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Firefighter Corey Comperatore’s gear will be placed on the stage during former President Trump’s speech at the Republican National Convention on Thursday.

Sources told Fox News that Comperatore’s fire helmet and jacket are being shipped to Milwaukee by his family and will be placed on the stage of the convention just before Trump’s remarks.

Comperatore, a 50-year-old Sarver, Pennsylvania, resident and volunteer firefighter, was killed while shielding his family from gunfire on Saturday when a would-be assassin opened fire on Trump during a rally in Butler. Trump and two others, 74-year-old James Copenhaver and 57-year-old David Dutch, were also wounded in the shooting.

TRUMP SHOOTING FUNDRAISER FOR COREY COMPERATORE RAISES MORE THAN $1M FOR SLAIN FIREFIGHTER’S FAMILY

A memorial for volunteer firefighter Corey Comperatore, an attendee killed by gunfire at a campaign rally of Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump on Saturday, is displayed at the Buffalo Township Fire Company 27 in Pennsylvania on July 14, 2024. (Reuters/Brendan McDermid)

Comperatore’s wife, Helen Comperatore, told the New York Post that they were close to celebrating their 29th wedding anniversary when they went to the event.

“He’s my hero,” Helen Comperatore said, who went on to describe her husband’s last words as gun fire erupted at the event. “He just said, ‘Get down!’ That was the last thing he said.”

“Me and the kids were all there as a family,” she added. “He was just excited. It was going to be a nice day with the family.”

Former Buffalo Township Fire Chief Corey Comperatore is shown with his daughters in an undated family photo. (Helen Comperatore/Facebook)

TRUMP RALLY VICTIM IDENTIFIED AS COREY COMPERATORE, ‘HERO’ SHIELDED WIFE AND GIRLS FROM BULLETS

Corey Comperatore served as a fire chief for the Buffalo Township Volunteer Fire Company. The department set up a memorial with Comperatore’s uniform outside the firehouse to honor him in the days after his death, describing him as a “brother, son, husband, father and friend.”

Helen Comperatore said President Biden reached out to her after the incident but that she “didn’t want to talk to him.”

Corey Comperatore (Allyson Comperatore/Facebook)

“I didn’t talk to Biden,” she said. “My husband was a devout Republican, and he would not have wanted me to talk to him.” 

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“I don’t have any ill-will towards Joe Biden,” she added. “I’m not one of those people that gets involved in politics. I support Trump, that’s who I’m voting for, but I don’t have ill-will towards Biden.”

Former President Donald Trump paid tribute to firefighter Corey Comperatore, who was killed during the attempt on Trump’s life during a Pennsylvania rally last weekend.

“Tragically, the shooter claimed the life of one of our fellow Americans, Corey Comperatore, and seriously wounded two other great warriors… David Dutch and James Copenhaver. I spoke to all three families of these tremendous people—our love and prayers are with them, and always will be,” Trump said. 

“Corey, a highly respected former fire chief… was accompanied by his wife Helen… and two precious daughters,” he continued. “He lost his life selflessly acting as a human shield to protect them from flying bullets… what a fine man he was.”

Trump then walked over to Comperatore’s firefighting jacket and helmet, which were sent to the convention by the family and were placed next to Trump on the stage, asking for a moment of silence for the Pennsylvania father. 

TRUMP GETS THUNDEROUS, STANDING OVATION AS HE ENTERS STAGE FOR RNC SPEECH

Republican presidential nominee and former U.S. President Donald Trump touches the turnout coat of former Buffalo Township Volunteer Fire Department chief Corey Comperatore, who was killed at his rally, on Day 4 of the Republican National Convention (RNC), at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, U.S., July 18, 2024.  (REUTERS/Jeenah Moon)

“There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for others,” Trump said, noting that Comperatore was killed while shielding his family from the incoming bullets. “This is the spirit that forged America in her darkest hours, and this is the love that will lead America back to the summit of human achievement and greatness.”

Comperatore, a 50-year-old resident of Sarver, Pennsylvania, served as a fire chief for the Buffalo Township Volunteer Fire Company. Before sending the gear to Milwaukee to join Trump onstage, the firehouse honored him by hanging the coat and helmet outside the building after his death. 

A turnout coat and helmet are pictured onstage as a picture of Republican presidential nominee and former U.S. President Donald Trumps attempted assassination is shown during his speech on Day 4 of the Republican National Convention (RNC), at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, U.S., July 18, 2024.  (REUTERS/Jeenah Moon)

HULK HOGAN ENDORSES TRUMP FOR PRESIDENT AT RNC: ‘LET TRUMP-A-MANIA MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN’

Trump officially accepted the Republican nomination for the presidency before his remarks Thursday, signing the paperwork with former First Lady Melania Trump by his side. 

Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump kisses the helmet of Corey Comperatore during the Republican National Convention Thursday, July 18, 2024, in Milwaukee.  (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

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His remarks cap off the party’s four-day convention, which started Monday with Trump announcing Ohio Sen. JD Vance as his running mate.

MILWAUKEE – Five days after surviving an assassination attempt, former President Trump pleaded for national unity as he formally accepted the GOP presidential nomination during the culminating moment of the 2024 Republican National Convention.

“I am running to be president for all of America, not half of America, because there is no victory in winning for half of America,” Trump emphasized as he addressed the thousands of delegates, party officials and activists packed into Milwaukee’s Fiserv Forum and to the national audience of Americans watching the convention from home.

“The discord and division in our society must be healed. As Americans, we are bound together by a single fate and a shared destiny. We rise together. Or we fall apart,” the former president noted.

The shooting, at Trump’s rally Saturday in western Pennsylvania where one spectator was killed, along with the gunman, instantly impacted the tone and message of the convention, and as Trump has acknowledged, altered his convention address.

MCCARTHY SAYS TRUMP SHOWING ‘REAL LEADERSHIP’ TO THE WORLD AFTER ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT

Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump arrives for the 2024 Republican National Convention at the Fiserv Forum, Thursday, July 18, 2024, in Milwaukee.  (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

“Let me begin this evening by expressing my gratitude to the American people for your outpouring of love and support following the assassination attempt at my rally on Saturday,” Trump said. “As you already know, the assassin’s bullet came within a quarter of an inch of taking my life.” 

The former president and GOP presidential nominee said that “so many people have asked me what happened, and therefore, I’ll tell you what happened.” 

“You’ll never hear it from me a second time, because it’s too painful to tell,” he said. 

Trump recounted the shooting, saying he knew “we were under attack.”  

Trump praised the “very brave Secret Service agents who rushed to the stage and pounced on top of me for protection.” 

“There was blood pouring everywhere, and yet, in a certain way, I felt very safe, because I had God on my side,” Trump said. “The amazing thing is that prior to the shot, if I had NOT moved my head at the very last instant, the assassin’s bullet would have perfectly hit its mark, and I would not be with you tonight.” 

“I am not supposed to be here tonight. I stand before you in this arena only by the grace of almighty God. Many people say it was a providential moment,” Trump said. 

But the crowd chanted: “Yes you are. Yes you are.” 

And he acknowledged that “none of us knows God’s plan, or where life’s adventure will take us. But if the events of last Saturday make anything clear, it is that every single moment we have on earth is a gift from God. We have to make the most of every day for the people and country we love.”

EMOTIONAL TRIBUTE TO COREY COMPERATORE DURING RNC SPEECH: ‘SPIRIT THAT FORGED AMERICA’

Republican presidential nominee and former U.S. President Donald Trump embraces the turnout coat and helmet of former Buffalo Township Volunteer Fire Department chief Corey Comperatore, who was killed at his rally last week, as he gives his acceptance speech on Day 4 of the Republican National Convention (RNC), at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, U.S., July 18, 2024.  (REUTERS/Mike Segar)

Trump also pointed to the helmet and firefighting jacket of Corey Comperatore, the former fire chief killed at the rally, which were placed on the stage by the former president. And he asked the audience to observe a moment of silence.

He said he has raised more than $6 million in recent days for Comperatore’s family, and the families of the two men who were seriously wounded in the shooting. 

The former president also took time to thank his wife, former first lady Melania Trump. 

“On this journey, I am deeply honored to be joined by my amazing wife, Melania,” Trump told the crowd in Milwaukee during an emotional speech.

He then referred to her letter to America, in which she called for unity in the wake of the assassination attempt against her husband.

“I am thinking of you, now, my fellow Americans,” she wrote. “Dawn is here again. Let us reunite. Now.”

