With help from Eli Okun, Garrett Ross and Bethany Irvine

DRIVING THE DAY

BREAKING OVERNIGHT — AP: “Global tech outage live updates: Flights grounded and offices hit as internet users face disruptions”

NOT-SO-NEW TRUMP — DONALD TRUMP promised he ripped up his original red meat speech and rewrote one with a more unifying message. In the end, he delivered both speeches.

There was the address loaded into the teleprompter, which began with his lengthy account of the events of last Saturday in Butler, Pennsylvania. And then there were the long interludes, where Trump riffed on the familiar themes and grievances that fuel his rallies.

Together, it all added up to over 90 minutes — the longest acceptance speech on record. Trump spoke slowly. He seemed subdued. We even noticed some attendees leaving the event before the balloon drop. At one point, Trump joked that the four-day convention had gone so well that the pressure was on for him not to blow it on the final night. Plenty of pundits in the post-speech cable panels believe he did.

The print coverage was not generous …

POLITICO: “a meandering speech that resembled his usual rallies with macabre descriptions of a nation in decline.”

NYT: “a speech that started solemn, turned rambling and showcased his all-encompassing power over his party.”

WaPo: “The speech wrapped a fresh gesture toward unity around his usual dark view of American decline and loathing for political opponents and immigrants.”

AP: “It seemed at first that Trump was trying to embody a less partisan, less caustic version of himself — still a giant personality, but one that uses his stature for the country’s benefit. Yet as quickly as he called for an end of the ‘demonization of political enemies,’ he turned the issue exclusively toward Democrats. He reprised his accusations that his criminal conviction and other prosecutions were because of the weaponization of the justice system. And he answered the critique that he is upending democracy by insisting, ‘I am the one saving democracy.’”

But even Trump’s at times gripping retelling of avoiding death with a “providential” turn of the head could not compete with the bigger story vibrating through Milwaukee — whether or not JOE BIDEN will end up as Trump’s general election opponent.

DARK TIMES FOR BRANDON — Long before Trump took the stage, the convention was abuzz about the mounting likelihood that Biden will be pushed off the top of the Democratic ticket. Delegates and attendees couldn’t help but ask reporters what we were hearing and how long Biden would last as the standard bearer of the party.

For years, Republicans have prepped to run against Joe Biden. He’s at the center of their 2024 narrative, which is built around making the election a referendum on an unpopular incumbent who has clearly lost some zip off his fastball in old age. And now, there’s a real anxiety that the Dump Biden movement will pull the rug out from under them.

They’re not alone in feeling uncertain about the moment at hand. Democrats — both those who continue to back the president and those who want him to step aside — are deeply unsure about the path ahead. But even amid that haziness, there is a growing sense of inevitability that Biden will not be the nominee — especially with Speaker Emerita NANCY PELOSI, Senate Majority Leader CHUCK SCHUMER and House Minority Leader HAKEEM JEFFRIES in apparent alignment against his continued candidacy.

“People who have known this man for 30, 40 years are stabbing this man in the front and the back,” one former senior Biden campaign and administration aide told us. “They are JULIUS CAESAR-ing this man.”

It’s not just leadership. Frontline Democrats in competitive races have been among the most vocal in calling for him to step aside. Last night, Sen. JON TESTER (D-Mont.) became the second sitting senator to publicly call on Biden to end his campaign. (Worth flagging: “Tester gave Schumer a heads up on his call for Biden to drop out, a person with knowledge of the situation told POLITICO. Schumer told Tester to do what he thought was right, the person added,” Jordain Carney and Ursula Perano report.) And with Congress coming back next week, we’re hearing that many members are prepared to make the final push when they return — if Biden lasts that long, of course.

“I don’t see how [Biden] can outmaneuver the sustained attacks,” one veteran Democratic aide close to the White House told Playbook. “It feels like the ending is near.”

One thing that’s clear on the ground in Milwaukee is that Republicans are beginning to reorient themselves to the seismic shift that a new candidate would bring.

