UPDATED: RNC Platform Committee Adopts Slimmed-Down Party Platform, Eliminates Two Major Points

---

On Monday the RNC's Platform Committee adopted Donald Trump's platform as the Republican Party platform for 2024 - and it's been slimmed down from 66 pages to 20 bullet points.

Trump's major themes of securing the border and ending the migrant crime epidemic, requiring voter ID and proof of citizenship to vote, strengthening the military, bringing the manufacturing industry back to the United States, and ending the weaponization of government are featured prominently. The platform also opposes any cuts to Social Security and Medicare, including opposition to raising the retirement age, and proposes middle class tax cuts and the "no tax on tips" point that Trump's repeatedly brought up at rallies. It also emphasizes rebuilding America's cities and making them "safe and clean" again.

As has been anticipated, the platform is silent on abortion and gay marriage, though the ongoing battle against radical gender ideology and sexualization of children is addressed in two bullet points:

CUT FEDERAL FUNDING FOR ANY SCHOOL PUSHING CRITICAL RACE THEORY, RADICAL GENDER IDEOLOGY, AND OTHER INAPPROPRIATE RACIAL, SEXUAL, OR POLITICAL CONTENT ON OUR CHILDREN

KEEP MEN OUT OF WOMEN’S SPORTS

Every four years, generally, the platform is voted upon, but in 2020 the RNC voted to keep the 2016 platform until the 2024 convention, mostly due to the constraints of meeting in-person at that time due to COVID. However, at that time Trump signaled that he wanted to eventually see a slimmed-down platform:

On the platform, Trump Campaign Senior Advisors Chris LaCivita and Susie Wiles said:

“President Trump’s 2024 Republican Party Platform articulates his vision to Make America Great Again in a way that is concise and digestible for every voter. While Joe Biden and Democrats argue about who will be at the top of their ticket and have implemented policies that have raised prices on everyday families, opened the floodgates to migrant crime via wide-open borders, shackled American energy with red tape forced by Washington bureaucrats, and sewn chaos across the world through weak foreign policy, President Trump will Make America Great Again through these America First principles.” 

Pro-life advocates have been rallying to keep language related to a federal 20-week abortion ban in the platform, but since the Dobbs decision many party insiders believe that plank should be removed not as an indication that the Republican party is moving away from pro-life beliefs, but as an acknowledgement of political reality. Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) said Sunday on CNN:

"Well, I think our platform has to reflect our nominee, and our nominee's position actually happens to be one grounded in reality. The reality of it is the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. And what that basically means is that now it's not states; it's voters at individual states who will get to decide how and to what level they want to restrict abortion, if at all. Some states will have restrictions. Some states will not. And so, I hope that our platform will reflect our nominee."

The absence or inclusion of language about abortion (or any other issue, for that matter) doesn't restrict individual candidates or elected officials' position or actions on the issue, but the absence of the ban language takes away one issue Democrats can use to scare swing voters - and there's some polling to suggest that Dem scaremongering in 2022 was a big factor in the predicted "red wave" not materializing.

---

RELATED: Marco Rubio Goes on CNN, Dana Bash Probably Wishes He Hadn't After He Crushes Her Warped Trump Narrative

---

RNC Chair Michael Whatley commented:

"Only President Trump can restore our economy, restore our Southern Border, and restore America’s standing in the world. His 2024 Republican Party Platform is a bold roadmap that will undo the devastating damage that Joe Biden’s far-left policies have done to this country, power President Trump to a historic victory in November, and Make America Great Again."

The adopted platform, complete with Trump's capitalization style, is provided in full below.

Our Nation’s History is filled with the stories of brave men and women who gave everything they had to build America into the Greatest Nation in the History of the World. Generations of American Patriots have summoned the American Spirit of Strength, Determination, and Love of Country to overcome seemingly insurmountable challenges. The American People have proven time and again that we can overcome any obstacle and any force pitted against us. 

…

But now we are a Nation in SERIOUS DECLINE. Our future, our identity, and our very way of life are under threat like never before. Today we must once again call upon the same American Spirit that led us to prevail through every challenge of the past if we are going to lead our Nation to a brighter future.

