Trump v Biden latest: White House denies president’s family discussing ‘exit plan’ – as team insists he’s ‘in it to win it’

Key points

White House denies Biden family discussing ‘exit plan’Biden ‘in it to win it’ and plans to return to campaign trail next week’God was on my side’: Trump describes assassination attemptTrump abandons unity theme to launch attacks on Biden administration
Analysis: Some looked like they were under a spellBiden ‘close’ to abandoning presidential bid|Obama has ‘concerns’ with Biden’s ability to remain in officeLive reporting by Brad Young

14:36:45 Biden ‘in it to win it’ and plans to return to campaign trail next week

Joe Biden will return to the campaign trail next week, his team have said.

This will come after he finishes isolating from mild COVID symptoms, campaign chairwoman Jen O’Malley Dillon said.

“He is absolutely in it,” she told MSNBC in an interview. 

And in a new memo obtained by our US partner network NBC News, the Biden campaign is insisting the president will remain at the top of the ticket in November.

Battleground states director Dan Kanninen said he won’t “sugar coat the state of the race: we have our work cut out for us to win this November”, but he underscored what Biden has said repeatedly since his poor debate performance – that he is “in it to win it.”

“He’s the presumptive nominee, there is no plan for an alternative nominee. In a few short weeks, Joe Biden will be the official nominee.

“It is high past time we stop fighting one another. The only person who wins when we fight is Donald Trump.”

Mr Kanninen said that despite intense media coverage on Democratic divisions, voters are prioritising issues like women’s rights and Project 2025.

14:34:43 White House denies Biden family discussing ‘exit plan’

The White House has denied reports that members of Joe Biden’s family have discussed what an exit plan might look like.

Two people familiar with the discussions told our US partner network NBC News that his family believe any plan should be carefully calculated, on his own time, and involve putting the party in the best position to beat Donald Trump.

The alternative must be worthy of the 50 years Mr Biden has served in elected office, they said.

The impact of the campaign on his health, family and the stability of the country are at the forefront of the discussions, NBC reported.

But White House spokesman Andrew Bates denied that any such discussions are happening.

“That is not happening, period. The individuals making those claims are not speaking for his family or his team — and they will be proven wrong. Keep the faith.”

Pressure has been mounting on the president to pull out of the race, with Barack Obama and former House speaker Nancy Pelosi the biggest names reportedly expressing concerns about his bid.

More than 20 Democrats have called on the president to reconsider running, while one poll showed four alternative Democrats outpaced him by five points in seven key swing states.

But the Biden campaign and the man himself have remained publicly defiant.

14:23:52 Good afternoon

Welcome back to our live coverage of the US election, after Donald Trump formally accepted the Republican nomination for president.

In what was the longest speech in convention history, Mr Trump told supporters he had “God on his side” when he narrowly survived an assassination attempt on Saturday.

“The amazing thing is that prior to the shot, if I had not moved my head at the very last instant, the assassin’s bullet would have perfectly hit its mark, and I would not be here tonight,” he said.

While the former president began his remarks by saying he was “running to be president for all of America, not half of America”, he quickly abandoned the unity theme advertised by his campaign staff, telling the audience Mr Biden’s leadership would lead to “World War Three”, attacking Nancy Pelosi, and describing what he called an “invasion” of migrants over the Mexican border.

As he concluded, his family and that of his running mate, Senator JD Vance, walked on stage as balloons dropped from the ceiling.

Among them was Mr Trump’s wife Melania, who is rarely seen on the campaign trail.

Before we resume updates and analysis on the fallout of the Republican National Convention – and track Joe Biden’s troubled campaign – here is a recap of the other key developments over the last 24 hours.

Barack Obama was reportedly said to have “concerns” about Joe Biden’s viability as a candidate;Former House speaker Nancy Pelosi – one of the most influential Democrats in Washington – told some House colleagues Mr Biden could soon be convinced to leave the race and is “getting close” to that decision, the Washington Post reported;Mr Biden was 80% likely to step down as Democrat candidate, according to oddsmakers;
Democratic politicians Jamie Raskin and Jon Tester added their voices to the more than 20 party members calling on the president to reconsider his re-election bid;

10:14:11 Goodbye – for now

We are pausing our coverage but will return later. 