“Republicans have a lot of momentum and a lot of opportunity to win big in November right now, but believe me, if and when [Democrats] make the switch, everything's going to change,” New Hampshire Gov. CHRIS SUNUNU told Eugene in a sit-down yesterday at the CNN-POLITICO Grill in Milwaukee. “It's going to get very close in a lot of those tighter states. There's going to be more energy. I think the Democrat[ic] Party would effectively be rewarded, if you will, by independents for saying, ’Hey, none of us liked that whole Biden-Trump ticket to start with. You guys had the courage to change your nominee out.’ And it's almost like a rewarding and a re-energizing of the party there.”

That’s precisely why Trump world figures are trying to meddle in the Democrats’ decision-making process: They are depending on running against Biden.

“This is nothing more than an attempted coup by the Democrat[ic] Party,” senior Trump adviser CHRIS LaCIVITA told JMart in an interview yesterday at the grill. “They are actively engaged in an attempt in my view — and a lot of people share this view — in deposing the President of the United States. You can't step down as a candidate for president because you're cognitively impaired while still being president. So you know, the two are linked.”

“Nothing says democracy like holding a fake primary and then having donors handpick a nominee behind closed doors,” former Trump adviser STEPHEN MILLER posted on X.

But even as they try to thwart Biden’s ouster, Trump world is also waking up to the likelihood that Biden may not be the Democratic nominee.

“As Trump aides gathered in the Trade Hotel adjacent to the Fiserv Forum, they speculated about who Vice President KAMALA HARRIS could pick as her vice presidential nominee if she replaces Biden on the ticket,” Alex Isenstadt, Olivia Beavers and Megan Messerly report. “MAGA Inc., the principal pro-Trump super PAC, has been doing opposition research and message testing against prospective Biden replacements, including Harris, Michigan Gov. GRETCHEN WHITMER and even billionaire TV personality MARK CUBAN, according to a person with knowledge of the moves.”

Meanwhile, as Biden looks wobbly at best, Harris’ allies are “engaged in a delicate behind-the-scenes effort to make sure the vice president moves to the top of the ticket if the president steps aside, according to five people involved in the project or with knowledge of the discussions,” Eugene scooped.

The endeavor, which hasn’t been sanctioned by Harris or her team, centers on “build[ing] a political operation as well as craft[ing] a biography that makes it clear she has more to offer than her high-profile defense of reproductive rights to include other foreign and domestic issues, the people involved said. The plan is to create a set of talking points around her accomplishments to paint a more fulsome picture of a candidate.”

“There is an effort quietly afoot to position an apparatus to turn on the lights” when the time is right, one person directly involved in the conversations tells Eugene.

Amid all of it, President Biden is reportedly “feeling angry and betrayed by top Democratic leaders” for working to push him out, NBC’s Mike Memoli, Ali Vitali, Julie Tsirkin and Sahil Kapur report.

“Can we all just remember for a minute that these same people who are trying to push Joe Biden out are the same people who literally gave us all Donald Trump? In 2015, [BARACK[ OBAMA, Pelosi, Schumer pushed Biden aside in favor of HILLARY [CLINTON]; they were wrong then, and they are wrong now,” a “source close to Biden” told NBC News.

“‘How did all this work out for everyone in 2016? Perhaps we should learn a few lessons from 2016; one of them is polls are BS — just ask Secretary Clinton. And two, maybe, just maybe, Joe Biden is more in touch with actual Americans than Obama-Pelosi-Schumer?’ the source added in unusually blunt language that represents the views of those closest to Biden.”

Last night, as rumors abounded, we texted Biden senior adviser ANITA DUNN: “As you probably know rumors are rampant that POTUS is dropping out tomorrow.”

She simply texted back, “Yes, but he isn’t, so get a good night’s sleep.”

Related reads: “What Kamala Harris’ record in California tells us about her political future,” by Melanie Mason, Jeremy B. White and Lara Korte … “Biden in Crisis,” by Adam Cancryn, Jonathan Lemire and Eli Stokols … “Nevada seemingly slips away despite Biden’s courting of Black, Latino voters,” by Christopher Cadelago and Adam Cancryn in Las Vegas … “The tide is turning against Biden in Aspen,” by Erin Banco and Nahal Toosi in Aspen, Colorado

Happy Friday. Thanks for reading Playbook. Drop us a line if you ever attended an open convention: Rachael Bade, Eugene Daniels, Ryan Lizza.

