memeorandum: The media has been breathlessly attacking Biden. What about Trump? (Margaret Sullivan/The Guardian)

2:45 PM ET, July 9, 2024

Top Items:

Christopher Cadelago / Politico:

Poll finds Biden damaged by debate; with Harris and Clinton best positioned to win — Vice President Kamala Harris is now running ahead of Trump, 42 percent to 41 percent, the survey found. — A top Democratic pollster has a new survey showing President Joe Biden still in contention against Donald Trump …

Discussion: New York Times, Washington Examiner, Slate, Breitbart, Mediaite, Twitchy, RedState and Althouse

Andrew Solender / Axios:

Scoop: Biden rebels in Congress see their revolt crumbling … - One shell-shocked lawmaker who was present at the meeting would offer only one word to characterize it: “Intense.” — Another described the mood as “pretty much unanimous” that Biden has “got to step down,” adding …

Discussion: Punchbowl News, CBS News, Associated Press, The Gateway Pundit, Wall Street Journal, Breitbart, The Daily Caller, ABC News, USA Today, Washington Times, NOTUS, New York Times, Bloomberg, New York Magazine, Raw Story and Washington Post

Camille Mumford / Emerson Polling:

July 2024 National Poll: Trump 46%, Biden 43% — Home Polls July 2024 National Poll: Trump 46%, Biden 43% — The latest Emerson College Polling survey finds former President Donald Trump leading President Joe Biden in a national matchup, 46% to 43%; 11% are undecided.

Discussion: The Hill and New York Post

Politico:

House Dems' ‘sad’ venting session yields no clear path forward on Biden's future — In a private Tuesday meeting, multiple House Democrats made the case for replacing the president at the top of the ticket, while House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries advised members to stay unified.

Discussion: Rolling Stone and CBS News

Francesca Chambers / USA Today:

Kamala Harris beats Donald Trump, new poll shows, performs better than Joe Biden — WASHINGTON — Vice President Kamala Harris could narrowly beat Donald Trump in November, according to a new national poll from a Democratic pollster. — Harris is ahead by 1 point in the poll conducted …

Discussion: New York Post and Washington Post

New York Times:

The Democratic Party Must Speak the Plain Truth to the President — For voters who held out hope that President Biden's failure to communicate during last month's debate was an aberration, the intervening days have offered little comfort. — Donald Trump's candidacy for a second term poses a grave threat to American democracy.

Discussion: Politico, The Hill, Raw Story, The Federalist, Newsweek, New York Daily News, IJR, New York Post, Le·gal In·sur·rec·tion, Hartford Courant, Mediaite, Fox News, NationofChange, The Guardian, SWAMY WORLD, Florida Politics, Associated Press and Digby's Hullabaloo

Garrett Ross / Politico:
Playbook PM: Haley releases delegates to Trump

Discussion: NPR, CBS News, New York Times and Mediaite

Politico:
Playbook: The Democratic split to watch

Discussion: Roll Call, RedState, Punchbowl News and The Universe As A Causal Set

Shane Goldmacher / New York Times:
How Biden Is Leveraging His Defiance to Try to Stem Democratic Defections

Kevin Breuninger / CNBC:
Democrats hold pivotal meetings on Biden, as divisions deepen after Trump debate

Discussion: NBC News, freebeacon.com, Washington Examiner, Semafor, Fox News, Mediaite and Missouri Independent

William Vaillancourt / The Daily Beast:
AOC Breaks Her Post-Debate Silence With Ringing Biden Endorsement

Discussion: CNN, New York Times, Business Insider, Twitchy, Talking Points Memo and The Guardian

New York Times:
For Kamala Harris, the Challenge of Getting Ready Without Getting Ready

Discussion: Business Insider, The Atlantic, RedState, The Japan Times and NPR

Ian Hanchett / Breitbart:
Jon Stewart: Democrats Saying ‘Get on Board or Shut the F**k Up’ Doesn't Fix Voters' Concerns About Biden

Washington Post:
Black House Democrats embrace Biden at another critical juncture

Discussion: Washington Examiner, The Bulwark, New York Post, Fox News, Axios, Daily Kos, Politico, CBS News, Semafor, Althouse, Business Insider and NBC News

Bloomberg:
Biden Gets Unexpected Boost From ‘Squad’ Members He Once Battled

Discussion: Axios, Breitbart, New York Post, Le·gal In·sur·rec·tion and Washington Examiner

