Unburdened by his competitors as the far-and-away favorite in the Republican primary race, former President Donald Trump’s biggest vulnerability may be the indictments and investigations he faces. So during a Saturday rally in Erie, Pa., Trump called on the party to rally around him and “fight” back.
He claimed the “biggest complaint that I get” is that Republicans aren’t fighting back against Democrats hard enough.
“Any Republican that doesn’t act on Democrat fraud should be immediately primaried and get out,” per NBC News’ Jacob Traylor.
As he tried to frame the indictments against him as “election interference,” he called them “a great badge of honor.” And he argued that the timing of those indictments was politically motivated to hamper his bid for the White House.
One other note from Traylor: the campaign played the controversial Jason Aldean music video, which prominently features a courthouse that was the site of an infamous lynching in the 1920s, on the stadium screen at the start of the event.
In other campaign news…
How the tables have turned: Trump’s rivals for the GOP nomination may have a tough time convincing voters that Trump is not electable after they have “spent the past two and half years validating or turning a blind eye to Trump’s false claims that he won the 2020 election,” writes NBC News’ Alex Seitz-Wald.
Haley talks about justice: During an interview Sunday with CBS, former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley commented about the new charges Trump faces in the classified documents case by saying “it doesn’t matter if you’re Hillary [Clinton], or if you’re Trump, you shouldn’t be erasing anything unless you have something to hide,” but she sidestepped questions about whether she’d pardon him or whether she trusts the Department of Justice.
Dean’s list: Minnesota Democratic Rep. Dean Phillips is set to meet with donors about a potential presidential primary challenge to Biden, per NBC News’ Scott Wong, Julie Tsirkin and Rebecca Kaplan. Phillips confirmed in a text message to the New York Times that he is weighing a White House bid.
A new target: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has increasingly targeted Vice President Kamala Harris, instead of Biden or Trump, NBC News’ Jonathan Allen reports.
Summer school woes: Florida’s new standards for teaching African American history — and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis — continue to face criticism from prominent Black Republicans, including presidential candidates Will Hurd and Tim Scott. Meanwhile, NBC News’ Janelle Griffith reports that a majority of the group that developed the standards opposed the sections that suggest slavery benefited some people.
Hunter remains the Hunted: The House Oversight Committee is set to hear testimony from Devon Archer, one of Hunter Biden’s business partners, as Archer awaits sentencing after a 2018 conviction in an unrelated case, Politico reports.
Not choosing yet: Some GOP donors are struggling to choose between the Republican field, and an analysis of campaign finance reports found at least 110 donors gave the maximum primary donations to at least two GOP candidates.
Boo-urns: Republicans booed former Texas Rep. Will Hurd as he criticized Trump Friday during the Iowa Republican Party’s Lincoln Dinner, arguing that “Donald Trump is running [for president] to stay out of prison.”
Spanberger going statewide? Democratic Rep. Abigail Spanberger told “multiple people” she is planning to run for governor of Virginia in 2025, per Politico.
