On the Campaign Trail

U.S. Elections 2024

By James Oliphant, National Political Correspondent

Welcome back to the campaign trail. Next Monday, Memorial Day in the United States marks the unofficial start of summer, when Americans will turn to barbecuing, swimming, camping and other pursuits.

But for Joe Biden and Donald Trump, summer will be no vacation.

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Latest election headlines

The presidential campaign is about to heat up

I'm James Oliphant, national political correspondent for Reuters, and my summer will be spent tracking these two candidates as they dig in for a five-month brawl until the Nov. 5 general election, preferably in sunglasses and a convertible. Part of that time will be spent at national political conventions in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and Chicago, where Trump and Biden will be formally nominated as their parties' nominees.

And June will bring the first debate of the Biden-Trump rematch, as the candidates break with recent precedent by engaging directly with each other so early in the campaign season.

Until then, expect both sides to raise money and test their messaging. Biden will continue to try to reassure voters they can trust his stewardship of the economy, while looking to ensure that continued protests over U.S. support of Israel in its war in Gaza don't wound his campaign.

"This is one of the hardest, most complicated problems in the world. I know it angers and frustrates many of you," he told graduates at Morehouse College, where he faced only small, silent shows of protest during his commencement speech on Sunday.

Trump is expected to soon be free of the Manhattan courtroom where he spent much of April and May after the jury in his hush-money case renders a verdict. (If Trump is found guilty of trying to cover up a payment to a porn star, expect a quick appeal.) He'll then be able to campaign more than once or twice a week – and he may have extra work to do with some voters after having aspects of his personal life put on public display for weeks during the trial.

The Republican candidate came under fire from political opponents this week for comments he made about birth control and for a video posted on his social media site that included a reference to a "unified Reich." Trump deleted the video after Biden's campaign and others criticized his use of Reich, which is often language often associated with Nazi Germany. Trump also said he does not support banning birth control after opponents said his earlier comments suggested he would consider restricting contraceptives.

Meanwhile, some of Trump's former foreign policy aides, including a former national security adviser, met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other Israeli officials this week, although they said they were not acting at the candidate's behest. Read more about my colleague Gram Slattery's scoop on that meeting here.

For the moment, Trump and Biden are essentially tied nationally, with some polls finding the Republican slightly ahead in the battleground states expected to decide the election. A new Reuters/Ipsos poll this week showed Biden receiving some of the lowest approval marks of his presidency.

The Democratic president is still winning the money race, but Trump has held a series of big-dollar fundraisers lately in an attempt to catch up.

And while the candidates are focused on a two-man race, they had better check their rear-view mirrors occasionally. Independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has some passionate supporters, who are poised to help Kennedy play a spoiler role in the election.

As for my rear-view mirror, if a convertible isn't in the budget, how about at least a Hawaiian shirt and a lemonade?

Poll of the week

Fact check of the week

South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem, seen as a Donald Trump VP contender, was targeted with misinformation after revealing in her memoir that she had killed an "untrainable" dog.

A fake tweet attributed to Noem compared the backlash over her shooting the pet to disapproval of people consuming meat. Other posts on social media incorrectly said the governor had banned the sale of watermelon slices, a reference to a symbol of Palestinian solidarity.

In this section, the Reuters fact-checking team addresses misinformation connected to the U.S. elections. Find more fact checks from around the world here

Photo from the trail

Former U.S. President Donald Trump sits in the courtroom at Manhattan Criminal Court with attorney Todd Blanche on May 21, 2024 in New York City. Michael M. Santiago/Pool via REUTERS

The view from Ukraine

In an exclusive interview with Reuters this week, Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskiy sought to dampen concerns that any win for Trump in November could spell trouble for Ukraine. Trump is a Ukraine aid skeptic who has stressed "America First" policies.

"I don't believe that Republicans are against support for Ukraine, but some messages that are coming from their side raise concerns," Zelenskiy said.

Zelenskiy also said Western allies are taking too long to make key decisions on military support for Ukraine. U.S. aid to the war-torn nation is trickling in after Congress resolved a funding dispute last month. Much of the opposition to the security assistance in both the House of Representatives and Senate had come from Republicans with close ties to Trump.

What to watch for

May 23: Trump to hold campaign rally in the South Bronx neighborhood of New York
May 24: RFK Jr. scheduled to speak at the Libertarian Party's national convention in Washington
May 25: Biden delivers the commencement address at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. Trump to speak at the Libertarian Party's national convention in Washington.

The who, what and when

Find up-to-date elections coverage, interactive data and more on Reuters.com.

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