden on Trump’s taxes: “You haven’t released a single year of your tax returns. What are you hiding? Why do not you want?”
4. When attacked, Trump struck back: And every time Biden challenged Trump, the then-president hit back.
“I mean, your brother made millions of dollars in Iraq. Your other brother made a fortune, and it’s all because of you, Joe. And they say you get something out of it. And you live very well. There are houses everywhere. You live very well,” Trump said during the discussion about taxes.
And here was Trump’s response when Biden attacked him for his handling of Covid: Biden “had the H1N1 swine flu, and it was a total disaster. Much less deadly. But it turned out to be a total disaster.”
That’s all from The Politics Desk for now. If you have any feedback – like it or not – please email us at politicsnieuwsbrief@nbcuni.com
And if you’re a fan, share it with everyone and anyone. They can register here.
This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