MY PRECIOUS — “‘Hillbilly Hobbit’: How Lord of the Rings Shaped JD Vance’s Worldview,” by Adam Wren

TALK OF THIS TOWN — Michael Schaffer pens the latest Capital City column: “I’ve Never Seen Washingtonians So Scared: The rise of political violence has reshaped life in the nation’s capital.”

THE PLAYBOOK INTERVIEW: RICHARD HUDSON — On this week’s episode of Playbook Deep Dive, Ryan sat down with the chairman of the NRCC to discuss the strategy behind the GOP effort to keep the House. Listen on Apple Podcasts or Spotify

GRILL MARKS — The conclusion of the RNC last night capped off this week’s run at the CNN-POLITICO Grill, where our reporters sat down with newsmakers to talk about all the buzz inside and outside the convention. Here’s a recap of yesterday’s action:

— Speaker MIKE JOHNSON sat down for a newsy interview with Rachael, where he claimed the White House for some time tried to block him from seeing signs that Biden was slipping mentally, refusing to allow the speaker to meet Biden. “Now we know why,” he said.

However, Johnson said he is torn about whether House Republicans should push to investigate Biden’s mental fitness too aggressively because he worries it will only arm U.S. adversaries and encourage them to attack.

Johnson also said Biden “needs to fire” Secret Service Director KIMBERLY CHEATLE in the wake of the attempted assassination of Trump. “Show some leadership, for goodness sakes, Mr. President,” Johnson said. Watch the video

In a lighter moment, Johnson broke out his famous Trump impression while recounting a story about Trump phoning the speaker after his teenage sons nearly drowned in the ocean near Mar-a-Lago. Watch the video … More from Olivia Beavers

— Trump campaign adviser Chris LaCivita — never one to mince words — told JMart that it’s “complete and utter bullshit” to suggest that the individuals or policies associated with Project 2025 will be appointed or adopted in a second Trump administration. “They're a pain in the ass,” he said of the conservative policy effort. Another noteworthy LaCivita statement from the interview: “It’s not over on Election Day. It's over on Inauguration Day.” Watch the video

— And Democratic Washington Rep. ADAM SMITH jumped in for a guest appearance, telling Ryan that his party needs to be “more public and more forceful” in calling for Biden to step aside. “There’s no part of this that is humiliating,” Smith said, noting that Biden has served ably for decades and should be proud of his record. As for who should replace Biden, Smith said the delegates should be the ones to decide rather than anointing Kamala Harris as the nominee. Watch the video

SPOTTED at the CNN-POLITICO Grill: Anderson Cooper, Susan Glasser, Kate Boulduan, Nigel Farage, Goli Sheikholeslami, Mark Thompson, David Axelrod, Mark Dekan, Wolf Blitzer, Jackie Kucinich, Olivia Nuzzi, Dennis Quaid, Nia-Malika Henderson, Kara Calvert, Shannon McGahn, Sam Feist, Roy Wood Jr., Josh Dawsey, Ashley Parker, Annie Karni, Kellyanne Conway, Mark Preston, Kaitlan Collins. Pic … Another pic … Another pic

WHAT'S HAPPENING TODAY

On the Hill

The Senate and the House are out.

At the White House

Biden has nothing on his public schedule as he continues to recover from Covid.

Harris will receive briefings and conduct internal meetings with staff.

On the trail

What we’re watching … For weeks, we’ve been promised a deluge of statements from Hill Democrats calling on Biden to step aside as the party’s presidential candidate. And though it’s quite possible that we’ll see more today and over the weekend — and likely that yet more will arrive after Congress returns to Washington on Monday — there’s another possibility worth considering: What if they don’t?

“[W]ith Biden’s campaign on the brink of collapse, many Democrats say there’s little political value to take that position publicly unless they have to,” Sarah Ferris and Anthony Adragna report for Inside Congress. “Why pull out your knife if he’s already bleeding out, unless you want to make a point of it at home,” one Hill aide tells them. Another person “added there was no point in a member of Congress calling on Biden to step down when ‘at this point, everyone knows Pelosi, Schumer and Obama are handling it.’”

Watch to see if the thinking develops over the weekend if it becomes clear that Biden isn’t going to go unless actively forced out.

