Following two eventful weeks in American politics — with former President Donald J. Trump found guilty of 34 felonies, and President Biden implementing the most restrictive border policy of any modern Democrat — representatives for the two campaigns appeared on Sunday morning news programs to advocate for their respective candidates.
Republicans stood up for Mr. Trump, claiming the trial in New York was unjust. The discourse around Mr. Biden’s executive order seemed distorted, with Republicans condemning a policy they had previously supported under Mr. Trump, while Democrats endorsed a policy they had previously criticized.
Noem suggested a woman as Trump’s running mate — and reiterated her defense of euthanizing her dog.
Governor Kristi Noem of South Dakota, campaigning for Mr. Trump in Wisconsin, suggested that it would be advantageous for him to select a woman as his running mate. According to sources briefed on the process, his campaign’s shortlist includes seven men and only one woman, Representative Elise Stefanik of New York.
“All the polls indicate that in these swing states, having a woman on the ticket helps him win,” Ms. Noem stated on CNN. She added, “I have spent the majority of my time here in Wisconsin conversing with women and individuals who are independent and on the periphery. They are leaning towards Donald Trump, but they also want assurance that their perspective will be considered when decisions are made.”
Ms. Noem was previously viewed as a potential running mate herself, but her prospects dwindled when she released a book in which she recounted shooting her 14-month-old dog, Cricket, after it disrupted a hunt and killed a neighbor’s chickens. She reiterated her defense on Sunday, stating that she had “protected my children from a vicious animal.”
Abbott criticized Biden’s executive order…
Governor Greg Abbott of Texas, a Republican who has pushed for his own border policies, condemned the executive order issued by Mr. Biden last week to close the border to asylum seekers during surges in crossings — a move similar to one attempted by Mr. Trump in 2018.
“What Biden has done is not effectively securing the border,” Mr. Abbott asserted on Fox News, arguing that the restrictions were not being adequately enforced.
He then made a dubious claim that — because Mr. Biden’s executive order closes the border to asylum seekers only when illegal crossings reach a seven-day daily average of 2,500, which they frequently do — Mr. Biden was “essentially authorizing more people to cross the border illegally.”
…while Coons praised it.
Senator Chris Coons, a Delaware Democrat and co-chair of Mr. Biden’s re-election campaign, opposed asylum restrictions when implemented by Mr. Trump. However, on Sunday, he defended Mr. Biden’s similar restrictions, citing differences in their motivations.
“There is a stark contrast in the values that President Biden and former President Trump bring to addressing the issue of border security and immigration,” Mr. Coons remarked on CBS’s “Face the Nation,” pointing out Mr. Trump’s ban on individuals from certain majority-Muslim countries entering the United States, his policy of separating children from their parents, and his rejection of a bipartisan border security agreement supported by Mr. Biden.
“Former President Trump prefers to exploit an issue for his election rather than seek a solution that a bipartisan group of senators endorsed,” he stated. “President Biden is taking decisive action to secure our border. President Trump is merely politicizing this matter.”
Whitmer warned that contraception was under threat from Republicans.
Governor Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan, a Democrat, dismissed the claims made by many Republicans that they support unrestricted access to contraception.
“When the U.S. Senate puts forward a measure to ensure access to contraception and Republicans vote against it, jeopardizing that bill, it is currently at risk,” she stated on CNN, referencing the legislation that Republicans blocked last week. “I believe that the Republicans’ statements about wanting to safeguard this access are at best insincere and at worst a blatant falsehood.”
When asked about the trial of Mr. Biden’s son Hunter, she commended the president for affirming that he would accept the verdict and would not pardon his son.
“We are faced with a clear choice between a president who upholds the rule of law and a former president who is a convicted criminal, seeking to use government resources to target his adversaries,” she remarked.
Cotton accused Biden of insufficiently supporting Israel and Ukraine.
Senator Tom Cotton of Arkansas, who is being considered as a potential running mate by the Trump campaign, claimed on “Fox News Sunday” that Mr. Biden was not providing enough assistance to Ukraine, disregarding the fact that his Republican colleagues had blocked aid that Mr. Biden had endorsed for months.
Mr. Cotton also alleged that the president was not adequately backing Israel. Despite Mr. Biden increasingly criticizing Israel’s actions in Gaza, he has supplied billions of dollars worth of weapons to support them, alienating critics of the conflict whom Mr. Cotton claimed the president was “pandering to.”
Vance portrayed Trump as a champion of veterans.
Senator J.D. Vance of Ohio, another potential running mate for Mr. Trump, criticized Mr. Biden for his visit to Normandy to commemorate the 80th anniversary of D-Day, and for an advertisement from his campaign featuring veterans denouncing Mr. Trump.
“Joe Biden is attempting to bask in the glory of the Greatest Generation, despite his efforts to undermine everything they fought for,” Mr. Vance stated on Fox News. “He has fabricated these absurd allegations that Donald Trump does not respect veterans.”