Some of the main developments you can find below are:

Donald Trump said he would unite the country and “win, win, win” in his first speech since his attempted assassination last Saturday;He discussed the attempt on his life, saying God was on his side and that “he shouldn’t be here”. He added that he would not speak about Saturday’s events again; He began with a softer tone than we’ve come to expect, but quickly went off script to attack Democrats including Nancy Pelosi; Regarding the Democrats, Barack Obama is reportedly said to have “concerns” about Joe Biden’s ability to remain “at the top of the ticket”, our partner network NBC reported;Meanwhile, former House speaker Nancy Pelosi reportedly told some House Democrats that Mr Biden could soon be convinced to leave the presidential race and is “getting close” to taking that decision, the Washington Post reported;Our US correspondent, Martha Kelner, has sent a detailed eyewitness report from the Republican convention, giving a flavour of an emotional night in Milwaukee.

And here is a round-up of all the main developments:

09:21:42 Melania and Ivanka Trump make rare public appearances

Donald Trump’s wife and daughter – Melania and Ivanka – were both at the Republican National Convention, making rare public appearances.

Both have largely steered clear of the campaign trail this year – after playing a more active role in 2016 and 2020.

The day after the assassination attempt against Mr Trump, his wife issued a statement calling on Americans to “ascend above hate, the vitriol, and the simple-minded ideas that ignite violence”.

Mr Trump told the crowd, to extended applause: “On this journey, I am deeply honoured to be joined by my amazing wife, Melania.

“And Melania, thank you very much.”

He also said she “did something really beautiful” when she wrote her statement pleading for unity.

While Melania did not speak at the convention, Mr Trump’s 17-year-old granddaughter, Kai Trump, called him “just a normal grandfather”.

08:52:28 ‘He’s at least making coherent sentences’: Voters welcome Trump change in tone

Some US voters have welcomed a change in tone from Donald Trump.

“He’s much improved,” said Dave Struthers, 57, a farmer from Iowa.

“It’s more of a conversation with the American people, rather than yelling at them.”

Erich Hazen, who teaches art in Milwaukee, describes himself as a Democrat who supports abortion and LGBT rights – but is considering voting for Mr Trump in November

“I feel like he’s calmed things down a bit more,” Mr Hazen said. 

“Now that he’s a little more reserved, it’s making me feel more comfortable.”

He added: “I’m not normally undecided, so this is a little bit strange for me.

“But what I’ve seen from the other side hasn’t been impressive at all. 

“He’s at least making coherent sentences.”

Liam Stanton, 29, who describes himself as a Bernie Sanders supporter who has voted Republican previously, said he feels increasingly out of place in America’s two-party system and said both parties are “pathetic”.

Nevertheless, speaking in the Republican convention’s secure zone, he said that despite agreeing with the Democratic Party’s “pro-immigrant views”, he plans to vote for Mr Trump. 

He described President Biden as “incoherent” and out of touch.

08:25:01 Long-read: Same old Trump bleeds through after soft tone evaporates

By Martha Kelner, US correspondent 

Over four days of this convention, he has borne the air of a softer, more benign Donald Trump than the one we are used to, comfortable in the certainty of a “great love in the room”, as he put it.

It’s a fair assessment of the mood inside Milwaukee’s Fiserv Forum. His experience has altered the dynamic with his audience.

They listened in absolute silence, between bursts of applause, to Trump’s first-hand account of the assassination attempt.

It was a compelling tale from a man who had been a quarter of an inch from death.

“It was a warm, beautiful day in the early evening in Butler township in the great commonwealth of Pennsylvania,” he recalled, before slowly and deliberately detailing how a bullet pierced the upper part of his right ear and he dived to the floor.

Trump has always inspired a cult like devotion in his followers but this week it has been elevated to reverence and awe.

As he detailed “blood pouring from everywhere” and secret service tackling him to the ground, some delegates wiped away tears and others held their arms up in prayer as if in a gospel church service.

“In a certain way, I felt very safe, because I had God on my side,” Trump said. Inside the arena, it felt almost religious.

“I’m not supposed to be here tonight,” he said. “Yes you are,” they chanted back at him. It was a support and a synergy and it sounded unstoppable.

On the politics, he declared: “I am running to be president for all of America, not half of America, because there is no victory in winning for half of America.” It was a line from a Republican nominee who has spoken of unity.

It has been the theme of this four-day convention. Donald Trump said he had ripped up his original speech, which he described as a “rip-roarer”, to make way for a less angry and more conciliatory offering.

If it began that way, it evolved into the campaigning Donald Trump of old.

In a speech as long as a feature film, Mr Trump made room to call on Democrats to stop “weaponising” the justice system and complained about a “partisan witch hunt” against him.

He also went off script to attack “crazy Nancy Pelosi”, the former house speaker whose office was targeted during the January 6th storming of the Capitol and whose elderly husband was the victim of a politically-motivated hammer attack two years ago.

The word from his campaign was that he would not mention Joe Biden by name but he clearly couldn’t resist. “I’m only going to use the term once,” he said, before duly repeating it.

