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--:-- John Bickley: This episode is brought to you by Progressive Insurance. Fiscally responsible. Financial geniuses. Monetary magicians. These are things people say about drivers who switch their car insurance to Progressive and save hundreds. Visit Progressive.com to see if you could save. Progressive Casualty Insurance Company and Affiliates. Potential savings will vary. Not available in all states or situations.
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--:-- John Bickley: And in battle, President Biden hosts the annual NATO summit in D.C. Who thought NATO would break? Today, NATO is stronger than it's ever been in its history. How did the president handle his moment on the world stage? I'm Daily Wire editor-in-chief John Bickley with Georgia Howe. It's Wednesday, July 10th, and this is Morning Wire.
--:-- Georgia Howe: House and Senate Democrats hold a closed-door meeting to debate their support of Biden, while GOP leaders want answers on the president's decline. There is no longer any doubt that Joe Biden is unfit to be our commander-in-chief. The cover-up is over and accountability is here.
--:-- John Bickley: And reports are that Trump's VP search has narrowed down to three. We have an exclusive interview with one of the finalists. Republicans are going to have to work on getting the vote out because that's the one thing in the blue states the Democrats do know how to do.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Thanks for waking up with Morning Wire. Stay tuned. We have the news you need to know.
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--:-- Georgia Howe: The United States is hosting the annual summit for NATO this week on the 75th anniversary of the alliance. All eyes were on President Biden Tuesday as he addressed the conference in the biggest event since his disastrous debate performance. Here to talk about the summit and Biden's speech is Daily Wire reporter Tim Pierce. Hey, Tim. So Biden spoke in a pretty high stakes event yesterday. What did he say?
--:-- Tim Pierce: Hey, John. Biden spoke for about 15 minutes and spent most of that time on Ukraine. He began with a brief history of the alliance before saying that terrorist groups continue to cause chaos around the world. He then shifted his aim to Putin. Putin wants nothing less, nothing less than Ukraine's total subjugation to end Ukraine's democracy, destroy Ukraine's culture, and to wipe Ukraine off the map. And we know Putin won't stop at Ukraine. But make no mistake, Ukraine can and will stop Putin.
--:-- John Bickley: Biden really emphasized the fact that it was the support of the U.S. and other NATO allies that allowed Ukraine to fend off Russia thus far. The president then announced what he called a historic donation. The United States, Germany, the Netherlands, Romania, and Italy will provide Ukraine with the equipment for five additional strategic air defense systems. And in the coming months the United States and our partners intend to provide Ukraine with dozens of additional tactical air defense systems.
--:-- Tim Pierce: Now in the buildup to Biden address the buzz was focused on what will the president say but rather will he perform. And that because he's still trying to tamp down dissent in his own party after his debate performance last week.
--:-- John Bickley: Morning Wire spoke to Alaska Republican Senator Dan Sullivan about what kind of message that projects on the world stage. Here's what he said.
--:-- Dan Sullivan: We are in a very dangerous world and weakness is provocative. We know that. We've seen that. It is very important that our adversaries don't think that the American commander-in-chief is asleep at the switch. And after that debate performance, I'm pretty sure that they do think that.
--:-- John Bickley: Sullivan will be meeting with NATO members and others all week on countering America's adversaries. So what's been happening at the conference so far? Well, the issue that captured the headlines is Ukraine, but Senator Sullivan said that in his meetings with officials, he is pushing for a larger view. He said that NATO's overall focus should be about combating authoritarian regimes around the world.
--:-- Tim Pierce: What I have emphasized is that it's this whole issue of the new era of authoritarian aggression led by China and Russia and Iran and North Korea. All of these dictatorships threaten American interests in the interest of our allies. and they're all working together.
--:-- John Bickley: Sullivan talked about two major issues. First, for every NATO country to ramp up defense spending to that 2% benchmark that the alliance demands. And second, using American energy to support U.S. allies. On the second point, Sullivan said President Biden's energy policies have put U.S. allies at risk. They might have to once again reach out to the Russians or to Qatar. And our allies would much rather be able to import LNG from the United States, then Qatar, then Russia.
