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. I’m headed to Milwaukee this weekend ahead of the Republican National Convention. More coverage coming soon.
I was recently asked why “On the Trail 2024″ didn’t include more tips on the best hikes in Utah. (Ha, ha.) Here’s one: Grandeur Peak Trail up Millcreek Canyon. It’s largely shaded and has panoramic views at the top. If you’re looking for something lighter — like I was after a picnic dinner up Millcreek on Wednesday — the Pipeline Trail crosses near Grandeur’s trailhead. It’s flat and picturesque.
3 things to know
- Biden insisted he’s staying in the race during an hour-long press conference Thursday. He spoke about this week’s NATO summit and answered questions about the electability. of Vice President Kamala Harris. “I wouldn’t have picked her unless I thought she was qualified to be president from the very beginning,” he said. Biden still maintained he is the only person who can beat former President Donald Trump. Read more here.
- Calls for Biden to drop out have continued: 10 Democratic House members, one sitting senator and one George Clooney. When I went to Vice President Kamala Harris’ event in Las Vegas on Tuesday, I heard voters question why she isn’t the party’s nominee. “I think Biden should step down and let her have it,” one said. Read more here.
- Ukrainian Pres. Volodymyr Zelenskyy is set to visit Salt Lake City Friday, huddling with governors and other leaders during the National Governors Association summer meeting. At the NATO meetings in Washington this week, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said supporting Ukraine was the defense alliance’s “most urgent task.” Read more here.
The Big Idea
Trump’s return to the spotlight
This week was supposed to be Trump’s week. Yesterday, July 11, was the date scheduled for Trump’s sentencing for his hush money convictions. It was widely expected that Trump would name his vice president this week. And with the Republican National Convention teeing up Monday, the GOP — and Trump, as its flag-bearer — were to take center-stage.
Then, two major events threw the election cycle off the rails. First, the June 27 debate, when Biden’s stumbling performance plunged Democrats into a crisis over the strength of their presumptive nominee. And then, on July 1, the Supreme Court ruled that presidents are immune from prosecution for actions taken in their official capacity as president.
Instead of a Trump-dominated week, the election narrative has taken a sharp turn to the left — to Democrats’ detriment and Trump-fans’ delight. The Supreme Court decision punted Trump’s sentencing date to mid-September, after the date planned for the second debate. Instead of talking about Trump’s convictions, the media cycle is locked into Democratic panic, where each day another prominent Democrat seems to call on Biden to drop out.
Trump, meanwhile, has shown a rare dose of restraint. Instead of announcing his VP pick and stealing the spotlight, he’s remained mum, content with the in-fighting Democrats taking the spotlight. Aside from a rally on Tuesday near his home in Florida, he’s limited his public appearances. And after spending the better part of a year questioning Biden’s stamina and fitness for office, he’s sitting back while the president’s own party continues the conversation.
But some in Trump’s corner now question whether the strategy was too successful. According to a new dive into the Trump campaign by The Atlantic’s Tim Alberta, Trump’s top campaign staff — Chris LaCivita and Susie Wiles — are scared that Democrats might actually do the unthinkable: shelve the very-beatable Biden for a more formidable candidate. “They know their campaign has been engineered in every way — from the voters they target to the viral memes they create — to defeat Biden,” Alberta wrote. “And privately, they are all but praying that he remains their opponent.” (Alberta’s full story is well worth the read.)
Questions about Biden’s fitness aren’t going anywhere. But starting Monday, when the Republican National Convention kicks off in Milwaukee, Trump has no choice but to reenter the spotlight. The Biden team is working desperately to push Trump’s warts back in front of voters — Kamala Harris’ public appearances this week have largely focused on the perils of Project 2025 — and the convention will surely give them more fodder to do so. (The Republican platform, which will go up for a vote next week, is already causing a rift within the party.)
The question is: how will Trump handle it? Will the former president, who exhibits little self-restraint when given a microphone and a camera, allow the Democrats’ internal battles to ride out? Or will his aides — terrified that Democrats will pull the plug and serve them a tougher opponent — encourage a different approach? The answers await in Milwaukee.
Weekend reads
Inside the “divorce divide”: Divorced men are more likely to vote for the thrice-married Trump than any other group, based on gender and marital status: “More than any time in the recent past, American politics is pushing men and women apart rather than bringing them together.” Divorced Men for Trump (Daniel Cox, American Storylines Substack)
Biden needs young voters to turn out. But he faces a host of challenges with Gen Z: they think Biden is too old, many disagree with his stance on Israel-Gaza, and they don’t always turn out in elections. Several youth-run progressive groups are trying to fix that. Their biggest challenge, though, is convincing 20-something-year-olds that an octogenarian should lead the country. “Would it be better if Biden were thirty-five years old? A thousand per cent,” one activist said. “But that’s who we have.” Do Democrats Have a Gen Z Problem? (E. Tommy Kim, The New Yorker)
Democrats have over a month before their national convention. But the Biden campaign is already working to make sure delegates are in line, according to new reporting: “Fearing a floor revolt against his nomination, President Biden’s aides are telephoning individual delegates to next month’s Democratic convention to gauge their loyalty to the president.” Act of Desperation? Biden’s Team Checks Delegates for Loyalty (Jonathan Martin, Politico)
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.