The former president praised the letter.

“And Melania, thank you very much. You also did something really beautiful. A letter to America calling for national unity. And it really took the Republican Party by surprise. I will tell you, it was beautiful,’ he said.

“Some very serious people said that we should take that letter and put it as part of the Republican platform. That would be an honor, wouldn’t it?”

The former president also thanked his family, especially his children and grandchildren. 

Former US President Donald Trump arrives to the Republican National Convention (RNC) at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, US, on Wednesday, July 17, 2024. The RNC chairman warned against complacency when his party concludes its official nominating jamboree this week with polls predicting ex-President Donald Trump prevailing over President Joe Biden in the November election.   (David Paul Morris/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

But in the wake of his brush with death, the former president called for a lowering of the temperature in a political climate seared with heated rhetoric from both the right and the left.

“In an age when our politics too often divide us, now is the time to remember that we are all fellow citizens—we are one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all,” Trump stressed.

“We must not criminalize dissent or demonize political disagreement. In that spirit, the Democrat Party should immediately stop weaponizing the Justice System and labeling their political opponent as an enemy of democracy, especially since that is not true,” Trump claimed.

Making a pitch “to every citizen, whether you are young or old, man or woman, Democrat, Republican, or Independent, black or white, Asian or Hispanic,” Trump repeatedly criticized the administration of the Democratic incumbent in the White House, but only mentioned President Biden’s name once. 

“They will not have done the damage that Biden has done, only going to use the term once,” Trump said. “Biden. I’m not going to use the name anymore. Just one time.” 

Republican presidential nominee and former U.S. President Donald Trump shakes hands with Republican vice presidential nominee J.D. Vance next to Eric Trump, on Day 2 of the Republican National Convention (RNC), at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, U.S., July 16, 2024.  (REUTERS/Brian Snyder)

LIVE UPDATES: REPUBLICAN NATIONAL CONVENTION

Pointing to inflation, the crisis at the nation’s southern border with Mexico, and the ongoing wars in Ukraine and in Gaza, Trump argued that “it is time for a change. We simply cannot sustain four more years of this administration.”

Trump reminded his supporters that the MAGA movement “has never been about me, it has always been about you.” 

“It has always been about the hardworking, patriotic citizens of America,” he said. 

Trump was joined on the podium following his address by his family and by his running mate Sen. JD Vance, and the senator from Ohio’s family.

The former president announced on Monday as the convention kicked off that the 39-year-old Vance, a one-time Trump critic who has transformed into a leading America First disciple, would serve as his running mate.

“I am thrilled to have a new friend and partner fighting by my side: the next Vice President of the United States, the current Senator from Ohio, J.D. Vance, and his incredible wife, Usha,” Trump said minutes earlier as he gave a shout-out during his address to his running mate.

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Republican vice presidential candidate Sen. JD Vance, R-Ohio, gestures to Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump during the Republican National Convention Thursday, July 18, 2024, in Milwaukee.  (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

Republicans used their convention as a venue to reunite the party and energize delegates and activists ahead of the final stretch of the campaign in Trump’s 2024 election rematch with Biden.

The push for party unity was on display throughout the convention and included former GOP presidential rivals Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida and former U.N. ambassador and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley – who both battled Trump in a contentious primary season – delivering speeches from the podium in support of the former president.

The Biden campaign took aim at Trump, Vance, and Republicans as the GOP convention wrapped up.

Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump is surround by U.S. Secret Service agents at a campaign rally, Saturday, July 13, 2024, in Butler, Pa. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

“Over the course of the last four days Republicans have offered their vision for the country. And now it’s never been more clear that Americans will face a stark choice, a contrasting vision for this country,” Biden principal deputy campaign manager Quentin Fulks emphasized.

“The Biden-Harris ticket who’s focused on uniting the country, creating opportunity for everyone, and lowering costs or the Trump-Vance one – with a harmful agenda of taking away Americans’ rights, hurting the middle class, and making life more expensive – all while benefiting the ultra-rich and greedy corporations benefit,” Fulks argued.

Trump’s convention address comes less than two months after he was convicted of 34 felony counts in the first criminal trial of a former or current president in the nation’s history. But the Supreme Court ruled on the issue of presidential immunity–a question stemming from charges brought against Trump by Special Counsel Jack Smith. The high court ruled that a president is immune from “official acts.” Trump is using that Supreme Court precedent in an effort to overturn the verdict and appeal. 

A judge delayed Trump’s possible sentencing until September. 

Last month, though, Biden severely stumbled with a disastrous debate performance against Trump, which has led to a rising chorus of calls from within the Democratic Party for the president to end his 2024 re-election bid and bow out of the race.

President Joe Biden waves as he walks down the steps of Air Force One at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware, Wednesday, July 17, 2024. Biden is returning to his home in Rehoboth Beach, Del., to self-isolate after testing positive for COVID-19. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh) (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

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Reports over the past 24 hours indicated that top Democrats – including Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi – have had frank conversations with Biden about him ending his campaign.

And as Trump delivered his convention address, speculation was rampant that the president could bow out of the 2024 election within days.

But Biden campaign spokesman TJ Ducklo told Fox News Digital those reports are “entirely inaccurate.” 

And another Biden aide tells Fox News Digital that Biden “is more committed than ever to winning this election.” 

Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.

Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont., called on President Biden to exit the presidential race on Thursday night with the blessing of Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., making him the second Senate Democrat to do so. 

“Montanans have put their trust in me to do what is right, and it is a responsibility I take seriously. I have worked with President Biden when it has made Montana stronger, and I’ve never been afraid to stand up to him when he is wrong,” he said in a statement to Fox News Digital. “And while I appreciate his commitment to public service and our country, I believe President Biden should not seek re-election to another term.”

Tester told Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., about his plan ahead of time. Schumer then told him to do what he thought was best, a source with knowledge of the situation told Fox News Digital. 

SECRET SERVICE ‘CHECK-THE-BOX’ SENATE BRIEFING LEAVES QUESTIONS: ‘INFURIATING’

Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont., has called on President Biden to drop out of the 2024 race.  (Getty Images)

The Montana senator is in one of the most competitive races in 2024 as he attempts to keep his seat in a state that has voted twice in favor of former President Trump. 

Tester’s race is rated a “Toss Up” by non-partisan political handicapper the Cook Political Report. It is accompanied in the category by three other competitive races in Ohio, Nevada, and Michigan. 

He will face off against the Republican Senate candidate in Montana, former Navy SEAL Tim Sheehy, in November. 

The senator recently told Fox News Digital that his internal polling showed him “kicking his a–,” but would not reveal the data. 

JD VANCE BY THE NUMBERS: FIRST SPEECH SIGNALS HEAVY CAMPAIGN PRESENCE IN BATTLEGROUND RUST BELT

Tester is in one of the most competitive races in the country. (Anna Moneymaker)

He also pushed back on the idea that his race was competitive, claiming, “My race isn’t in a precarious place.”

Earlier this month, Sen. Peter Welch, D-Vt., became the first Democrat in the upper chamber to call on Biden to drop out. “For the good of the country, I’m calling on President Biden to withdraw from the race,” he penned in an op-ed for the Washington Post. 

Tester is the 22nd Congressional Democrat to call on Biden to step down, joining Reps. Adam Schiff from California, Earl Blumenauer from Oregon, Ed Case from Hawaii, Angie Craig from Minnesota, Lloyd Doggett from Texas, Raul Grijalva from Arizona, Jim Himes from Connecticut, Mike Levin from California, Seth Moulton from Massachusetts, Scott Peters from California, Brittany Pettersen from Colorado, Mike Quigley from Illinois, Pat Ryan from New York, Brad Schneider from Illinois, Hillary Scholten from Michigan, Mikie Sherrill from New Jersey, Adam Smith from Washington, Eric Sorensen from Illinois, and Greg Stanton from Arizona.

Senate Democrats recently held a special meeting with senior Biden campaign advisers at the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC). 

FLASHBACK: A LOOK AT DONALD TRUMP’S REMARKS AT THE 2016, 2020 REPUBLICAN CONVENTIONS

Sen. Welch was the first Democrat senator to call on Biden to drop out of the race.  (Getty Images)

Notably, Tester did not attend the meeting. He told Fox News Digital he was meeting with aerospace and defense company Northrop Grumman instead to discuss the “Sentinel project,” likely in reference to its work for the U.S. Air Force’s LGM-35A Sentinel weapon system. 

