Trump says he has a 'pretty good' idea who his VP pick will be and makes a shock endorsement in a crucial Senate race: Follow the US Politics blog

Former President Donald Trump says he's endorsing former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan for Senate.

'I'd like to see him win. I think he has a good chance to win,' he told Fox News' Aishah Hasnie.

'I know other people made some strong statements, but I can just say from my standpoint, I'm about the party and I'm about the country. And I would like to see him win.'

His surprise endorsement comes despite Hogan earning the ire of the Trump campaign for writing on X that people should 'respect the verdict' in his hush money trial.

The Hogan campaign shot back with a harsh statement after Trump revealed his support.

'Governor Hogan has been clear he is not supporting Donald Trump just as he didn’t in 2016 and 2020.'

President Joe Biden doubled down on his claims he won't pardon son Hunter for gun crimes at a press conference with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Italy for the G7.

He responded to a question about the conviction after the White House left the door open to the suggestion he could commute his sentence.

I'm extremely proud of my son, Hunter. He has overcome an addiction. He's one of the brightest, most decent men I know. And I am satisfied that I'm not gonna do anything, I said I abide by the jury decision. I will do that. And I will not pardon him

Joe Biden, 81, appeared to wander off during a parachute display at the G7 summit.

As other leaders stood in place the U.S. President started walking slowly away from them, and then stood looking off to the left.

It appeared he may have been silently observing a parachutist repacking his gear.

Italian leader Giorgia Meloni noticed Biden was not there for a photograph that was about to be taken of the group.

She walked over and placed a hand on his arm, before guiding him back to the group for the photograph.

Donald Trump's interview with Logan Paul dropped Thursday evening, a nearly hour long interview where the former president spoke about his upcoming debate with President Joe Biden, the showdown between Logan's brother Jake and Mike Tyson and other topics.

Trump was asked who he favored in the upcoming fight between Mike Tyson vs. Logan's brother Jake Paul.

'Mike was fantastic but Mike's a little older now and you guys can fight!' Trump said.

He noted that he was a big fan of Tyson, 57, but that, 'the clock is still the clock.'

Trump also spoke about his son Barron's enormous height.

'He's a big boy. Six foot 9. I couldn't get him to play basketball. I play soccer, he's a good athlete. ... I say Barron. I don't want to take a picture next to you.'

Trump presented Paul and his co-host with MAGA hats and a T-shirt featuring his mug shot.

'Elvis had one, Frank Sinatra had one, but we've eclipsed them a long time ago,' he said. 'I'm not sure I love it or not but it is what it is.'

The White House Correspondents' Association issued a rare statement in response to Biden's claim about a rule violation after a reporter asked him about the war in Gaza intead of his preferred topic of Ukraine.

'While the White House does determine the number of reporters the president will recognize, it is up to professional journalists to decide what to ask,' said the statement.

'Any leader may prefer that reporters ask only one question or ask only about a topic that is of most interest to the president or another world leader, but a free press functions independently,' the WHCA said.

Biden's surprise lecture came after an earlier reporter asked him about the Hunter Biden trial. It came at a press conference that started an hour late, and where the White House played loud music to signal its conclusion.

President Joe Biden snapped at a reporter who asked about Gaza at an event meant to herald a new U.S. security agreement with Ukraine.

The quesion came after another reporter asked Biden about his son Hunter Biden's conviction in court.

President Trump and Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin met at Trump National Golf Club in Loudon County, Virginia, on Wednesday.

DailyMail.com was told by a source familiar that they did not discuss Trump’s open vice presidential position, but rather about how to win Virginia in 2024.

The leaders specifically talked about strategy to win voters over including about honing in on the economy, inflation and the border crisis.

Kamala Harris celebrated the 20th anniversary of the show Queer Eye for the Straight Guy as part of her ongoing celebration of Pride Month.

The vice president met with the show's co-founders and producers David Collins and Michael Williams as well as cast members Carson Kressley, Jai Rodriguez, Karamo Brown, and Jonathan Van Ness at her office at the Executive Office Building

Harris began the event by commenting on the Supreme Court's ruling on the abortion pill, warning that it should not be a cause for celebration.

