FORGET 62. GOOD FOR YOU. YES. WE'LL TALK ABOUT THOSE SHOOTINGS IN JUST A MOMENT. ANOTHER ONE OVERNIGHT. FOR THE WHITE HOUSE, IT WAS A CELEBRATION YESTERDAY OF AMERICA'S INDEPENDENCE DAY, THE BARBECUE, THE CONCERT, THE FIREWORKS. PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN ADDRESSED MILITARY MEMBERS IN THE CROWD. HE CALLED THE PROTECTORS OF DEMOCRACY. >> YOU ARE THE BACKBONE, THE REALITY OF WHY, WHO WE ARE. UNBREAKING, UNBENDING, THROUGHOUT OUR HISTORY REMIND US THAT DEMOCRACY IS NEVER, NEVER, NEVER GUARANTEED. EVERY GENERATION MUST FIGHT TO MAINTAIN IT. MUST ALWAYS CHERISH IT, DEFEND IT AND STRENGTHEN IT. >> IN THE EVENING, THE PRESIDENT SWITCHED INTO THE ROLE OF MC TO INTRODUCE THE NIGHT'S MUSICAL ACT WHERE HE WAS MET WITH SOME ENTHUSIASM FOR HIS RE-ELECTION CAMPAIGN. >> HEY, EVERYBODY. WELCOME TO YOUR HOUSE, THE WHITE HOUSE. WE'RE JUST RENTING. THINK HOW MUSIC CAN CHANGE MOODS. MUSIC CAN MAKE US FEEL BETTER. IT'S INCREDIBLE. I THOUGHT WE HAD SOME GREAT, GREAT ENTERTAINMENT HERE TONIGHT. WELL, NOW YOU'RE MAKING MUSIC TO MY EARS. >> BIDEN 2024 SOMEONE YELLED THERE FROM THE CROWD AT THE WHITE HOUSE YESTERDAY. AFTER DONALD TRUMP, WELL, HE DIDN'T HIT THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL ON THE FOURTH. THE FORMER PRESIDENT SPENT THE HOLIDAY ON SOCIAL MEDIA, RAILING AGAINST THE JUSTICE DEPARTMENT. IN ADDITION TO POSTING THIS PHOTO OF HIS HEAD SUPERIMPOSED ON GEORGE WASHINGTON'S BODY AND SHARING A POST THAT INCLUDED THE WORDS F JOE BIDEN WHICH WE BLURRED OUT HERE. TRUMP CALLED FOR JACK SMITH TO BE DEFUNDED AND SHOULD BE PUT OUT TO REST BEFORE DEMOCRATS STEAL ANOTHER ELECTION. DONALD TRUMP WAS ONE OF THE ONLY REPUBLICAN CANDIDATES ACTUALLY NOT OUT CAMPAIGNING YESTERDAY. RON DeSANTIS, DOUG, TIM SCOTT, WILL HURD MADE COMPETING APPEARANCES IN MERRIMAC, NEW HAMPSHIRE. FORMER PRESIDENT, MIKE PENCE, WENT TO IOWA WHERE HE TOOK PART IN A PARADE IN URBANDALE PITCHED HIMSELF AS A BETTER OPTION TO DONALD TRUMP. >> PEOPLE OF IOWA, PEOPLE OF AMERICA, ARE READY FOR A CHANGE. I THINK DIFFERENT TIMES CALL FOR DIFFERENT LEADERSHIP. IN THE REPUBLICAN PARTY AND IN AMERICA. WE'RE JUST ABSOLUTELY DETERMINED TO OFFER OUR BRAND OF LEADERSHIP, COMMON SENSE, CONSERVATIVE VALUES WITH AN EMPHASIS ON CIVILITY AND RESPECT FOR PEOPLE OF THIS STATE. >> SO PRETTY CONVENTIONAL FOURTH OF JULY CAMPAIGNING FOR MOST OF THE REPUBLICAN CANDIDATES. DONALD TRUMP POSTING ON SOCIAL MEDIA, MAKING HIMSELF INTO GEORGE WASHINGTON, THE OBVIOUS DISTINCTION THERE ONE OF MANY IS THAT GEORGE WASHINGTON WAS A SOLDIER. DONALD TRUMP CHOSE NOT TO BE ONE. BUT WHAT DOES IT SAY TO YOU ABOUT THE STATE OF THIS REPUBLICAN PRIMARY THAT DONALD TRUMP THINKS I CAN JUST STAY HOME. I CAN SIT AT MY GOLF CLUB AND POST ON SOCIAL MEDIA AND THAT WORKS FOR ME. I DON'T HAVE TO GO OUT AND DO AN EVENT. I DON'T HAVE TO GO OUT AND PRESS THE FLESH AND DO THE THINGS THAT PEOPLE FEEL THEY NEED TO DO TO GET ELECTED IN IOWA AND NEW HAMPSHIRE. >> WELL, IN MY OPINION, ONE OF THE SADDEST