For decades, our politicians sold our jobs and livelihoods to the highest bidders overseas with unfair Trade Deals and a blind faith in the siren song of globalism. They insulated themselves from criticism and the consequences of their own bad actions, allowing our Borders to be overrun, our cities to be overtaken by crime, our System of Justice to be weaponized, and our young people to develop a sense of hopelessness and despair. They rejected our History and our Values. Quite simply, they did everything in their power to destroy our Country.

In 2016, President Donald J. Trump was elected as an unapologetic Champion of the American People. He reignited the American Spirit and called on us to renew our National Pride. His Policies spurred Historic Economic Growth, Job Creation, and a Resurgence of American Manufacturing. President Trump and the Republican Party led America out of the pessimism induced by decades of failed leadership, showing us that the American People want Greatness for our Country again.

Yet after nearly four years of the Biden administration, America is now rocked by Raging Inflation, Open Borders, Rampant Crime, Attacks on our Children, and Global Conflict, Chaos, and Instability. 

Like the Heroes who built and defended this Nation before us, we will never give up. We will restore our Nation of, by, and for the People. We will Make America Great Again.

...

America needs determined Republican Leadership at every level of Government to address the core threats to our very survival: Our disastrously Open Border, our weakened Economy, crippling restrictions on American Energy Production, our depleted Military, attacks on the American System of Justice, and much more.

To make clear our commitment, we offer to the American people the 2024 GOP Platform to Make America Great Again! It is a forward-looking Agenda that begins with the following twenty promises that we will accomplish very quickly when we win the White House and Republican Majorities in the House and Senate.

1. SEAL THE BORDER, AND STOP THE MIGRANT INVASION
2. CARRY OUT THE LARGEST DEPORTATION OPERATION IN AMERICAN HISTORY
3. END INFLATION, AND MAKE AMERICA AFFORDABLE AGAIN
4. MAKE AMERICA THE DOMINANT ENERGY PRODUCER IN THE WORLD, BY FAR!
5. STOP OUTSOURCING, AND TURN THE UNITED STATES INTO A MANUFACTURING SUPERPOWER 
6. LARGE TAX CUTS FOR WORKERS, AND NO TAX ON TIPS!
7. DEFEND OUR CONSTITUTION, OUR BILL OF RIGHTS, AND OUR FUNDAMENTAL FREEDOMS, INCLUDING FREEDOM OF SPEECH, FREEDOM OF RELIGION, AND THE RIGHT TO KEEP AND BEAR ARMS
8. PREVENT WORLD WAR THREE, RESTORE PEACE IN EUROPE AND IN THE MIDDLE EAST, AND BUILD A GREAT IRON DOME MISSILE DEFENSE SHIELD OVER OUR ENTIRE COUNTRY -- ALL MADE IN AMERICA
9. END THE WEAPONIZATION OF GOVERNMENT AGAINST THE AMERICAN PEOPLE 
10. STOP THE MIGRANT CRIME EPIDEMIC, DEMOLISH THE FOREIGN DRUG CARTELS, CRUSH GANG VIOLENCE, AND LOCK UP VIOLENT OFFENDERS 
11. REBUILD OUR CITIES, INCLUDING WASHINGTON DC, MAKING THEM SAFE, CLEAN, AND BEAUTIFUL AGAIN.
12. STRENGTHEN AND MODERNIZE OUR MILITARY, MAKING IT, WITHOUT QUESTION, THE STRONGEST AND MOST POWERFUL IN THE WORLD
13. KEEP THE U.S. DOLLAR AS THE WORLD’S RESERVE CURRENCY
14. FIGHT FOR AND PROTECT SOCIAL SECURITY AND MEDICARE WITH NO CUTS, INCLUDING NO CHANGES TO THE RETIREMENT AGE
15. CANCEL THE ELECTRIC VEHICLE MANDATE AND CUT COSTLY AND BURDENSOME REGULATIONS 
16. CUT FEDERAL FUNDING FOR ANY SCHOOL PUSHING CRITICAL RACE THEORY, RADICAL GENDER IDEOLOGY, AND OTHER INAPPROPRIATE RACIAL, SEXUAL, OR POLITICAL CONTENT ON OUR CHILDREN
17. KEEP MEN OUT OF WOMEN’S SPORTS
18. DEPORT PRO-HAMAS RADICALS AND MAKE OUR COLLEGE CAMPUSES SAFE AND PATRIOTIC AGAIN
19. SECURE OUR ELECTIONS, INCLUDING SAME DAY VOTING, VOTER IDENTIFICATION, PAPER BALLOTS, AND PROOF OF CITIZENSHIP
20. UNITE OUR COUNTRY BY BRINGING IT TO NEW AND RECORD LEVELS OF SUCCESS 