'We are looking at the fact that two thirds of women of reproductive age in America live in a state with a Trump abortion ban. This ruling is not going to change that,' she said.

With Biden overseas for much of June, Harris has taken the lead on celebrating Pride Month, hosting a party at the vice president's residence on Thursday night.

The Democratic mayor of Milwaukee has responded to Donald Trump reportedly calling it a 'horrible city' during a meeting with GOP House lawmakers.

'If Donald Trump wants to talk about things that he thinks are horrible, all of us lived through his presidency,' shot back Mayor Cavalier Johnson.

'So right back at you buddy!' he said.

Johnson said Trump is 'obviously wrong' about Milwaukee and called it 'perplexing' and 'strange' he would insult the battleground state's largest city.

'To insult the state that's hosting your convention I think is kind of bizarre, actually, it's kind of unhinged in a way,' Johnson said.

Johnson pointed out there are about 50,000 Republicans in Milwaukee.

The Republican National Convention is set to take place in Milwaukee next month, where Trump will officially receive the GOP presidential nomination.

Senate Democrats forced an election year vote on a bill to protect access to in-vitro fertilization (IVF) and other fertility treatments, putting Republicans on the spot.

Despite voting down the legislation Thursday, all 49 Senate GOP lawmakers signed a memo stating they 'strongly support continued nationwide access to IVF.'

They took issue with the Democrats' bill, saying it goes too far and is a 'political stunt.'

Last week, Republicans also blocked another Democrat-led bill to secure access to contraception saying it was a 'false scare tactic' ahead of the election.

Sens. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, and Katie Britt, R-Ala., have their own version of a bill to provide IVF and fertility services, but the Democrats say it doesn't go far enough.

'We had a really positive meeting. He and I got a chance to talk a little bit. We shook hands a few times,' McConnell told reporters back at the Capitol.

'He got a lot of standing ovation. It was entirely positive meeting. Mitt Romney was there as well. And I can't think of anything to tell you out of it that was negative. I thought it was entirely positive meeting.'

'I just want to thank the Republican Senate, and I want to thank also the House we met, as you know, with the full House Republican House today and we had a tremendous meeting with them also.'

'And there's great unity very similar, different topics, actually, but not that different. And there's one thing in common, we want to make America great again, we want to make our country great again, we're a nation that's in decline. We're declining nation.'

Trump insisted that Republicans are 'going to bring back our jobs' and 'common sense to government.'

He added that there will be 'strong borders' and people will be able to enter the U.S. legally and not 'pour in from prisons all over South America and all over the world.'

‘Car guy’ President Joe Biden toured a parachute event at the G7 in Italy after a day of meetings. But Secret Service agents weren’t ready to hand over the keys.

The president and other leaders each arrived at the event in golf carts or classic Fiats, before watching skydivers descend with the flags of different participating countries. None of them got to drive.

Biden came in a traditional cart, with an agent at the wheel. Italian PM Giorgia Meloni came in a Fiat 500, while Canada’s Justin Trudeau arrived in a tiny Fiat Panda.

Biden wore aviator sunglasses and pointed at the spectacle, which came before a scheduled press conference with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

President Joe Biden's reelection slammed Trump for telling Republicans on Capitol on Thursday that Milwaukee, Wisconsin is a 'horrible city.'

'If Donald Trump thinks Milwaukee is so horrible, then he shouldn’t come to our city,' Wisconsin Democratic Coordinated Campaign Manager Garren Randolph said in response to the former presiden'ts comments.

But the Trump campaign quickly condemned any reporting he said that.

'In other words, BULLS**T!' campaign operative Jason Miller wrote on X.

The Republican National Convention will be held in Milwaukee July 15-18, where the GOP will officially nominate Trump as their 2024 presidential nominee.

'Donald Trump looks down on Milwaukee, he looks down on Wisconsinites, he looks down on everyone who isn’t one of his billionaire donors,' Randolph continued in a statement from the Democratic National Committee (DNC). 'But we already knew that.'

'Voters in Milwaukee are fed up with Donald Trump and extreme MAGA Republicans not caring about them. We’ll see that at the RNC – and then again in November, when Wisconsinites send Donald Trump packing,' he concluded.