After the discussion, Democratic senators noted they still had some concerns. “Some of my concerns are allayed. Some others have been deepened,” explained Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., afterward.

Biden’s debate performance was widely criticized.  (Getty Images)

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Tester made a statement just over a week after Biden’s poor debate performance against Trump last month, saying, “President Biden has got to prove to the American people – including me – that he’s up to the job for another four years.”

His call on Biden to leave the race comes only 10 days after his first statement asking the president to prove himself. 

Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub

People close to President Biden are “furious” that a pressure campaign calling for him to step aside is picking up speed, according to reports. 

Biden is self-isolating in Rehoboth, Delaware, after testing positive for COVID-19. 

“Lots of anger toward some donors for talking of $ drying up if he doesn’t quit, toward what they see as muted support from Pres. Obama, and toward Dem leaders who one source says are ‘hiding’ behind statements,” CBS News reporter Robert Costa posted on X. “If they want him out, they’ll have to push, source adds.”

TRUMP CAMPAIGN ON BIDEN TURMOIL: ‘DEMOCRATS CAN’T EVEN FIGURE OUT WHO THEIR NOMINEE SHOULD BE’

President Biden and former President Trump. ( Win McNamee/Getty Images/Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)

Costa added that Biden feels “disrespected” but that no one has figured out “an effective way to quiet this drift of nervous Democrats away from Biden and know many Dems want Biden to just break at some point soon.”

Multiple Democrats have come out in recent weeks to call for Biden to exit the race amid questions about his health. 

Sources told Fox News that Biden’s COVID-19 diagnosis has forced him to slow down for a period of reflection. 

Pundits and Democratic Party members have been calling on Biden to abandon his re-election due to concerns about his mental fitness for the presidency and cognitive ability.  (Jacquelyn Martin/AP/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

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Democratic House and Senate members sense there’s a shift in Biden’s thinking that he will remain at the top of the ticket, the source said.

Former President Trump arrived at the final night of the 2024 Republican National Convention and walked out to AC/DC’s “Back In Black” to a rowdy crowd.

Former first lady Melania Trump, Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner, among other Trump family members, are expected in the family box tonight as the former president takes the stage for the highly anticipated speech.

Also sharing the box with the Trump family is country music star Jason Aldean and his wife, Brittany Aldean.

DONALD TRUMP PRAISED BY STARS AS ‘A WARRIOR,’ MAN ‘WILLING TO GIVE HIS LIFE’ AFTER ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT

Former President Trump and Jason Aldean (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

The Aldean duo has been vocal Trump supporters for years. After the assassination attempt on Trump last weekend, Aldean posted to Instagram to show his support and well-wishes for “45”.

“This is what a Warrior looks like!,” Aldean wrote in his caption attached to a photograph of Trump with blood on his face and a stiff arm raised to the crowd of campaign rally attendees in Butler, Pennsylvania. “@realdonaldtrump we are thinking about u and praying for you and your family. God has a bigger plan for you, my friend, and I think we all know what that is by now.”

The “She’s Country” singer concluded, “My heart goes out to the victims’ families as well. They are the ones left to pick up the pieces of this cowardly act.”

Volunteer firefighter, Corey Comperatore, 50, died during the assassination attempt, shielding his family from bullets and two others were injured at the rally.

Brittany Aldean shared the same photograph to her own account and wrote, “They done messed up now.”

JASON ALDEAN’S ‘TRY THAT IN A SMALL TOWN’ SOARS TO NO. 1 ON BILLBOARD HOT 100; WIFE BRITTANY CELEBRATES

“What a sad day in history, but what a fighter he is,” she wrote. “TRUMP 2024.”

In November 2023, the five-time Grammy Award nominee made headlines when he released a song titled “Try That In A Small Town,” which was featured on his “Highway Desperado” album.

JASON ALDEAN IS ‘PROUD’ OF AMERICA EVEN THOUGH ‘SOMETIMES IT GETS A LITTLE SIDEWAYS’

Controversy surrounded the song as the video was debuted to fans featuring burning buildings and rioters lighting police cars on fire. Aldean released the video years after violent protests and looting ensued in the months following the death of George Floyd by police in Minnesota.

Country Music Television pulled the video amid backlash.

The song reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem offered her support for Aldean and his song at the time after much backlash, saying she was “shocked” by the attempt to “cancel” him. She invited him to play in the Mount Rushmore State anytime.

Aldean is expected to perform tomorrow night in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

Delegates and guests attending the Republican National Convention (RNC) in Wisconsin are making predictions about President Biden’s political future amid reports he is closer to exiting the 2024 presidential race.

Fox News Digital spoke with multiple RNC attendees outside Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, the site of the convention, and most felt Biden would ultimately drop his re-election bid but that it would matter little when the votes are finally counted.

“I think [former President] Trump’s going to mop the floor with anybody they put up,” one attendee said, adding that it seemed Biden was “on the way out the door.”

ALINA HABBA TAKES ON MAJOR ROLE IN TRUMP CAMPAIGN, DISHES ON HIS HIGHLY ANTICIPATED RNC SPEECH

A delegate attending the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee speaks with Fox News Digital on July 18, 2024. (Fox News Digital/Brandon Gillespie)

“I don’t think it really matters. I think whoever they have, their bench is kind of shallow and weak right now.”

Another attendee told Fox he felt vindicated after predicting months earlier Biden wasn’t going to end up being the Democrat presidential nominee.

“I think Saturday may have changed things slightly, but I doubt it,” he said, referencing the failed assassination attempt against Trump at a rally in Pennsylvania. “The globalists have a mission. They don’t care anymore about Joe Biden. … I don’t think it matters who they run. I don’t think they have a shot to win a legitimate election at this point.” 

TRUMP TO FORMALLY ACCEPT REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL NOMINATION IN SPEECH ALTERED AFTER ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump is surrounded by Secret Service agents after a gunman opened fire during a campaign rally on Saturday. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

Others also predicted Biden would drop out, but some expressed hope he would stay in the race or thought that Democrats couldn’t afford to dump him from the ticket so close to the election.

“They bet with him, and they keep telling us how far ahead in the polls he is, so they need to keep backing him all the way. I think it’d be disastrous if they change right now,” she said.

“I think he understands, and his compatriots understand, he needs to drop out. So, I think he will. I have no idea who they’re going to put up, you know, to replace him. I would hope it wouldn’t be Kamala, but I have no idea,” another said.

TRUMP WON’T USE WORD ‘BIDEN’ ONCE IN GOP CONVENTION SPEECH: SOURCES

President Biden (Ting Shen/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

One attendee said it would be “totally fine” if Vice President Harris became the nominee or even California Gov. Gavin Newsom or former first lady Michelle Obama. “The people, I think, are waking up to know that that’s just not the party of the people anymore. So, it doesn’t matter.”

The attendees also unanimously praised Trump’s vice presidential running mate, Ohio Sen. JD Vance, after his Wednesday convention speech, calling him “empathetic,” “high energy” and “relatable.”

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Reuters reported Thursday that Biden is now “soul-searching” about the future of his candidacy, citing sources familiar with the matter, while NBC News reported a source close to the president as saying, “We’re close to the end.”

The reports come after previous reporting from the Washington Post that former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi told Biden he would lose and push the House of Representatives further under Republican control. The Post also reported that former President Obama told his allies that Biden needed to reconsider his candidacy.

Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.

Florida Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene told Fox News Digital that if President Biden bows out of the presidential race and is replaced ahead of the Democratic National Convention, the new candidate would likely have little impact on former President Donald Trump’s shot at winning back the White House this November.

“I definitely think we’re going to see [Democrats] try to push him out, and we’ll see who they replace them with. I think that’s important for Republicans to understand the moment that this is happening. We have the momentum right now this week at our convention, but this race isn’t over [until] November,” Greene said from the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee. 

“There could be a total change if they replace Joe Biden with a new candidate. But we have the right policies. We have the right plans in place for Republicans [to] win,” she added. 

During the RNC this week, Democrats have increasingly called on Biden to drop out of the race, with California Rep. Adam Schiff joining the chorus of traditional allies calling on the president to pass the mantle ahead of the race against former President Trump. 

