The Morning: Trump picks a successor

Plus, Trump's documents case, the heat wave and the Home Run Derby.

View in browser|nytimes.com July 16, 2024 Good morning. Today, my colleague Michael Bender explains why Donald Trump chose J.D. Vance to be his running mate. We're also covering Trump's documents case, heat around the U.S. and the Home Run Derby. —David Leonhardt Senator J.D. Vance and his wife, Usha, at the convention last night. Haiyun Jiang for The New York Times Vance's chance By Michael C. Bender I've covered Donald Trump's three presidential campaigns and his four years in the White House. Donald Trump did something yesterday that he's never before done. He picked a successor. Trump chose Senator J.D. Vance of Ohio as his running mate, a strategic move driven by the former president's belief that he'll win in November by recapturing the Midwestern states he lost in 2020. With Vance's hardscrabble upbringing and Trump-aligned ideology, the senator is Trump's attempt to appeal to those voters. Selecting Vance also signals the party's final commitment to Trumpism. Vance is one of the most aggressive and ideological disciples of the MAGA movement. Instead of balancing the ticket with someone who could expand Trump's appeal to new voters, Trump has anointed the senator as the future of the Republican Party. The party that Trump took over in 2016 — one guided by establishmentarians like Mitt Romney, Paul Ryan and John McCain — is now unrecognizable. Trump ushered in economic populism and pushed out the quest for limited government spending. He traded foreign interventionism for restrictive trade policies and downgraded the importance of country-club Republicans while prioritizing blue-collar workers. The arrival of Vance on the ticket shows there is no going back. At first blush, it may seem surprising that Trump would put the future of the party in the hands of a relatively new convert to his brand of conservatism. (As an author and private citizen, Vance said in 2016 that Trump might be "America's Hitler." Later, as he ran for office, the Ohioan embraced Trumpism.) But Trump is focused on winning, and he believes Vance is an asset. An unusual path There are several reasons Trump was drawn to Vance. The senator is an articulate communicator on television. Even his most ardent critics respect his expertise as a MAGA spokesman, a skill that Trump highly prizes. Vance also served in the Marines and deployed to Iraq, making him the only candidate on either party's ticket with military experience. At the convention. Haiyun Jiang for The New York Times Vance, a Yale Law School graduate and former venture capitalist, was previously known for his best-selling book, "Hillbilly Elegy," which later became a film starring Amy Adams. The subject is Vance's upbringing in a poor family, but the context is about an often overlooked segment of the country: white, working-class people in Middle America. The book turned him into a renowned explainer of Trumpism's appeal even as he criticized Trump. But Vance carries risk, too. At 39, he's the second-youngest member of the Senate. He was sworn into office for the first time last year. That limited political résumé could undercut Trump's attack on Vice President Kamala Harris as ill-prepared to step in for President Biden if necessary. Vance had also been one of Trump's most biting critics, and he left a trail of video clips for Democrats to use against the former president. Even in his new life as a pro-Trump Republican, Vance carries a controversial record, including his pledge to end abortion and his outspoken support for a national abortion ban proposed by Senator Lindsey Graham. (Aligning with Trump, Vance said in an interview with Sean Hannity last night that abortion should be decided at the state level.) The last leg Vance ascends to the ticket as Trump seems to be gathering steam. A judge yesterday dismissed the criminal case against him for taking classified documents from the White House. He survived an assassination attempt this past weekend and leads in the polls. Meanwhile, Democrats crestfallen about Biden's debate performance have tried pushing for the president to quit the race. In that climate, Vance is more wind at Trump's back — youth and energy and buzz. Even if the former president has chosen political kinship over party expansion, he's betting that Vance has what he needs to retake the presidency. More on Vance Trump picked Vance — a more combative choice than his other finalists, Senator Marco Rubio of Florida and Gov. Doug Burgum of North Dakota — almost at the last minute. On Fox News, Hannity asked Vance about his earlier criticisms of Trump. Vance laughed and said, "He changed my mind." Harris called Vance to congratulate him, and to ask him to take part in a vice-presidential debate. More on the convention Donald Trump Doug Mills/The New York Times Trump, with a bandage on his right ear, made his first public appearance since the shooting. The audience cheered and chanted "Fight!" Trump said he had revised his convention speech, scheduled for Thursday. "I think it would be very bad if I got up and started going wild about how horrible everybody is, and how corrupt and crooked, even if it's true," he said. Delegates approved the party's new platform, which softens its positions on abortion while endorsing higher tariffs and omitting any mention of climate change. Several prominent Black Republicans — including Senator Tim Scott and Representative Byron Donalds — spoke last night, part of the party's efforts to win over nonwhite voters. Sean O'Brien, the first Teamsters president to address a Republican convention, praised Trump as a "tough S.O.B." But he did not endorse Trump, and his criticisms of big corporations received tepid applause. Nikki Haley, Ron DeSantis and other former Trump critics will speak at the convention tonight, along with several Senate candidates. Here's what to watch for. THE LATEST NEWS The Trump Shooting The F.B.l. gained access to the phone of the man who shot Trump, but investigators have not been able to discern his motive. Former classmates described him as a solitary student. Three congressional committees have begun inquiries into the shooting, and the director of the Secret Service is scheduled to testify on Monday. One likely question: Why was the gunman's rooftop