Eboni Boykin-Patterson / The Daily Beast:
Whoopi Says She'd Vote for Biden Even if He ‘Pooped His Pants’

Discussion: Business Insider, Breitbart, Entertainment Weekly, Newsbusters, RedState, Fox News, Twitchy, The Wrap, Washington Examiner, The Daily Caller, IJR and Mediaite

Philip Bump / Washington Post:

The Biden-Parkinson's mini-controversy, explained — One effect of Biden's poor debate performance? New eagerness to uncover evidence of Biden's physical failings. — For some time, there had been little question that the White House was taking steps to protect President Biden from scrutiny.

Wall Street Journal:

How Biden's Inner Circle Worked to Keep Signs of Aging Under Wraps — Aides kept a tight rein on the president's travel plans, news conferences, public appearances and meetings with donors while Biden's stumbles became increasingly obvious

Discussion: freebeacon.com, Fox News, Washington Examiner, Business Insider, Breitbart, New York Post, Wake Up To Politics, The Federalist, Power Line, RedState, HotAir, PJ Media and Instapundit

Mary Bruce / ABC News:
White House doctor offers explanation for Parkinson's expert's visits

Discussion: Axios, New York Post, acecomments.mu.nu, Mediaite, Washington Post, Washington Examiner, American Greatness, Digby's Hullabaloo, The Gateway Pundit, New York Times, Forbes, Breitbart, NBC News, IJR and emptywheel

Margaret Sullivan / The Guardian:

The media has been breathlessly attacking Biden. What about Trump? — The bigger story is Donald Trump's appalling unfitness for office. He tried to overturn a legitimate election and is a felon — It's possible for two conflicting ideas to be true at once.

Discussion: Thinking about

Tom Nichols / The Atlantic:
The Double Standard in Trump-Biden Coverage

Discussion: No More Mister Nice Blog

CBS News:

Navy sailor tried to access Biden's medical records multiple times — A junior Navy sailor attempted to access the medical records of President Biden from a military medical database three times in February but was unable to do so, the U.S. Navy confirms to CBS News.

Discussion: Raw Story, Alternet.org, Sputnik News, PoliticusUSA, abc7NY and Associated Press

Marc A. Caputo / The Bulwark:

J.D. Vance Has a Problem on His Face — J.D. VANCE IS THE BEST BET on the predictive markets to be Donald Trump's running mate. But an only-in-MAGAville issue might stand in the Ohio Republican's way: facial hair. — “J.D. has a beard. But Trump is a clean-shaven guy.

Discussion: The Guardian, Alternet.org, Raw Story and New York Post

Axios:
How Biden woes could affect Trump's VP pick

Discussion: Washington Examiner, Washington Post, ABC News, New York Post, Wall Street Journal, Associated Press and Bloomberg

Politico:

House Freedom Caucus braces for an internal brawl — The leadership-bucking House Freedom Caucus is facing a watershed moment, as several internal clashes risk ripping the group apart. The intense flare-up centers around the Monday night ouster of Rep. Warren Davidson (R-Ohio) …

Discussion: Raw Story

Politico:
House Freedom Caucus ousts Warren Davidson

Discussion: The Bulwark, Axios, Washington Times, The American Conservative, Washington Examiner and USA Today

Judd Legum / Popular Information:

The alarming new power Trump will claim in a second term — Donald Trump says that if he returns to the White House in 2025, he will have the power to effectively cancel any federal program — or even an entire agency — by refusing to spend money appropriated by Congress.

Discussion: Media Matters for America

Stuart Lau / Politico:

China's army shows up on NATO's border — with PHELIM KINE — HELLO CHINA WATCHERS. For once your Europe-China correspondent Stuart Lau is also in (a very hot) Washington, covering the NATO summit which is set to begin today. Phelim Kine will write to you from the very same city on Thursday.

Discussion: The Daily Caller, CNN, The Gateway Pundit, Xinhua, Sputnik News and Voice of America

Dan Rather / Steady:

A Dangerous Double Standard — All our energies must go to defeating Trump — What a weekend. You know I have seen some things in my seven decades covering American politics. I have never seen anything quite like the wrangling, hand-wringing, and behind-the-scenes gamesmanship currently swirling around President Biden.

Discussion: Raw Story and HuffPost