TRUMP CAMPAIGN ON BIDEN TURMOIL: ‘DEMOCRATS CAN’T EVEN FIGURE OUT WHO THEIR NOMINEE SHOULD BE’

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia takes the stage at the Republican National Convention at Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee on July 15, 2024. (REUTERS/Mike Segar)

“While the choice to withdraw from the campaign is President Biden’s alone, I believe it is time for him to pass the torch,” said Schiff. 

President Biden (Hannah Beier/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Greene continued in her comment to Fox Digital that if Biden bows out and is replaced with another Democrat, it would likely not affect Trump’s run, arguing the Biden administration’s record puts a stain on whoever would join the race. 

“No matter who they put at the top of the ticket, that candidate has to run with the job record that Joe Biden and Kamala Harris have brought the several past years because Democrats are fully aligned behind those policies,” Greene said.

BIDEN CAMPAIGN INSISTS PRESIDENT IS ‘STAYING IN THIS RACE’

Former President Trump survived an assassination attempt on Saturday during a Pennsylvania rally. (Trump Campaign Office / Handout/Anadolu via Getty Images)

“I think America really came to one mindset and got resolved behind President Trump and behind the Republican Party after seeing him almost assassinated on Saturday. It’s a moment that everyone will always remember where they were when that happened, similar to 9/11. Everyone remembers where they were when that happened. I also think people are just really fed up with the border invasion that’s happening every day. The fact that people can’t afford food, can’t afford rent and inflation is really crippling a lot of people,” she said. 

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President Biden has faced intense calls for him to step aside. (ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty Images)

Biden has so far brushed off the calls for him to bow out, but reports are circulating that he’s increasingly considering calling it quits with the 2024 campaign. 

“Our campaign is not working through any scenarios where President Biden is not at the top of the ticket. He is and will be the Democratic nominee,” Biden principal deputy campaign manager Quentin Fulks told reporters at a news conference Thursday morning near the site of the Republican National Convention.

Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump and vice presidential nominee JD Vance applaud on Day 2 of the Republican National Convention at Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee on July 16, 2024. (REUTERS/Mike Segar)

The president said in a recent interview with BET that he would drop out if a doctor told him he had a medical condition. 

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“If I had some medical condition that emerged, if somebody, if doctors came to me and said, you got this problem and that problem,” Biden said in an excerpt of the interview that was released Wednesday. 

Biden is currently quarantined in his home in Delaware after being diagnosed with COVID-19 on Wednesday afternoon.

Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.

MILWAUKEE — Former President Trump will refer several times to the “current administration” or the “current leadership” in his address to the Republican National Convention, but highly placed sources say the former president will not use the word “Biden” once.

Trump on Thursday will formally accept the GOP presidential nomination during the closing night and culminating moment of the 2024 convention.

The former president’s speech to the party faithful inside Milwaukee’s Fiserv Forum and to a national television audience is likely to be north of an hour, sources told Fox News’ Bret Baier, the network’s chief political anchor and executive editor of “Special Report with Bret Baier.”

TRUMP CAMPAIGN WEIGHS IN ON BIDEN TURMOIL

Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump is shown on the third day of the Republican National Convention at Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee on July 17, 2024. (REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein)

Trump’s speech comes just five days after he survived an assassination attempt. The shooting at Trump’s rally on Saturday in western Pennsylvania, where one spectator was killed, along with the gunman, instantly affected the tone and message of the convention and altered the former president’s address.

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According to sources, the speech will “lay out the case for the ticket” and will focus on unity in part of the speech in the wake of his brush with death last weekend.

In an email to supporters on the eve of his address, Trump said, “I will lay out my vision to UNITE OUR COUNTRY AND MAKE IT GREATER THAN EVER BEFORE!”

A bloodied former President Trump gestures to the crowd after multiple shots rang out during his campaign rally in Butler, Pa., on July 13, 2024. (Reuters/Brendan McDermid)

A push for party unity was on display during the first three days of the convention, with former GOP presidential rivals Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida and former U.N. ambassador and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley – who battled Trump in a contentious primary season – delivered speeches from the podium in support of the former president.

Republicans are using the convention as a venue to reunite the party and energize delegates and activists ahead of the final stretch of the campaign in Trump’s 2024 election rematch with President Biden.

Trump’s speech comes as Biden’s campaign is pushing back against a slew of reports in the past 24 hours that the president has become more receptive in the last couple of days to hearing arguments about why he should drop his 2024 re-election run.

“We don’t know who the nominee will be at this point,” a source in Trump’s political orbit told Fox News.

Hours earlier, the Trump campaign contrasted what it calls a “unified” GOP at the convention with the latest turmoil surrounding Biden’s re-election bid.

“When you look at what we’ve done with this convention, we’ve demonstrated to the American people that not only is the Republican Party unified, but we have a unifying vision for the entire country with President Trump’s agenda and plan for America well established,” a Trump campaign official said.

Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump applauds alongside vice presidential nominee JD Vance during the second day of the Republican National Convention at Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee on July 16, 2024. (Reuters/Elizabeth Frantz)

“At the same time, the Democrats can’t even figure out who their nominee should be,” the official argued.

Following his disastrous debate performance last month against Trump, the 81-year-old Biden has been facing questions about whether he has the physical and mental abilities to serve another four years in the most demanding job in the world.

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Politically, Biden’s been pushing back against a rising chorus of calls to end his campaign from elected Democrats, who are deeply concerned about the possibility of the party not only losing the White House but both houses of Congress in the fall election.

Reports over the past 24 hours indicated that top Democrats – including Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi – have had frank conversations with Biden about him ending his campaign.

President Biden waves as he walks down the steps of Air Force One at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware on July 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

And a Washington Post report on Thursday suggested that former President Obama has told allies in recent days that Biden’s path to victory has been vastly reduced, and he thinks the president needs to seriously reconsider his decision to keep running.

“Our campaign is not working through any scenarios where President Biden is not at the top of the ticket. He is and will be the Democratic nominee,” Biden principal deputy campaign manager Quentin Fulks told reporters at a news conference on Thursday morning near the site of the Republican National Convention.

And ahead of Trump’s speech, Fulks said that “over the course of the last four days, Republicans have offered their vision for the country. And now it’s never been more clear that Americans will face a stark choice, a contrasting vision for this country.”

Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.

Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., detailed a Secret Service briefing given to senators on Wednesday about the recent assassination attempt against former President Trump, saying there was “virtually no information” provided. 

“It’s infuriating,” he told Fox News Digital in an interview.

“The director of the Secret Service did admit there were mistakes and gaffes,” he added, referring to Kimberly Cheatle.

But the briefing, which was given by a separate official, “was largely irrelevant,” according to Johnson. Only four senators were allowed to ask questions and there were no follow-ups, he said. 

JD VANCE BY THE NUMBERS: FIRST SPEECH SIGNALS HEAVY CAMPAIGN PRESENCE IN BATTLEGROUND RUST BELT

Sen. Ron Johnson blasted a Secret Service briefing that he said didn’t relay much information to senators. (Getty Images)

Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, questioned the service on when they first became aware of the person who ultimately shot Trump and others at the outdoor rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on Saturday, per Johnson. The briefer said they had been made aware of Thomas Crooks roughly an hour before he opened fire.

“That is a $64,000 question. When did the sniper team identify [him]? When did they have him in [their] sights?” Johnson asked. “Did they request permission to alleviate the threat? Was it denied?”

“Those are the questions. They’re being asked,” he said.

FLASHBACK: A LOOK AT DONALD TRUMP’S REMARKS AT THE 2016, 2020 REPUBLICAN CONVENTIONS

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump is rushed offstage during a rally on July 13, 2024, in Butler, Pa. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

“They should have been providing that up front,” the senator said. 

He suggested that it’s counterintuitive for the service to withhold key information about the incident while stating that they want transparency and seek to prevent the spread of conspiracy theories. 

“They should be addressing what’s out there right now,” Johnson said. “They didn’t.”

Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle (KAMIL KRZACZYNSKI/AFP via Getty Images/File)

The Wisconsin Republican railed against the briefing by the service, saying, “They need to open it up so that people can ask detailed questions [and] follow-up questions.” 

“That’s not what this thing was,” he said. “This was kind of a check-the-box, quick briefing. Not providing information, only gives four senators an opportunity to ask questions … this is not providing the kind of information people need.”

He noted that the lack of information at the briefing led to different reporting from news organizations: “This is not the way it should be done.”

