Advisers to former President Trump say he is “doing well” and “looks forward” to the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee next week.

Here’s the full statement from campaign senior advisers Susie Wiles and Chris LaCivita, RNC Chair Michael Whatley and RNC Co-Chair Lara Trump:

“As was communicated earlier this evening, President Trump is doing well and grateful to law enforcement and first responders for their fast action. President Trump looks forward to joining you all in Milwaukee as we proceed with our convention to nominate him to serve as the 47th President of the United States. As our party’s nominee, President Trump will continue to share his vision to Make America Great Again.”

President Joe Biden told his staff that he wanted to address the nation as soon as he was briefed, according to a source familiar.

Biden delivered remarks from Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, around two hours after the shooting unfolded, condemning political violence and saying that former President Donald Trump’s rally should have been able to be “conducted peacefully without any problem.”

CNN previously reported that Biden was at mass when the shooting at Trump’s rally unfolded and learned after the fact.

He’s since been routinely briefed by senior US officials.

A law enforcement source and a police officer at the scene told CNN the shooter was positioned on a building rooftop just outside the venue where former President Donald Trump was holding his rally. 

The source said the building was the same one where CNN observed a heavy police presence. The building is positioned over where the former president’s right shoulder was during the rally.

President Joe Biden’s chief of staff sent a brief note to White House staff Saturday evening, saying the president is “closely” tracking the situation around the shooting at Donald Trump’s rally, according to the note obtained by CNN.

White House Chief of Staff Jeff Zients also shared with his team the brief statement Biden sent earlier in the evening.

“Hi team – I wanted to share President Biden’s statement on the shooting that occurred today. The President is tracking this closely and will continue to provide updates,” Zients said.

President Biden’s statement, included in the brief note, said:

“I have been briefed on the shooting at Donald Trump’s rally in Pennsylvania. I’m grateful to hear that he’s safe and doing well. I’m praying for him and his family and for all those who were at the rally, as we await further information.”“Jill and I are grateful to the Secret Service for getting him to safety. There’s no place for this kind of violence in America. We must unite as one nation to condemn it.”

International leaders are writing messages of support on social media after former President Donald Trump was injured at a rally in Pennsylvania on Saturday.

House Oversight Committee Chair James Comer said he has contacted the Secret Service for a briefing and is calling on Director Kimberly Cheatle to appear for a hearing.

The Oversight Committee will send a formal invitation soon, Comer said in a statement Saturday night.

“I thank the brave Secret Service members who put their lives at risk to protect President Trump and for the American patriots in the audience who helped innocent victims,” the Kentucky Republican said. “Political violence in all forms is unamerican and unacceptable. There are many questions and Americans demand answers.”

Secretary of State Antony Blinken said he is “shocked and saddened by the shooting at former President Trump’s rally and grateful that he is safe.”

“As @POTUS said, there is no place for political violence in America and we must all condemn it,” Blinken posted on X Saturday.

Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas condemned Saturday’s shooting at the Trump rally and said the agency, which includes the US Secret Service, is working to ensure the safety of President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump.

Mayorkas, who has been briefing Biden, said in a statement:

“We condemn this violence in the strongest possible terms and commend the Secret Service for their swift action today. We are engaged with President Biden, former President Trump, and their campaigns, and are taking every possible measure to ensure their safety and security.”

The Republican National Convention will open Monday as scheduled, a party official said.

The shooting at Donald Trump’s rally Saturday night will not alter plans to formally nominate the former president in Milwaukee.

“The convention will continue as planned,” a senior Republican official told CNN Saturday night.

Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said Saturday that the entire Defense Department “condemns this violence, which has absolutely no place in our democracy,” following a shooting at former President Donald Trump’s rally in Pennsylvania. 

“This is not the way that we resolve our differences in America—and it must never be,” he said in a statement posted on X.

“I’m relieved that reports indicate former President Trump is safe, and I am praying for him and his family and everyone affected by this appalling incident.”

The mood inside the White House is “shock” as officials responded to the shooting at former President Donald Trump’s rally Saturday afternoon, according to a senior administration official. 

“It is just really horrible,” the official said, adding that authorities sought “to be responsive and serious.” 

“It should never happen. It’s unconscionable,” they told CNN.

Speaking from Rehoboth Beach, Delaware on Saturday evening, President Joe Biden blasted political violence, telling reporters: “There is no place in America for this kind of violence. It’s sick, it’s sick, it’s one of the reasons why we have to unite this country. We cannot allow for this to be happening. We cannot be like this. We cannot condone this.”

Biden said he’s been trying to get in touch with Trump.

CNN previously reported that only minutes after the shooting, Biden campaign officials huddled and decided to cease outbound communications as well as pull television ads.

One rally attendee is dead and two are critically injured after a shooting at former President Donald Trump’s rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on Saturday night, according to Anthony Guglielmi, chief of communications for the US Secret Service.

The shooter is also deceased, Guglielmi said in a statement.

Earlier, the agency said the shooter had fired multiple shots from an “elevated position” outside the rally before Secret Service personnel “neutralized” the shooter. 

Former President Trump’s daughter Ivanka has released a statement on X, thanking law enforcement for their swift response. 

“Thank you for your love and prayers for my father and for the other victims of today’s senseless violence in Butler, Pennsylvania. I am grateful to the Secret Service and all the other law enforcement officers for their quick and decisive actions today. I continue to pray for our country. I love you Dad, today and always,” she wrote.

In a statement on Truth Social earlier, the former president said he’d been shot and hit by a bullet in the upper part of his right ear, and extended his condolences to the rally attendee who was killed.

There is a clear and heavy police presence outside of the rally venue where the shooting took place in Butler, Pennsylvania, according to reporting from CNN teams on the ground.

The entire building located to the left of the venue is cordoned off with more than a dozen police cars, some of which are state troopers, and others that are part of the Butler County Sheriff’s Office.

There is at least one ambulance outside of the building. 

One officer who spoke with CNN would not explain why law enforcement was focused on this area.  

A shooter fired multiple shots from an “elevated position” outside of the Trump rally before United States Secret Service personnel “neutralized” the shooter, the law enforcement agency said.

“During Former President Trump’s campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on the evening of July 13 at approximately 6:15 p.m., a suspected shooter fired multiple shots toward the stage from an elevated position outside of the rally venue,” the Secret Service statement said.

Secret Service personnel “neutralized the shooter, who is now deceased,” the statement continued.