*****

When America is united, confident, and committed to our principles, it will never fail.

Today and together, with Love for our Country, Faith in our People, and Trust in God’s Good Grace, we will Make America Great Again! 

---

UPDATE:

The initial email from the Republican National Committee to the press stated "Read the 2024 Platform, as passed by Committee, below" and included everything contained above in italics without any attachment or reference to a much longer document. The ellipses in the email indicate that there is some text missing, and it was learned late Monday that the platform document voted upon by the RNC Platform Committee was 16 pages long and contains 10 "chapters" related to a 10-point table of contents:

1. DEFEAT INFLATION, AND QUICKLY BRING DOWN ALL PRICES.
2. SEAL THE BORDER, AND STOP THE MIGRANT INVASION.
3. BUILD THE GREATEST ECONOMY IN HISTORY.
4. BRING BACK THE AMERICAN DREAM AND MAKE IT AFFORDABLE AGAIN FOR FAMILIES, YOUNG PEOPLE, AND EVERYONE.
5. PROTECT AMERICAN WORKERS AND FARMERS FROM UNFAIR TRADE.
6. PROTECT SENIORS.
7. CULTIVATE GREAT K-12 SCHOOLS LEADING TO GREAT JOBS AND GREAT LIVES FOR YOUNG PEOPLE.
8. BRING COMMON SENSE TO OUR GOVERNMENT AND RENEW THE PILLARS OF AMERICAN CIVILIZATION
9. GOVERNMENT OF, BY, AND FOR THE PEOPLE.
10. 10. RETURN TO PEACE THROUGH STRENGTH.

The entire document can be read below.

Read the 2024 Republican Party Platform by Jennifer Van Laar on Scribd

 

France Just Committed Suicide

"Each one hopes that if he feeds the crocodile enough, the crocodile will eat him last," is how Winston Churchill, just months away from becoming Britain's wartime Prime Minister, described the appeasement that led to World War II. "All of them hope that the storm will pass before their turn comes to be devoured. "

The same could be said of France's snap election, in which everyone from French Stalinists to the country's business interests banded together to defeat the country's "far right" at the polls. But the far right is not the threat, and the crocodile snapping at everyone's heels is the accelerating Islamification of France.

While Marine Le Pen's conservative National Rally performed unexpectedly well in the first round of voting, Sunday's second-round results were a disappointment — dangerously so. While the pro-business bloc joined forces with French President Emmanuel Macron's centrist coalition, it still came in second to the far-left New Popular Front.

None of the coalitions that came together against Le Pen won big enough to form a government, but the New Popular Front will certainly be a part of it since French elites would rather die than partner with Le Pen's National Rally. The Wall Street Journal described the NPF as "a diverse coalition whose most powerful faction is a polarizing, far-left party, France Unbowed."

The NPF "wants to lower France’s retirement age and vastly expand government spending on social welfare, environmental protection, and health care," according to the Washington Post. Macron's coalition wants to continue the same 'business as usual" approach that led to Le Pen's first-round upset. Neither opposes the ongoing Islamification of France, where in the no-go zones in the Paris suburbs the most popular boy's name is Mohammed. 