CHUCK SCHUMER PUSHED TO DELAY DNC AS CONCERNS PERSIST OVER BIDEN’S CANDIDACY

Secret Service agents converge to cover Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump at a campaign rally in Butler, Pa., on July 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

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The assassination attempt on Trump left him bloodied and with a wounded right ear but ultimately OK, enough so that he opted against pushing back his attendance at the Republican National Convention this week. One spectator was killed at the rally, Corey Comperatore. He was fatally shot while shielding his family from bullets. Two other people wounded at the event are hospitalized.

Lawmakers have raised significant concerns after the shooting as more details suggest errors on the part of the Secret Service and law enforcement.

EXCLUSIVE: Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., is urging former President Trump to emphasize unity in his speech at the Republican National Convention (RNC) on Thursday night.

Mace, a Trump ally and unofficial surrogate for his campaign, suggested she wanted to see a plan from Trump to not only appeal to all factions of the GOP but voters outside of it as well – especially groups that traditionally do not vote Republican.

“I want to hear him unifying the party, unifying the nation, especially in the wake of the attempted assassination on Saturday,” Mace told Fox News Digital in an interview after her own RNC speech.

HOW SECRET SERVICE PROTOCOL HAS CHANGED AMID PRESIDENTIAL ASSASSINATION ATTEMPTS THROUGH THE YEARS

Rep. Nancy Mace said she wants to see former President Trump deliver a broad message of unity. (Getty Images)

Trump is taking the RNC stage on Thursday to formally accept the GOP nomination for president for 2024. 

He’s expected to have modified his speech after the failed attempt on his life at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, last weekend. A 20-year-old gunman opened fire from a rooftop outside the rally perimeter, killing one attendee and injuring two others.

The primetime address will be his first speech since the assassination attempt.

Mace suggested the address should not focus on partisan divides but rather on appealing to a broader group of voters.

TRUMP RALLY WITNESS IS NOT SURPRISED BY ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT, SAYS VIETNAM WAR VETERAN SHOWED HEROISM

Mace spoke on the third day of the Republican National Convention. (Reuters/Mike Segar)

“It’s important that we all come together. But this isn’t a fight for the left or the right. Each side has their own,” she said. “This is, how do we attract independent voters? How do we attract women? How do we attract [people] to the left of center, centrists and moderates, and know that they have a home within our party?”

“And that can unify a party, that can unify the country. And when he gets elected, it’ll be a landslide.”

WHO IS KAI TRUMP? DONALD TRUMP’S ELDEST GRANDCHILD SPEAKS AT 2024 RNC

Trump is expected to have changed his speech after the attempt on his life last weekend. (Trump Campaign Office/Handout/Anadolu via Getty Images)

Mace herself has been known to buck the traditional party line on occasion, forcefully calling on Republicans to take a clearer stance on women’s issues like abortion exceptions and sexual assault accountability.

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During her Wednesday night RNC speech, Mace pointed out that she was both a single mom and a rape survivor.

“To women tonight who can relate, please know – you have a friend and a sister in me,” Mace said. “And I will fight like hell for you.”

MILWAUKEE – The Democratic National Convention is set to be a week of “chaos and confusion” following President Biden’s disastrous debate performance that opened the floodgates to calls for him to bow out of the race, and the assassination attempt on former President Trump, Illinois Republican Rep. Darin LaHood told Fox News Digital. 

“This dump Biden movement, it builds every single day… Democrats know they can’t win with Joe Biden on the ticket. Now that’s a problem for them. We need to stay focused and disciplined with President Trump’s message and JD Vance’s message,” LaHood told Fox News Digital from the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. 

“I think it’s going to be chaos and dysfunction,” LaHood said of what he expects out of the DNC. “Let me just contrast that with Milwaukee. I’ve never seen a convention or unity or activism or energy in the first two days of this convention.” 

The Democratic National Convention will kick off next month in LaHood’s home state of Illinois, starting on Monday, Aug. 19, in Chicago. The Democratic Party is in the midst of an election freefall, as elected Democrats, including California Rep. Adam Schiff, continue calling for Biden to bow out of the race due to concerns over his mental fitness to face Trump this year. 

DNC DELEGATES ACTIVELY DISCUSSING BIDEN STEPPING DOWN IN LEAKED PRIVATE CHATS: REPORTS

Rep. Darin LaHood questions witnesses during a House committee hearing on Capitol Hill, Feb. 28, 2023. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

“While the choice to withdraw from the campaign is President Biden’s alone, I believe it is time for him to pass the torch,” Schiff said in a statement this week. “And in doing so, secure his legacy of leadership by allowing us to defeat Donald Trump in the upcoming election.”

Biden is urged to drop out ahead of the DNC, when delegates will officially nominate their pick for the 2024 presidential election. 

PELOSI ‘CONVINCED BIDEN WILL LOSE,’ WORKING THE PHONES WITH HOPES TO ‘EASE HIM OFF THE TICKET,’ REPORT SAYS

“The debate performance by President Biden was abysmal and disastrous,” Congressman LaHood said. (Getty Images)

LaHood pointed to two “monumental things that have happened in the last three weeks,” that have spurred the chaos in the Democratic Party’s fight to retain the White House. 

“The debate performance by President Biden was abysmal and disastrous, and so it highlighted his lack of mental acuity. But it also showed that President Trump, where he stands on the issues and how strong he came out of that debate. Second that with the, you know, terrible events of last Saturday and what occurred, and we will never forget President Trump saying, ‘Fight! Fight! Fight!’ and his leadership and his courage,” he said. 

PELOSI SNAPS AT REPORTER ASKING IF SHE WANTS BIDEN TO DROP OUT OF THE RACE: ‘AM I SPEAKING ENGLISH TO YOU?’

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi talks with President Biden after he signed a bill in the East Room of the White House, June 13, 2022. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)

“That’s given everybody here at this convention a lot of energy and a lot of enthusiasm, and that is palpable here at this convention. And so we’ve had a really flawless convention. The unity here, that togetherness, is really apparent. And I think that will be in stark contrast to Chicago,” he continued. 

On the message of unity, LaHood pointed to Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis all proclaiming their support of Trump and Vance following their primary challenges. 

“You saw President Trump’s opponents, Nikki Haley, Ron DeSantis, Ted Cruz, come forward last night to talk glowingly about President Trump. So that unity, I think, is going to continue with JD Vance,” he said. 

FBI’S CONCLUSION INTO ATTEMPTED TRUMP ASSASSINATION AFTER 200 INTERVIEWS CALLED ‘BULL—-‘ BY LAWMAKER

Former President Trump is moved after shots were fired at a campaign rally, Saturday, July 13, 2024, in Butler, Pennsylvania. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

The assassination attempt against Trump on Saturday evening during a rally in Pennsylvania has also taken center stage at the RNC, galvanizing the party as they demand political rhetoric be dialed back as to not incite violence. LaHood, who serves on the House Intelligence Committee, told Fox News Digital that he spoke with House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., about investigating the attempt. 

Donald Trump is seen with blood on his face as Secret Service agents take him off the stage in Butler, Pennsylvania, July 13, 2024. (Rebecca Droke/AFP via Getty Images)

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“I’ve been in touch with him about making sure that we have a select committee or a task force that’s put in place immediately, starting next week, when we’re back in session to get to the bottom of this. As a former federal prosecutor, we need to follow the facts and evidence. Our role in Congress is an oversight role on the executive branch. That includes the Secret Service. There were mistakes made here, make no doubt about it, and we need to make sure people are held accountable, this never happens again, and that we get to the bottom of this. And I think that’ll happen quickly,” he said. 

Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.

MILWAUKEE — EXCLUSIVE: Alina Habba, an attorney and legal spokesperson for former President Donald Trump, is taking on a major new role that she hopes will help accomplish the “critical” task of sending him back to the White House this November.

Habba is now serving as a senior adviser to Trump’s re-election campaign, a promotion that comes after she gained national recognition in her legal role, which saw her win in court for the former president more than any of his other attorneys despite having only been on his team since 2021.

Fox News Digital sat down with Habba ahead of Trump’s highly anticipated speech at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, where she discussed her new role and gave a preview of what the former president will say to the audience of delegates and supporters who, earlier this week, cheered his triumphant return following a failed assassination attempt.

TRUMP TO FORMALLY ACCEPT REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL NOMINATION IN SPEECH ALTERED AFTER ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT

Trump campaign senior advisor Alina Habba and former President Donald Trump. (Getty Images)

“Moved, I think, is the best word for it. I was moved,” Habba said when asked how she felt seeing Trump, sporting a bandage on his wounded ear, enter the convention hall on Monday night to massive cheers and applause. “I think America could see it’s a different President Trump today.” 