“U.S. Secret Service quickly responded with protective measures and Former President Trump is safe. One spectator was killed, and two spectators were critically injured. This incident is currently under investigation. and the Secret Service has notified the FBI,” Anthony Guglielmi, chief of communications for the Secret Service, said in a statement.

Republican Senate candidate Dave McCormick, who was sitting in the front row at Donald Trump’s rally Saturday, said he saw the “immediate attack on the president” and a person behind him who appeared to be severely injured.

McCormick told CNN on air that the former president had just invited him onstage, when about a minute later he heard “a serious of shots — about seven or eight shots — just ‘pop, pop, pop.’”

 “It was all of a sudden just chaos. The Secret Service immediately covered the president, jumped on top of him, and the crowd immediately went to the ground,” McCormick said.

The Senate candidate said he looked over his shoulder and “it was clear that somebody had been hit.” People around the person were trying to administer first aid, he said, as it took several minutes for medical assistance to get into the crowd because it was so dense.

“But you can imagine with that kind of incident happening, it’s very hard to know what’s coming. … It seemed like the shots were coming from my front — so the president’s left — which makes sense why the person behind me was hit. But I’m not sure if there were also shots coming from the other direction, so as you might imagine it was chaotic and confusing in the moment,” McCormick said.

McCormick said he and all of the roughly 15,000 attendees in the crowd went through metal detector screening before they entered the rally.

Rico Elmore, who was a speaker at former President Donald Trump’s rally, described jumping over the barrier and putting his hand on the head of an attendee who was shot and bleeding. 

“All we know is shots were fired and then I jumped over the barrier and put my hand on the guy’s head that was profusely bleeding,” Elmore told CNN as he left the rally stage Saturday night.

The injured attendee was “just a stranger” Elmore didn’t know, he said.

Elmore was visibly shaken up, with blood on his shirt, but said he was not harmed. He said he only saw one attendee hit and did not see what happened to Trump.

Donald Trump Jr. said in a statement that he “just spoke to my father on the phone and he is in great spirits.”

“He will never stop fighting to save America, no matter what the radical left throws at him,” he added.

Butler County District Attorney Richard Goldinger told CNN’s Anderson Cooper, “We haven’t seen this since Reagan,” after the shooting at former President Donald Trump’s rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on Saturday. 

“It is mind-blowing,” Goldinger added. “Maybe we got a little lackadaisical about it — that this wouldn’t happen to a president or former president, but it’s crazy. … Sadly, maybe it’s just the state of our current political situation.” 

When speaking about Butler County, which is north of Pittsburgh, Goldinger said: “You just wouldn’t even think it would happen—especially in, where I live in Butler County. You would not expect this.” ​

As for the scene, the DA said, “I have been told it is chaos, and I can’t even give you a number of people that are there … it is really crazy right now.” 

Former President Donald Trump said he was shot and hit by a bullet in the “upper part of my right ear.”  

Trump said in a Truth Social statement he “knew immediately that something was wrong in that I heard a whizzing sound, shots, and immediately felt the bullet ripping through the skin.”

Read Trump’s full statement below:

“I want to thank The United States Secret Service, and all of Law Enforcement, for their rapid response on the shooting that just took place in Butler, Pennsylvania. Most importantly, I want to extend my condolences to the family of the person at the Rally who was killed, and also to the family of another person that was badly injured. It is incredible that such an act can take place in our Country. Nothing is known at this time about the shooter, who is now dead. I was shot with a bullet that pierced the upper part of my right ear. I knew immediately that something was wrong in that I heard a whizzing sound, shots, and immediately felt the bullet ripping through the skin. Much bleeding took place, so I realized then what was happening. GOD BLESS AMERICA!”

President Joe Biden’s campaign staff sent a note to staff, obtained by CNN, in the immediate aftermath of the shooting at former President Donald Trump’s rally urging staff to “refrain from issuing any comments on social media or in public.”

“We’re also asking everyone to pause any proactive campaign communication across all platforms and in all circumstances until we know more,” wrote campaign manager Julie Chávez Rodríguez and chair Jen O’Malley Dillon in the note obtained by CNN.

They began by saying that as more information is coming in, they are “grateful to the members of law enforcement who immediately jumped into action and wishing Trump a quick and full recovery.”

Minutes after the incident, Biden campaign officials decided to pause all outbound communications and pull down TV ads.

Biden was attending mass in Rehoboth, Delaware, when the shooting occurred, departing moments after. On Saturday evening, the president condemned political violence and said he has tried to reach Trump.

Biden is being briefed by senior US officials, including Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. 

Mayor Robert Dandoy of Butler, Pennsylvania, released a statement following the shooting at the campaign rally in his town for former President Donald Trump.

“This is not the type of political discourse we want in our society,” the mayor said.

Dandoy, who did not attend the rally, added, “this kind of violence is unacceptable, in any situation, but certainly in this lawful exercise of freedom of speech and of politics in the United States.”

Dandoy said he has been in contact with his chief of police, who was on the scene, as well as other city staff members who were at the rally assisting Secret Service.

Vice President Kamala Harris said she was briefed on the shooting at former President Donald Trump’s rally in Pennsylvania on Saturday.

“Doug and I are relieved that he is not seriously injured,” Harris wrote in a statement Saturday night. “We are praying for him, his family, and all those who have been injured and impacted by this senseless shooting.”

She thanked first responders and denounced the incident.

“Violence such as this has no place in our nation,” Harris wrote. “We must all condemn this abhorrent act and do our part to ensure that it does not lead to more violence.”

Former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton released a statement following the violence at a Donald Trump rally in Pennsylvania:

“Violence has no place in America, especially in our political process. Hillary and I are thankful that President Trump is safe, heartbroken for all those affected by the attack at today’s rally in Pennsylvania, and grateful for the swift action of the U.S. Secret Service,” Clinton said in a post on X.

Butler County District Attorney Richard Goldinger called the scene at Donald Trump’s Pennsylvania rally shooting “chaotic.”

“It’s really crazy right now,” he told CNN’s Anderson Cooper.

He said he does not know the number of people who are still currently at the scene of the incident and that authorities do not have any information on the identity of the alleged shooter.

Butler County, Goldinger said, is located directly north of Allegheny County, which is where Pittsburgh is situated. The county is about 65% Republican and is partially rural, he said.

President Joe Biden said that he has “an opinion” about whether the shooting at former President Donald Trump’s rally in Pennsylvania was an attempted assassination, but that he didn’t have enough facts to comment.