Trump is heading to Racine – an outskirt of Milwaukee – for a rally on Tuesday to appeal to his base in the vital swing state.

Members of Congress and their staff wear thin lightweight pinstripe suits today, an annual tradition started by former Senate Majority Leader Sen. Trent Lott, R-Miss., in 1996.

In a wide-ranging speech to the House GOP on Thursday, Donald Trump insisted the Russia-Ukraine war would not have happened under his watch and urged Republicans to get better about messaging on abortion - but didn't seem to explain how.

The former president told a horde of Republican lawmakers on Capitol Hill that Vladimir Putin is 'more afraid of him than Biden,' Foreign Affairs Chair Mike McCaul told DailyMail.com after the meeting.

'He said he told Putin that if he invaded Ukraine, he would hit him hard,' the Texas Republican went on.

Trump had a particular concern for the Russian nuclear submarines off of Cuba, and hardly if at all mentioned Israel, according to the recollection of members leaving the meeting.

In his closed-door meeting withh House Republicans Trump criticized a $60 billion aid package for Ukraine that recently passed with Republican support, lawmakers said.

'He's like, if Ukraine wins, what will be the benefit?' Republican congressman Don Bacon said.

Bacon said Trump also voiced support for tariffs on Chinese goods.

'He just said tariffs are a strong tool for the executive branch and you can use it in your negotiations with China and get concessions.'

Republican congressman Matt Gaetz said Trump voiced support for tariffs to protect the U.S. steel industry.

A group of Code Pink protestors holding 'GOP Stop Funding Genocide' signs assembled outside of the Republican National Senatorial Committee, where Trump and Senate Republicans are about to meet.

House Speaker Mike Johnson praised President Trump following his meeting with GOP lawmakers Thursday.

'He said very complimentary things about all of us. We had sustained applause. He said, I'm doing a very good job,' Johnson told reporters.

'I mean, we're grateful for that. Look, we have to have continuity in leadership. We have to have a plan, and it has to be very carefully executed.'

Johnson said that he will be meeting with Trump at Mar-a-Lago on Monday.

The Biden campaign plans to use the debate to contrast President Biden with Donald Trump on abortion – one of the biggest issues of the 2024 election and one that has galvanized Democrats.

During a press call following the Supreme Court decision on the abortion pill, Biden campaign manager Julie Chávez Rodríguez warned Trump is coming for all Americans' freedoms.

'We're going to be reminding Americans of all that's at stake for reproductive freedom, not just today, but on the debate stage, and every single day leading up to the election.'

Rodriguez declined to get ahead of the president's strategy but suggested it would be a major focus of the president.

'We're going to continue to make clear, and what the president will make clear on the debate stage is the clear choice in front of voters and the clear contrast of, you know, someone like Donald Trump... versus President Biden who has a strong record of, you know putting forward and using the authority that he could to be able to protect medication abortion, access to contraception and access to women's health care.'

Her comments come after the Supreme Court upheld access to the abortion pill but left the door open for future cases.

'This case brought on by Donald Trump's allies was only one tactic in a broader, relentless targeted strategy to strip away access to reproductive freedom everywhere in this country,' Chávez Rodríguez said.

'If Trump regains power in November, Trump's allies will be ready to deploy their plans to ban abortion access nationwide without the help of Congress or the courts.'

President Joe Biden targeted Republicans and their 'extreme and dangerous' agenda in a statement on the Supreme Court abortion pill decision.

Today’s decision does not change the fact that the fight for reproductive freedom continues. It does not change the fact that the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade two years ago, and women lost a fundamental freedom. It does not change the fact that the right for a woman to get the treatment she needs is imperiled if not impossible in many states.

It does mean that mifepristone, or medication abortion, remains available and approved. Women can continue to access this medication - approved by the FDA as safe and effective more than 20 years ago. 

 But let’s be clear: attacks on medication abortion are part of Republican elected officials’ extreme and dangerous agenda to ban abortion nationwide. Since the overturning of Roe v. Wade, Republican elected officials have imposed extreme abortion bans in 21 states, some of which include zero exceptions for rape or incest.

