Meet the Press NOW — July 18

Welcome to a special edition of Meet the Press Now live for the fourth and most anticipated day of the 2024 Republican National Convention. I am Chris and welcome right here in Milwaukee at a truly extraordinary moment in American politics. In a few short hours, former President Trump will take the stage to accept his party's nomination, speaking publicly for the first time since surviving an assassination attempt. And as we are waiting to hear from the former president, we're also waiting to see what President Biden will do.

NBC News reporting that even some of President Biden's most defiant supporters now believe the president will step aside and not run for reelection. But here in Milwaukee, right now where they are doing a sound check on the stage behind me, the star-spangled banner, the former president says he has rewritten his speech tonight in the wake of the shooting as a call for unity. Now while he hasn't spoken publicly at all since the incident, Mr. Trump did address his near-death experience at a private RNC event yesterday, part of which was filmed by an attendee.

The guy who's with me, I can't help. When he comes to this call, that was an amazing, horrible thing, amazing thing, in many ways it changes your attitude, your viewpoint, your life. Now given the circumstances tonight may be one of the most closely watched, highly anticipated, and frankly, highly scrutinized speeches Donald Trump has ever delivered, the Trump campaign says the former president personally wrote or dictated his remarks for this evening. It comes after his vice presidential pick, JD Vance introduced himself to the country last night, leaving him to his difficult upbringing as he accepted the nomination.

I officially accept your nomination to be vice president of the United States of America. President Trump represents America's last best hope to restore what, if lost, may never be found again. A country where a working-class boy born far from the halls of power can stand on this stage as the next vice president of the United States of America. Meanwhile, a bad stretch of news for President Biden and his campaign has gotten even worse after President Biden tested positive for COVID, forcing him to return to Delaware to isolate at his rocobeth beach home at this critical time in the race, and his more Democrats urge him to withdraw from the race.

Publicly, President Biden has been defiant, but in a new interview, he did speak about one scenario that could change his mind. So it has some medical condition that emerged. If somebody, if the doctors came in and said, you got this problem, that problem. Look, look, I'm only three years older than Trump, okay?

And I think I'm a little better physical shape than he is. Now, COVID is just the latest setback for a beleaguered Biden campaign. Publicly, 20 Democrats now say he should withdraw amid concerns over his fitness for office and his ability to beat Donald Trump. Privately, sources tell NBC News Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer had a quote, blunt conversation with the president about the state of the race, and the Associated Press Report's former speaker, Nancy Pelosi, is making the case to Mr.

Biden that polls show he can not win. Well, let's get right to it. Folt on a very busy Thursday. NBC's Garrett Hake is right here in Milwaukee on the convention floor.

Gabe Gutierrez is with President Biden in Delaware, where he is resting and getting better, and Ali Vitale is on Capitol Hill. Garrett, I want to start with you. The campaign saying President Trump has personally rewritten this speech himself or dictated it to aides who are writing down his words. Do you have any indication of what this message of unity will look like tonight?

Well, look, Chris, and I think the best indication is from Donald Trump's own record here. And what we know about this speech specifically is that he is going to talk about the shooting experience from Saturday at the top. And then I think we're going to hear sort of a more polished version of what we typically hear from him on the campaign trail, but his version of unity has tended to mean unifying around him. I don't expect to see Donald Trump move in any significant way off his more aggressive policy postures, things like mass deportations, issues like that, that sometimes drive people out of the Republican or the Trump camp.

I think you might hear the tone change here, but the substance will be larger the same as what we're used to, other than trying to rally people around him from this assassination attempt on Saturday. I think from my conversations with some of his advisers and with his son Eric Trump this morning, there's also going to be an emphasis on that moment, in particular from Saturday, when he stood up with his fists in the air and encouraged people to fight. There's a little bit of attention here between the idea of a unifying message, but also we have to fight because, as Eric Trump said to me, everything is terrible. How you balance that, tonally?

I cannot say, that is why I am not a paid political speech writer. Well, Garrett, you've been signaling that from this start, though, and rightfully so, that this is still Donald Trump. And so there may be a message of unity, but this self-proclaimed counter-puncher is not necessarily going to back away from some of that history. Garrett, let's talk about more broadly about this week that you and I have witnessed here.

This show of unity within the Republican Party, quite frankly, yes, there are differences over policies, fierce ones, over abortion, over issues of Ukraine, and the economy, quite frankly, as well. And yet, this week, it's clear, this is a party that is solidly behind Donald Trump. 100%, Chris, I think about a difference a year makes. I mean, I remember about this time of year ago, we were in that deluge of indictments following Donald Trump, it seemed like one every other week.

The party was in panic because his numbers were improving against his primary rivals, and it was the Republicans worried that they were going to be saddled with an incumbent, essentially, running as their nominee, who could not win in a general election. Now, fast forward to the present, and you have their incumbent, their nominee, who they feel like is very much in the driver's seat. I would say nothing breeds unity, like victory, and the feeling here, certainly, on the convention delegates, on the Republican lawmakers, is if they don't screw this up, Republicans will be in power across the board next year in Washington. And that's going to make any politician, or any politically inclined Republican, feel pretty good and feel pretty good about their nominee.