“I don’t know enough to – I have an opinion, but I don’t have any facts,” Biden said in remarks from Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, on Saturday evening. “I want to make sure we have all the facts before I make some comment, any more comments.”

Former President Barack Obama condemned Saturday’s shooting at a Donald Trump rally.

“There is absolutely no place for political violence in our democracy. Although we don’t yet know exactly what happened, we should all be relieved that former President Trump wasn’t seriously hurt, and use this moment to recommit ourselves to civility and respect in our politics. Michelle and I are wishing him a quick recovery,” Obama said in a statement.

The FBI is at the scene of the shooting in Butler, Pennsylvania.

The FBI “will continue to work jointly with the U.S. Secret Service as the investigation moves forward,” said the agency in a statement. 

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg called the shooting at former President Donald Trump’s rally on Saturday “unacceptable.” 

 “Political violence in any form is abhorrent and unacceptable. I commend the Secret Service on their swift response and my thoughts and prayers are with former President Trump and his family,” Bragg said in a statement. 

New York Attorney General Letitia James also addressed the shooting, saying: “Violence is never the answer.”

“My thoughts are with former President Trump and I’m wishing for his speedy recovery,” James said on X Saturday night.

President Joe Biden said “everybody” must condemn the shooting that happened at Donald Trump’s rally, which authorities say left the gunman and one audience member dead.

“The bottom line is, the Trump rally … should have been able to be conducted peacefully without any problem. But the idea that there’s political violence or violence in America like this is just unheard of, is just not appropriate,” Biden said, speaking from Delaware. “Everybody must condemn it. Everybody.”

He added “every agency in the federal government” is investigating the matter and providing him reports on the latest.

President Joe Biden said he has tried to reach former President Donald Trump, but noted “he’s with his doctors.”

“Apparently, he’s doing well. I plan on talking to him shortly, I hope, when I get back to the telephone,” Biden said during his remarks in Delaware.

The president said he will provide further updates when he learns more information and if he’s able to get in contact with Trump.

President Joe Biden condemned the shooting at Donald Trump’s rally and said: “There’s no place in America for this kind of violence.”

“It’s sick, it’s one of the reasons we have to unite this country,” he said, speaking from Delaware. “We cannot allow for this to be happening. We cannot be like this, we cannot condone this.”

Biden added that he’s tried to get in touch with Trump, noting that the former president is with his doctors and appears to be doing well.

Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance spoke briefly to reporters outside his home in Cincinnati on Saturday and said he’s been told former President Donald Trump is “doing OK” after being injured at his rally. 

“I’ve heard he’s doing OK,” Vance told reporters. 

Vance is one of Trump’s potential running mates.

One attendee at the Trump rally described the shooting on Saturday night as “complete pandemonium,” with some in the crowd unsure of what was happening at first.

“It seemed initially like firecrackers went off,” Joseph Meyn told CNN from Butler, Pennsylvania, where the shooting happened.

“One half of the crowd on the far end of the rally thought it was some type of weird joke, the other half of the crowd knew it wasn’t, and was trying to push or impress upon the rest of the crowd that this is serious. I think everyone got the idea of — very quickly — that it was a dangerous situation, and everyone just started hitting the deck,” he said.

He described seeing a man in the bleachers near him hit in the head by gunfire, and another woman nearby being hit in the arm. He said it was hard to figure out which direction the gunfire was coming from, and he added that police moved quickly to clear the bleachers.

“It’s something you don’t expect … it’s very shocking,” Meyn added. “We shouldn’t be at a level of public political discourse in this country where this is going on, it feels like it’s 1960.”

Meyn, a surgeon from Grove City, Pennsylvania, said he looked back in the direction the gunshots had come from. “I saw a man in the bleachers was hit directly in the head, and died instantly. There was a woman who was hit in the hand and forearm, a noncritical wound,” he said.

He said he went to see whether he could render aid, but another doctor was already helping the woman who’d been shot. 

“I helped carry the body of the man out of the stands. They took the body to the tent behind the bleachers,” Meyn said.

CNN reached Meyn as he was waiting to give a witness statement to the FBI. “They want the data off my phone,” he said. “This is the first Trump rally I’ve been to. You don’t really expect an assassination attempt.”

This post has been updated with additional information.

Correction: This post has been updated with the correct name of the attendee.

President Joe Biden will deliver an on-camera statement “shortly” from Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, the White House said Saturday.

Three law enforcement sources confirm the shooter was outside the venue at former President Donald Trump’s rally in Pennsylvania. 

Two of those sources say the shooter was on a roof, outside of the venue. Multiple law enforcement sources have referred to this individual as a sniper, although additional details about that are not clear.

Butler County District Attorney Richard Goldinger said he was told by his chief detective that the shooter was on a building adjacent to the property and had no additional details on the person.

“It would have required a rifle,” he said. “It was several hundred yards.”

A Biden campaign official said the campaign is “is pausing all outbound communications and working to pull down our television ads as quickly as possible.”

The shooting at former President Donald Trump’s rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, is being investigated as a possible assassination attempt, according to law enforcement officials.

President Joe Biden responded to a Saturday shooting at a Donald Trump rally that left the former president scrambling for safety and at least one spectator as well as the shooter dead.

“I have been briefed on the shooting at Donald Trump’s rally in Pennsylvania. I’m grateful to hear that he’s safe and doing well. I’m praying for him and his family and for all those who were at the rally, as we await further information. Jill and I are grateful to the Secret Service for getting him to safety. There’s no place for this kind of violence in America. We must unite as one nation to condemn it.”

Biden has been largely out of sight at his Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, home Saturday, but was attending Mass at St. Edmund’s Catholic Church when the shooting occurred.

The White House told reporters in Delaware that Biden was briefed on the shooting by Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, and Homeland Security adviser Liz Sherwood-Randall.

Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi condemned the shooting at former President Donald Trump’s rally on Saturday.

“As one whose family has been the victim of political violence, I know firsthand that political violence of any kind has no place in our society,” Pelosi said in a statement posted on X.“I thank God that former President Trump is safe. As we learn more details about this horrifying incident, let us pray that all those in attendance at the former President’s rally today are unharmed.”

The shooter at the Donald Trump rally was killed by the Secret Service, according to a Secret Service source. An attendee was also killed during the incident.

One audience member and the gunman are dead after a shooting at former President Donald Trump’s rally in Pennsylvania, according to Butler County District Attorney Richard Goldinger.

The district attorney also said Trump is going to be OK and was removed by the US Secret Service. The official said a second spectator is in serious condition.