Women are being turned away from emergency rooms, or forced to go to court to plead for care that their doctor recommended or to travel hundreds of miles for care. Doctors and nurses are being threatened with jail time, including life in prison, for providing the health care they have been trained to provide. And contraception and IVF are under attack.

 The stakes could not be higher for women across America. Vice President Harris and I stand with the vast majority of Americans who support a woman’s right to make deeply personal health care decisions.

We will continue to fight to ensure that women in every state get the health care they need and we will continue to call on Congress to restore the protections of Roe v. Wade in federal law — that is our commitment.

'Milwaukee, where we are having our convention, is a horrible city,' Trump reportedly told GOP House lawmakers Thursday.

But the Trump campaign quickly condemned any reporting he said that.

'In other words, BULLS**T!' campaign operative Jason Miller wrote on X.

The Republican National convention begins in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on July 15. Trump is expected to be officially nominated as the GOP presidential candidate during the week of events.

He is also set to have a big campaign rally in Wisconsin next week.

However, Rep. Bryan Steil, R-Wis., said he was 'in the room' and insisted Trump 'did not say this.'

'There's no better place than Wisconsin in July,' he added on X.

House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries celebrated the Supreme Court leaving access to the abortion pill available, but he warned the fight is not over.

'Today’s decision is a victory for reproductive freedom, but this case should never have been heard,' he said in a statement.

'Extreme MAGA Republican attempts to undermine the FDA – an independent scientific body – are unconscionable and unacceptable,' he continued.

House Speaker Mike Johnson said after coming out of a meeting with Donald Trump that abortion was brought up during the meeting with House Republicans.

He said the ex-president claimed he was comfortable with the issue remaining in the states.

Johnson pointed out even if lawmakers wanted to take action, Republicans in Congress simply do not have the numbers to pass legislation.

Writing the unanimous 9-0 decision conservative Justice Brett Kavanaugh said that even though the plaintiffs do not prescribe or use mifepristone, they want the FDA to make it harder for other doctors to prescribe it and women to receive it.

He wrote:

Under Article III of the Constitution, a plaintiff's desire to make a drug less available for others does not establish standing to sue.

Nancy Pelosi's daughter avidly denied Donald Trump's account that one of the former speaker's daughters had told him he and her mom would have been 'great' together in another life.

'Nancy Pelosi’s daughter is a whacko, her daughter told me if things were different Nancy and I would be perfect together, there’s an age difference though,' the former president said in a meeting with House Republicans on Thursday, according to Punchbowl's retelling.

Multiple members confirmed to DailyMail.com that Trump had told the story of her daughter mentioning Pelosi and Trump would be 'great' together.

In another decision Thursday, the Supreme Court blocked an effort by an activist to trademark 'Trump too small' phrase used on T-shirts.

The term comes from a 2016 presidential debate in which Trump's hand size came up as a topic of discussion.

Read more about the case here:

From DailyMail.com's Congressional Reporter Morgan Phillips:

Inside the Capitol Hill Club meeting with former President Trump, House Republicans sang their party leader Happy Birthday (he turns 78 on Friday).

The former president shouted out embattled Rep Nancy Mace, who won a contentious primary on Tuesday.

He congratulated her on her win over Catherine Templeton, per a source in the room, as she’s under the eye of the Ethics Committee over her expenses.

The Supreme Court upheld access to the abortion pill mifepristone and rejected a lawsuit that would not only have impacted abortion access in states where abortion is restricted but nationwide.

The country's highest court ruled that the plaintiffs in the case did not have standing to bring their lawsuit.

The group had raised issue with the Food and Drug Administration approval of the drug more than 20 years ago.

The ruling is a major setback for the anti-abortion groups.

It is the first major decision on abortion rights from the Supreme Court since the conservative court overturned the landmark Roe v Wade decision in 2022.

Ex-President Donald Trump is at the Capitol Hill Club to meet with House Republicans.

It's the first time he's been back on Capitol Hill since January 6.

He was warmly greeted by GOP members and handed the game ball from last night's Congressional Baseball Game, during which Republicans handidly beat the Democrats 31-11.

They also broke out in the 'Happy Birthday' song ahead of Trump's 78th birthday tomorrow, June 14.