“I never in my life thought I would live through that, let alone live through it and say, ‘That’s also my friend.’ And that’s been very difficult for me,” she said. “It’s traumatic, but I’m proud of him.”

Habba described her promotion as a “great honor” and said it would provide her, as a mom, with the opportunity to discuss issues important to women across the country.

She still plans to fulfill her duties as an attorney for Trump, citing ongoing cases in which she’s involved, but also plans to now be a “voice for President Trump” in order to speak on a wider range of issues.

VP FINALIST MARCO RUBIO ARRIVES AT RNC WITH PRAISE FOR TRUMP FOLLOWING SELECTION OF JD VANCE AS RUNNING MATE

Trump campaign senior advisor Alina Habba speaks with Fox News Digital during the RNC convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on July 16, 2024. (Fox News Digital/Brandon Gillespie)

Trump’s campaign said earlier this week that the former president — following his brush with death — will use his speech to call for unity in the face of tragedy instead of criticizing his political adversaries.

Habba expanded on that, telling Fox that Trump’s speech changed “dramatically” following Saturday’s events.

“Without getting into details, I will say that I think it’s authentic. Everything he does is authentic, and I think that his perspective on life … has changed,” she said. “Not that he wasn’t already a great fighter, but I think that the country needs to hear from him in a different light.” 

“I just don’t see how he couldn’t, because of what he actually went through. So it’s going to be authentic. It’s going to be genuine. And I think it’s going to be what the American people need to hear.”

KATIE BRITT TAKES SWIPE AT KAMALA HARRIS AMID DEBATE TALK: VANCE WILL ‘RUN CIRCLES’ AROUND HER

Alina Habba, an attorney and senior campaign advisor to former President Donald Trump, outside the Fiserv Forum during the Republican National Convention (RNC) in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on Wednesday, July 17, 2024. (Victor J. Blue/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Habba will give her own speech to the RNC ahead of Trump on Thursday, something she says is emotional for her.

“It takes a lot to rattle me these days. I’ve been through a tremendous amount with him. But this one means a lot to me. So I will not be speaking about legal issues. I will be speaking about him, and I’m excited to do so, and let the American people know the President Trump that I know,” she said.

Habba’s promotion has been received well and, according to multiple people who are familiar, has already led to a boost in fundraising for the Trump campaign.

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“The greatest part about what she does is she doesn’t speak from opinion. It’s based on legal facts and procedures, and she does it in a way that’s articulate, powerful and gorgeous to boot,” Rep. Cory Mills, R-Fla., said of Habba as he stopped by to talk amid the interview with Fox.

“Brains and beauty is a dangerous combination in this game,” he said.

Fox News’ Paul Steinhauser and Brooke Singman contributed to this report.

Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.

EXCLUSIVE: Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., is questioning Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle’s decision to appear at the Republican National Convention (RNC) on Wednesday night, as House GOP leaders push for accountability for the security failures that led to the attempted assassination of former President Trump.

“I’m not sure what she was doing here. Why would she walk around when she’s under so much scrutiny?” Johnson told Fox News Digital in an interview at the RNC in Milwaukee. 

“I don’t understand her decision-making process, and I don’t think she’s fit to lead at this critical time.”

LIVE UPDATES: SECRET SERVICE DIRECTOR REFUSES TO STEP DOWN AS FBI INVESTIGATES TRUMP RALLY SHOOTER

Speaker Mike Johnson is demanding accountability from Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle after the Pennsylvania Trump rally shooting. (Getty Images)

The embattled Secret Service director was seen in the RNC venue on Wednesday, where she was confronted by several Republican senators who have been dissatisfied with her answers thus far on what happened last weekend.

Johnson, for his part, is the highest-ranking official so far to call for Cheatle’s resignation in the wake of the deadly rally shooting in Butler, Pennsylvania, last weekend. 

He’s now commissioning a bipartisan task force, armed with subpoena power, to investigate the security failings that led to a 20-year-old gunman being able to fire shots off a roof just outside of the rally perimeter despite being seen beforehand by local law enforcement and civilians.

“Her excuses for this just make no sense,” Johnson said. “I think accountability begins at the top. And I think everybody in this business understands that it’s very important, and it’s critically important for us to get the answers and accountability quickly so that people don’t make up their minds about some conspiracy theory or some sinister plot.”

SECRET SERVICE DIRECTOR AGREES TO TESTIFY AT HOUSE HEARING ON TRUMP ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT

Donald Trump, with blood on his face, is surrounded by Secret Service agents after being shot at a campaign event in Butler, Pennsylvania, July 13, 2024. (Rebecca Droke/AFP via Getty Images)

He warned that “some of those rumors have begun already, and we have to address that immediately.”

House lawmakers held a call with Cheatle and FBI Director Christopher Wray on Wednesday to address their concerns about the incident. A source familiar with the call told Fox News Digital at the time that it lasted roughly 45 minutes and offered limited insight.

Johnson similarly said on Thursday that he learned “very little” on the call.

“That’s the problem,” Johnson said. “They’re not providing answers quickly enough and the answers they do provide are not satisfactory.”

The speaker questioned President Biden’s decision to appoint Cheatle in the first place, arguing her focus on diversity efforts within the Secret Service took away from more critical efforts.

CONGRESSIONAL BYPASS: MANY DEMOCRATS ELUSIVE ON BIDEN ISSUE

Trump was shot in the ear during the rally. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

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“She doesn’t seem to be the most qualified person, and she doesn’t seem to have a great grasp of what her primary responsibility is,” he said. “We’ve all seen and heard the accounts of her suggesting that, you know, that the number one priority was having more diversity in the Secret Service and more female officers, etc. That is not the number one priority. The number one priority is the safety of the persons that they are supposed to be protecting.”

The speaker’s office told Fox News Digital that he is aiming to schedule a classified briefing on the shooting next week.

Fox News Digital reached out to the Secret Service for comment.

MILWAUKEE – President Biden’s re-election campaign is pushing back against a slew of reports in the past 24 hours that the president has become more receptive in the last couple of days to hearing arguments about why he should drop his 2024 re-election run.

“Our campaign is not working through any scenarios where President Biden is not at the top of the ticket. He is and will be the Democratic nominee,” Biden principal deputy campaign manager Quentin Fulks told reporters at a news conference Thursday morning near the site of the Republican National Convention.

Fulks emphasized that “the president has said it several times. He’s staying in this race” and “we look forward to him accepting the [nomination of the] delegates in Chicago and continuing with this race to talk about what’s at stake.”

WHAT TRUMP IS EXPECTED TO SAY AT HIS GOP CONVENTION SPEECH THURSDAY NIGHT

President Biden waves as he walks down the steps of Air Force One at Dover Air Force Base, Wednesday, July 17, 2024. Biden is returning to his home in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, to self-isolate after testing positive for COVID-19. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

Following his disastrous debate performance last month in his face-to-face showdown with former President Trump, the 2024 GOP presidential nominee, the 81-year-old Biden has been facing questions about whether he has the physical and mental capabilities to serve another four years in the most demanding job in the world.

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And politically, Biden’s been pushing back against a rising chorus of calls to end his campaign from elected Democrats, who are deeply concerned about the possibility of the party not only losing the White House but both houses of Congress in the fall election.

President Biden speaks at a campaign office in Philadelphia on Sunday, July 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)

Reports over the past 24 hours indicated that top Democrats – including Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi – have had frank conversations with Biden about the president ending his campaign.

Asked a second time at the news conference if Biden may consider stepping aside, Fulks responded that the president “is not wavering on anything. The president has made his decision. I don’t want to be rude, but I do not know how many more times we can answer that. Joe Biden has said he is running for president of the United States. Our campaign is moving forward.”

Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.

Calls for additional border security and mass deportation of illegal immigrants were again on display at the Republican National Convention’s third night, as the ongoing crisis at the border remains a top political issue.

Signs of “Mass Deportation Now!” were seen on the convention floor, and the point was hammered home by former acting Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) chief Tom Homan, who said that a new Trump term would bring new enforcement measures and more deportations.

“I’ve got a message to the millions of illegal aliens that Joe Biden has released in our country in violation of federal law: You better start packing now,” Homan said to cheers from the crowd.

