As Robert De Niro began to introduce Harry Dunn and Michael Fanone, two former police officers who fought the Trump supporters that attacked the Capitol on January 6, a heckler interrupted, accusing the duo of lying under oath.
âI donât even know how to deal with you, my friend, I donât even know how to deal with you,â De Niro replied.
âThey stood there and fought for us, for you, for you,â the actor continued, referring to Dunn and Fanone. âNo, no, they fought for you, buddy. Youâre able to stand right here now. They are the true heroes.â
Fanone is speaking now.
Key events
The press conference grew noisier after a car alarm began blaring near where Robert De Niro was speaking
The actor nonetheless kept up his denunciation of the former president.
âIf Trump returns to the White House, you can kiss these freedoms goodbye, that we all take for granted. And elections? Forget about it. Thatâs over, thatâs done. If he gets in, I can tell you right now, he will never leave. He will never leave,â De Niro said.
Robert De Niro is a native New Yorker, and likened Donald Trump to the sort of clown that is tolerated in the city, but does not belong in the White House.
âThis city is pretty accommodating. We make room for clowns. We have them all over the city. People who do crazy things in the street, we tolerate it. Itâs part of the city, itâs part of the culture, but not a person like Trump who will eventually run the country. That does not work, and we all know that,â DeNiro said.
As the actor spoke, protesters could be heard shouting in the background, and chanting âfuck Joe Bidenâ.
The Biden campaign did not specify who would be appearing at their press conference outside the courthouse where Donald Trump is on trial in New York City, saying only that there would be âspecial guestsâ.
The event is now getting started, and the campaign has invited actor Robert De Niro, along with two police officers who defended the Capitol on January 6: Harry Dunn and Michael Fanone.
âTrump poses a unique and growing threat to our fundamental rights and our freedoms, our very democracy and our economy. That threat is crystal clear today. It will remain crystal clear tomorrow, and it will be crystal clear on the debate stage in Atlanta,â Biden campaign spokesman Michael Tyler said as the press conference began.
Biden campaign to hold press conference outside Trump business fraud trial
Joe Bidenâs campaign just announced they will hold a press conference this morning outside the New York City courthouse where closing arguments have begun Donald Trumpâs trial on charges related to falsifying business records to cover up hush money payments.
Here is the latest on the closing arguments:
The Biden campaign has enlisted a trio of police officers who fought the rioters that attacked the Capitol on January 6 as campaign surrogates.
Washington DC police officer Daniel Hodges and former Capitol Police officers Harry Dunn and Aquilino Gonell will make their first appearance on behalf of the campaign in Arizona, the Arizona Republic reports.
âIf I can tell that story a million times, I will. If I can do that, Iâll just be doing my part to save democracy,â Dunn told CNN in an interview. The former officer ran for Congress in Maryland as a Democrat, but last week lost his primary:
I just got off the phone with Senator Elfreth, congratulating her on her hard-fought victory. I look forward to ensuring that we send Senator Elfreth to Congress this November.
Although tonightâs results may not have gone like we hoped, all I can feel right now is gratitude.â¦
— Harry Dunn (@libradunn) May 15, 2024
Democrats’ anxiety over Biden’s chances rises after Trump gains fundraising edge – report
The latest development rattling Democrats is the edge in fundraising that Donald Trump gained over Joe Biden last month, Politico reports.
The former presidentâs fundraising last month was $25m more than Biden, Politico reports, though the Democrat maintains his edge in cash on hand. The story is otherwise full of alarming quotes from nameless Democratic insiders warning that Bidenâs in a far weaker position than he should be, especially considering the stakes of this election.
From one Democratic operative Politico describes as being in touch with the White House:
This isnât, âOh my God, Mitt Romney might become president.â Itâs âOh my God, the democracy might end.â
And a Democratic adviser:
The list of why we âcouldâ win is so small I donât even need to keep the list on my phone.
The response from Biden campaign spokesman Kevin Munoz:
The work we do every day on the ground and on the airwaves in our battleground states â to talk about how President Biden is fighting for the middle class against the corporate greed thatâs keeping prices high, and highlight Donald Trumpâs anti-American campaign for revenge and retribution and abortion bans â is the work that will again secure us the White House.
Biden enlists January 6 police officers to campaign in swing states as reports of Democratic ‘freakout’ over poor polling emerge
Good morning, US politics blog readers. With less than six months to go until the 5 November presidential election, Politico has published yet another report about Democrats being nervous about Joe Bidenâs chance for re-election against Donald Trump. That the president is unpopular, and has been for year, is practically old news, but his allies have more recently been rattled by successive waves of polls showing him trailing Trump in most of the swing states he will need to win. Citing anonymous sources, Politico reports that some Democrats are in âfreakoutâ mode over Bidenâs chances, with the president facing persistent public concerns about his handling of issues as varied as inflation, immigration, and the relative unpopularity of his running mate Kamala Harris.
The Biden campaign has plenty of cards up its sleeve, including reminding voters of the violence at the Capitol on January 6, and Trumpâs role in instigating it. Three police officers who fought the insurrectionists will soon be hitting the road to campaign for Biden in battleground states, and warn voters that Trump would pose a threat to the countryâs democracy, if he returned to the White House.
Hereâs what else is going on:
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The big news of today is happening in New York City, where closing arguments are scheduled in Trumpâs business fraud trial. Follow our live blog for more.
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Texas holds run-off primary elections, where somewhat-vulnerable Republican congressman Tony Gonzales faces rightwing challenger Brandon Herrera.
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A majority of voters support filing lawsuits again oil companies for deceiving the public about the climate crisis, new polling shared with the Guardian finds.