Goldinger said he does not know if the shooter died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound or was shot by someone else during the incident.

The injured spectator is in serious condition, he told CNN.

A shooter at Donald Trump’s rally in Pennsylvania has been “neutralized,” according to multiple law enforcement sources.

Former Trump campaign adviser David Urban told CNN he spoke with Senate Republican candidate Dave McCormick, who was sitting in the front row of the rally, and he believes other people were injured in the incident.

Urban told CNN on the air that Trump told McCormick during the rally to “come up here on stage,” at which point he heard a few “pops” to his left – the former president’s right – that sounded like “firecrackers.”

“He saw Trump drop down and he believes a gentleman was shot in the head behind him in the second row, and believed some other people may have been injured,” Urban told CNN’s Wolf Blitzer.

McCormick dropped to the ground at that point, and when he got up, Secret Service agents were “around everybody and they were scattering,” Urban continued.

Urban said he has run close to 50 Trump rallies, which had “magnetometers all over the place.” 

“The notion that somehow, somebody was able to get a firearm in there, is just beyond me because there is as much security there as there is going into any event where the president or former president is,” he said.

Former President Donald Trump was injured Saturday at his campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.

Blood could be seen on his ear and face after loud bangs were heard at the rally. Secret Service agents covered him up before helping him away from the scene.

See more photos from the incident here.

Vice President Kamala Harris has been briefed on the security incident at former President Donald Trump’s rally, according to her office. Harris is en route back to Washington, DC, from a campaign stop in Philadelphia.

Former President George W. Bush says he is “grateful” that former President Donald Trump is safe.

“Laura and I are grateful that President Trump is safe following the cowardly attack on his life. And we commend the men and women of the Secret Service for their speedy response,” Bush said in his statement.

Pennsylvania Sen. Bob Casey, a Democrat, has offered support to law enforcement as investigation to incident at Trump rally begins. 

“I am monitoring the situation at President Trump’s rally in Butler and I’ve reached out the State Police to offer support,” Casey said in a statement on X. “Political violence is never acceptable and I am hoping former president Trump & all attendees are safe. Everyone in Butler should listen to law enforcement.”

The New York City Police Department is increasing its presence at Trump Tower and other sensitive locations out of an abundance of caution around the city after former President Donald Trump was injured during a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on Saturday.

According to a spokesperson for New York City Mayor Eric Adams, the mayor has been briefed on the incident. The NYPD will also increase security at 40 Wall Street, Foley Square and City Hall.

Trump Tower in Manhattan is already under the watch of the NYPD, even though Trump seldom visits his former residence. Over the years, Trump Tower has served as a gathering place for supporters and opponents of the former president.

Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley condemned political violence and offered prayers for Donald Trump after he was rushed off stage after loud bangs were heard at the start of a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.

“This should horrify every freedom loving American. Violence against presidential candidates must never be normalized. We are lifting up Donald Trump, the entire Trump family, and all in attendance in prayer,” Haley wrote in a post on X.

Billionaire tech investor Elon Musk has announced he is endorsing former President Donald Trump following Saturday’s incident in Butler, Pennsylvania.

“I fully endorse President Trump and hope for his rapid recovery,” Musk tweeted.

Musk, head of SpaceX, Tesla and X, has made supporting right-wing causes — and extremism, in some situations — increasingly central to his identity.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer issued a statement after the incident at former President Trump’s rally, saying, “I am horrified by what happened at the Trump rally in Pennsylvania and relieved that former President Trump is safe. Political violence has no place in our country.” 

Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy is calling for unity in the wake of former President Donald Trump being rushed off stage by Secret Service at a Pennsylvania campaign rally. 

“Now is the time for every American who loves our country to step back from the division, renounce all violence, and unite in prayer for President Trump and his family,” he said in a post on X. 

Details on the incident at the rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, are still sparse, but Trump had blood on his face as he was rushed off stage following the sound of loud bangs. A spokesperson has said he is “fine.”

House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries said in a statement on X that he is praying for former President Donald Trump.

“My thoughts and prayers are with former President Trump. I am thankful for the decisive law enforcement response,” he said. “America is a democracy. Political violence of any kind is never acceptable.”

Democratic Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro on Saturday condemned political violence and said he’s been briefed on the incident at Donald Trump’s rally.

“Violence targeted at any political party or political leader is absolutely unacceptable,” Shapiro posted to X.

“It has no place in Pennsylvania or the United States. I have been briefed on the situation. @PAStatePolice are on the scene in Butler County and working with our federal and local partners.”

Donald Trump’s spokesperson Steven Cheung said the former president “is fine.” 

“President Trump thanks law enforcement and first responders for their quick action during this heinous act. He is fine and is being checked out at a local medical facility. More details will follow,” Cheung said in a statement.

President Joe Biden has been briefed on the incident at former President Donald Trump’s Pennsylvania rally, according to the White House.

Biden was attending Mass on Saturday evening when the incident occurred. Biden received an initial briefing in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, before receiving an updated briefing, the White House said Saturday.

Per the White House, Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, and Homeland Security adviser Liz Sherwood-Randall are part of the team briefing the president, with White House chief of staff Jeff Zientz, counselor to the president Steve Ricchetti, and deputy chief of staff Annie Tomasini also participating.

First Lady Jill Biden was en route back to Delaware from an event in Pittsburgh at the time of the incident.

Vice President Kamala Harris was en route back to Washington, DC, from a campaign stop in Philadelphia at the time.

This post has been updated with additional information.

Former President Donald Trump is safe after an incident at his rally, according to Anthony Guglielmi, US Secret Service chief of communications

“An incident occurred the evening of July 13 at a Trump rally in Pennsylvania. The Secret Service has implemented protective measures and the former President is safe. This is now an active Secret Service investigation and further information will be released when available,” Guglielmi said in a statement.

Several allies of Donald Trump and potential vice presidential picks have tweeted messages of support and prayers for the former president, who was injured at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, moments ago.

Here’s a look at what they’re saying:

Several allies posted the photograph of Trump with his fist in the air and blood on his ear, including Sen. Bill Hagerty, Rubio, Scott, Stefanik and Vance.

Agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is en route to assist at the Trump rally in Pennsylvania, according to a spokesperson.

Speaker Mike Johnson posted on X that he is “praying for President Trump,” moments after the former president was taken offstage after he was injured in an incident at a campaign rally in Pennsylvania. 