And Garrett, very quickly, the reaction inside Trump World to JD Vance's speech is big debut last night here at the National Convention. Yeah, look, Trump advisors and allies, who I spoke to, were pleased with JD Vance's speech. They thought he certainly did no harm, he did a good job of introducing himself, and kind of trying to bring the message in a targeted way to the middle of the country where he's expected to be effective. I do think there's some acknowledgement that given how interesting his biography is and kind of how high the theoretical ceiling is for him, that last night's speech is a combination of perhaps lack of experience in this medium, if you will, maybe didn't exactly hit it out of the ballpark rhetorically or in terms of excitement, but there's time for him to learn on the road.

That is for sure. Garrett, hey, thank you for your fantastic reporting. We'll be checking back in with you throughout the afternoon and evening. That is for sure.

Gabe, let me turn to you now. You are there in Rohebeth Beach, Delaware, where President Biden is recovering from COVID. Let's start with this incredible reporting from our NBC News team that President Biden's advisors are starting to, quite frankly, see the writing on the wall about his campaign. As you all reported, one source saying, quote, we're close to the end.

That's a pretty stunning statement. Certainly, Kristen. And look, it's not just that quote. But there's another quote in there.

It's not a question of if but when. And what a difference just a few days makes, Kristen. You recall earlier this week in the immediate aftermath of that assassination attempt on former President Trump, it really seemed like the calls for President Biden to leave this race had stalled, or at least subsided for a bit. They have ramped up considerably over the last few days and have reached quite a height today after we've been hearing about these meetings between President Biden and prominent Democrats.

Also, Adam Schiff, yesterday coming out and calling on President Biden publicly to relieve the race. But according to NBC News reporting, multiple people that are aware with the internal dynamics, yes, they see that there's the writing on the wall. Donor money has been drying up now, projected to be just 25% of what they expected in July. Still, the White House and the campaign are aggressively pushing back hard on that narrative.

One source close to President Biden says that they feel that some of this are people second-guessing the campaign and that back in 2015, back when President Biden was vice president, there are some scars from when top Democrats pushed him out in favor of Hillary Clinton, and that didn't work out for the party in the view of this advisor. Kristen? Gabe, of course, this all comes as President Biden remains defiant publicly. He gave another interview to BET.

What were your big takeaways from that interview? Well, he gave one to BET where he talked about he was asked if there was anything that could potentially get him to leave the race. And he did acknowledge or at least allow for the possibilities if his doctors told him that he had some sort of medical condition, of course, this was before his COVID diagnosis. But today, we also heard another interview, Kristen.

This one, a radio interview with Univision. And he was asked about whether he felt betrayed by the party. Listen to that. Do you feel betrayal in what he tells me?

No, look, I had a terrible night on the debate night. I was, I had been exhausted. I had been traveling around the world. I wasn't ready.

And I performed terribly. And so people are now saying, well, that was only one thing. But he's 81 years old. What happened to 84 years old?

What happened to him? He's 85 years old. I was smart enough to know when he comes wisdom. And Kristen, you heard that cough there from the president.

Now, that interview was conducted just before he was tested for COVID. And he tested positive. But you hear in that interview his raspy voice, really speaking to the concern that so many Democrats have, and raising even more questions about his health, Kristen. Yeah, absolutely.

All right, Gabe Gutierrez from Delaware. Thank you so much, Gabe. Really appreciate it. Ali Vitale, let me turn to you.

You have been all over this reporting that Chuck Schumer, Nancy Pelosi, had these blunt, frank calls with a call in a meeting, I should say, with President Biden. Does it feel like the pressure campaign is reaching a critical mass, like something is shifting? Yes, and I know that you've been all over this, too. All of us are really working the phones and making calls, trying to get as close to this as possible, because the reality is, only two people were in those rooms when those meetings were happening, especially in the case of Chuck Schumer, where we're told that it was a blunt conversation.

The same can be said for Hakeem Jeffries, the top house Democrat, and, of course, Nancy Pelosi and the role that she still plays, even though she is no longer speaker and no longer leader in this House Democratic party. She is still so revered as a thought leader and someone who members really respect the opinion of. At the same time, her comments on Morning Joe what two weeks ago now very much stirred the pot here on Capitol Hill. The folks were already panicked about the president politically, health-wise.

That only served to further extend the purgatory period, frankly, that we have been in for House and Senate Democrats over the course of time since that debate. It does feel, though, Kristen, like yesterday evening, series of leaks about those blunt meetings really did turn us to a new phase of this. I mean, members have already been in a sense of panic, in a sense of being fraught about what's going to happen next, but it does feel like next week could be a real moment of significance here as members come back to Capitol Hill. Of course, I'm pretty much alone in the halls right now of Congress, they are home on recess, but that does not mean that they are not talking to each other.

Members are having serious conversations, maybe a little bit more difficult to organize themselves when they're not physically in the same zip code, but at the same time, those conversations are still ongoing and a lot of members are paying attention to each move the president makes. They are certainly reading our reporting that folks in his orbit feel like they're writing maybe on the wall, and I have to tell you that around this building, when you think about Congress in a theoretical sense, the electives I'm talking to seem to have a sense right now of maybe it's not a matter of if, but when he steps down. Yeah, one source I spoke with described this as a sad moment for the Democratic Party, Ali Vitale, try to get a little rest and gear up for what could be a busy week, really appreciate it. Joining me now on set is NBC News, chief political analyst Chuck Todd.

