c-span's 2024 campaign trail, a weekly roundup of c-span's campaign coverage. along with first-hand accounts from political reporters, fundraising data and campaign ads. watch c-span's 2024 campaign trail friday nights at 7:30 p.m. eastern on c-span, online at c-span.org or download the c-span podcast or c-span now. c-span, yournfiltered view of politics. >> this past week millions gathered to watch as a total solar eclipse could be seen throughout various parts of north america. it is a rare event not expected to happen again in the u.s. for another 20 years. on saturday experienced the phenomenon once more with footage from nasa tv starting at

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trail followed republican presidential candidate connell trump as he was on the road in georgia raising money for his campaign and meeting for locals with a -- at a chick-fil-a and president biden as he talks about efforts to build support for family caregivers and provide relief for student loan borrowers. also, look at cornell west's announcement of his running mate. but first, a look from former got a look at remarks from former president trump calling for abortion policy to be set at the state level and reaction from the vice president. >> under my leadership the republican party will always support the creation of strong, thriving and healthy american families. we want to make it easier for mothers and families to have babies, not harder which includes the availability of ivf treatments in every state of

america, like the overwhelming majority of americans including the vast majority of republicans, conservatives, and christians, i strongly support the availability of ivf couples trying to have a precious baby. what could be more beautiful are better than that? i am pleased that the alabama legislature has acted very quickly and past legislation that preserves the availability of ivf in alabama. they did a great and fast job. the republican party should always be on the side of the miracle of life and on the side of mothers, fathers and their beautiful babies. ivf is an important part of the and our great republican party will always be with you in your quest for the ultimate joy in life. many people have asked me what my position is on abortion and abortion rights especially since i was probably the person rose sponsor over the ending of something that all legal

scholars, both sides, wanted and in fact, demanded be ended. roe v. wade. they wanted it ended. it must be remembered that the democrats and the radical ones hold this position because they support abortion up to and even beyond the ninth month. the concept of having an abortion in the later months and even execution after birth, and that is exactly what it is, the baby is born and the baby is executed after birth is unacceptable and almost everyone agrees with that. my view is that now we have abortion where everyone wants it from a legal standpoint, the state will determine by vote or legislation and whatever they decide must be the law of the land and in this case, the law of the stage. many states will be different. many will have a different number of weeks or some will have more conservative than

others and that is what they will be. at the end of the day, this is all about the will of the people. you must follow your heart or in many cases your religion or your faith. do what is right for your family and do what is right for yourself and do what is right for your children and do what is right for our country and vote. so important to vote. at the end of the day, it is all about the will of the people. that is where we are right now and that is what we want. i want to thank the six justices, john roberts, clarence thomas, fred cavanaugh, amy coney barrett and neil gorsuch. incredible people. for having the courage to allow this long-term, hard-fought battle to finally end. this 50 year battle over roe v. wade took it out of the federal hands and brought it into the hands, minds and hearts of the people of each state. now it is up to the states to do

the right thing. like ronald reagan i am strongly in favor of exceptions for rape, incest and life of the mother. you must follow your heart on this issue but you also must win elections to restore culture and win back our country which is currently and sadly a nation in decline. vice president harris: the former president yet again how proud he is of his responsibility for overturning roe v. wade. he said he is probably responsible for overturning roe v. wade. one in three women of reproductive age now live in a state with an abortion ban and probably responsible that doctors and nurses can be jailed in some states for life for providing care. probably responsible that states have passed bands with no exception for rape or incest. let's be clear -- if he were to

be put back into a position where he can sign off on a law, he would sign off on a national abortion ban. that makes the contest between joe biden and donald trump quite clear. we are clear, if congress passes the lot reinstating the protections of roe v. wade, joe biden will sign it into law. we protect and believe in a woman's decision and ability to make a decision based on her preference. >> the biden-harris campaign intends to continue pushing the abortion issue as it seeks to shore up support from voters particularly in states where restrictive new laws have been enacted. the majority, 57% thought aew six week abortion ban was too strict. form president trump held a