House GOP Conference Chair Elise Stefanik also posted on the platform, saying, “Please pray for President Trump, his family, and all of the patriots at today’s rally in Pennsylvania.”

Pool reporters at the rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, where former President Donald Trump was rushed offstage reported that they heard ‘“a series of loud explosions or loud bangs” before Secret Service agents rushed toward Trump

“The Secret Service went and immediately covered President Trump,” according to the pool report. “Pool heard residual bangs afterward.”

“Agents grabbed Trump, who was seen waving his fists in the air,” the pool report added.

President Joe Biden has departed church and was asked by reporters if he was briefed on the incident at the Trump rally, he replied no.

Secret Service agents rushed former President Donald Trump off the stage after he fell to the ground amid loud bangs at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.

After the bangs, Trump fell to the ground and was covered by Secret Service agents. He was stood back up by security personnel and had blood on his face. He was yelling back to the crowd and raising his fist before being was whisked away by security personnel.

Trump was then taken to a vehicle and evacuated from the scene. The incident took place moments after he took the stage at the rally.

“We heard a bunch of … loud cracking noises. At first I thought: Is that fireworks? All of a sudden everyone started screaming,” said CNN’s Alayna Treene, who was reporting from the rally.

This post has been updated.

Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley has been invited to speak at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee next week, one person familiar told CNN.

Former President Donald Trump’s campaign and a spokesperson for Haley did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The news comes after it was announced earlier this week that Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, a fellow former GOP presidential nominee, is expected to speak at the RNC.

CNN reported Tuesday that Haley and DeSantis had been left out of the program, sparking backlash from their supporters.

Trump’s team had been discussing whether to invite Haley to the convention next week.

Haley, who dropped out of the presidential race in March, announced Tuesday that she was releasing her delegates to the convention and urging them to support Trump. She made clear in a May speech that she would vote for Trump, and the two spoke last month.

Democratic lawmakers pressed President Joe Biden directly about how he can win reelection in what multiple sources described as a tense call Saturday. 

Biden, who was 30 minutes late to the private conversation, started his call with the moderate group of House Democrats known as the New Democrat Coalition by asking for lawmakers to ask tough questions, per multiple sources familiar with the call. 

One of the questions came from Democratic Rep. Jason Crow, who asked Biden whether concerns about his mental acuity would affect national security, two sources told CNN. Biden was animated, per sources, as he defended his record and pointed to the work he has done to strengthen NATO. 

Lawmakers also sought reassurances from Biden over the course of the call, but those sometimes fell flat and sources described the president’s responses as defensive. 

“He doesn’t have an answer to the question about what he’s going to do to change the momentum of the campaign,” Rep. Adam Smith, who was on the call, told CNN, adding that the president largely focused on his accomplishments in office.  “The message we’ve been getting from him and his team: Shut up, fall in line, everything’s fine,” said Smith, who’s urged Biden to step aside. “That’s not good.”  

Rep. Chrissy Houlahan of Pennsylvania pressed Biden directly about what his strategy was for winning the state, one of the sources told CNN. 

Only three lawmakers asked questions on the call, but Biden said he appreciated the feedback and would get back to anyone whom he did not have time for, another one of the sources said.

Biden ended the call by saying he had to go to church, per sources.

First lady Jill Biden hit the campaign trail Saturday to help bolster support for her husband’s reelection bid in battleground Pennsylvania, leaning on her family’s personal story to make inroads with a key group as President Joe Biden contends with concerns about his age and capacity to serve a second term.

“In Joe, I found the husband who always supported my career. His family’s struggles to reach the middle class felt so familiar to my own family tree, and the loyalty and the closeness of the Bidens rang true in how I was raised,” Jill Biden said at an Italian Sons and Daughters of America dinner in Pittsburgh.

Jill Biden, the first Italian American first lady, said, “Our ancestors kept true to the same values that echo in the motto of this organization: Liberty, unity and duty. You make sure everyone can build a good life in America. That work is personal to Joe, and to me, too.”

In the largely apolitical speech, the first lady pointed to some of the president’s values and accomplishments.

“He’s making sure that no matter where you start in life, there’s no limit to what you can achieve. He’s helped us heal from the pandemic, created millions of good jobs … and (is) giving more families a sense of real security in the middle class.”

The first lady spoke about an hour away from Butler, Pennsylvania, where former President Donald Trump is holding a Saturday evening rally. Vice President Kamala Harris was also in battleground Pennsylvania on Saturday, speaking at a town hall with Asian and Pacific Islander Americans.

Actors Jennifer Coolidge and Adrienne Warren, along with Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and his husband, Chasten, will headline a Biden campaign fundraiser next weekend in Provincetown, Massachusetts, featuring Vice President Kamala Harris, the fundraiser’s host announced Saturday. 

Bryan Rafanelli — the event planner behind the 2022 White House wedding of Naomi Biden, President Joe Biden’s granddaughter, and last year’s Australian state dinner at the White House — posted the lineup to Instagram on Saturday.

Per an event invitation, tickets start at $150, while donors who contribute or raise $15,000 or more will have the opportunity to pose for a photo with the vice president.

Earlier this week, local paper the Provincetown Independent reported that one of the fundraiser’s co-hosts withdrew from the event shortly after last month’s CNN debate, where Biden’s performance raised alarms among political allies over his fitness for office.

“I thought long and hard about it before I backed out of this event,” Terrence Meck said, according to the Independent. “For me, it was not in my heart to continue supporting this candidacy.”

CNN has reached out to Meck and the Biden campaign for comment.

Over the last several days, former President Donald Trump held private meetings with three vice presidential hopefuls: Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida, Sen. JD Vance of Ohio, and North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, a source familiar with the matter tells CNN.

Sources said they did not believe Trump made an offer to any candidate.

Some details of the meetings were reported earlier by ABC News.

Vice President Kamala Harris told reporters traveling with her in Philadelphia on Saturday that President Joe Biden did “an outstanding job,” during Thursday’s hour-long news conference on the sidelines of the NATO summit, pointing to a high-energy rally in Detroit on Friday as further evidence there remains “a lot of support” for Biden.

“He is a master of the issues, he is so highly respected among our colleagues around the globe, and then you look … to even just what he did last night in Michigan — he’s turning out big crowds, there’s a lot of enthusiasm, there’s a lot of support,” Harris said during a stop at Philadelphia’s Reading Terminal Market.

Biden took 19 questions from ten reporters during the solo news conference, though much attention was paid to a duo of gaffes that saw the president mistakenly call Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky as “Putin” and his own vice president as “Vice President Trump.”