Chuck, wow, we've covered some headlines, but this is an extraordinary moment in which we find ourselves. Can you set this stage? I mean, where do you think we are in this? Will he or won't he pass the torch?

Look, I think now it's impossible for Biden to stay in, even if he wants to stay in because there's too many Democrats on the record saying he needs to get out, they question whether he can serve another term. How do they suddenly put that toothpaste back in the tube? Let's say they do it and you try to put Biden out there. How do these people answer the question in their own political debates and their own interviews with local television with bloggers and with podcasts and all of the, with regular voters?

They're sitting here right now, basically the leaders of the Democratic Party making the case to the country, this man cannot serve another four years, hard stop. By the way, we don't think he can win, but many of them are simply saying, he can't serve another four years. How do they flip that? So at this point, essentially he's been forced off because I don't think we're getting to the point where I don't think he can win the nomination with his own delegates.

Okay, he's losing control of that process too. So I'm not gonna get into his head, but you know, this is gonna be, there's only 100 Biden and Joe Biden left to tell him. He's pretty clear to me that many of the non-relatives have come to a certain conclusion. People with the last name of Biden have not.

That's where we're at right now. And she's what you would expect in Biden. I was gonna say ultimately it is going to be a conversation and decision that he makes with families, right? That's right.

And you know, he's at home. He's in Roeboth. All the families there. So, you know, is it this weekend?

Is it, but this is unsustainable? And now his campaign is unbelievable. Let me read what you wrote in your latest column last night. You wrote, quote, the walls are closing in on Biden.

His COVID diagnosis Wednesday and the subsequent need to isolate due to his age makes it only that much harder for Biden to try to convince Democratic leaders that his debate performance was simply one bad night. The only question now is whether he succumbs to the pressure before Democratic convention delegates themselves take matters into their own hands. Do you think, Chuck, that the party's basically saying, we can do this the easy way or we can do this part? Well, they tried to do it the easy way.

Yeah, right, right. That's right. That's right. It looks like this campaign to try to persuade him to do this perhaps has been months in the making, not days or weeks or any of that.

And I'll tell you, I think we're all starting to wonder perhaps that early debate was, was there was some attention here with this early debate to be like, okay, we've got to have this conversation out in the open because we're not having it. Nothing's happening very well on closed doors. Well, one of the things that I think you've been struck by, that I've been struck by watching the Republican National Convention, A is how unified this party is. And it is a reminder of the clock that is ticking.

President Biden said in his press conference, the campaign hasn't started. It starts after Labor Day. It feels like it started quite a long time ago when you're sitting right here. And in some ways, the success of this convention has, I think almost makes it impossible for Biden to be able to make the case.

Now, look, it's possible, but we haven't seen any good polling yet because you can't. We don't, the Saturday, the assassination attempt, how voters are sort of digesting that. I don't think you can get a snap poll and feel like you understand that. I think this speech tonight, we have gone from six weeks ago, the public hadn't wanted nothing to do with this presidential race, right?

Now, look, he's got an opportunity tonight. When I mean he, the former president Donald Trump, for the first time, I think people who had not wanted to hear from him are going to be like, let me say, all right, I'll see, let me see if this is, so he has got an opportunity tonight. And then if there's a new Democratic nominee, that candidate is going to have an opportunity. So all of a sudden we're going to go from a campaign.

And this is what, when you talk about upending the chess board. Yeah. You know, if there is a new, we have a newly engaged electorate because frankly, these plot twists are better than watching presumed innocent on Apple. And who could have anticipated this many plot twists?

Honestly, I would have rolled my eye. I'd like to read the occasional political novel. You'd thrown all this in here and have for it. Give me a break.

That's not the way the world works. Not reality, right? Well, give us the reality check on the polls because that's the one thing that has allowed Biden to stay resistant to the fact that, to a large extent, so far, and again, we're not factoring in what's happened in the wake of the assassination attempt against former president Trump, but this has been a remarkably stable race, some extent. For 25 years, we've been in a remarkable state of transition.

And I do believe now, though, that we, one point shifts are a big deal. I think we have to start to understand that, that when you see a consistent, and look, I'm a big fan, I think the worst thing to do is to combine polls. The best thing to do is watch trend lines. And when all different types of polling, even ones you don't like the methodology, when you start to see similar trends, then it's worth seeing that, combining them in the blenders, a terrible idea.

But unfortunately, real-class politics in 538 have ruined the polling industry by what they've done over the last decade. And I will have this by any time all these people want. But what I will say is that I think that we should respect one-point movements as significant. They're not insignificant.

In the 90s, we have five-point swings and point swings, because we weren't as polarized. We're pretty set in our ways, which is why both parties have high floors and low ceilings, okay? We like to say Trump has a high floor and low seats. Both parties have high floors and low ceiling, which is why you're not gonna see a ton of open.

You talk about the fact that Trump has an opportunity tonight. What will you be watching for tonight? If he talks to voters, they're not mega, and not even Republicans. I do think when we hear unity, we think, oh, is he gonna reach out to people that are not repugnant?

I believe when they say unity, it's Nikki Haley. Yeah, right. Like, they're like, no, no, no, we're unified as a party. That's unity.