position outside the security perimeter? Bystander video from two minutes before shots rang out shows people at the rally pointing to the gunman and trying to warn law enforcement. Within minutes of the shooting, far-right activists, lawmakers and Russian sympathizers were spreading baseless conspiracy theories. Biden called the widow of the man killed in the shooting, but she didn't want to speak to him, she told The New York Post. She has not heard from Trump, she added. Trump's Documents Case Judge Aileen Cannon dismissed the criminal case accusing Trump of mishandling classified documents. Cannon ruled that the Justice Department improperly appointed the special counsel who charged Trump. The ruling from Cannon, a Trump appointee, rejected decades of established law. The special counsel, Jack Smith, said he would appeal it. President Biden Lester Holt of NBC News at the White House yesterday. Michael A. McCoy for The New York Times In an NBC News interview, Biden said that it was a mistake to have told Democratic donors before last week's shooting to "put Trump in a bull's-eye," but that Trump's threat to democracy was real. Democratic officials are moving to confirm Biden as the party's nominee before the end of the month, despite opposition from some elected leaders. The latest New York Times/Siena College polls show Trump leading Biden in Pennsylvania, a battleground state. Virginia, which Biden easily won in 2020, is also competitive. The same polls suggest Harris is stronger than Biden among younger and nonwhite voters, but weaker with older and white working-class voters, Nate Cohn writes. International Israel and Egypt entered talks over a potential Israeli withdrawal from Gaza's border with Egypt. That could help bring about a cease-fire deal. Iran's new president, Masoud Pezeshkian, says he hopes to make the country more socially open and engaged with the West. Others have promised the same before, and failed. Gambian lawmakers voted to keep a ban on female genital cutting, reversing a decision earlier this year. Other Big Stories The Lost Hills wildfire in Kern County, Calif., on Saturday. Kern County Fire Department Wildfires have burned across 30,000 acres in Southern California, forcing more than 1,000 people to evacuate their homes. Forecasters expect Washington, D.C., to top 100 degrees for the third straight day, as dangerous levels of heat stretch from Texas to the Northeast. After years of confusion around a jellyfish fossil, researchers turned it upside down — and discovered it was not a jellyfish, but an ancient sea anemone. Opinions Times Opinion writers picked the best and worst moments from the Republican convention's first night. Trump has become the defining figure of our age, Ross Douthat writes. Of all industrialized democracies, the U.S. is the most politically violent, Matthew Dallek and Robert Dallek write. Here's a column by Paul Krugman on Project 2025. MORNING READS Schoolchildren sporting backpacks in Tokyo. Noriko Hayashi for The New York Times Japanese childhood: The randoseru backpack has been a staple of elementary schools for almost 150 years. Prime Day: Wirecutter is collecting the best deals from Amazon's sitewide sale. Best books: We heard from the experts last week; now we want to hear from readers. What are your favorite books of the 21st century? Quiz: Test your knowledge of modern literature. Health: "Tracking your macros" is a trendy way of logging what you eat. Experts say it can help, as long as it doesn't become an obsession. Lives Lived: The discoveries of the Nobel Prize-winning biochemist Bengt Samuelsson led to drugs that treat inflammation, glaucoma and allergies. He died at 90. SPORTS M.L.B.: Teoscar Hernández, a Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder, won the Home Run Derby after top contenders crashed out early. Read a recap. N.F.L.: The retired running back Terrell Davis was detained after an incident with a flight attendant on a flight to California. Davis said he tapped the attendant's arm to ask for ice. Soccer: The president of Colombia's soccer federation and his son were charged with fighting security guards at the chaotic Copa América final over the weekend. ARTS AND IDEAS Quinn Ewers, Texas' quarterback, in College Football 25. EA Sports The video game maker EA Sports has brought back its popular N.C.A.A. Football series, which was dormant for over a decade because of legal restrictions. But the rules in college sports have changed — athletes can now make money — and EA paid more than 11,000 players to include them. The standard fee: $600, plus a copy of the game. For more: Chris Vannini of The Athletic reviews the new game. More on culture An official in Georgia removed the judge overseeing the criminal trial of the rapper Young Thug, because he had met secretly with prosecutors and a key witness. Taylor Swift's "The Tortured Poets Department" topped the Billboard 200 for the 12th week in a row — thanks in part to her releasing three new versions of the album. "She was a rebel": Alyssa Milano, Tori Spelling and other celebrities remembered the actress Shannen Doherty, who died on Saturday. THE MORNING RECOMMENDS … Christopher Testani for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews. Make this lemon and garlic chicken with fresh, in-season cherry tomatoes. Use a bidet. It's good for the environment. Stop doomscrolling with the help of this little reading light. Save on these on-sale kitchen workhorses. GAMES Here is today's Spelling Bee. Yesterday's pangram was normally. And here are today's Mini Crossword, Wordle, Sudoku, Connections and Strands. Thanks for spending part of your morning with The Times. See you tomorrow. Sign up here to get this newsletter in your inbox. Reach our team at themorning@nytimes.com. Editor: David Leonhardt Deputy Editor: Adam B. Kushner News Editor: Tom Wright-Piersanti Associate Editor: Lauren Jackson News Staff: Desiree Ibekwe, Sean Kawasaki-Culligan, Brent Lewis, German Lopez, Ian Prasad Philbrick, Ashley Wu News Assistant: Lyna Bentahar Saturday Writer: Melissa Kirsch Need help? Review our newsletter help page or contact us for assistance. You received this email because you signed up for the Morning newsletter from The New York Times, or as part of your New York Times account. 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