Recommended: Biden Campaign Collapse Tracker: The Senate Knives Come Out for Caesar

By 2017, there were Muslim-majority no-go zones in all of France's major cities:

In the heart of Paris, Bordeaux, Toulouse, Marseille, Grenoble, Avignon, districts here and there have been "privatized" by a mix of drug traffickers, Salafist zealots and Islamic youth gangs. The main victims are women. They are – Muslim and non-Muslim -- sexually harassed; some are sexually assaulted. The politicians, as usual, are fully informed of the situation imposed upon women.

Unchecked immigration continues because French elites want it to continue, even though "figures reported by the Paris Police Headquarters, [show that] 77% of solved rape cases in 2023 were committed by foreign nationals."

Why? Books have and will be written on the subject of Europe's self-loathing, a continent that decades ago gave up fighting vainly the old ennui — or much of anything else, for that matter. 

“It is clear today that there is no future for Jews in France," Paris Chief Rabbi Moshe Sebbag concluded on Sunday. "I tell everyone who is young to go to Israel or a more secure country.”

Charles Martel saved France — and likely much of Western Europe — from the Umayyad Caliphate at the Battle of Tours in 732. Nevertheless, it would take more than 750 years to take back Spain from Muslim conquest, finally ending in 1492 with the destruction of what was left of the Caliphate in Grenada. If France had fallen, too, the Reconquista likely would never have happened at all.

Today's French elites would rather lose to today's invaders than lose an election to the country's "far right." Having invited the crocodile in, everyone from the French Communist Party to President Macron hopes they'll be the last to be devoured.

If that isn't national suicide, I don't know what it is.

 

Is This Why Biden Is Digging in So Aggressively Regarding Staying in the 2024 Race?

It’s been days since his June 27 disaster on live television. Joe Biden got annihilated by Donald Trump in the first debate. It set off a panic among Democrats, with many calling for the president to step aside. His popularity is in the low 30s, he’s trailing Trump in most swing states—his standing in Pennsylvania is looking more dire by the day—and three-fourths of the country think he’s too old to be effective. The state of the Biden campaign is just as atrocious as Joe’s soporific debate performance. He’s heading for defeat, but you’ll never get him to admit that—his ABC News interview last Friday was a textbook example of denialism. 

Even with some heavyweight names calling for him to drop out, Joe is sticking to his guns, even if it means destroying the party in the process; we’re poised for all-out civil war ahead of the convention. Why is Joe Biden clinging onto his presidency like grim death? It’s a point of pride, ego, and a burning desire to prove his critics wrong again. The president sees the internal voices of opposition as those who advised him not to run in 2016. They did so again in 2020, but he ran and won, thanks to the party elites he now loathes. A top Democratic Party donor and operative, Dmitri Mehlhorn, expounded on Biden’s deep intransigence over his 2024 nomination (via Drop Site News):

The key thing to understand about Biden’s resistance to dropping out, Mehlhorn said, is that Biden believes he should have run in 2016, but let himself be talked out of it—and won’t make that mistake again. “I want to just go a little bit deeper into the decision-making process of Joe Biden,” Mehlhorn told me. “Joe Biden is haunted by the fact that in 2016, he listened to these arguments. And he's right. We were all wrong. If he'd run in 2016, we would not be here. A lot of people—not us as much this time—but a lot of people made those same arguments to him in 2020 and he stubbornly, stubbornly resisted all of them. And he saved us.” 

Mehlhorn said the reverse was true in 2020. “So all of these arguments came at him in '16. He listened, the world suffered grievously. All of these arguments came at him in 2020. He refused to listen, the world benefited tremendously,” Mehlhorn said. “America now has the strongest economy of the world, we are powering the world economy, we are leading the free world against Russian aggression because he refused to listen to these arguments. So right now, who is he going to listen to? I believe that fundamentally, he is going to listen to voters.” 

Listening to the voters isn’t a controversial take, but it’s also where Biden has high support: 66 percent of self-identified Democrats don’t want him to drop out, especially women. The base wants him to stay, backed by Democratic governors, though they’re in it for purely political reasons: they don’t want to see Kamala anywhere near the presidency. If Biden steps aside, Harris replaces him, and loses to Trump narrowly, the California Democrat has a lot of wind behind her for 2028. If Biden exits, Harris replaces him, and beats Trump, many governors with presidential aspirations will have to wait. The plan is transparent, so Hill Democrats are extremely irritated with the governor contingent. 