BORDER WALL GAP LEFT OPEN AFTER BIDEN STOPPED CONSTRUCTION FRUSTRATES AGENTS: ‘IT’S A BEACON’ 

People hold signs that read, “Mass Deportation Now!” on the third day of the Republican National Convention at the Fiserv Forum on July 17, 2024, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Delegates, politicians, and the Republican faithful are in Milwaukee for the annual convention, concluding with former President Donald Trump accepting his party’s presidential nomination. The RNC takes place from July 15-18.   (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)

Former President Trump had campaigned heavily on restricting illegal immigration and building a wall along the southern border in 2016, and his supporters say the strategy worked. 

President Biden took office, reversing many of Trump’s policies, and has since been hit by a historic crisis at the southern border that has smashed records. The Biden administration has said it has been trying to solve what it says is a hemisphere-wide crisis, but needs funding and immigration reform from Congress, something it blames Republicans for blocking.

But Republicans say the crisis is the result of Biden-era policies and specifically the reversal of Trump-era policies like border wall construction and increased interior enforcement. 

“Biden is the first president in American history to come into office and unsecure the border. Who the hell does that?” Homan said.

Unaccompanied minors walk towards U.S. Border Patrol vehicles after crossing over from Mexico on May 9, 2023, in El Paso, Texas. A surge of immigrants is expected with the end of the U.S. government’s COVID-era Title 42 policy, which for the past three years has allowed for the quick expulsion of irregular migrants entering the country.  (John Moore/Getty Images)

Now, with the crisis at the border a top issue, Republicans are promising to fix it if Trump is re-elected. Trump has promised the largest deportation campaign in American history.

“America needs a president who will secure our border. America needs Donald J. Trump,” said Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, who has fought repeatedly with the Biden administration on the crisis.

“Under President Trump we had the lowest illegal border crossings in about four decades. By contrast, however, Joe Biden deserted his duty on his first day in office, he gutted President Trump’s policies and the result has been catastrophic,” he said.

On Tuesday, day two of the convention had focused on border security, with the theme of “Make America Secure Again.” Speakers had included the family of Rachel Morin, who was allegedly murdered by an illegal immigrant last year.

“Joe Biden and his designated border czar Kamala Harris opened our borders to him and others like him, empowering them to victimize the innocent,” Rachel’s brother, Michael, said.

On Wednesday, speakers included Arizona ranchers Sue and Jim Chilton.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE COVERAGE OF THE BORDER SECURITY CRISIS

Thomas Homan, former Acting Director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) speaks on Day 3 of the Republican National Convention (RNC), at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, July 17, 2024.  (REUTERS/Mike Segar)

“On the screen you’ll see footage from our ranch. Since Joe Biden took office our hidden cameras have recorded over 3,500 drug packers and others dressed in camouflage marching north through our ranch,” Jim Chilton said.

“These are not asylum seekers. It looks like, feels like an invasion, because it is,” he said.

“Every time Jim leaves the ranch house, I have to worry that he won’t come back alive,” Sue said. “Our house has been broken into twice. A Border Patrol agent was shot by drug smugglers on our ranch.”

The Biden administration has been pushing back against the narrative set by the Republican Party, accusing Republicans of blocking solutions. Meanwhile, the administration has said that its actions are working.

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 The White House said this week that since an executive order by President Biden was announced in June to limit entries into the U.S., encounters overall have decreased by more than 50%, and the number of releases has decreased by 70%. Officials also say the administration has removed and returned more than 50,000 individuals to more than 100 countries.

“While the president’s action has led to significant results, it is clear that the only lasting solution to the challenges we are seeing on our border – the solution that would deliver additional authorities, resources, and personnel that we need to secure our border – is through congressional action,” an official said.

The director of the Secret Service has agreed to testify at an upcoming House hearing probing the assassination attempt of former President Donald Trump.

The House Oversight and Accountability Committee subpoenaed Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle to appear in front of Congress as part of the open investigation into the Trump-rally shooting, claiming the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Secret Service “failed to provide assurance regarding your appearance” as reasoning.

Cheatle has since agreed to comply with the subpoena, the committee announced Wednesday evening.

“Americans demand and deserve answers from Director Cheatle about the attempted assassination of President Trump and the Secret Service’s egregious failures,” the GOP-led committee wrote on X after Cheatle agreed to appear.

FBI’S CONCLUSION ON ATTEMPTED TRUMP ASSASSINATION AFTER 200 INTERVIEWS CALLED ‘BULL—-’ BY LAWMAKER

Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle at a press conference on June 4 in Chicago. (Getty Images)

Committee Chair James Comer, R-Ky., penned the letter to Cheatle, writing that, “there have been no meaningful updates or information shared with the Committee.”

“The lack of transparency and failure to cooperate with the Committee on this pressing matter by both DHS and the Secret Service further calls into question your ability to lead the Secret Service and necessitates the attached subpoena compelling your appearance before the Oversight Committee,” a letter attached to the subpoena read.

JOY REID SUGGESTS BIDEN RECOVERING FROM COVID IS ‘EXACTLY THE SAME THING’ AS TRUMP SURVIVING AN ASSASSINATION

After initially requesting Cheatle’s voluntary presence at the hearing, an Oversight Committee spokesperson told Fox News’ Chad Pergram that a subpoena would “head off any attempt by DHS to backtrack from her appearance on Monday.”

Associated Press photographer Evan Vucci snapped this photo of former President Trump in the aftermath of a failed assassination attempt. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

Trump survived an assassination attempt at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on Saturday, an incident that took the life of one rally attendee and injured several others.

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Members of Congress immediately called for an investigation into the incident, and a full committee hearing is scheduled for Monday, July 22.

MILWAUKEE – Political woes stacking up against the Biden administration will “absolutely” injure the campaign of longtime Democratic Pennsylvania Sen. Bob Casey, according to his Republican Senate competitor, Dave McCormick. 

“I think right now, what’s becoming clear is that this is an election that’s a choice between strength and weakness at the top of the ticket, and strength and weakness between myself and Sen. Casey,” McCormick said, saying that Biden’s record in office will “absolutely” hurt Casey’s campaign.

“The fact remains that 80% of Pennsylvanians think the country is going in the wrong direction. These pocketbook issues, like sky-high inflation, 20% rise in prices, 60% of Pennsylvanians live paycheck to paycheck. And it’s because of the bad decisions and policies of Casey and Biden – spending, the war on energy, the wide open border, 4,000 fentanyl deaths last year for Pennsylvanians,” McCormick said. 

McCormick is an Army combat veteran and former CEO of hedge fund Bridgewater Associates, who served as the Commerce Department’s Under Secretary of Commerce for Industry and Security as well as Under Secretary of the Treasury for International Affairs under former President George W. Bush’s administration. He is competing in one of the most highly anticipated Senate elections in the nation.

BIDEN ADMITS ‘BULL’S-EYE’ COMMENT ABOUT TRUMP WAS A ‘MISTAKE,’ AFTER ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT

Businessman and politician Dave McCormick speaks during Day 2 of the Republican National Convention (RNC), at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, July 16, 2024.  (Reuters/Mike Segar)

Democrats have increasingly called on Biden to drop out of the presidential race following his disastrous debate performance last month, which included the president tripping over his words, losing his train of thought at times and delivering responses with a raspy voice. California Democratic Rep. Adam Schiff was the latest member of his party on Wednesday to call on Biden to bow out. 

“While the choice to withdraw from the campaign is President Biden’s alone, I believe it is time for him to pass the torch,” Schiff said. “And in doing so, secure his legacy of leadership by allowing us to defeat Donald Trump in the upcoming election.”

LONGTIME DEM SENATOR RAILS AGAINST BIG COMPANIES’ ‘GREEDFLATION,’ BUT DONOR RECORDS SHOW ANOTHER STORY

McCormick is running to serve Biden’s childhood home state as a senator, working to defeat Casey, who has held onto his seat since 2007. At the federal level, Pennsylvania is also a key battleground state this election cycle, which narrowly voted for Trump in 2016, and elected Biden in 2020 by a 1.17% margin. 

McCormick took the RNC’s stage on Tuesday evening, where he said the election is a “choice between America’s greatness or its sad, disgraceful decline,” while taking a jab at his competition. 

Sen. Bob Casey of Pennsylvania and President Joe Biden.  (Getty Images)

“My opponent’s name is Bob Casey, but you probably don’t know him, ’cause he does nothing,” McCormick said. “For 18 years, Bob Casey has been warming a chair and drawing a paycheck. He is a do-nothing, out-of-touch, liberal, career politician.”