In her comments Saturday, Harris also acknowledged the presence of Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, calling the Democrat “a great partner to the President.”

Earlier tonight: Harris also defended Biden’s reelection bid Saturday during a speech at a Philadelphia town hall organized by the organization APIAVote.

Harris once again pointed out the stakes of the 2024 election, which is 115 days away, calling it “the most existential, consequential and important election of our lifetime.”

She described Biden as resilient in the face of calls for him to step down from the presidential race.

“The past few days have been a reminder that running for president of the United States is never easy, nor should it be,” she said. “But one thing we know about our President Joe Biden, he is a fighter. And he is the first to say when you get knocked down you get right back up. So we will continue to fight.”

The call between President Joe Biden and the moderate group of House Democrats known as the New Democrat Coalition is now underway, according to multiple sources.

This follows Biden’s call with another coalition, the Congressional Progressive Caucus, earlier today, as the president tries to shore up his flagging support with Democratic lawmakers.

The calls are giving him a chance to speak directly to critics: All of the House Democrats who have publicly called for Biden to step aside belong to one of the two groups.

Geoff Duncan, the Republican former Georgia lieutenant governor, indicated Sunday that his feelings on President Joe Biden’s candidacy have changed since previously endorsing the president.

“The Joe Biden I endorsed a few months ago was not the Joe Biden I saw, or the rest of America saw, during that debate,” he told CNN’s Fredricka Whitfield on Saturday, referring to Biden’s disastrous showing in the CNN presidential debate of late June. “That was shocking beyond my greatest imagination.”

While Duncan said he believes the president is “fighting hard” to reestablish his credibility, he said “that ship has sailed in my opinion.”

He went on to say he thinks the Democrats’ best chance at beating former President Donald Trump in the upcoming election is to nominate a different candidate.

Duncan said Trump creates “chaos and anger” and that he worries what another term would do to the country.

“I worry about the economy. I worry about our international relationships. I worry about all kinds of things. I worry about being able to sit down and talk to your neighbor,” he said. “Those are the things that I’m worried about long-term as an American.”

Remember: Duncan and other state GOP election officials pushed back against Donald Trump’s false claims of voter fraud in Georgia after the 2020 election — prompting public attacks by the former president and threats from his supporters.

When Duncan endorsed Biden, he acknowledged that the president’s “progressive policies aren’t to conservatives’ liking,” but said he felt he was left with no alternative, and argued a second Trump term would hinder the Republican Party from moving forward.

Vice President Kamala Harris was interrupted by protesters Saturday while delivering remarks at a town hall put on by the nonpartisan organization Asian and Pacific Islander American Vote (APIAVote).

As she was discussing comments from former President Donald Trump, demonstrators objecting to the Biden administration’s support for Israel’s war in Gaza began to shout from the audience.

According to reporters in the room, demonstrators — including at least one small group holding a sign — interrupted, with one chanting, “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.”

Supporters initially drowned out the protesters with chants of “Four more years,” prompting the vice president to respond: “And we will have those four more years, and we will have those four more years — and of course, we respect everyone’s right to voice their concerns. I am speaking right now, however, and I’m going to continue with the topic at hand.” 

As she tried to continue, protesters again began to chant, “Free, free Palestine,” prompting supporters again to drown out those protests with, “Four more years.”

“We are fighting for a democracy and democratic values, which includes the right of everyone to speak,” Harris said, later repeating, “We are going to have four more years.”

In Gaza today, the health ministry says at least 90 Palestinians were killed in an airstrike by Israel, which said its military had launched an attack on Hamas’ military chief.

The Israeli attack happened in Al-Mawasi, which is designated by Israel as a safe place for Palestinians fleeing the fighting elsewhere. At least one US-made munition was used in the strike, according to CNN analysis confirmed by a former US Army ordnance disposal technician.

This post has been updated to clarify that Harris was speaking at a town hall organized by APIAVote, not an event organized by the Biden campaign.

President Joe Biden held a call with the Congressional Progressive Caucus on Saturday afternoon.

This was one of two calls that Biden planned today with key factions of the House Democratic caucus, and was part of the broader direct outreach Biden is conducting as he tries to assuage concerns within his party.

Caucus Chair Pramila Jayapal shared a statement after the private call concluded, saying, “We spoke frankly to the President about our concerns and asked tough questions about the path forward. We appreciate his willingness to thoughtfully answer and address our Members.”

Rep. Brad Sherman of California praised the president after the call, saying in a post on X, “Just completed the progressive caucus call with President Biden. What I saw was the President Biden that we saw at the post-NATO press conference, not the Biden we saw in the debate.”

Biden’s other call Saturday is with the New Democrat Coalition, CNN reported earlier today. This follows virtual meetings with the political wings of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus and the Congressional Hispanic Caucus on Friday, according to sources familiar with the calls.

This post has been updated with statements about the call from caucus members.

BET will air an interview with President Joe Biden on Wednesday, according to a Saturday news release from the network.

Biden will sit down with veteran BET journalist Ed Gordon for his first on-camera interview with the network.

The special — set to air at 10 p.m. ET — “will discuss the growing concern over President Biden’s fitness for office, the state of the economy for Black families, the Project 2025 conservative policy agenda, and the fight to engage Black voters,” according to the network. “Project 2025” refers to a proposed policy platform from a conservative, pro-Trump think tank.

Some context: The interview marks the latest effort from the Biden campaign to reach Black voters, who propelled him to victory in 2020. Earlier this month, the campaign drew fire when it was revealed they’d passed along suggested questions to two Black radio hosts.

Host Andrea Lawful-Sanders resigned from Philadelphia station WURD after telling CNN that her post-debate interview with President Joe Biden included questions that were pre-selected by Biden’s campaign team.

The president is also scheduled to sit down with NBC News’ Lester Holt in Austin on Monday.

Speaking before an enthusiastic crowd in Detroit on Friday night, President Joe Biden declared unequivocally that he was staying in the 2024 race and attacked rival Donald Trump in a number of new ways.

If you’re catching up on the speech, here were some of the key moments:

Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont continued to urge Democrats to back President Joe Biden’s reelection campaign, writing in a Saturday op-ed for The New York Times that he “may not be the ideal candidate, but he will be the candidate and should be the candidate.”

Sanders, an independent who caucuses with Democrats, has been one of Biden’s critical allies in Congress since the 81-year-old president’s dismal debate performance last month spurred calls for him to step aside from the race. Sanders, along with fellow progressive Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, have offered the president lifelines this week, publicly backing him during one of the tensest moments of Biden’s political life.