--:-- Tim Pierce: And our allies would much rather be able to import LNG from the United States, then Qatar, then Russia. And yet they are looking to have to go do that. I've heard directly from our allies on that challenge. So more reports of discontent among our allies.
--:-- John Bickley: Now, Ukraine's President Zelensky is attending this summit, and there's been talk about letting Ukraine into NATO. What's the feel at the summit for that?
--:-- Tim Pierce: Yeah, Zelensky has been pretty aggressively pushing for NATO membership of Ukraine. Here's what Senator Sullivan said.
--:-- Dan Sullivan: The one thing that came out of last year's summit was this big question, well, what about Ukraine and NATO? My own view is that that is way too premature of an issue. And I hope that that is not what he does this time around. I think actually it's a distraction. And unless you have some kind of resolution that will only happen if we as NATO allies are strong, And it's a topic that, in my view, is completely premature and takes our eye off the ball of what needs to happen.
--:-- John Bickley: Now, there are big concerns about what Ukraine in NATO could mean, especially while the war with Russia is still going on. Washington is generally leery about allowing Ukraine into the alliance while it's at war, since that would likely drag the U.S. into the war with Russia directly.
--:-- Tim Pierce: Yeah, and who knows where that would lead.
--:-- John Bickley: Tim, thanks for joining us.
--:-- Tim Pierce: Thanks for having me.
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--:-- John Bickley: As President Biden fights for his political life, Democratic lawmakers met behind closed doors Tuesday for a fierce debate over whether he's still the man for the job. Here with the latest from Washington and former President Trump's response is Daily Wire senior editor Cabot Phillips. So, Cabot, another day of infighting among Democrats. What can you tell us?
--:-- Cabot Phillips: So coming into this week many were predicting the dam would break and we would see lawmakers across the Democratic spectrum turn on Biden publicly but that has not happened While there is still a wave of unrest behind closed doors that could still sink him the number of members who've actually gone on the record calling for his removal still sits in the single digits.
--:-- John Bickley: And more importantly, a number of high-profile party leaders who had been mostly silent on the matter have now come forward to publicly offer their full support. That list includes House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, Senate Leader Chuck Schumer, leaders in the Congressional Black Caucus, and even squad members like Ilhan Omar, Ayanna Pressley, and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Here's AOC speaking outside the Capitol. The matter is closed. Joe Biden is our nominee. He is not leaving this race. He is in this race, and I support him.
--:-- John Bickley: And it's interesting. I've been talking with folks in the know in Washington every day since the saga began, and I have seen a noticeable shift in their thinking. Last week, the overwhelming consensus was that Biden would almost certainly be dropping out. But in recent days, the vibe has shifted. And those same insiders now tell me it's more likely than not that he maintains his grip on the nomination.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Now, that could all change if the president has another meltdown in a press conference or interview, or if the polls take a dramatic turn. But for now, he does appear to have weathered the worst of this storm.
--:-- John Bickley: Well, that is a very important caveat. Anything could happen when you're 81. And that's where yesterday's high-profile meeting comes in. What was the message that we heard from Democrats coming out of that meeting?
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Yeah, on Tuesday, Democratic lawmakers in the House and Senate huddled for closed-door meetings to air out concerns over Biden's standing, but really failed to reach any sort of consensus on what should actually be done. From what we've been told, a few members stood up and made their case to remove him, while a larger number said they were not willing to publicly call for his ouster, but did have deep concerns that his presence on the ticket would drag them down come November.
--:-- John Bickley: But look, Democrat electeds wanting Biden removed are in a tricky spot. First, it's a dangerous game to go on the record with that message. If Biden does stick around and wins, it could end up being exiled by the administration and party leadership. I'm also hearing that some members fear if they go public, it could make President Biden more likely to stick around, fueling his desire to once again prove wrong the doubters in his own party.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: And while the majority of Democratic lawmakers, at least privately, seem to want him gone, it's still not clear that their base agrees. A new YouGov poll of Democrat voters, for example, found that 47 percent want him to remain the nominee, while just 32 percent say they would prefer Kamala Harris.
