August 11, 2020: Joe Biden has finished interviewing all the finalists for vice presidential nominee. Donald Trump said he will accept the Republican nomination from the White House or Gettysburg.
“Trump goes with Pence because he believes Pence, a former member of Congress, can work with the Washington establishment (and serve as a validator for Trump among that skittish group). Clinton picks Kaine because he is a competent bureaucrat who has spent time in the executive and legislative worlds and who, not for nothing, shares a deep religious faith with her. Romney picks Ryan to help him deal with Congress but also because they are both part of the fiscal-first wing of the GOP. Obama chooses Biden as a trusted Washington hand. Ditto Bush and Cheney. Even McCain’s pick, which was a total disaster in retrospect, was about his affinity for another fellow ‘maverick’ who had stood up to the establishment.
What all of these presidential candidates have realized is that vice presidential picks don’t really get you into the White House. …
To the extent that VP picks matter, it’s in what they can bring once you are already in the office. Biden, for his part, seems to see things through that lens.”
– Chris Cillizza, CNN
Election Updates
The New York Timesreported on Monday that Joe Bidenhad interviewed all the finalists for vice presidential nominee and would likely make an announcement by Wednesday.
More than 100 Black men across politics, entertainment, and academia signed an open letter calling on Biden to select a Black woman as his running mate.
The Democratic National Committee released a schedule and list of speakers for the Democratic National Convention next week. The following speakers will headline each night: Michelle Obama (August 17), Jill Biden (August 18), Barack Obama and the vice presidential nominee (August 19), and Joe Biden (August 20).
Donald Trumpsaid on Monday that he will accept the Republican nomination later this month from the White House or the battlefield in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.
According to an analysis by Axios, traffic to Trump’s presidential campaign website was four times more than traffic to Biden’s from May to July. Nearly 60% of the traffic to Trump’s website came from The Gateway Pundit and Citizen Free Press. Two-thirds of the traffic to Biden’s website came from ActBlue.
Mike Pence will campaign in Arizona on Tuesday with stops in Tucson and Mesa. He will accept an endorsement from the Arizona Police Association and launch an outreach campaign to members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.
Kanye Westpublished his platform, “Creating a Culture of Life,” on his campaign website. He called for restoring prayer in the classroom, reducing household and student loan debt, and restructuring the education system, among other issues.