In his op-ed, Sanders acknowledged his disagreements with Biden, including about the US’ support of Israel in its war against Hamas in Gaza, but said “too many Democrats” have focused “on the June presidential debate and the cognitive capabilities of a man who has, perhaps, the most difficult and stressful job in the world.”

“Yes. I know: Mr. Biden is old, is prone to gaffes, walks stiffly and had a disastrous debate with Mr. Trump,” Sanders, 82, wrote. “But this I also know: A presidential election is not an entertainment contest. It does not begin or end with a 90-minute debate.”

Sanders added: “With an effective campaign that speaks to the needs of working families, he will not only defeat Mr. Trump but beat him badly. It’s time for Democrats to stop the bickering and nit-picking.”

The Republican National Convention has a full range of speakers lined up for its conference next week, including potential vice presidential picks, lawmakers, governors, and celebrities like rapper Amber Rose and Dana White from the UFC, according to a source familiar with the plans.

CNN reported earlier that former Fox News host Tucker Carlson and ex-Trump administration official Peter Navarro, who is expected to be released from prison on the same day he appears, would also speak.

Lawmakers speaking include:

A number of governors will speak, including:

From the former president’s family, Donald Trump Jr., Eric Trump, Lara Trump and Kimberly Guilfoyle will have speaking roles.

Other speakers include:

View the full list of speakers here.

Former Fox News host Tucker Carlson is currently slated to speak at the Republican National Convention on the night former President Donald Trump is set to accept the Republican nomination for president, according to a person familiar with the plans.

Carlson is scheduled to speak on Thursday, but the source said the day Carlson speaks may change as plans continue to be updated ahead of the convention in Milwaukee next week.

In lieu of attending the first GOP primary debate last year, Trump participated in an interview with Carlson, who aired the interview on X during the debate.

Carlson and Fox News severed ties last year.

The rest of the speaking schedule is taking shape: Peter Navarro, an ex-White House aide to Trump, will also make remarks at the convention, a source familiar with the schedule tells CNN.

Navarro is expected to be released from prison — where he has been serving time since March — on Wednesday and will speak at the convention that night.

Navarro, an economist who focused on trade policy while in the Trump White House, was jailed for contempt of Congress after his refusal to comply with a subpoena related to the House Select Committee’s investigation of the January 6, 2021, US Capitol attack.

This post has been updated with an additional speaker at the convention.

President Joe Biden is launching a delayed outreach campaign to lawmakers following his closely watched solo news conference and his meeting with House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries earlier this week.

The president’s series of calls to key groups of congressional Democrats continues Saturday. He’ll hold virtual meetings with both the New Democrat Coalition and the Congressional Progressive Caucus, according to sources familiar with those meetings.

On Friday, the president also had calls with the political wings of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus and the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, the sources said.

The discussions are aimed at stopping the defections in Biden’s Democratic coalition in Congress, which continued throughout the past week.

More than a dozen Democratic House members and at least one Democratic senator have publicly called on Biden to withdraw from his reelection campaign. That list includes multiple House members in the nation’s most competitive congressional districts, but also senior Democrats on influential committees and members in safely Democratic seats.

It has been just over two weeks since the CNN presidential debate upended the 2024 campaign, leaving Democrats in a state of panic over President Joe Biden’s candidacy and allowing former President Donald Trump to largely sit back and watch the uncertainty unfold.

Trump returns to the campaign trail Saturday, holding a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, at 5 p.m. ET. His last major event was held Tuesday in Miami.

As the Republican National Convention inches closer, all eyes are on when the former president will announce his running mate.

US Senate candidate Dave McCormick will speak at tonight’s rally, his spokesperson confirmed to CNN. McCormick — who earned Trump’s endorsement in April after failing to do so in his 2022 primary contest against Mehmet Oz — is challenging Pennsylvania Sen. Bob Casey.

The Biden campaign will also be on the trail in Pennsylvania today, with Vice President Kamala Harris set to give a keynote speech this afternoon at the Asian and Pacific Islander American Vote Presidential Town Hall in Philadelphia.

This event is a continuation of the Biden-Harris campaign’s national organizing and engagement program focused on mobilizing AAPI voters.

First lady Jill Biden, meanwhile, will deliver remarks at an Italian Sons and Daughters of America dinner in Pittsburgh.

Remember: Pennsylvania, with its 19 electoral votes, is considered a key battleground state in the 2024 contest. It is one of the “Blue Wall” states, along with Michigan and Wisconsin, that the Biden campaign views as his most direct path to reelection.

CNN’s Kit Maher and Christian Sierra contributed to this report.

This post has been updated with details about Trump’s rally tonight.

Republicans adopted a new platform for Donald Trump’s third White House run that mainlines the former president’s policies and makes Trump himself a focus of the party.

The policy blueprint is a fraction of the length of the 2016 platform and written in Trump’s voice.

Republicans also modestly softened their language on the issue of abortion — angering some anti-abortion activists — and made clear that, like Trump, the party will favor a state-by-state local approach to the issue, meaning they will support efforts to ban abortion outright in some states and allow it to exist in others.

CNN annotated the full Republican Party platform — here are some of the other takeaways:

Read through CNN’s interactive with the entire GOP platform annotated here.

Both President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump are well into retirement age. Both ramble through answers to questions when they bother to take them. Both mix up names. Neither took part in debates during a primary season in which they racked up wins.

One of the men, Trump, 78, has been able to remake the Republican Party around his own divisive persona, despite being a recently convicted felon, indicted for election interference and mishandling classified documents, and found liable for sexual abuse and defamation — as well as lying about his net worth to get loans tied to his massive real estate portfolio.

Meanwhile, Biden, 81, has now spent weeks defiantly defending his fitness for the job, slowly emerging from a protective bubble at the White House after a disastrous debate and spotty subsequent interviews.

The next week will offer a fresh look at what must feel like a cruel dichotomy to Biden supporters.

When the Republican National Convention gets underway Monday, it will show off a speaking schedule full of far-right personalities and an official party platform rewritten and simplified around Trump’s priorities.

Trump, between now and then, will pick a vice president from a short list of people who have previously criticized him but are now all in on his candidacy.

While the former president celebrates his dominance at the convention, Biden will be fighting back the argument that Democratic convention delegates should pick a younger successor next month.