--:-- John Bickley: Now, let's get to President Trump. He hit the campaign trail for the first time in a few weeks just last night.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Yeah, this was Trump's first public appearance actually since the day after the debate. For obvious reasons, he's been content to lay low as the Democratic Civil War rages. flanked by VP contender Marco Rubio. Trump took the stage in his home state of Florida and quickly took aim at President Biden. Pilots walk into the White House. He says he used to fly planes. He didn't. When truckers come in, he says he used to drive a truck. He didn't. When Jewish people are here, he always attended synagogues, he said. When black people come, he spent his Sundays in black churches. All of it's false. all of it's fake. He's a fake.
--:-- John Bickley: Now, we talked yesterday about how Trump and his allies have, to this point, refrained from spending much money on TV ads, preferring to save up for the final stretch. Well, that is about to change. According to reports, a large pro-Trump super PAC will this month launch a $60 million effort hammering the airwaves in Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin. That is five times more than Republicans spent in every battleground state combined last month From what we heard so far those ads will focus largely on President Biden mental fitness Expect to see more than a few clips from that disastrous debate Right that debate will be very hard for him to live down.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Cabot, thanks for reporting.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Anytime.
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--:-- John Bickley: Reports are in that former President Donald Trump's search for a running mate has been narrowed down to three names. And if Trump has his way, we're not going to find out who he's picked until the convention. Here with more is Daily Wire editor Brent Schur. So, Brent, who are the three?
--:-- Brent Schur: Yeah, hi, Georgia. The veep stakes seem to have been narrowed down to senators Marco Rubio, J.D. Vance, and North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum. But there's really no telling at this point between the three, who have all been very tight-lipped about the whole process.
--:-- John Bickley: Trump said last night that an announcement could come any day. Probably a little before the convention, but not much. It could even be during the convention that we do it. I'd love to do it during the convention. I think would be a very interesting buildup and important for the convention.
--:-- Brent Schur: So I spoke with Burgum this week, and he wasn't giving anything away. I asked if he'd started working on a convention speech. I have not spent any time working on a speech, but we're continuing to make sure that President Trump is in the best position to win in November. We're doing that every day.
--:-- John Bickley: Burgum did have insights, however, on the plans for convention week. He said we shouldn't expect speeches to be filled with red meat for the base of voters that will be in the building, but rather for it to showcase the common sense politics that can sway voters who are considering ditching Joe Biden after his debate performance.
--:-- Brent Schur: He's got to talk to the people around the country to love him, but he's going to be talking to people that maybe haven't heard or seen him for a while. And if they're only hearing what they learned about him on, you know, certain cable channels, they were like, hey, I was really surprised. President Trump was really in command. So I think that you're going to see more of what you saw at the debate from President Trump at the convention.
--:-- John Bickley: I specifically asked Burgum about how he thinks Trump is handling the debate fallout. I think President Trump, after that knockout performance, is just brilliantly letting all the chaos reign. I think it's very smart of him to let them kind of fester in their own mess that they created.
--:-- Brent Schur: Burgum says there's a whole new campaign strategy after the debate, with Republicans expanding the map to the so-called Blue Wall of States, where cracks could be deadly for Biden in November. Republicans are on the offense in states like Virginia, Minnesota, and Wisconsin, where the Republican National Convention will be next week.
--:-- John Bickley: I think the Blue Wall is crumbling, and I think we're seeing it shift right underneath the Democrats' feet. If you spent every day campaigning in rural Wisconsin, rural Minnesota, rural Michigan, all you would see is Trump flags. Talk to people, veterans, police, everybody that are all behind President Trump. And then you get into the large metro areas, Minneapolis, St. Paul, the Madison, Milwaukee, Detroit. And that's where you're going to see blue. And the wall is the suburban communities around those blue cities. That's where the wall is collapsing because that's where you've seen inner city crime move to the suburbs. That's where you see people that are in the suburbs struggling. And Republicans, we can win in these states, but we've got to execute between now and November.
--:-- Brent Schur: Well, a lot of anticipation to see who the pick is going to be.
--:-- John Bickley: Brent, thanks for reporting.
--:-- Brent Schur: Yeah, of course. Thank you for listening this morning. We created this show to bring more balance to the national conversation. If you love our show and stand with that mission, consider subscribing, giving us a five-star rating, and most importantly, sharing our podcast with a friend. Thanks for waking up with us. We'll be back later this afternoon with more news you need to know.