The whole shutting down Putin talk and being the architects of some powerhouse economy are fantasyland lines, but this is what you have to say when you’re a top ally of the president.

Recommended

Trending on Townhall

 

'Anchorman' Actor, Comedian Jay Johnston Pleads Guilty To January 6-Related Charge

Actor Jay Johnston attends “The Sarah Silverman Program” presented by The Paley Center for Media on May 2, 2008 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Neilson Barnard/Getty Images)

On Monday, an actor and comedian who portrayed a news reporter in the film Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy, who was also the voice of a pizzeria owner in the TV show Bob’s Burgers, entered a guilty plea for allegedly interfering with law enforcement officials’ “efforts to defend the U.S. Capitol” on January 6^th, 2021.

Jay Johnston, 55, of Los Angeles, entered a guilty plea to the crime of “civil disorder,” which carries a potential five-year prison sentence.

Johnston is due to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Carl Nichols on October 7^th.

As they exited the courtroom, Stanley Woodward, Johnston’s attorney, instructed his client not to speak with the media.

Johnston, who was taken into custody in June last month, is among the almost 1,400 individuals accused of federal offenses related to the breach of the U.S. Capitol on January 6^th.

According to an FBI agent’s affidavit, the FBI claims that video footage shows Johnston pushing against police and assisting protesters in a tunnel on the Lower West Terrace. On January 6^th, Johnston had been carrying a stolen police shield over his head, which he later handed over to other protesters for protection since they were being tear-gassed.

Some sources have also alleged that Johnston later handed the shield back to police officers, however, this claim has not been confirmed.

The actor and comedian “was [allegedly] close to the entrance to the tunnel, turned back, and signaled for other rioters to come towards the entrance,” the agent claimed.

Prosecutors further claimed that Johnston, dressed in a dark leather jacket and green camouflage neck gaiter, “participated with other rioters in a group assault on the officers” and then “joined other rioters in pushing repeatedly against the defending police officers” in the video.

“The rioters coordinated the timing of the pushes by yelling ‘Heave! Ho!'” prosecutors stated while posting screen grabs of the footage.

Johnston was a voiceover actor who played the role of Jimmy Pesto in the Fox cartoon television series Bob’s Burgers. However, following the Capitol protest, Johnston was “banned” from the cartoon series, according to a 2021 Daily Beast article.

Johnston also made an appearance on the HBO sketch comedy series Mr. Show with Bob and David, which stars actors David Cross and Bob Odenkirk. In addition, he has brief roles in the Will Ferrell film Anchorman and the television series Arrested Development.

Before relocating to Los Angeles, Johnston, who was originally born in Chi-town, began his comedic career performing improv at The Second City and Annoyance Theater in Chicago, CBS Chicago reported.

According to the FBI agent, three of Johnston’s “associates,” both present and past, recognized him as a suspect based on pictures that the FBI posted online. Johnston later confirmed being in the Capitol on January 6^th in a text message that investigators received from one of the associates.

“The news has presented it as an attack. It actually wasn’t. Though it kind of turned into that. It was a mess. Got maced and tear gassed and I found it quite untastic,” Johnston said in a message, according to the FBI.

Last month, the Justice Department’s use of a federal obstruction statute against numerous individuals who walked into the building was limited by the Supreme Court’s decision to rule in favor of a former Pennsylvania police officer who was accused of obstructing an official proceeding after he entered the U.S. Capitol during the protest.