The latest in a series of public tests of Biden’s abilities will be another interview with a network news anchor, NBC this time, broadcast in prime time on Monday.

Four years ago, Black voters saved Biden’s bid for the Democratic presidential nomination after his poor finishes in predominantly White early voting states.

Now, that support within the Black community – from battleground state voters and Black leaders – serves as one of the last bulwarks against a growing number of lawmakers and donors asking him to pass the torch.

In interviews, the president’s supporters in the state shared a similar message: The stakes of this election are too high to change course now.

Voter voices: Alanna Morris tuned in to last month’s presidential debate hoping to watch President Joe Biden “wipe the floor” with former President Donald Trump.

Instead, the 44-year-old Atlanta cardiologist saw a candidate she hardly recognized. She turned the event off halfway through, feeling sad and concerned the president had suffered a medical event like a stroke.

That disappointment, however, hasn’t dissuaded her from her plan to vote for the president. She finds the alternative – a second Trump term – untenable.

“Don’t rock the boat unless you have a plan to get me back to shore,” she said. “Getting me to shore is making sure that Donald Trump is not in office come January 2025.”

“I am voting for democracy, and as of right now a convicted felon is not it,” Jarita Burdette, a 42-year-old Atlanta resident, told CNN. “Biden’s our guy, that’s who I’m riding with.”

“The Democratic Party knew four years ago how old Joe Biden would be in 2024,” said Michelle Mitchell, a 69-year-old Black Atlanta resident who participated in a CNN roundtable with older voters and opposes efforts to pressure Biden to step aside. “To try to pull a stunt like this at the 11th hour is very disappointing.”

Hear more thoughts from Georgia voters here.

President Joe Biden charged forward with his campaign before an enthusiastic crowd in Detroit on Friday, declaring unequivocally, “I am running.”

He attacked Donald Trump in a number of new ways, including explicitly saying that Trump raped a woman.

“Fourteen million Democrats like you voted for me in the primaries,” Biden said. “You made me the nominee, no one else. Not the press, not the pundits, not the insiders, not the donors. You the voters. You decided, no one else, and I’m not going anywhere.”

“I am running and we’re going to win,” he said to cheers.

The speech at a Detroit high school comes as the president has remained defiant in the face of growing calls from Democratic lawmakers and donors for him to step aside in the race. The Michigan crowd encouraged Biden to stay in the race, breaking out in a chant of “Don’t you quit!”

For the first time, Biden also laid out what his priorities would be for the first 100 days of his second term, which included codifying Roe v. Wade, making the child tax cuts permanent, expanding Medicare and Medicaid, raising the minimum wage and banning assault weapons. 

Biden was clearly engaged with the crowd throughout his lengthy remarks which ran for 36 minutes.

President Joe Biden sought to draw policy contrasts Friday night with former president Donald Trump, directly tying him to the conservative policy blueprint known as “Project 2025.”

He attacked Trump in a number of new ways, including explicitly saying that Trump raped a woman. Biden read from a judge’s ruling against Trump in the defamation case of E. Jean Carol.

“Donald Trump was found liable for sexual assault by a judge who told us not to be fooled by Trump brushing it off,” Biden said. “This is what the judge wrote quote, the judge in that case wrote ‘Mr. Trump’s attempt to minimize sexual abuse, finding it frivolous. Mr. Trump raped her.’”“That’s the judge’s language, not mine,” Biden added. “He raped her. As many people understand the word rape.”  

Among his other direct attacks on Trump, Biden called the former president a “loser,” and a “convicted criminal.” He accused Trump of “riding around in his golf cart, filling out a scorecard before he hits the ball,” and said he “filed for bankruptcy 6 times.” 

“He even went bankrupt running a casino,” Biden said. “I didn’t think that was possible. Doesn’t the house always win in a casino?”

Biden also pointed out Trump’s own verbal slips – the day after Biden himself called Ukrainian President Volodymr Zelensky “President Putin” and referred to Vice President Kamala Harris as “Vice President Trump”

“I guess they don’t remember that Trump called Nikki Haley ‘Nancy Pelosi,’” Biden said.

The president mostly spoke using a teleprompter but did seem to veer off script at several points in the speech.

The editorial board of the Washington Post is calling on President Joe Biden’s allies to have a “candid conversation with him” but is not outright calling on him to leave the race. 

“Based on his comments Thursday, Mr. Biden seems to be somewhat oblivious to the political furor surrounding him and in denial about his frailty, personally and politically,” the Post wrote in a Friday opinion piece. “He needs to come to grips with reality,” the headline reads.

“What makes Mr. Biden’s cognitive decline especially damaging is that he and his aides have systematically failed to level with the public about it. This undercuts Democrats’ efforts to contrast their commitment to facts and science with Mr. Trump’s lies and flights of demagoguery — however worse morally those might be,” the editorial continues.

The board ended by calling for those close to the president to speak with him.

“Mr. Biden said on Thursday he’s ‘not in this for my legacy.’ Well and good. What, then, is he in it for? The only right answer is the good of the country. And those with influence and access to the president need to explain forcefully and candidly what that calls for now.”

I’ve tended to be pessimistic about President Joe Biden’s chances of reelection. There are plenty of reasons for that — for instance, he’s trailing in the polls both nationally and in swing states and has an approval rating south of 40%.

But sometimes it’s worth taking a step back and looking at the counterargument. Biden’s been through arguably two of the worst weeks for a president running for reelection that I can recall, and he’s still within earshot of former President Donald Trump.

If you average the national polls since the debate 15 days ago, Trump’s ahead by 3 points. An NPR/PBS News/Marist College poll out Friday morning even put the race at 50% for Biden to 48% for Trump (a result within the margin of error).

No one should be comfortable calling the presidential race with these sorts of polling results. Since 1972, the average difference between the polls at this point and the eventual result has been 6 points.

Sometimes races change by far more than that. Democrat Michael Dukakis led Republican George H.W. Bush by mid-to-high single digits at this point in 1988 before the party conventions. By the time the race was over, Bush had defeated Dukakis by 8 points.

Biden and Trump’s own history should make you think twice about calling wraps on this race as well. Biden was ahead by 9 points in the early July national polls in 2020. He ended up winning the national popular vote by only half that (4.5 points).

Biden’s clearest path, according to the public data (and both campaigns), continues to be through the northern battleground states of Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. Wins in all three would likely mean Biden can lose Arizona, George, Nevada and North Carolina and still pull off a victory.

Read Harry Enten’s full analysis of the state of the race and the latest polling.