It certainly felt more divisive than unifying in tone. There was the familiar rallying cry of election fraud and talk of an “invasion” of migrants. This was the “them versus us” Donald Trump.

This speech did mark the re-emergence from obscurity of Mr Trump’s wife Melania, dressed in Republican red.

She hasn’t been seen publicly alongside her husband for months. In fact, she has been keeping such a low profile that one of the country’s leading newspapers superimposed her face onto a “Where’s Wally?” illustration.

“Missing Melania” car bumper stickers were sold online, and a plane flew over an American university football game, trailing a banner that read: “Where’s Melania?”

Donald Trump pointed at Melania, sitting in the family box. “My Amazing wife,” he said, as she smiled demurely.

She provided a brief glimpse of femininity in an evening which emphasised the macho culture of the MAGA movement.

There was a speech from the veteran wrestler Hulk Hogan, fired from World Wrestling Entertainment after tapes revealed him ranting about his daughter sleeping with a black man and liberally using the “N” word.

He ripped open his shirt to reveal a Trump/Vance vest and ear splitting cheers from the audience.

Trump’s warm up act was Kid Rock, who caused controversy recently for waving a gun at a reporter, and also using the “N” word during a Rolling Stone interview.

He led the crowd in a chant of “fight, fight, fight,” which has become the anthem of this convention.

Trump finished his speech with a promise to his devotees that “America’s future will be bigger, better, bolder, brighter, happier, stronger, freer, greater and more united than ever before”.

Cue the balloon drop and the Republican convention finished with a splash of red, white, blue and gold.

This convention has been a celebration for Republicans – a party united, ahead in the polls and watching their Democratic opponents in disarray.

They were in no doubt that they were watching America’s next president deliver his keynote address, even if they’d heard the notes before.

If it was a different Donald Trump at the start of the evening, it sounded similar to the old Donald by night’s end. 

Same messenger, same message.

07:50:01 Bandaged ear sported by supporters

As we’ve seen throughout the week, Donald Trump supporters have been sporting copycat versions of the former president’s bandage on their right ears.

Mr Trump has been wearing the bandage throughout the Republican National Convention after surviving an attempt on his life on Saturday, which saw a bullet graze his ear. 

07:31:01 Silence and tears in the room as Trump recalls near-death experience

By Yalda Hakim, lead world news presenter

Donald Trump, always the showman, was never going to wrap up his speech at the Republican National Convention quickly.

After all, it was his first major address since he escaped an assassin’s bullet at a rally in Pennsylvania, only days earlier.

Watch: How Trump attack unfolded – all the angles

In the end, he spoke for 90 minutes, making it the longest convention speech of a party nominee in modern American history.

Party faithful and Trump loyalists, including legendary wrestler Hulk Hogan, expressed their adulation for the man they see as their leader and the only person who can lead them to victory in November.

As he recalled his near-death experience, there was silence in the room. 

You could hear a pin drop – there were even tears.

“I’m not supposed to be here tonight,” Mr Trump said. “Yes you are” they chanted back.

We were told Mr Trump tore up his original speech following the assassination attempt and wanted to focus on unity. He lowered his tone, speaking slowly, he said he wanted to be a president for all America, not just half of it.

And while, I’ve continued to hear all week that coming close to death changes people, including from Trump’s son, Eric Trump – I was curious to see if this experience had in fact changed the former president in any way.

Over the 1.5 hour speech, we saw different versions of Donald Trump, including the one who rambles and attacks his opponents, not missing the opportunity to describe Nancy Pelosi as “crazy Nancy”.

What is clear is American politics is the most extraordinary drama on earth – and we still have three months left before the election.

07:15:09 Biden more than 80% likely to step down, oddsmakers say – after string of reports indicate he will quit race

Joe Biden is overwhelmingly likely to step down as Democrat candidate for the presidency, according to oddsmakers. 

Polymarket, which says it is the world’s largest prediction market, had the president at 84% likely to step down at the time of writing. 

The site works by allowing users to buy shares that represent the probability of an event occurring.

Barely two days ago, at 1pm on 17 July, Polymarket had him as 34% likely to drop out. 

This comes after widespread reports yesterday which suggested the president may withdraw from the race.

Mr Biden could be convinced soon to withdraw, former House speaker Nancy Pelosi told some Democrats yesterday, according to the Washington Post. 

We also heard that Barack Obama has “concerns” with Mr Biden’s ability to remain “at the top of the ticket”. 

One source told the New York Times that “reality is setting in” for the president –  and it would not be a surprise if he endorsed Kamala Harris as his replacement.

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