As Biden faces concerns over nomination, Republicans prep for their convention

Transcript

SCOTT DETROW, HOST:

Another difficult week for Joe Biden is in the books. The president spent the week battling back criticism and concern that he shouldn't be running for another term. He ended it with a high-stakes press conference at a high-energy swing state rally. The question is whether that was enough. As those headlines played out, the presumptive Republican nominee, Donald Trump, stayed uncharacteristically quiet, at least in the national conversation, as speculation about his VP nominee abounds ahead of the Republican convention, which begins Monday in Milwaukee.

NPR's Danielle Kurtzleben has been following it all, and she's in Butler, Penn., in the middle of a Donald Trump rally. And, Danielle, I think I hear "My Heart Will Go On" behind you.

DANIELLE KURTZLEBEN, BYLINE: Yep. The usual Trump playlist is playing, and that is that is one of his standbys.

DETROW: Well, Danielle, near, far and wherever you are, what has Trump's message been, leading into the convention?

KURTZLEBEN: Well, so some observers have been saying that Trump has been quiet, but that I wouldn't say that it's quite true. He's not really doing mainstream press. If you're a run-of-the-mill American who pays intermittent attention, you might not think he's saying much. After all, he's not on Twitter, which is where a lot of people heard from him. But his faithful are definitely hearing from him, telling Biden to drop out. Trump has also been saying former President Obama wants Biden to (ph). Now, to be clear, Obama has not said that. This is one of Trump's usual falsehoods. One other thing Trump has done - he went on "The Clay Travis & Buck Sexton Show," which is a right-wing talk radio show, where he slams Biden's NATO press conference. On that show, he did say that he would like to announce his running mate at the RNC so that he can make a big splash. But Trump is unpredictable. Who knows? He might even announce his running mate tonight. We'll just see.

DETROW: Yeah. Let's talk about Biden. The spotlight will probably, maybe shift away from him, but you know, who knows? This year and this presidential campaign, we talked. We scrutinized every move he made this past week. What does next week look like for him?

KURTZLEBEN: Sure. So this next week, you're right. Attention will be - firmly be on Trump and the Republican convention and away from Biden's campaign. But that doesn't mean Biden will be quiet. Functioning as president, he has some events in Texas and Nevada. He'll be commemorating the Civil Rights Act in Texas and then talking to the NAACP in Nevada and also Unidos, which is a progressive group of Latinos. In other words, he's going to be talking to his base. Those are groups that like him.

DETROW: Danielle, I know you're headed to Milwaukee for the Republican convention. You and I have already discussed frozen custard options. Beyond that, beyond that, what are you watching for this week?

KURTZLEBEN: Well, I'd say three things. One is, yeah, Trump's vice president's announcement. If he makes it there, maybe he'll make it before. Trump is unpredictable. So we'll see. Number two is that is whatever clashes there are within the party, one this past week has been the platform. There's been some dissent among conservatives about the quick and behind-closed-doors way that this platform has been adopted.

So one - and one big area of anger is abortion, which the platform is really right on. So some anti-abortion rights activists are disappointed with this platform. Final thing, and this is the thing I'll be watching, is comparing this to the convention in 2016 when Trump first became the nominee. Back then, there was a vocal faction. Most notably Ted Cruz, Texas senator who did not want Trump the nominee. Well, now Cruz is firmly pro-Trump, as is the rest of the party. So I'm curious if there are any dissenting voices.

DETROW: That's NPR's Danielle Kurtzleben covering Trump for us. We are waiting, of course, for the former president to announce his vice presidential pick any day now. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.