Happening this Thursday: Biden and Xi meet, finding limited common ground on AI and fentanyl… Biden, in news conference, says Israel-Hamas war will stop “when Hamas no longer maintains the capacity to murder … and just do horrific things”… Senate passes short-term bill to avert government shutdown, sending it to president’s desk… Two new national polls (Fox, Quinnipiac) show Donald Trump narrowly ahead of Biden… And police and pro-Palestinian demonstrators clash at DNC headquarters.
But FIRST… Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., had plenty to say about President Joe Biden, about former President Donald Trump and about a possible independent presidential bid in his interview with NBC’s Kristen Welker on Wednesday.
On Trump: “I’m totally, absolutely scared to death that Donald Trump would become president again. I think we will lose democracy as we know it. And my reason for saying that, you can’t normalize this visceral hatred, calling people names and attacking people. You can’t basically think the only fair election is the one you win. And the only laws pertain to everybody but you. That’s not the country we are.”
On Biden: “I’m afraid that Joe Biden’s been pushed too far to the left. Can he come back? We’ll see. But the bottom line is that’s not the Joe Biden that we thought was being elected, to go that far left.”
On whether he’s considering an independent run for president: “I will do anything I can to help my country. And you’re saying, does that mean you would consider? Absolutely. Every American should consider if they’re in a position to help save the country. I think we’re on the wrong course. So I will do everything possible.”
On his deadline for making a decision: “People are saying, ‘Listen, Super Tuesday come and we have what we have? And has anybody moved or changed their position? Has anybody become more civil or more moderate or more centrist?’ Then you make a decision then.”
And on whether Biden and Vice President Harris represent the strongest ticket for the Democratic Party in 2024: “Not in the centrist part, no, I don’t. And they know how I feel. This is not — I do not believe that they are basically where Joe Biden has come from, and just go back to the campaign. He’s been here for long, he understands the system. And I think he’s a good man. And we have good conversations. We just disagree. ‘You’re going too far left. I can’t go there.’”
Headline of the day
The number of the day is … 87
That’s how many senators voted in favor of a stopgap funding bill Wednesday night, averting a government shutdown, NBC’s Scott Wong and Kate Santaliz report.
Just 10 Republicans and one Democrat — Sen. Michael Bennet of Colorado — voted against the bill, which passed the House on Tuesday. President Joe Biden is expected to sign the bill by Friday night, which is the deadline to fund the government.
House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., pushed the stopgap measure, which ensures funding for different parts of the government through Jan. 19 or Feb. 2, punting further votes on funding the government until after the holidays.
Eyes on 2024: New Hampshire primary set in stone
The New Hampshire primary is officially set for Jan. 23, Secretary of State David Scanlan announced on Wednesday. The announcement also means the state is officially bucking the Democratic National Committee’s efforts to move the state back in the primary calendar.
The move was not a surprise — state law stipulates that the primary must be held at least one week before other states’ primaries. And the GOP-controlled state government was not inclined to change state law to comply with the DNC’s new calendar.
As a result, Biden’s name will not appear on the primary ballot and the state could lose delegates at the national convention.
But Biden’s supporters are organizing a campaign to write in Biden’s name on the primary ballot, NBC’s Mike Memoli, Nnamdi Egwuonwu and Emma Barnett report from the Granite State. The effort is in part to test organizing ahead of the 2024 election. Even though New Hampshire has broken for Democrats in the last few general-election presidential contests, the race can still be close. And the state is hosting a competitive gubernatorial race next year.
“This is really about making sure that we have the foundation built so that in November we can carry New Hampshire and get those four electoral votes,” Jim Demers, one of the leaders of the write-in campaign, told NBC News. “A really good, strong showing by the president is critical.”
In other campaign news …
GOP rhetoric: Republican presidential hopefuls have increasingly deployed violent rhetoric in their campaigns, NBC’s Jonathan Allen, Matt Dixon, Allan Smith and Natasha Korecki report.
Biden vs. Trump: President Joe Biden Biden sharply criticized Trump’s recent comments describing his political opponents as “vermin” that he would “root out.” Biden said at a Tuesday night fundraiser that Trump’s language “echoes language you heard in Nazi Germany in the ‘30s.”
Ramaswamy vs. RNC: NBC’s Katherine Koretski explores entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy’s recent clashes with Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel. And Politico reports that “party insiders” expect McDaniel to outlast recent calls for her to step down following another disappointing election for Republicans last week.
Staying in: Former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson had said he would re-evaluate his struggling presidential campaign around Thanksgiving, but he told NBC’s Jillian Frankel that he is not planning to drop out. Citing the Israel-Hamas war, Hutchinson said, “There’s a greater need for me to be in this race for president now than even 30 days ago.”
Staffing up: Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s nonprofit is building up its staff amid speculation that Pritzker could run for president in the future, per NBC’s Natasha Korecki.
She’s running: New Jersey first lady Tammy Murphy announced a primary campaign against embattled Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., on Wednesday. Politico reports that Murphy drew almost immediate criticism from Menendez and Rep. Andy Kim, D-N.J., who announced his primary challenge earlier this year.
A peek under the hood: The 1630 Fund, a left-leaning group, spent $196 million in dark money last year backing Democrats and state ballot measures on abortion rights, according to a new tax filing, NBC News’ Scott Bland reports.
Asking for defensive help: Progressive Democrats who have condemned Israel are asking Democratic Majority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee Chair Rep. Susan DelBene, D-Wash., to do more to protect them from primary challenges by pro-Israel Democrats, Politico reports.
ICYMI: What ELSE is happening in the world
In a court filing Wednesday, President Biden’s son, Hunter, asked the judge presiding over his gun case to subpoena former President Trump and several officials who served in the Justice Department under his administration.
Nevada’s attorney general is investigating the state’s 2020 false electors, a group of “Republicans who supported Donald Trump and purported to be their states’ rightful electors,” even though Biden won Nevada, NBC’s Natasha Korecki reports.