mber ofundraisers this last week including one in palm beach, florida that raised more than $50 million in a night. next his remarks going into that fundraiser. >> it will be a spectacular evening. people are wanting change. rich people and poor people want to edge. we are the laughing stock all over the world. stock all over the world. we are going to get that change very quickly. this has been an incredible evening before it even started because people wanted to contribute to a cause of making america great again, and that's what's happening. we are going to make america great again. everyone knows it. the election will be in a little more than six months, and it will be the most important, i believe, election we will ever have. i believe it will go down as the most important date in the history of our country, november 5. itbe the most important date in the history of ou

country, and thank you very much for beg re. >> "the atlanta constitution" reportthe fser being expected to rae rehan 5 million dollars for mr. trump's caaign. among those on hand, for the republican senators kelly georgia republican senator bert jones, and home depot cofounder bert marcus. mr. trump also visited a chick-fil-a location while he was in the area. next, some highlights from that stop. [cheers and applause] >> mr. president, did arizona go too far? >> yeah, they did, and i'm going to get it straightened out. as you know, it's all about

states' rights, and that will be straightened out. that will be taken care of, i think, very quickly. for 50 years, people have wanted to end roe v. wade, to get it back to the states. we did that. it was an incredible thing. we did that. now the states have it and the states are putting out what they want through the will of the people. >> do you believe inflation gets under control between now and november? >> biden has completely lost control of inflation. [indiscernible] the number is out of control. biden has no idea what the hell he is doing. he is the worst president in the history of our country. but i have some good news. this is a man i have known for a long time. he is running in georgia.

he is going to be a fantastic congressperson. district three, ryan jackson. he's a great guy. he has been with me for seven years and he has always wanted to run for congress. this is where he was born, where he grew up. he's going to be fantastic. do you know who brian is? you do now. [crosstalk] >> can i have 30 milkshakes? and also some chicken. [indiscernible] get rich, right? >> [indiscernible] >> it is. it's a great franchise. the owner is a great man, a member of one of my clubs. they do very well. they are closed on sunday.

>> the lord's chicken. >> you are right, the lord's chicken. it's a good chicken, too. >> [indiscernible] >> oh, i love this guy. i like that guy. you have been there from the beginning. you knew what was happening. >> i put campuses together so all these hbcu students that are here to meet you. we have also knocked on doors for your collection. and when you ran the first time. doing a lot for your tax credits, reform bill, and everything like that. >> [indiscernible] >> sure did. much better than biden did. [indiscernible] i don't care what the media

tells you, mr. trump. we support you. >> let me give you a hug. >> [indiscernible] [applause] >> thank you! [indiscernible] >> this is a question about abortion. do you think a doctor should be punished for performing an abortion? >> should get that back to the state. for 50 years, it has been a fight, and other states are handling it, and some are handling it very well. >> why should the people of atlanta vote for you? >> because i have done more for the people of atlanta than any other president by far. i have done more for the black community than any other president since abraham lincoln, maybe including abraham lincoln,

and it looks like our polling is very good in the state of georgia overall, so we are very happy about it. you see the support. it has been really something. they are all friends of mine. i had better not take, but you have some great ones. going to be some competition. they are all playing great. the fact is they are very good golfers. the masters is this weekend and it's going to be special, and it's right around the corner, right? thk you very much. thank. >>his month marks the beginning of the second fundraising quarter of the year, giving reporters and analysts a chance to look bacatow the campaigns fared in the first quarter. "usa today" reported president biden and the democrats had more than tces mh sh on hand

as former president trump and the republican national committee. next, a conversation from our "washington journal" morning program on some of those numbers. >> one of the things i know you have been tracking is the all-important money race. what are the latest numbers for the donald trump and biting campaigns? >> the biden campaign announced that they entered april with $90 million cash on hand -- or they raised $90 million in march. that's a huge total and comes as the biden campaign and dnc already had a huge cash advantage over former president trump. the campaign was boosted this month by two big fundraisers. biden got a huge grassroots fundraising search after the fiery state of the union address early last month. he also hosted a kind of star-studded fundraiser with former president clinton and former president barack obama