And maybe some of us on the outside of the parties are going, no, no, no, we think unity is, you know, which I think we probably are misinterpreting them. I think they do main unity in a different way, and they've been unified as a party, right? So that's, you know, but I am, look, I fully believe if he would show a little bit of humility about, hey, I made something, I really have said this before. Either president, both presidents have failed the country in bringing us together.

If one of them would admit it, I actually think they could benefit. Either one will admit that they have failed to bring the country together. And if one of them, I mean, you sort of have to give voters who gave up on you once. You have to give, what are you going to do differently?

It's like, when you break up with somebody, why are we getting back together? I've changed, honey. Hey, how have you changed? We need to hear that acknowledgement.

And I don't, I'm not sure I'm going to hear that. Well, we'll be listening closely, and I know you will be too. Chuck, thanks so much for all of your brilliant thoughts, really appreciate it. All week long, we will have much more news to get to, including what we're learning about the timeline of Thomas Crook's attempt to kill former president Trump.

As federal investigators are still hunting for a motive. But first, taking this stage and setting the tone, I'll talk to one of Trump's most vocal supporters, Congressman Byron Donalds will join me next. And we'll have special coverage of former president Trump's trying times speech tonight at 9 p.m. Eastern, streaming right here on NBC News Now.

You don't want to miss that. You're watching a very special edition of Meet the Press Now, live from Milwaukee. Stay with us. Welcome back to Meet the Press Now coverage of the fourth and final night of the Republican National Convention, live from Milwaukee.

Here are a few of the speakers on the schedule tonight, including everyone from former Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo to Tucker Carlson, Hulk Hogan. And it will all culminate in a speech by former President Trump. Joining me now on set is Florida Republican Congressman, Byron Donalds. He spoke here at the convention earlier this week.

Congressman, thanks so much for being here on a big night. Really appreciate it. Thanks for having me. You guys have a great seat, by the way.

You got all the views for your video audience office. We do. We have one of the best seats in the house. That is for sure.

Well, appreciate your being here. Former President Trump has said, in the wake of the horrific incident this weekend, the assassination attempt against his life, that he's torn up his speech. He's rewritten it, that it's going to be a message of unity. I wonder what you anticipate.

Will it be a message that is aimed at reaching out to the whole country? Or will this be a message that's aimed at reaching out to all Republican voters? What are you anticipating? If I was going to take a guess, if you look at the way the first three nights of this convention have unfolded, everything has been about all of the American people.

Whether it was opening night where you had the head of the Teamsters on that stage, something that has not occurred at a Republican convention in recent memory, you had Hispanic mothers, Black mothers talking about what's happened to their kids, gold star families, whose sons and daughters lost their lives in Afghanistan, everything in this convention. And everything Donald Trump really has been talking about on the campaign trail has been about the American people. I believe you're going to see that tonight. And then it's going to be wrapped in the fact that if we are a unified country as Americans, we can truly make our country great again.

My question for you, as you know, in the beginning of his campaign, former President Trump talked about this idea that he would be voters' retribution. Do you think he's going to back away from that as a campaign message more broadly, even after this convention wrap? The word probably yes. I think everything is going to be about the success of the American people.

And if we're going to provide full context, when he talks about retribution, it was in a vein of success will be that success for the American people. That's where Donald Trump is going to get his joy, his passion, his energy, not just for the rest of this campaign. But for the next four years, it's making sure that the American people are successful. Just to be very clear, he said, for those who have been wronged and betrayed, I am your retribution.

You think he's going to back away from that idea on the campaign trail? I'm not even backing away. I think what he's pivoting towards where he's going is, this is a recipe for success. I am the person who will bring that success.

I am the leader that can step into that Oval Office, that can step into that arena on the world stage and make sure our country is as prosperous as possible for everybody. Former President Trump describes himself as a self-proclaimed counter puncher. It's something that his supporters anticipate. Do you think that we will see that same instinct and, and frankly, fight in him?

Or do you think that this is going to be a tonal change overall? I would tell you that my view of where the president is right now, he's very contemplative. I think he's taking this convention in light of what happened Saturday in Pennsylvania, the attempt on his life. And that gives anybody a broader perspective.

I truly believe this is not just a campaign, a presidential campaign, a Republican convention. This is really now about him using the mantle afforded to him by Republican voters to lead this country for the American people. It's a different view. It's a different feel.

That's his temperament right now. Do you think, given that, given that you've been talking to him, and you do seem to have an insight into where his head begins right now, do you think this could lead to some policy changes? Could, for example, he abandoned his pledge to pardon the January 6 people who've been convicted for January 6? Well, I think, first of all, when you get to some of the January 6 detainees, the Supreme Court has already ruled that the charges that were used in a lot of their cases is a misreading and a misapplication of the law.

The Department of Justice is going to have to go back and either remove those convictions or figure out something else. I'm not going to speak for the department. But as you know, there were than a hundred, 132 of pleaded guilty to assaulting police officers. Those are the guilty.

But that's a different situational thing, and I think that Donald Trump will take the time to go through that. I want to be clear what I believe his intentions going forward are, every policy is designed to promote the American people, not just the segment of the American people, all Americans. In politics, his phraseology might make it sound that it only leans one way, but whether you're black, white, Hispanic, rich, middle income, poor, it's about everybody succeeding. When we all come together as Americans, everybody can succeed.

