In his response to the war between Israel and Hamas, President Joe Biden “chose not to make himself a wartime president,” writes NBC’s Jonathan Allen. Instead, Biden stressed the United States’ support for Israel, but also urged the country during his recent Oval Office address “not to be blinded by rage.”
Allen writes: “The outbreak of war in the Middle East has presented Biden with a series of balancing acts that carry substantive and political peril: keeping a lid on the Middle East, giving Israel space to pursue Hamas without endangering hostages, pushing a fractured Congress to fund Ukrainian and Israeli war efforts while providing humanitarian assistance for Palestinians, and avoiding actions and rhetoric that further divide his Democratic base.
On the political front, Biden’s strong support for Israel has alienated some Muslim and Arab Americans.
But the White House has been boosting its outreach to these communities, including having Biden’s speechwriter huddle with Arab and Muslim American officials to discuss that Oval Office Address, NBC’s Peter Nicholas, Natasha Korecki, Alex Seitz-Wald and Megan Lebowitz report.
In other campaign news…
House chaos on the campaign trail: Republican presidential candidates “didn’t mince their words when asked about the self-inflicted chaos on Capitol Hill,” writes NBC’s Alex Tabet. The hopefuls voiced their frustration and embarrassment with their party’s leadership battle, per Tabet and his fellow campaign embeds.
Rethinking Trump: Some GOP donors who were hoping to back a candidate other than Trump are now rethinking backing the former president, per NBC’s Matt Dixon, Katherine Doyle, Jonathan Allen and CNBC’s Brian Schwartz.
Dismissing Dean: Rep. Dean Phillips, D-Minn., is expected to launch a presidential bid Friday by filing to run in New Hampshire, and NBC’s Carol E. Lee and Monica Alba and Monica Alba report that Biden been “publicly indifferent and privately dismissive,” including ignoring a call from Phillips three months ago.
Israel and Iowa: The Associated Press details how support for Israel is now a top concern among evangelical voters in Iowa, a key constituency in the GOP primary.
Trump trial: Trump took the stand in the trial for a New York fraud case on Wednesday over his comments about the case despite a partial gag order, and he was ordered to pay a $10,000 fine for violating that order, per NBC’s Adam Reiss, Chloe Atkins and Dareh Gregorian. Trump later stormed out of the courtroom.
On the air: Businessman Vivek Ramaswamy is making his first six-figure TV ad buy in Iowa, reserving $190,000 worth of airtime starting Thursday and running through Nov. 6, per AdImpact.
Tim’s test: Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., traveled to Chicago this week and for the first time addressed a mainly Black audience. NBC’s Nnamdi Egwuonwu writes that Scott received mixed reviews.
Endorsement alert: Mississippi GOP Gov. Tate Reeves endorsed Trump’s 2024 presidential bid on Wednesday, NBC’s Jake Traylor reports. The move came less than two weeks before voters will head to the polls and decide whether to re-elect Reeves, as he faces a Democratic challenger that’s made the race closer than expected. Trump endorsed Reeves when he first ran for governor in 2019, but hasn’t yet weighed in this year.
New maps: North Carolina’s new congressional district map, which the state legislature approved Wednesday, includes 10 solidly Republican districts and three solidly Democratic ones, up from an even split of seven GOP and seven Democratic districts in current maps, Politico reports. After the map was approved Wednesday, former GOP Rep. Mark Walker dropped his bid for governor and opted to run for his old House seat instead.
Early voting continues in the Old Dominion: The Washington Post details Virginia GOP Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s bet that supporting a 15-week statewide limit on abortions could help Republicans win back control of the state Senate and hold onto the General Assembly in upcoming elections. Meanwhile, NBC’s Jane C. Timm examines one county in the state as residents continue early voting months after election conspiracy theories consumed the area.