President Joe Biden kicked off the G7 summit in Italy with a warm greeting with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who he kissed on the head and gave an odd salute.

Biden was the last of the world leaders to arrive, having landed in Italy's Apulia region Wednesday night.

The two shared a prolonged greeting, shaking hands and clasping each other's arms.

At one point, Biden even raised his hand to engage in a halfway salute to his counterpart, who is hosting this year's confab as rotating head of the gathering.

The Italian PM had to wait for Biden to arrive, after greeting other leaders. She appeared to tailor her greetings to the personalities and cultural expectations of her guests.

The Democrats will try and troll Donald Trump during his return to Capitol Hill on Thursday with a billboard showing footage from January 6.

The mobile screen mounted on the back of a truck will follow the former president during meetings with Republicans as he tries to lock up more support for the general election.

NBC News reported that the montage will be 11 minutes, and will include Trump's speech and then video from rioters storming the Capitol.

Naomi Biden is relaxing with husband Peter Neal in Italy after her devastating testimony in dad Hunter's gun trial last week.

The couple joined President Joe Biden on his trip for the G7. They hitched a ride on Air Force One along with Naomi's sisters Finnegan and Maisy.

The Bidens' oldest granddaughter on Thursday posted a photo of Neal and an unidentified male friend at the luxury seaside resort where the president is staying. She is not visible in the shot.

Calling it 'mis amores!!!' (Italian for 'my loves'), the photo shows Neal and the friend sitting on lounge chairs, a plate of fruit nearby. It appears to be taken near a swimming pool. Olive trees are in the background against a lush, blue sky.

Hillary Clinton has made a rare move by backing the primary opponent of a sitting House Democrat in New York, sparking considerable backlash from some in her party.

The one-time Senator from New York endorsed Westchester County Executive George Latimer for the congressional seat that is currently held by Representative Jamaal Bowman.

'With Trump on the ballot, we need strong, principled Democrats in Congress more than ever,' wrote Clinton on X on Wednesday.

The former first lady's endorsement of Latimer upset a number of progressives who were quick to condemn the move, with some suggesting it was more of a reason to cast their ballot for Bowman.

'Imagine taking Hillary Clinton’s advice in a year with Trump on the ballot,' wrote Bhaskar Sunkara, a democratic socialist journalist, taking a swing at Clinton's historic 2016 loss.

As President Joe Biden joined his fellow G7 leaders for a family photo on Thursday, nearly all of them have escaped political peril back home for a brief respite at the luxury resort on the Italian coast.

In fact this year's meeting in Italy features the weakest gathering of leaders the group has seen in decades. All but Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni face tough elections, domestic crisis, or political peril - in some cases all of the above.

The G7 meeting comes less than a week after far-right parties dominated in European Parliamentary elections, indicating next year's gathering could face an entire new crop of leaders standing with Meloni.

President Joe Biden is set to sign a deal with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky intended to commit the U.S. to a decade of military support – a move that could pressure rival Donald Trump if he takes the White House.

The move is a key 'deliverable' of Biden's G7 meetings set to begin in the Apulia region of Italy Thursday. The president arrived last night, and meets one on one with Zelensky before the two leaders are set to hold a joint press conference Thursday evening local time.

'We want to demonstrate that the U.S. supports the people of Ukraine, that we stand with them, and that we’ll continue to help address their security needs not just tomorrow but out into the future,' White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan told reporters aboard Air Force One en route to the annual confab.

'This is a big deal,' he added Thursday. He called it a 'real marker of our commitment, not just for this month, this year, but for many years ahead, to continue to support Ukraine, both in defending against Russian aggression and in deterring future aggression.'

Welcome to DailyMail.com's daily US politics blog, with live coverage of Donald Trump's return to Capitol Hill and President Joe Biden's trip to the G7 in Italy.

The former president, 77, is back for the first time since the January 6, 2021, Capitol Riot, and will meet with House and Senate Republicans to set out his 2025 agenda.

Trump still dominates the party and is looking to lock up even more support ahead of his November general election showdown with Biden.

The 81-year-old is in Italy meeting with G7 leaders, many of whom are facing elections or dwindling popularity back home.