Just to be clear, because what you are saying, you anticipate some total changes on the campaign trail, do you think it's possible, and it sounds like you're saying he might reevaluate at least or closely evaluate each of these cases, do you think it's possible he pulls back on that vow to pardon everyone who was convicted for January 6? I think every case is going to be reviewed and looked at, and when you go in there, you have to make those decisions with the legal team in the White House, it is going to be with the full view to make sure that justice was actually done, especially when you consider previous riots in our country, where there were either little charges or no charges compared to what happens to people who were charged and convicted, whether they pled guilty or not on January 6? Right, and again, I mean, as I said, more than 100 pled guilty to the resulting police officer. Hundreds more pled guilty to various different crimes on that day, that attack against the US Capitol.

Let me ask you about another big policy promise for a second Trump term. His vow and calls for mass deportation of undocumented immigrants, is that something you support and would it be every non-citizen? How do you see it playing out? Well, first of all, I do support it, but it's not just me.

You have a majority of Black voters support this position, a majority of Hispanic voters support this position, a majority of white voters support this position, and let me explain why. Because Americans want to have an immigration process, but it's got to be legal. Our cities are overwhelmed by more than 10 million illegal immigrants, and it's not fair to the citizens of America, and to be honest, it actually puts these illegal immigrants in our country in a lurch. Would it be every non-citizen, though?

Just to be clear, do you have to understand how it would work? People say it's not practical as part of what I'm getting at. The people who would say it's not practical also are not acknowledging the fact that mass illegal immigration is not practical for the American people. When you go through that process, what's already happened in the past that you've had people who have self-deported, because they do not want to get caught in at apparatus, which then carries them not being able to come into the United States for another 10 years.

Well, and we should note, I haven't seen those polls you're talking about about various groups supporting mass deportation, but it is worth noting, President Biden did pass some executive actions, and illegal crossings are now at a low, a three-year low. Let me ask you, though, about what's happening on the Democratic side seems to be growing calls for President Biden to pass the torch. It is possible, as we sit here today, that when President Trump could be facing off against a different challenger in November, what is your reaction? Is that what you are bracing?

Is the Republican Party bracing for that at this point? I will tell you that our game plan is not going to change. It could be Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, Gavin Newsom, Gretchen Whitmer. It doesn't matter, Jimmy Neutron.

You put the person up there. It doesn't really matter. The problem for the Democrats is that they cannot explain their agenda. They cannot explain the failures of their agenda.

So it doesn't matter who they run. Their policy agenda is their policy agenda. We have a recipe for our country to make it successful. All right, Congressman Byron Donald.

Thanks for being here today. Thank you. Really appreciate it. Good to see you.

Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheetall is refusing to step down, even as she and the agency, she leads her facing increased scrutiny for actions before and after that gunman opened fire, attempting to assassinate former President Trump. Now, this is a new video that appears to show the suspected gunman. Look here, Thomas Crookes walking outside the security perimeter at the rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. This was last weekend.

And after the FBI and Secret Service briefed senators yesterday, we are getting a clearer picture of the timeline of that day. I'm going to walk you through it. This is according to sources familiar with that briefing. Crookes was photographed as a suspicious person at 509 PM, more than an hour before the shooting.

At 551, police notified the Secret Service of a suspicious person with a rangefinder. 553, just two minutes later, the Secret Service notified snipers around that same time. The sniper spotted Crookes, and then nine minutes later, Donald Trump took the stage at the rally. 609, video shows that crowd members alerted police to Crookes on a rooftop nearby, and then two minutes later, at 611, he opened fire.

The Secret Service is also facing criticism for how long it took to remove Mr. Trump from the stage after the shooting, and for failing to fully shield him, you see his head exposed there in the aftermath. NBC News Homeland Security correspondent Julia Ainsley joins me now. Julia, talk through the very latest and what you are taking away and what investigators are taking away from this new timeline that has emerged.

Well, Kristen, you know, there are multiple investigations going into what exactly the Secret Service did or didn't do properly on Saturday with this mere assassination of Trump. There are three big questions that seem to be circulating. People in the press are asking, and we're being told that's all a matter of the investigation. One is, did the Secret Service know that he had a gun at the time so far?

We only have indications that they knew he was a suspicious person, carrying a rangefinder that allows someone to measure the distance between them and their target, but that is not a prohibited item. Number two, why was that roof not in the Secret Service Security perimeter? They delegated that to local police. And then, of course, they also want to look at, you know, what other, what did they do wrong afterwards?

You showed that footage there of them trying to get Trump off the stage. Why was he able to come up? What I've been told from Secret Service Press is that they had in their ears, your threat neutralized man down, but how could they really rule out? This is the question that other former agents are asking.

How could they rule out that there wasn't, you know, another one or two gunmen in the area if this was part of an attack? Was that too early to let Trump stand up, do his fist bump, and walk off the stage? So a lot of questions and mounting pressure on the director Cheadle, who is still digging in her feet and just last night they put out a statement saying she was going to stay in the job. And growing calls for her to do the exact opposite and resign.

Julia, do we know anything more about the motive at this point? No, it's strange. There's actually very little that this man, Thomas Crook, shared online. They were able to look through his phone.

They found that he was looking at the schedules of both Trump and Biden, also looking at when Biden might be holding the DNC, for example, that he was looking at when the RNC, where you are right now, Kristen, would be held a lot of research, but nothing that seemed overtly political or anti-Trump. In fact, he was a registered Republican. All right, Julia, thank you so much, Julia. Really appreciate it.