Stay informed! Receive breaking news blasts directly to your inbox for free. Subscribe here. https://www.oann.com/alerts

 

3 Columbia Deans Removed Over Text Thread Containing 'Anti-Semitic Tropes'

Pro-Palestinian protesters walk from Columbia University down to Hunter College as protests at area universities and colleges continue on May 06, 2024 in New York City. Across the nation, students and activists angered by Israel’s war in Gaza have been building encampments, taking over buildings, disrupting graduations and demanding that their schools divest from Israel. Columbia University announced today that they are canceling the group graduation ceremony and will instead hold numerous smaller ones outside of the main campus. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

Three Columbia University deans have been “permanently removed” from their positions for sharing “very troubling” texts that “disturbingly touched on ancient anti-Semitic tropes,” university officials said on Monday.

The three administrators, Susan Chang-Kim, Matthew Patashnick, and Cristen Kromm, 

 

have been on leave since last month. It was revealed that they had been involved in the hate-filled text exchange that unfolded during a panel discussion about anti-Semitism on campus. 

“This incident revealed behavior and sentiments that were not only unprofessional, but also, disturbingly touched on ancient anti-Semitic tropes,” Columbia president Minouche Shafik said in a statement.

 This text chain from Deans at Columbia University is beyond disgusting. They should all be fired and the University lose its Federal funding.

1/ pic.twitter.com/wJUWjvmFxi

— Matthew Feinberg (@thewebbie) July 2, 2024

“Whether intended as such or not, these sentiments are unacceptable and deeply upsetting, conveying a lack of seriousness about the concerns and the experiences of members of our Jewish community that is antithetical to our university’s values and the standards we must uphold in our community.”

Provost Angela Olinto said that “the three staff members involved have been permanently removed from their positions at Columbia College and remain on leave at this time.”

Meanwhile, Josef Sorett, another dean who was also involved in the anti-Semitic text messaging exchange, will remain in his position but will issue a public apology for his role in the matter, Shafik added. 

The firings come weeks after images of the group chat emerged publicly after being captured by an alumnus sitting in the crowd during the May 31^st panel about Jewish life on campus.

In some of the exchanged texts, the administrators accused Jewish students of asserting their “privilege,” and they also mocked them for wanting a place to “huddle” to avoid anti-Semitism and harassment on campus. 

“Laying the case to expand physical space! They will have their own dorm soon,” said Patashnick, associate dean for student and family support, in one text, prompting Chang-Kim, vice dean and chief administrative officer of Columbia College, to respond: “Comes from such a place of privilege.”

Chang-Kim texted the others “I’m going to throw up” at one point in response to one parent, Orly Mishan, who was a Holocaust survivor. She expressed fear regarding her daughter “hiding in plain sight” while student protesters applauded Hamas after the terrorist attack against Israel on October 7^th. 

The messages, first reported on by the Washington Free Beacon, were released in full by the House Education Committee in late June. 

The messaging thread transpired during the same time on campus when anti-Israel protests were taking place, prompting the police to be called, to disperse the crowds. 

Stay informed! Receive breaking news blasts directly to your inbox for free. Subscribe here. https://www.oann.com/alerts

 

CartoonDems

 

House Democrats Call on Biden to Drop Out of Race

 

As the Democrats' pressure on Joe Biden to step aside continues following the first presidential debate on June 27, several ranking lawmakers on Sunday told House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries that the president needs to step aside, CNN reported.

During an almost two-hour call Jeffries held to discern how ranking members feel before lawmakers return to Congress, the number of Democrats calling for the president to rescind his bid for the nomination surpassed the number of those clamoring for him to stay.

Sources said Reps. Mark Takano of California, ranking member of the Veterans' Affairs Committee; Adam Smith of Washington, ranking member of the Armed Services Committee; Jim Himes of Connecticut, ranking member of the Intelligence Committee; Joe Morelle of New York, ranking member of the House Administration Committee; Susan Wild of Pennsylvania, ranking member of the Ethics Committee; and Jerry Nadler of New York, ranking member of the Judiciary Committee, were among those who opposed Biden as the nominee.

The number of members calling for Biden to step aside was greater than the number who said during the call that he should remain the nominee, CNN reported, citing one of its sources to the private call.

Central to the Democrat faction calling for Biden to resign from the race are those who fear they may lose the opportunity to take back the House in November if he is the party's nominee.