PLAYBOOK READS

TRUMP CARDS

ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT FALLOUT — Secret Service Director KIMBERLY CHEATLE met with Trump at his hotel in Milwaukee on Tuesday to brief him, ABC’s Bill Hutchinson reports, as questions about the attempt on the former president’s life lead to more calls for Cheatle’s ousting.

Cheatle’s staffers tell ABC that the director has no plans to resign and is “determined” to “see through the investigation of how the attempt on Trump's life happened.” Cheatle also met with Trump aides on Monday for a briefing, but the meeting “was acrimonious at times,” WaPo’s Isaac Arnsdorf, Maria Sacchetti and Josh Dawsey report.

New details emerging: Federal investigators are “examining the possibility” that gunman THOMAS MATTHEW CROOKS “scoped out the area” where Saturday’s rally was held six days before Trump’s appearance, NYT’s Adam Goldman, Glenn Thrush and William Rashbaum report.

Despite officers tabbing Crooks as suspicious when he entered the premises long before Trump took the stage, members of Trump’s team “weren’t told that law enforcement was trying to locate Crooks in the minutes before he took the stage, and there was no conversation over whether Trump should have delayed his entrance,” CNN’s Kristen Holmes, Alayna Treene, Casey Tolan and Curt Devine.

More inquiries on the way: DHS’ inspector general’s office said yesterday that it is opening up another investigation into the Secret Service — a third — with this one focused on “USSS planning and implementation activities for protective operations.” More from NBC’s Phil Helsel … Read the announcement

Looking ahead: Trump is set to hold his first post-shooting rally tomorrow in west Michigan. The event was moved to an indoor venue, which is more easily secured, and the campaign is “not expecting to do outdoor rallies again for the foreseeable future,” per WaPo.

Related read: “The right is attacking the Secret Service’s women agents. Trump hasn’t joined in,” by Josh Gerstein and Betsy Woodruff Swan

Remembering Corey Comperatore: “Thousands gather at banquet hall to celebrate life of former fire chief killed at Trump rally,” by AP’s Michael Sisak, Maryclaire Dale and Joseph Frederick

Another instance of political violence: “Georgia man arrested for allegedly posting death threats against FBI director,” by Samantha Latson and Josh Gerstein

MORE POLITICS

A CERTAIN KIND OF SPLIT TICKET — Despite their new status as running mates after a week at the RNC preaching “unity” in the party, Trump and Vance actually find themselves on opposite sides of a primary out in Arizona, Madison Fernandez writes. In the race to succeed Rep. DEBBIE LESKO in Arizona’s 8th, ABE HAMADEH and BLAKE MASTERS are the frontrunners for the deep-red seat. Hamadeh enjoys the backing of Trump, who got behind him in December, while Masters has the support of Vance, a fellow PETER THIEL ally.

Earlier this week, Masters touted the alliance: “Thrilled to be ENDORSED in my House race by our next Vice President, J.D. Vance!” Masters wrote on X (with a picture of the two outside a Trump property). Hamadeh followed up with a quick retort: “THRILLED to be ENDORSED in his House race by our next President, Donald J. Trump!” followed by another that said Trump’s stamp is “the BEST endorsement in all of politics!”

JUDICIARY SQUARE

TOSS ’EM IF YA GOT ’EM — HUNTER BIDEN’s legal team yesterday asked federal judges to dismiss the looming tax and gun cases against him, citing a ruling earlier this week that saw Trump’s classified documents case tossed out. “The requests in federal court in Delaware and California underscore the potential ramifications of Cannon’s dismissal Monday of the classified documents case against Trump and the possibility that it could unsettle the legal landscape surrounding Justice Department special counsels,” AP’s Eric Tucker and Alanna Durkin Richer write.

THE LOAN LURCH — An appeals court yesterday temporarily blocked the Biden administration’s new student loan repayment plan, “leaving millions of borrowers uncertain about the monthly payments they owe,” Rebecca Carballo reports.