Well, last night, a group of Republican senators confronted Secret Service Director, Kimberly Cheetoh, right here at the RNC, calling on her to answer more questions about the assassination attempt and the former president's security. Take a look. This is exactly what you were doing today. I'm going to call Stonewall.

I'm telling you, oh, come here, fall extra. You have a president Trump now. North Dakota Senator Kevin Kramer is one of the senators seen in that video. He joins me now.

Senator, thank you so much for being here. My pleasure. Really appreciate it. Let's talk about the briefing that you all had.

Clearly, you did not feel as though your questions were answered. What did you learn? Why did you come away feeling like you needed more answers? Well, what we learned from the director, first of all, is the exact timeline that you've already illustrated perfectly.

But that raised the obvious question that we wanted to get answered. And we're allowed to ask. And that is, why was Donald Trump allowed to go on that stage? There was this threat that was serious enough to inform and to notify counter-sharp shooters.

And so when we had this moment last night, where we learned that the director is not only in the building, but on the same level, a few of us were at. This is our moment to ask her, her hostility for us was remarkable, her unwillingness to talk. And then the appropriate suggestion that maybe this isn't the right place to do it, let's go somewhere else, except that the associate got out the door, the somewhere else was a bunker somewhere. And it was really quite irritating.

And a problematic question in this sense. Confidence in the service is a role for understandable reasons. The only way to rebuild that confidence is to communicate. In fact, during the briefing, she was admonished by a Democratic Senator to please be forthcoming with information on a regular basis, because that's the only way that we're going to call people down and restore confidence.

And she just seems not just reluctant, but resistant to doing it at all. Just to be very clear, you are saying, you do not think Donald Trump should have been allowed to take the stage. I do not believe he should have. I mean, when you look at that timeline, and you think at 551, this threat was so significant that the Secret Service notified the counter sniper unit, who then put their eyes on that roof.

So if it was significant enough to call in the counter sniper unit, why wasn't it significant enough to keep the president from going to the stage? I'm curious, publicly, we have seen the Secret Service director say things like, well, the local police was supposed to secure that building. Did she reiterate those types of comments during your briefing? What did she say about that?

It's interesting, because in the briefing, she opened it up and then gave probably a 30 to 60 second opening statement, that included articulating the jurisdictional lines, which is very unseemly because, well, it wasn't a direct throwing them under the bus, so to speak. It was certainly an implied throwing them under the bus. And at the end of the day, it's all set up and overseen by the Secret Service. We know that they're ultimately responsible, and she's ultimately responsible for the service.

Did she take that responsibility, and you're briefing, did she say I bear responsibility? Oh, she did not. In fact, she quickly handed it over to her deputy, which I don't falter for, because quite honestly, we'd rather get good, accurate, sophisticated information than higher level information. So I don't be glad you're that.

The experts are the people who work for her. But no, she never, she did say we failed. She said that our mission is a no fail mission. We failed on this mission.

But there's a we failed, not I failed. And again, whether it's me, we or I, just talk to us. It's so much better if you communicate. Transparency is the best way to approach these things, and she's failing on that front, which is why I think she does need to resign.

I'm not one that's prone to quick conclusions like that or judgments like that. But last night, she convinced me. She really isn't capable of carrying on this job. Do you get the sense of the calls for her to resign or going to grow louder?

I do get that sense, and I would be surprised if some Democrats don't step up as well, because this isn't a good look for the service. It's not a good look for the administration, and we need to restore confidence in our secret service, and she's not the one that can do it. I know that the Senate Judiciary Committee has asked for a hearing on what has unfolded in Butler, Pennsylvania. What specifically are the top questions remaining for you?

We don't even have a motive at this point. Well, and that's an important point, because the Judiciary Committee has jurisdiction over the justice department, which includes the FBI. And that's where the big investigation is taking place. Looking at the cell phones, we're going to have social media trying to find a motive.

I think my personal view of it is so far, because I think it's been a long time since I was a young man, looking for an opportunity to sort of redeem himself, and I don't think it was partisan or political in that sense. But the Secret Service is under a jurisdiction of Homeland Security, so I would think they would want to have a hearing as well to get to the issues that you and I are talking about, related to how did the president end up on that stage with a sniper 150 yards away? Well, we are going to hear from former President Trump tonight. He has said he's ripped up his speech.

He's going to be delivering a message of unity. What do you think that means to Donald Trump? What are you expecting to hear tonight? So we will certainly hear a message of unity, of unity of the party, unity of the country.

You know, it's going to be more emotional than usual. I mean, because this has been a more emotional situation. For a lot of us, it's the first time we've seen him, of course, it was Monday night, and that was really special. But when he steps on that stage, as our former president, Narnamani, I think you're going to hear and see sort of a raucous, we've got the lead in the fourth quarter of the Super Bowl crowd, but you're also going to see we're really grateful your live crowd and I get emotional just sort of thinking about it.

Very quickly, just pivoting off of what you said. Obviously, you're watching the developments on the Democratic side. Do you anticipate that there will be a different Democratic nominee in November? I do right now, and it almost seems irreversible at this point, quite honestly.

