Post-shooting, the RNC kicks off with Trump’s VP pick: From the Politics Desk

Welcome to the online version of From the Politics Desk, an evening newsletter that brings you the NBC News Politics team’s latest reporting and analysis from the campaign trail, the White House and Capitol Hill.

In today’s edition, we examine Donald Trump’s selection of JD Vance as his running mate, the key themes at a Republican National Convention taking place in the wake of Trump’s assassination attempt, and a major win for the former president in the classified documents case.

Programming note: Stay tuned for a special edition of the From the Politics Desk newsletter each night after the Republican National Convention this week, bringing you all the latest news and analysis from our team in Milwaukee.

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Days after shooting, Trump selects his running mate — and a potential political heir

By Henry J. Gomez

Less than 48 hours after surviving an assassination attempt and on the day he officially became the Republican presidential nominee, Donald Trump selected his running mate: Sen. JD Vance of Ohio. 

With his pick, Trump has elevated a once-strident critic as the leading heir to his political legacy. And it continues a meteoric rise for the freshman senator, who eight years ago captured the political zeitgeist with his bestselling memoir, “Hillbilly Elegy.”

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What Vance brings to the ticket: Vance, who will turn 40 in August, also offers a youthful contrast to Trump, 78, and President Joe Biden, 81. In fact, he would be the third-youngest vice president in history if elected.

As a Marine Corps veteran of the Iraq War, Vance also brings military experience, as well as right-wing populist views that mesh with Trump’s “America First” sloganeering and the “Make America Great Again” movement.

Key allies: Some of the leading young voices on the right, including Donald Trump Jr. and prominent pro-Trump activist Charlie Kirk, had advocated for Vance. Gov. Doug Burgum of North Dakota and Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida were also among the finalists. 

“I think it’s a phenomenal pick. I think it’s exactly the right pick,” Trump Jr. said in an interview minutes after his father announced he was selecting Vance.

What comes next: For a sense of how Democrats will go after Vance, here’s a statement from Biden campaign chair Jen O’Malley Dillon: “Donald Trump picked J.D. Vance as his running mate because Vance will do what Mike Pence wouldn’t on January 6: bend over backwards to enable Trump and his extreme MAGA agenda, even if it means breaking the law and no matter the harm to the American people.”

NBC News’ Yamiche Alcindor reports that Vice President Kamala Harris reached out to Vance and left him a message to congratulate him. A source familiar with the call said she expressed hope they could meet for the vice presidential debate proposed by CBS News later this summer. 

Vance is less than two years into a six-year Senate term. Looking further down the road, if Trump and Vance are elected this fall, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine, a Republican, will get to appoint a replacement senator after Vance resigns. There would then be a special election to fill the remainder of the term.

Where Vance stands: NBC News’ Sahil Kapur breaks down Vance’s positions on abortion, Ukraine funding, the 2020 election and other key issues. 

Read more from Henry on Trump’s selection of Vance →

What to watch for at the GOP convention this week

By Allan Smith

Now that Trump has officially unveiled his vice presidential nominee, here’s what else to keep an eye on in the coming days in Milwaukee. 

How the attempted assassination changes the event: A major theme will be how the weekend’s violence transforms the message throughout convention week.

Will speakers continue to hammer away at the planned themes? Will they seek to restrain rhetoric in the name of pushing for unity in the aftermath of the attack on Trump — which killed one rallygoer and wounded two others? Or will Republicans seek to lay blame for Saturday’s shooting at the hands of Democratic leaders?

Take the fight to Biden — or Harris? Republicans spent years preparing to battle Biden, who’s now facing calls from inside his party to end his campaign following his debate debacle. 

Should Biden stay in the race, much of the campaign against him will be focused on his policy decisions as president — particularly on immigration and the economy — as well as on his Justice Department’s involvement in a pair of prosecutions Trump faces and his overall physical and cognitive ability to serve as president.

If Biden does decide to step aside — a decision he’s signaling is out of the question — the most likely person to replace him is Harris. Republicans are already suggesting they will attack her for participating in a “cover-up” of Biden’s fitness for office.

Sidelining social conservative issues: Trump hasn’t totally backed off of some of the issues animating social conservatives, as his recently announced party platform elevates a number of culture war issues the right has seized on in recent years, particularly those to do with education and transgender rights.

But this year’s platform is a staunch departure from decades’ worth of GOP alignment on several other key issues. 

For starters, abortion restrictions, much as they have been in Trump’s campaign since Roe v. Wade was overturned, are taking a back seat. Trump’s abortion platform is softer than recent Republican Party platforms, as is the position on same-sex marriage. Guns and God also are mentioned less than in the past in his concise document — one that lays out the vision for MAGA 2025.

That has led to some backlash from social conservative leaders, groups and politicians, and it will perhaps be the key issue to watch play out at the convention. 

Read more from Allan →

Notable speakers tonight, via NBC News’ Ben Kamisar: 

Sens. Tim Scott of South Carolina, Katie Britt of Alabama, Ron Johnson of Wisconsin and Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee.

Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, Byron Donalds of Florida, Wesley Hunt of Texas and John James of Michigan. 

Govs. Kristi Noem of South Dakota and Glenn Youngkin of Virginia, as well as North Carolina Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson, the party’s gubernatorial nominee in the state.

In addition, Sean O’Brien, the president of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, will speak as his group’s potential endorsement hangs in the balance, as will model Amber Rose.

In a big win for Trump, Florida judge dismisses classified documents case

By Daniel Barnes, Tom Winter and Dareh Gregorian

In another major development today, the Florida judge overseeing Trump’s classified documents trial dismissed the case against the former president on the grounds that the appointment of and funding for special counsel Jack Smith was illegal.

U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon, a Trump nominee, said in her 93-page decision that Smith’s appointment was “unlawful” and unconditional. 

How Republicans responded: Trump praised the ruling in a statement that referred to Saturday’s shooting and said other criminal cases against him should be tossed as well. A source who spoke directly with the former president said that he was “surprised” but “very happy” with Cannon’s decision. 

And Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., appeared to suggest that Cannon should be appointed to the Supreme Court. 

How Democrats responded: Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., called Cannon’s ruling “breathtakingly misguided” and said she should be reassigned. And Rep. Brendan Boyle, D-Pa., referred to the decision as a “deeply corrupt act by a Trump judge.”

How the ruling could affect other cases: The arguments by Trump’s legal team were raised unsuccessfully against previous special counsels, including Robert Mueller, who oversaw an investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 election, and David Weiss, the special counsel overseeing the Hunter Biden prosecution.

It’s unclear if Cannon’s ruling could affect the cases against the president’s son. In her decision, Cannon specifically contrasts Smith’s appointment with Weiss’s, because Weiss was already a U.S. attorney and Smith was a private citizen when they were appointed.

From here, Smith will be able to appeal the dismissal to the 11th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals. However, even if the case were to be heard on an expedited basis, and even if the appeals court were to overturn Cannon’s ruling, Monday’s decision all but guarantees the classified documents case could not go to trial before the election.

This ruling doesn’t have any immediate impact on the federal election interference case against Trump. The only courts that can direct the judge in that case, U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan, to rule in a particular manner are the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals and the Supreme Court. 

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That’s all from the Politics Desk for now. If you have feedback — likes or dislikes — email us at [email protected]

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