Today
- Updated
- US election
Two top Democrats tell COVID-struck Biden he won’t win
The two top Democrats in Congress have privately told Joe Biden that he can’t beat Donald Trump in November, as the president, now isolating with COVID-19, conceded he would give up the race if a doctor told him he had a problem.
- 1 hr ago
- Matthew Cranston
The Trump family: who is up, who is down, and where is Melania?
Ex-president’s wife and daughter Ivanka fade into the background as Republican National Convention chair Lara takes the limelight.
- Lauren Fedor
- Analysis
- US election
Will Vance’s rags-to-riches story win back Trump deserters?
The senator lauded the former president, calling him “a once-in-a-generation business leader” who showed the instincts to fight for his country when he was shot.
- Matthew Cranston
‘I love you, Mum’: Vance draws on his own struggles in voter pitch
Donald Trump’s running mate introduced himself to Americans at the Republican convention while using his story to argue he understands their everyday problems.
- Nathan Layne, James Oliphant and Gram Slattery
Tennis diplomacy: Trump’s close ally accepts Rudd’s ‘olive branch’ invitation
The future Trump cabinet pick and former presidential candidate says the psychology of the bad boy of Australian tennis “fascinates me”.
- Matthew Cranston
- Analysis
- US election
How Thiel and Silicon Valley funded J.D. Vance’s sudden rise
Donald Trump’s VP pick was a venture capitalist bankrolled in business and politics by billionaire investors. His ties to PayPal’s co-founder go way back.
- Tabby Kinder, George Hammond and Alex Rogers
Nearly two-thirds of Democrats want Biden to withdraw, new poll finds
The survey also found that only about three in 10 party members are extremely or very confident that Joe Biden has the mental capability to serve effectively.
- Darlene Superville, Amelia Thomson-Deveaux and Emily Swanson
Waller says Fed getting ‘closer’ to cutting rates
Federal Reserve governor Christopher Waller has added to a growing chorus of officials who have signalled that they are moving closer towards a rate cut.
- Craig Torres and Steve Matthews
Yesterday
Former rivals back Trump in show of Republican unity
The second day of the Republican convention showed the kind of discipline and co-ordinated messaging not normally associated with the former president’s political operation.
- Updated
- Lauren Fedor and James Politi
Biden looks for early Democratic nomination to silence critics
Democrats’ dismay with the president after his disastrous debate performance is still simmering and could rear its head again.
- Updated
- James Politi
- Opinion
- US election
How toxic talk turns too easily to assassin’s bullets
A more centrist political culture doesn’t make Australia immune to the language that has inflamed American politics in recent times.
- Georgina Downer
- Opinion
- US election
The deep source of Trump’s appeal to Americans
The problem with adopting all-explaining identity politics is that it undermines democracy. If others are evil and out to get us, then persuasion is for suckers, writes David Brooks.
- David Brooks
‘I carry a firearm every day’: party chief who wanted gun inside RNC
Guns were allowed to the edge of the Republican National Convention perimeter this week. Their own politicians wanted to bring their pistols inside the venue.
- Matthew Cranston
- Analysis
- US election
Biden circle shrinks as Democrats fear election wipeout
The attempted assassination of Donald Trump at the weekend has muted some of the public pressure on the US president to exit the race. But the party remains deeply divided.
- Katie Rogers, Lisa Lerer, Reid J. Epstein and Maggie Haberman
Like Vance, Rudd has changed his views on Trump
The Australian ambassador to the US says he has been busy building bridges with Donald Trump’s team and the Republicans’ MAGA movement.
- Matthew Cranston
Trump donations surge to record levels
The $600 million raised is three times the first-quarter total and roughly double their contributions from the same period of the 2020 election.
- Sam Learner, Eva Xiao, Alex Rogers and George Hammond
This Month
Biden defends ‘bullseye’ comment as Democrats split deepens
The US president’s defensive interview underscored his precarious political position in the aftermath of the debate and attempted Trump assassination.
- Jordan Fabian
In Vance, Trump picks an ambitious ideologue and Millennial
His youth – there are nearly 40 years separating them, and he is the first Millennial nominated to a major-party ticket – could prove a boon to the ticket.
- Michael Gold
- Analysis
- US election
Panic to resignation, ‘the vibe is grim’ for Democrats
The party is now firmly divided over how to proceed with a weakened leader in a scrambled political environment.
- Reid J. Epstein, Lisa Lerer, Katie Glueck and Nicholas Nehamas
A bandaged Trump picks VP to cheer the hillbilly base
Donald Trump has made a triumphant political return two days after surviving an assassination attempt, alongside his new running mate J.D. Vance, a pick that signalled his growing confidence and the future of his “America first” platform.
- Matthew Cranston