But a lot of it's going to be up to Joe Biden, and we'll see. You know, even if it's only for an hour a day, he's tough. That's for sure. Well, an extraordinary moment in our American politics.

Thank you for being here so I really appreciate it. Coming up after the break, we are digging deeper into this extraordinary moment as we were just talking about in politics, as we wait to hear from former President Trump for the very first time since that assassination attempt. And for President Biden on his way forward. A lot still to unpack, you're watching a very special edition of Meet the Press Now live from the Republican National Convention.

We're back after a quick break. Welcome back, as Donald Trump rides a wave of political momentum, President Biden's campaign is facing even more turmoil with more Democratic leaders from Chuck Schumer and Nancy Pelosi, and even former President Obama, apparently all privately voicing their concerns about Biden's past victory. Now that split screen between Trump and Biden growing even more stark with President Biden now sidelined and off the campaign trail after testing positive for COVID. To break it all down, I'm joined by my fantastic panel, Stephanie Murphy, former Democratic Congressman from Florida, Stephen Hayes, editor of the Dispatch, and an NBC News contributor, an NBC News correspondent, Von Hilliard, thanks to all of you for being here.

Von, let me start with you. Set the stage. What are you watching for tonight when Trump speaks? Number one, the unity message here.

What exactly does that look like, right? Is it a lot of words, a lot of, OK, let's go together, bring Americans together? Or is he going to turn to actual agenda specifics, right? There were signs yesterday in that crowd calling for mass deportations now, or those words that are going to actually come out of his mouth in prime time with a national audience.

Unlike eight years ago, right now, this is a Republican party that is not scared of its own shadow. There is not a concern about who is in the crowd. You had Peter Navarro straight out of federal prison yesterday up on that stage. This is a Republican party that is in a confident position.

What does Donald Trump do in his own hour, however long he goes from that stage? What is the message he conveys with just three months left? Yeah, we will be listening closely. Stephen, I think that, and Von hits on something important, is it going to be a message tailored at unifying this room?

Or will he try to reach out to non-Maga voters? Yeah, I mean, everything we've heard is that he really does want this to be a unity message. You talk to people who are involved in planning and talking about what the speech is likely to look like. He seems to want to have this kinder, gentler Donald Trump.

I'm skeptical of the last, much beyond the speech, if that's, in fact, what we get in the speech. But I also think he can't help himself. If you look at his policies, his policies have a harder edge. I mean, this is sort of a MAGA right, Donald Trump.

He picked JD Vance for a reason. I think that's not just MAGA 2.0, but MAGA plus. And even if we have some sort of gloss tonight to make it more acceptable to people who are in this room, you have to believe that really the core message of Donald Trump's campaign is likely to be people in this room. Yeah, Stephanie, you know, it's interesting.

Your colleague Chuck Todd was here saying, some people might tune in tonight who may not have prior to this weekend. They might be willing to give him a second look and a second chance. Do you think that's accurate? Do you think that, depending on what he says tonight, he could start to win over some independent moderate voters who are going to be so critical, obviously, to who wins the White House in November?

So far, this convention has really kept some of the more MAGA things under over. Yeah, right. So it appears that they are trying to go after some of these swing voters. And they took a direct shot at Labor, at the Black Vote, at the Hispanic Vote, at base votes for the Democratic Party in this convention.

And so if he can stick to the teleprompter and not do the normal things that he does at a rally, he may actually do. Let's kickstart your wellness journey with the Dr. Daya. Workout's meal plans.

It's your best track to a healthier you. And now during the XFINITY member celebration, members can get an exclusive 50% off an annual subscription to XFINITY.com slash membership to learn more. XFINITY, imagine that. Subscription automatically reduced each year at $65.99 plus taxes and fees until canceled all for ends May 20th, 2026, prices subject to change.

Visit today.com slash XFINITY for full on for terms of details. Hey guys, Willie Geist here reminding you to check out the Sunday sit down podcast. On this week's episode, I sit down with one of the biggest bands in the world, Mumford and Sons, as we get the boys together to talk about their new number one album, Prize Fighter, and the evolution of that irresistible foot stomping sound. You can get our conversation for free wherever you download your podcasts.

Stay informed with the NBC News app. Breaking News is just coming in moments ago. Watch, read, and listen throughout your day. And now unlock even more with a subscription.

It's the best of NBC News with fewer ad interruptions, including ad free articles, podcasts, and full NBC News shows, plus deeper access and exclusive content. Let's just take a step back. It's more context and clarity from the reporters you trust. Download the NBC News app now and subscribe for more.

Deliver a message that would resonate with undecided swing voters, because so far they haven't heard the normal stuff out of this party. Yeah, obviously last night we heard from Trump's running mate, JD Vance, on for the first time. And his message was fascinating. He talked about having a bigger Republican tent.

He talked about the importance of Ohio and Michigan. And the Rust Belt. And really the sense that that's why the campaign picked him, because they do think he's going to resonate with those critical voters. And I was just talking to a delegate from Texas, right?

I mean, these are your most die-hard activists within the Republican Party. And he told me that was the first time, really, that he had heard JD Vance's story. He goes, I never read the book. I never watched the movie.

He goes for me. That was my opportunity over the course of that hour to begin to hear some of that biography. And that's the case for, frankly, most of America. That's what they took in last night.