THINGS THAT'S HAPPENED IN MODERN POLITICS IS THE FACT THAT SO MANY CANDIDATES DON'T THINK IT'S IMPORTANT TO GO OUT AND DO WHAT WE CALL IN POLITICS RETAIL, WHICH IS SHAKING HANDS, LOOKING PEOPLE IN THE EYE, TALKING TO THEM, ANSWERING THEIR QUESTIONS, THAT'S GOING AWAY. OBVIOUSLY FOR DONALD TRUMP, HE IS MUCH MORE COMFORTABLE AT HIS VERY LUXURIOUS GOLF CLUB WITH HIS THUMBS ON A DEVICE TWEETING OBSCENITIES ABOUT THE SITTING PRESIDENT. YOU KNOW, IT'S INTERESTING TO ME WHEN I LOOK AT THE FOUR PICTURES THAT ARE ON THE SCREEN RIGHT NOW, YOU KNOW, I GUARANTEE YOU THAT MOST OF AMERICA THAT IS LOOKING AT THIS SCREEN RIGHT NOW GOES, WELL, WHO ARE THOSE OTHER TWO GUYS? >> YEAH. >> THAT'S THE OTHER THING THAT'S INTERESTING ABOUT THIS. WE HAVE A BUNCH OF CANDIDATES THAT REALLY HAVE ABSOLUTELY NO NAME RECOGNITION. THEY'RE NOT GOING TO GET NAME RECOGNITION BY MARCHING IN A SMALL FOURTH OF JULY PARADE IN NEW HAMPSHIRE. THAT'S NOT GOING TO DO IT. THEY'RE GOING TO HAVE TO RAISE BIG MONEY IN ORDER FOR ANYBODY TO GO, WHO IS THAT? OTHER THAN SAY WHO IS IT. DONALD TRUMP IS IN A COMMANDING POSITION. THINK ABOUT THAT, REPUBLICAN PARTY. YOU HAVE A GUY WHO SAYS F BIDEN ON THE FOURTH OF JULY AND HE'S YOUR MAN. IT IS UNBELIEVABLE. >> SO MANY OF THOSE SECOND TIER REPUBLICAN CANDIDATES HAVE ISSUES WHETHER OR NOT THEY'LL QUALIFY FOR THE FIRST DEBATE A MONTH OR SO AWAY. CERTAIN THRESHOLDS THEY HAVE TO HIT. NIKKI HALEY AND TIM SCOTT WILL LIKELY GET IN, CHRIS CHRISTIE. LET'S TALK ABOUT THE TRUMP STRATEGY. OUR FRIENDS AT AXIOS NOTED HOW FEW EVENTS HE HAD DESPITE HIS BLUSTER ABOUT HIS ENERGY AND HIS ROBUST SCHEDULE THAT'S ACTUALLY NOT THE CASE. BUT THE TRUMP TEAM HAS MADE A CALCULATION, I MEAN, SOME OF THIS MIGHT BE TRUMP'S LAZINESS, BUT BEYOND THAT, THEY MADE A CALCULATION WE DON'T NEED TO BE OUT THERE, WE CAN PARACHUTE IN, HAVE A BIG EVENT, DOMINATE HEADLINES FOR DAYS, SIT ON TRUTH SOCIAL WISHING HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY AND MAY NOT PARTICIPATE IN THE FIRST DEBATE BECAUSE HE HAS SUCH A BIG LEAD AND DON'T WANT TO ELEVATE THE REST. DO YOU SEE THAT BACKFIRING OR RIGHT WAY TO DO? >> AT THE MOMENT THERE'S NO MOMENT IT'S BACKFIRING. HIS LEAD IS INCREASING NOT DECREASING. GETTING A TON OF MEDIA ATTENTION BECAUSE WHATEVER HE DOES, WHETHER IT'S BEING INDICTED, WHETHER IT'S TWEETING WHAT HE TWEETS OR SENDING OUT SOCIAL MEDIA POSTS ON THE FOURTH OF JULY, WE TALK ABOUT IT. AND HE GETS AN ENORMOUS AMOUNT OF ATTENTION JUST THROUGH DOING THAT. SO, IF I WAS HIS CAMPAIGN, I WOULD BE SAYING CARRY ON DOING WHAT YOU'RE DOING. I MEAN, I GUESS THE ONLY THING TO REMEMBER IS THAT IN DECEMBER OF 2007 BARACK OBAMA WAS 20 POINTS BEHIND HILLARY CLINTON AND THERE IS STILL TIME POTENTIALLY FOR ONE OF THESE CANDIDATES TO BREAKTHROUGH. ONE ASSUMES IT HAS TO BE RON DeSANTIS BECAUSE HE'S THE ONLY ONE WHO HAS THE MONEY AND SOME POLLING AND HAS BEEN CONSISTENTLY SECOND IN THE POLLS. SO I SUPPOSE THERE IS STILL TIME FOR HIM TO BREAKTHROUGH. BUT I DON'T SEE ANY REASON THAT