AMERICA AND THE WORLD 

MIDDLE EAST LATEST — “Israel skips Gaza talks, frustrating officials who say a deal is close,” by Erin Banco

Related reads: “‘Nothing Prepared Us for What We Saw’: Two Weeks Inside a Gaza Hospital,” by Mark Perlmutter and Feroze Sidhwa for POLITICO Magazine … “UN says Israeli evacuation orders are making it harder to reach those most in need in Gaza,” by CNN’s Tim Lister, Sharon Braithwaite and Sana Noor Haq

HEADS UP — “EU’s Von der Leyen Wins Second Term, Seeking Political Calm Amid Turmoil,” by WSJ’s Laurence Norman

TV TONIGHT — PBS’ “Washington Week”: Panel: Laura Barrón-López, Elisabeth Bumiller, Leigh Ann Caldwell and McKay Coppins.

SUNDAY SO FAR …

ABC “This Week”: Speaker Mike Johnson. Panel: Chris Christie, Donna Brazile, Rachael Bade and Terry Moran.

CBS “Face the Nation”: Rep. Mike Turner (R-Ohio) … Rep. Dean Phillips (D-Minn.).

FOX “Fox News Sunday”: Rep James Comer (R-Ky.). Panel: Francesca Chambers, Horace Cooper, Marie Harf and Marc Thiessen.

CNN “State of the Union”: Speaker Mike Johnson … Colorado Gov. Jared Polis. Panel: Scott Walker, Alyssa Farah Griffin, Bakari Sellers and Karen Finney.

NewsNation “The Hill Sunday”: Rep. Glenn Ivey (D-Md.). Panel: George Will, Michael Warren, Sabrina Siddiqui and David Swerdlick.

PLAYBOOKERS

Jesse Watters landed the first joint interview of Donald Trump and JD Vance.

Ben Sasse is stepping down as president of University of Florida to attend to some family issues.

Hulk Hogan stayed true to form at the RNC.

Vance apparently left his Venmo public.

Miriam Adelson took in the final night of the RNC alongside Ted Cruz, Kari Lake and Glenn Youngkin.

IN MEMORIAM — “Lou Dobbs, Former Fox Business Host and Trump Booster, Dies at 78,” by NYT’s Michael Levenson: “Lou Dobbs, the conservative television and radio host who used his platforms at CNN and Fox Business to promote baseless conspiracy theories and who became an ardent supporter of former President Donald J. Trump, has died. He was 78. His death was confirmed on Thursday on Mr. Dobbs’s website and social media accounts after Mr. Trump announced it on the Truth Social platform. No cause of death was given, and it was not immediately clear where or when he died.”

OUT AND ABOUT — SPOTTED in the Fox News greenroom at the Republican National Convention yesterday evening: Hulk Hogan, Donald Trump Jr., Eric Trump, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Lara Trump, Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), Vivek Ramaswamy, North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, Dan Lauria, House Majority Leader Steve Scalise and Steve Mnuchin.

TRANSITION — Dori Henry is joining Blended Public Affairs as SVP. She most recently was chief of staff to Baltimore County Executive Johnny Olszewski and is a Labor Department, DOJ and Tom Perez alum.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Playbook’s own Rachael Bade … Reps. Ron Estes (R-Kan.) and Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-Ill.) … WSJ’s Rebecca Ballhaus … WaPo’s Isaac Arnsdorf … Capitol Counsel’s Lyndon Boozer … DOE’s Jeff Marootian … LSG’s Ben Jenkins … Larry McCarthy … Rick Dearborn … Eric Lichtblau … Andrea Porwoll ... POLITICO’s Lauren Gardner, Luis Pinto de Sa, Gregory Svirnovskiy, Massimo Artista and Matt Comer … Joe Goetz … Kelly Magsamen … Lindsee Gentry … RNC’s Maria Giannopoulos … former Rep. John Campbell (R-Calif.) … NBC’s Alex Johnson … Stephen Ching … Stephanie Valencia … Atossa Araxia Abrahamian … The Hill’s Rema Rahman … Bloomberg’s Mary Newman … … Rachel Robinson (1-0-2) … Andrew Mizsak of Main Street Consultants … Ron Faucheux … Ruby Gordon of FTI Consulting … Tucker Lien … Jennifer Skalka Tulumello … Keegan Bales … Howard Schultz  

Send Playbookers tips to [email protected] or text us at 202-556-3307. Playbook couldn’t happen without our editor Mike DeBonis, deputy editor Zack Stanton and Playbook Daily Briefing producer Callan Tansill-Suddath.