And so the question is, you're listening to JD Vance's speech. Probably most of Americans can identify it with at least part of that, at least part of that, whether it's wages or high housing in a way that frankly Donald Trump, his own story, doesn't quite reflect that. And JD Vance fills those voids for this ticket. Yeah, absolutely.

And his story, I mean, is just remarkable as he lays out in Hillbilly Elegy. Let's talk about the other big political headline that we're all tracking, which is what is President Biden going to do? Stephanie, let me put up a couple of the headlines that have emerged in the recent hours and days. Our team just reported we're close to the end.

Biden world races for the possibility that the president steps aside. Washington Post, Obama tells allies Biden's path to winning reelection has greatly diminished. AP, Obama, Pelosi, and Democrats make a fresh push for Biden to reconsider the 2024 race ahead of convention. Where are we with this?

Do you think that the dam has broken at this point? You know, unfortunately, there is no actual procedure by which anybody other than President Biden can decide to step aside. What you're seeing here is that people gave him a couple of weeks to leave with some grace because they respect him. They've worked with him for a long time.

They have affection for him. And so it was done behind the scenes. The fact that this is leaking out into the media in the way that it is, is a sign that they're trying to apply greater pressure from the outside. How that plays within the very small Biden inner circle right now is unclear.

Have you made him more angry and more dug in? Or have you managed to convince him that the poll numbers are so bad that he should step aside? And it's unclear what poll numbers the insiders have been showing him. Yeah, I mean, Stephen, how do you think Republicans are watching this moment?

Because I spoke with a Democratic lawmaker today who said, look, this is a really sad moment. And it does feel like as Stephanie's laying out the ground is shifting that something fundamental is shifting, that the party is applying a different level of pressure, particularly when you see Obama's name invoked. Yeah, I've been doing some reporting on this. And I would say Republicans are looking at this with some trepidation.

I mean, there's this sense of unity here. I think people are excited because Donald Trump survived an assassination attempt. The party is more unified, I think, because of that than on any policy issues. But you ask, what do you think about facing a non-Biden candidate or the possibility even more of a non-Biden or non-Kamala Harris candidate?

And I had to talk to one strategist who said, Republican can't be that Donald Trump can't be because he has a ceiling. He's had a good week, I think. But he tops out. And it's hard for him, I think, to go beyond that.

And the people who don't like him really, really don't like him. Yeah, and von, I am imagining in Democratic circles sitting watching this convention as just a giant reminder that the clock is ticking, that there is not a lot of time the Democratic National Convention is in August and the message and the takeaway from this convention quite frankly has been that this is a unified party. And Kristen, you know this. For 20 months now, Donald Trump has been running the same campaign.

There has been no palace intrigue stories, right? This is a different campaign operation. They have allowed Donald Trump to be Donald Trump. There is no question about the base of support.

Now it's just a matter of, can we win over some independence? We don't even know if we need them. But hey, we might as well try. This is a Republican party that the confidence that is exuding from this place is unlike anything I have seen within my time of covering Republican politics.

And it's one of those they're watching this and just saying, and I was talking to a senior advisor earlier who said, it was just like, we don't care who we face. Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, they're anybody our way. We feel good. Stephanie, there's only about 30 seconds left.

But to that point, I mean, would do you anticipate if President Biden passes the torch that he has to pass it to Harris? I think for the Democratic party and for the health of the party, it should be some sort of mini-primary. She should be considered. And if she wins, the party will unify behind whoever wins.

But we're in this place because we didn't road test our candidate in a primary. And we can't repeat that mistake. All right, we'll leave it on that powerful point. Thanks very much for this great conversation, you guys.

Stephen, Stephanie and Vaughn really appreciate it. And still, we're taking a look at how folks right here in Milwaukee are literally wearing their politics on their sleeves. You're watching The Press Now's special coverage live from Milwaukee. Welcome back.

Silly hats and outrageous outfits are a staple of political conventions. And this year is no exception. NBC's Alex Tabet has a look at how some delegates are dressed to impress. Joy and excitement in Milwaukee as Republicans celebrate their party's presidential ticket.

President Trump is going to make America sparkle again. And many of the delegates are dressing the party. Iconic imagery already emblazoned on t-shirts. I'm going to put it right in the middle of my chest.

And buttons galore. I came here with 100 buttons to trade. Wisconsinites sang cheese for the cameras and the Texas delegation tipping their hats to their state. Some using their kicks or their clothes to send a message.

I wore this shirt because I feel like there's not any politicians talking about the injustice going on. Others bringing their instruments. We love Donald Trump in Israel. And one bringing his wheels.

That American spirit is still alive and well in America. As delegates from all 50 states put the party in grando party. Alex Tabet, Milwaukee, Wisconsin. All right, great stuff from Alex.

Our thanks to Alex for that. And we are back tomorrow with more Meet the Press Now. My colleague, Holly Jackson is standing by. She picks up special coverage.

Holly, final night. This is it. This is it. Big stuff.

And I'm glad to be alongside you for the ride. Christopher Walker, thank you. Stay right here. Our special coverage continues.

He was a young Marine. She didn't care about convention. They made a life together. Then one night, the Marine died.

And then the death investigation took a wild, unexpected, and utterly bizarre turn. I'm Josh Makowitz and this is Trace of Suspicion, an all-new podcast from daylight. Listen to all episodes of Trace of Suspicion Now, wherever you get your podcasts.