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President Biden heads to Israel Wednesday as the war is also colliding with the campaign trail at home.
On Tuesday, the White House called out former President Donald Trump’s recent pledge to expand his ban on immigrants from some countries, including Gaza. White House spokesman Andrew Bates said, “It is revolting and dangerous to tear people apart right now with cruel poison that undermines our basic values as Americans.”
Trump’s rivals have also been staking out positions on potential Gaza refugees, with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis clashing with former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley. The pro-DeSantis super PAC Never Back Down is launching a TV ad targeting Haley on the issue, The Messenger reports.
The 30-second spot features footage from DeSantis’ interview with NBC News’ Dasha Burns, where he criticizes Haley for “trying to be politically correct.”
As Republicans focus on Palestinian refugees, NBC News’ Julia Ainsley reports that it is already difficult for Palestinians to come to the U.S, writing that “the Biden administration has no plans to change the status quo.”
So how are voters feeling about the conflict? A new Quinnipiac University poll finds registered voters in both parties support sending weapons and military equipment to Israel, and believe supporting Israel is in the United States’ national interest.
In other campaign news…
Trump trials: Trump was back in New York court on Tuesday to watch the proceedings in the civil fraud trial involving the former president and his company. And in the federal election interference case, Trump’s attorneys are appealing a partial gag order barring Trump from publicly discussing witnesses, court staff and the prosecutors.
DeSantis’ donor problem: Politico unpacks a major problem facing the DeSantis campaign: most of the funds he raised so far come from donors who have given the maximum contribution for the primary.
Will he or won’t he: As Virginia GOP Gov. Glenn Youngkin hosts a donor retreat this week who may want to find an alternative to Trump, it’s becoming increasingly difficult for Youngkin to mount a last-minute run for the White House as he faces “logistical campaign difficulties, ballot access hurdles and … skepticism from some Republican voters,” per the Associated Press.
Door No. 3: NBC’s Chuck Todd details a possible path for a third party presidential candidate, noting it involves “someone in our current political class who can channel both Samuel L. Jackson in ‘Snakes on a Plane’ and George Washington.” And Todd writes that retired Navy Adm. William McRaven is “facing an active effort to at least consider a third-party bid.”
“So freaking boring”: In a GOP primary dominated by former President Donald Trump, voters in key early states lament the decline in retail politics, Politico reports.
A new landscape: In the first Mississippi gubernatorial election since two 1890 election laws were cast aside, Black voters in the state could have outsized power in electing their next governor, per the New York Times.
She’s not running: Rep. Debbie Lesko, R-Ariz., won’t seek re-election to a fourth term, NBC’s Rebecca Shabad reports.