FORMER NY CONGRESSMAN LAYS OUT DEMS’ YEARS-LONG ESCALATING RHETORIC AHEAD OF TRUMP ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT

“It feels like a privilege to be here, to be the nominee, to be able to do this. The energy in the room is electric. You can feel it. I think you can feel a sense of unity. I think Saturday’s shooting was even further unifying of our party. It was also sobering. We realized we were an inch away from losing the president, and what a catastrophic thing that would have been for the country. So I’m excited to be here, and I think we’ve got a clear vision for the future,” he said. 

McCormick underscored that the RNC and Trump’s messaging has been one of unity, especially following the assassination attempt on Trump’s life in Butler, Pa., on Saturday evening during a rally. Trump was hit in the ear during the attack, while two other attendees were injured, and another man, 50-year-old Corey Comperatore, was shot and killed protecting his wife and family. 

FLORIDA REP. MILLS FLOATS ‘J13’-STYLE COMMITTEE FOR DEMOCRATS’ RHETORIC FOLLOWING TRUMP ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT

Republican presidential nominee and former U.S. President Donald Trump and Republican vice presidential nominee J.D. Vance applaud on Day 2 of the Republican National Convention (RNC), at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, July 16, 2024.  (REUTERS/Callaghan O’hare)

McCormick said that Trump’s selection of Ohio Sen. JD Vance as his running mate will further the message of unity and will also likely help down ballot Senate races across the nation, most notably for McCormick in Pennsylvania. 

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“I’m excited about it. He’s a veteran, that’s a big deal in Pennsylvania – we have a huge, huge veterans community. He understands Appalachia. He understands the plight of working families, which is a huge deal in Western Pennsylvania, where I live. He understands the importance of natural gas, and the energy industry is a huge part of Pennsylvania’s future,” McCormick said, calling Vance a “young, energetic leader.”

California delegates for the Democratic Party are reportedly in disarray as debate over the president’s chances of re-election threatens to tear the party apart.

Private group chats across multiple social media platforms have been set up to facilitate discussion among the delegates, who almost universally worry that a second Biden term is an impossible sell to voters, according to Politico.

A cache of messages was reportedly leaked to the outlet — only the latest in a deluge of leaks from inside the Biden administration and the wider Democratic Party.

“Obviously, the first step would be that President Biden steps down of his own accord and frees his delegates,” DNC delegate Susan Bolle posted in a Facebook group discussing the issue. “We should discuss this. This is a painful experience on every level, but we play an outsized role in history this election. This cannot be left to chance.”

PELOSI ‘CONVINCED BIDEN WILL LOSE,’ WORKING THE PHONES WITH HOPES TO ‘EASE HIM OFF THE TICKET,’ REPORT SAYS

Biden speaks at the 115th NAACP National Convention in Las Vegas, Nevada. (AP Photo/David Becker)

“Kamala isn’t the strongest overall but logistically it’d be the cleanest,” Stonewall Democratic Club vice president Nico Brancolini reportedly told her group. “But imagine the fury if a sitting vice president who is a black woman were passed over for any of the other candidates.”

The delegates are not the only ones becoming more aggressive in seeking Biden’s resignation from the 2024 presidential race.

Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi reportedly talked to Biden over the phone and presented polling that suggested the president’s re-election campaign was tanking Democrats’ chances on the ticket, according to multiple reports.

“The speaker does not want to call on him to resign, but she will do everything in her power to make sure it happens,” one source familiar with the call told the outlet.

PELOSI SNAPS AT REPORTER ASKING IF SHE WANTS BIDEN TO DROP OUT OF THE RACE: ‘AM I SPEAKING ENGLISH TO YOU?’

Pelosi, a former Speaker of the House, is urging Biden to reconsider his plans to seek re-election, warning him that his unpopularity could hurt Democrats down-ticket nationwide, according to reports. (Getty Images)

Biden reportedly became defensive against the former speaker’s accusations, suggesting that he has seen polls in which he’s ahead.

“President Biden is the nominee of the party. He plans to win and looks forward to working with congressional Democrats to pass his 100 days agenda to help working families,” White House spokesperson Andrew Bates told CNN when asked about the alleged phone call.

Pelosi, a longtime Biden ally, is now “convinced” Biden remaining on the ticket would cost her party the White House, according to a stunning Politico report published on Monday.

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Biden kisses Pelosi during an Affordable Care Act event in the East Room of the White House in Washington, D.C.

Last week, a number of House Democrats told The Hill that Pelosi was advising members in their conference against rallying to Biden before there is a broader discussion over whether he is the best candidate to defeat Trump. 

Biden reportedly lashed out at fellow Democrats on a group call Saturday, insisting that questions about his viability for a second term were ridiculous.

Internal debate over plans to re-nominate Biden as the 2024 presidential nominee is threatening to rupture the Democratic Party.

Democratic leaders are considering plans to nominate Biden as soon as next week, ostensibly due to concerns that the Aug. 17 date for the Democratic National Convention comes after Ohio’s ballot deadline.

Fox News Digital’s Brian Flood contributed to this report.

Decorated WWII and D-Day veteran Sgt. William Pekrul, 98, received a standing ovation and loud cheers following his emotional RNC speech on night three of the RNC, which was themed, “Make America Strong Once Again,” as he recalled poignant war experiences and enduring patriotism.

“It hurts my heart to see what our current president and vice president have done to the country I love so well,” Pekrul said of President Biden. “As we [get] pushed around by China, terrorists run wild in the Middle East, and they let our own southern border get overrun.”

Pekrul called “America the greatest nation in the history of the world” and said that when he came back from war in Europe, he “kissed the ground” and thanked God for his return.

VANCE SAYS HIS MISSION AT GOP CONVENTION SPEECH IS ‘TO FIRE UP THE CROWD TONIGHT’

Sergeant William Pekrul, an everyday American and World War II veteran, gestures on Day 3 of the Republican National Convention (RNC), at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, July 17, 2024.  (REUTERS/Mike Segar)

RNC delegates gave Pekrul a standing ovation and chanted, “USA,” while former President Trump, who has been in attendance each night of the convention since Monday, smiled and applauded. 

The veteran recounted some of the horrors of WWII and said he would never forget the horrors he saw when battling the Nazis.

“I will never forget and witness the horror of the Nazi war camps and the Battle of the Bulge,” Pekrul recalled. “My friends and I fought to stop the Nazis, the last major push in the Western Front.”

“We worked, and we gave thanks to Almighty God for deliverance from evil,” he continued. “But not many of us came home. I still miss a lot of my friends on that beach.”

Pekrul earned two Bronze Stars and a Silver Star for his WWII service. Locally recognized, he was Grand Marshal of Milwaukee’s Veterans Day Parade in 2019.

TRUMP ANNOUNCES JD VANCE AS HIS RUNNING MATE

Sergeant William Pekrul, an everyday American and World War II veteran, gestures on Day 3 of the Republican National Convention (RNC), at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, U.S., July 17, 2024.  (Reuters/Mike Segar)

During his RNC speech, Pekrul threw in his strong support for Trump, saying that with “President Trump back as commander in chief, I would go back to re-enlist today.”

“And I would storm whatever beach my country needs me to,” Pekrul concluded. “God bless you, God bless our home and the United States of America.”

The tone of night three of the RNC subtly shifted to one of somberness, as family members of the 13 U.S. service members who lost their lives during the final days of the U.S. war in Afghanistan spoke about their loved ones.

Most of the audience remained standing on their feet as the Gold Star families made their remarks.

At the end of their statements, the names of each service member who died were read to the audience, with those in attendance shouting the names back in return.

LIVE UPDATES: REPUBLICAN NATIONAL CONVENTION

Attendees carry American flags on Day 3 of the Republican National Convention (RNC), at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, July 17, 2024.  (Reuters/Jeenah Moon)

Other notable speakers who packed a punch and added to the unifying energy behind Trump – who will speak on Thursday night and formally accept the Republican Party’s nomination for president – included Trump’s son, Donald Trump Jr. and granddaughter, Kai Trump, VP nominee J.D. Vance, among others.

A group of University of North Carolina (UNC) fraternity brothers who protected an American flag from anti-Israel agitators during a campus demonstration earlier this year also received a warm welcome as they each held their own flags.

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Thursday night at the RNC will continue with the theme “Make America Great Once Again.”

Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.

Fox News Digital’s Michael Lee contributed to this report.