What's next in the race between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump
Democrats rally around Vice President Kamala Harris as she becomes their party's presumptive nominee for President. Former President and Republican nominee Donald Trump and Republicans respond. Off the campaign trail: After a successful All-Star Game in Arlington, we ask Mayor Jim Ross if the city can win another Super Bowl.
Political reporter Jack Fink covers these stories and more in the latest episode of Eye on Politics (original air date: July 28).
Kamala's key moment
This has been another historic week in what has become one of the most politically turbulent months in a presidential election. It began on June 27 when President Biden's performance during a debate came under sharp criticism from fellow Democrats. Then on July 13, former President Trump survived an assassination attempt at a rally he held in Pennsylvania. On July 18, Trump accepted his party's nomination for a third time. On July 21, President Biden announced he would not run for reelection and instead endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris to become the party's nominee for President.
Since then, most Democrats have rallied around Harris. She campaigned in Houston on Thursday, her second trip to Texas in July. The Vice President spoke before the American Federation of Teachers conference and thanked members for being the first union to endorse her presidential campaign. During her speech to educators, she went after Republicans for holding extreme positions. "While you teach students about our nation's past, these extremists attack the freedom to learn and acknowledge our nation's true and full history, including book bans," Harris said.
"Book bans in this year of our Lord 2024. On these last two issues, just think about it. We want to ban assault weapons and they want to ban books. Can you imagine?"
In his first address since he decided to step aside, President Biden spoke in primetime from the Oval Office to explain why he changed his mind and chose not to run for reelection. He said it was time to pass the torch to a new generation, "You know, there is a time and a place for long years of experience in public life. There's also a time and a place for new voices, fresh voices, yes, younger voices. And that time and place is now. Over the next six months, I'll be focused on doing my job as President. That means I'll continue to lower costs for hard-working families, grow our economy. I'll keep defending our personal freedoms and our civil rights from the right to vote to the right to choose."
On Monday, President Biden will head to the LBJ Presidential Library in Austin where he will deliver the keynote address for the 60th anniversary of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
Jack interviewed Democratic Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett of Dallas who said this week proved to be an emotional rollercoaster.
Watch Jack's interview with Congresswoman Crockett below:
Republican response
Republicans are refining their message now that Vice President Harris has become the presumptive Democratic nominee. On Wednesday in Charlotte, North Carolina, former President Trump held his first public campaign rally since President Biden dropped his reelection bid. Trump wasted no time criticizing the Vice President.
"She is a radical left lunatic who will destroy our country," Trump said. "If she ever gets the chance to get into office, we're not going to let that happen. You know, I was supposed to be nice. They say something happened to me when I got shot, I became nice. And when you're dealing with these people, they're very dangerous people. When you're dealing with them, you can't be too nice. You really can't be. So, if you don't mind, I'm not going to be nice. Is that ok?"
Trump's Vice-Presidential nominee, Ohio Senator JD Vance criticized Harris' record on the southern border. "Kamala Harris is America's border czar. And how's our border doing? Ladies and gentlemen, she hasn't talked to the chief of Border Patrol a single time in her entire tenure as borders czar," Vance said to the crowd. "Remember on our very first day in office, she and Biden suspended deportations. They stopped construction of the border wall and they reimplemented catch and release. The border crisis is a Kamala Harris crisis."
Jack interviewed Republican and former Texas Railroad Commissioner Michael Williams.
Watch Jack's interview with Michael Williams below:
Off the campaign trail
After the successful MLB All-Star Game, Jack Fink asked Arlington Mayor Jim Ross what the biggest hurdle is for the city to score another Super Bowl.
Watch Jack's interview with Mayor Ross below:
