Welcome to The Hill’s Convention Report, your daily rundown on all the latest news during the Democratic and Republican National Conventions. Did someone forward this to you? Click here to subscribe.
We’re Julia Manchester, Max Greenwood and Jonathan Easley. Here’s what we’re watching today on the convention front.
LEADING THE DAY:
Hours after President Trump decried civil unrest in American cities while accepting the GOP nomination from the South Lawn of the White House, protesters gathered on the National Mall to call for an end to police brutality and racial inequality in the United States.
The gathering, dubbed the Commitment March, drew thousands to the Lincoln Memorial, where Martin Luther King Jr. gave his iconic “I Have a Dream” speech 57 years ago to the day. During the march, speaker after speaker called on lawmakers to take action on police reform legislation.
The gathering at times also seemed to be a symbolic rebuttal to the Republican National Convention, which wrapped up Thursday with Trump railing against what he described as the “violent anarchists, agitators and criminals” who have taken to the streets across the country in recent months.
Kamala Harris weighs in
The Commitment March drew a video appearance from Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.), the Democratic vice presidential nominee, who harkened back to past civil rights leaders, saying they would share in the “anger and frustration” sparked by recent acts of police violence against Black people.
“They would share in our anger and frustration as we continue to see Black men and women slain in our streets and left behind by an economy and justice system that have too often denied Black folks our dignity and rights,” she said. “But no doubt, they would turn it into fuel. They would be lacing up their shoes, locking arms and continuing right alongside us to continue in this ongoing fight for justice.”
Trump claims success in calming unrest
The gathering in Washington, D.C., came amid a fresh wave of protests over the police shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wis. Blake was shot in the back multiple times by an officer on Sunday as he tried to enter his vehicle. He’s currently hospitalized with serious injuries.
As protesters gathered on the National Mall on Friday, Trump unleashed a tweet claiming that the National Guard had quashed violence in Kenosha before turning his attention to Portland, Ore., another city that has experienced civil unrest and violence in recent months.
“Success: Since the National Guard moved into Kenosha, Wisconsin, two days ago, there has been NO FURTHER VIOLENCE, not even a small problem,” Trump tweeted. “When legally asked to help by local authorities, the Federal Government will act and quickly succeed. Are you listening Portland?”
RNC COVID-19 UPDATE
Mecklenburg County, N.C., health officials said two attendees and two staffers at the Republican National Convention in Charlotte tested positive for the coronavirus. The officials said the individuals have been isolated and that people who they came into contact with have been informed.
- Trump and Pence were both in Charlotte earlier this week when they were renominated.
- Pictures show people standing close together with few wearing masks.
- The convention’s finale last night at the White House sparked an outcry from critics, with hundreds of people gathered on the South Lawn and very few wearing masks.
TROUBLE IN THE ‘BURBS?
Democratic strategists are voicing concerns about riots in Kenosha, Wis., following the shooting of Jacob Blake and the “defund the police” movement, saying the developments could play into Republicans’ hands in November.
The Hill’s Alex Bolton reports that some Democrats worry that the unrest could give Trump an opportunity with swing voters in Wisconsin and other swing states.
Remember, law and order was a major theme of the 2020 GOP convention, with Republicans warning that Americans would not be safe under a Biden-Harris administration, arguing that they would only stoke the unrest.
“Republicans are very wisely pouncing on this moment and using that language [of defund the police] that emphasizes everything wrong with what progressives do,” a Senate Democratic aide told Bolton.
FAITH LEADERS BACK BIDEN
More than 350 faith leaders threw their support behind Biden on Friday, saying there was a need for “moral leadership” and “hope for a better future.”
The Hill’s Alicia Cohn reports the leaders including Nadia Bolz-Weber, a Lutheran minister who founded the LGBTQ-friendly House for All Sinners and Saints in Denver, and Robert W. Lee IV, a descendant of the Confederate general, who stepped down as pastor of a North Carolina church in 2017 after publicly supporting Black Lives Matter, have backed Biden.
The list also includes Ron Sider, president emeritus of Evangelicals for Social Action; John Phelan, former seminary dean and president of the evangelical North Park Theological Seminary; and the Rev. David Beckmann, who served for nearly 30 years as president of Bread for the World.
The endorsements come after former Notre Dame football coach Lou Holtz questioned Biden’s faith, calling him a Catholic in name only during his address at the Republican convention.
And an update on Holtz: Notre Dame distanced itself from Holtz’s comments in a statement from the university’s president John I. Jenkins on Friday, saying Catholics “must never question the sincerity of another’s faith.”
BIDEN PURCHASES ‘KEEP AMERICA GREAT’ DOMAIN
The Biden campaign purchased the web domain for Trump’s campaign slogan this week, using the site to post what they say are broken campaign promises from the president.
The lists includes promises made on the coronavirus pandemic and immigration.
Biden announced the move on Twitter on Friday.