One source familiar with the call said it was generally accepted that Vice President Kamala Harris should be the party's nominee.

"It was pretty brutal," a senior Democratic aide familiar with the call told CNN.

The situation, developed out of Biden's debate performance, has spurred a schism in the Democrat Party, with those on one side making calls for Biden to step aside and the president stating as recently as Friday that it would take a sign from the "Lord Almighty" for him to drop out.

As Biden maintains he is resilient enough to continue running, Republicans continue to pressure the president and those around him.

On Sunday, House Oversight Chair James Comer, R-Ky., posted on X: "I'm calling on President Joe Biden's physician, Dr. Kevin O'Connor, to appear for a @GOPoversight transcribed interview regarding his medical assessments of Joe Biden & involvement in the Biden family's business schemes. Dr. O'Connor's medical assessments have been potentially influenced by his business pursuits with the Biden family."

Newsmax staffer Jack Gournell contributed.

© 2024 Newsmax. All rights reserved.

Biden Displays Scary Look During Visit to Black Church, and What the Bishop Said Is Raising Eyebrows

Joe Biden has been spending a fair amount of time both trying to reach out to black voters as well as campaigning in Pennsylvania. He combined both efforts during a visit to a black church in Philadelphia on Sunday in the middle of the massive controversy over whether he should continue his candidacy despite his obvious cognitive issues. 

Biden went to the Mount Airy Church of God in Christ in Philadelphia. 

Now you would think, given that he grew up in a black church, he would have looked at home. But he not only seemed incredibly awkward there, he looked horrible and about a billion years old. He had that thousand-yard empty-eyed stare at various points throughout the visit. 

His eyes are really frightening to me here. 

 

Then, while he's supposed to be listening to the pastor and paying attention, he pulls out his binder of notes, and you can see him studying them and how comprehensive they are with what looks like the pictures of the people he's probably supposed to meet in there. 

He also pulled out notes from his jacket pocket to look at those. 

Then Bishop J. Louis Felton spoke a little about Biden, and I don't think it helped. 

"I don't know why it is that you want to make an issue of the president and his condition with stammering and not being able, at certain times, to bring forth words when another person lies fluently and you never challenge his lies," Felton said.

When you're having to justify why the alleged leader of the free world can't "bring forth words," it's not exactly a good look. Being able to "bring forth words" is sort of a prerequisite of the job. It's not stammering, it's coherence and competence, critically important things for the job. Plus, let's be real here, Biden lies his head off constantly, so why do his supporters pretend like he doesn't or act like it's somehow justifiable? 

But Felton wasn't done there. He spoke about a bumper sticker on a senior citizen's car that said, "I may be slow, but I'm in front of you." Then he said, "Use his handicaps..." 

My gosh, did he really say that? I mean, we all can use prayer, and likely Joe needs a lot for all the things he's done, but talk about being brutally honest there. 

It didn't start well. 

BIDEN: "I wanna thank, uhh, thank you uh, for uh, you know, I said, bishop, it's good to be home" pic.twitter.com/PxzDW0u4nC

— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) July 7, 2024

When Joe speaks to a black audience, you know there will be certain stories he'll pull out. He used a couple of them here, resurrecting how he used to go to the black church after he went to his Catholic Church and how he was working for civil rights, which even he has debunked in the past. 

He claimed he worked as a "public defender in the civil rights movement." Huh? He said he'd then go out to the local AME church to make "plans for what we're gonna do to change the situation." 

Then his looks at the end of the service were again scary and empty. It looked like he didn't know he was supposed to stand when it was announced, "Let us stand." 

Lights on, nobody's home pic.twitter.com/xZkTLSc1Cm

— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) July 7, 2024

Naturally, he had the obligatory confusion trying to leave the stage again. 

Biden, wrapping up his pandering visit to a Philadelphia church, predictably gets lost as he shuffles out the door pic.twitter.com/clNq6PzfXy

— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) July 7, 2024

If his team believes this is helping him, I think they're sadly mistaken. It's just going to drive up former President Donald Trump's numbers even more and heighten the calls for Joe to step aside.