last month in new york that brought in $25 million and what the campaign said was the largest political fundraiser of all time. this weekend, the trump campaign hosted a fundraiser at his home in mar-a-lago where his campaign said he raised $50 million. that's obviously a massive total and is crucial to the trump campaign fundraising, but as i said, they have been lagging the biden campaign and d&c in fundraising, so it will certainly give the campaign a boost and send a strong message that the wealthy republican donors are starting to line up behind trump. >> you mentioned two kinds of fundraising, grassroots fundraising and the big dollar star-studded events. does one campaign do more of the big dollar side than the other and one more focused on grassroots? what do we know about breaking down where the money is coming from?

>> the biden campaign said grassroots donations fueled a lot of their campaign. grassroots donations are a huge sign of enthusiasm and support among voters for a campaign. these donations are considered donations under $200, so these are not necessarily going to necessarily be as flashy as the fundraiser, for instance, that former president trump has this weekend, which is really big ticket numbers, but at the same time, in november, it depends on voter turnout, so grassroots donations are a key sign of enthusiasm for a campaign, so both biden and trump are appealing to these donors. trump has repeatedly pull -- put out fundraising calls following speeches and rallies. he has a court appearance, for instance. both are appealing for these grassroots donations and are trying to appeal to the largest donors to help fund their campaign while ensuring that

grassroots donors are excited for their candidacy. >> these fundraising announcements usually come at the end of a quarter, and then you can see the reports yourself once they are fully released. when can reporters get their hands on these sec reports? >> they are coming in the middle of april and also later this month, something that's interesting. the joint fundraising committees will also be required to file their book filings with the sec, so that will be the first time we have a very good look at trump's joint fundraising committees. candidates have a number of vehicles for fundraising, so i think that will be a first real look at trump's money across these various committees. >> and then there's outside groups who are gearing up to spend heavily on election 2024. anything interesting on that front that you have seen in this first quarter of this election year? >> on the democratic side,

outside groups have really pledged to spend a lot of money on biden's reelection campaign, and the biden campaign is leaning into this messaging as a way to show that democrats across the board are very unified around his candidacy. going forward, i think we will see that outside groups will ramp up spending on both sides. of course, it's only april. we have sort of been in general election mode for the past month, so this is gearing up to be the longest and what could be the most expensive general election campaign in recent history, so i think we can expect to see these campaigns continue to appeal to grassroots donors, but at the same time, these outside groups have a lot of timtoe as a november, and, quite frankly, the campaigns will need that money. >> president biden made campaign stops th week, one in washington, d.c.'s union station where he talked abt efforts to support families o need help

taking care of children and elderly relatives, and from wisconsin, he talked about additional efforts to forgive student debt. next, highlights from those speeches. >> borrowing from college and repaying those loans was more affordable. today, too many are settled with unsustainable debt. the ability for middle-class folks to repay student loans has become such a burden, a lot cannot repay for even decades after being in school, and i mean that sincerely. many of you know that sitting in front of me. even when they have worked hard to pay student loans, their debt increases, not diminishes. too many people feel the strain and stress, wondering if they can get married, have their first child, start a family because even if they get by, they still have this crushing debt, and it's not just a drag

on them, it's a drag on our local economy. it really is. a drag on the economies's. when you cannot afford to buy a home, start that small business, chase that career you have been dreaming about for a long time. that's why early in my term, i announced a major plan to provide more than 40 million working and middle-class americans student debt relief. [cheers and applause] tens of millions of people's debt was literally about to get canceled, but then some of my republican friends and elected officials and special officials sued us, and the supreme court blocked it. but that did not stop us. no, i mean it sincerely. we continue to find alternative paths to reduce student debt. today, i'm proud to announce five major actions to continue to relieve student debt for more than 30 million americans. first, my administration will

propose a new rule, canceling up to $20,000 and runaway interest for any borrower that owes more now than when they started paying the loan. [cheers and applause] that's a big difference. for lower and middle class families enrolled in my save program, we will cancel all of your interest. all of your interest. [cheers and applause] second, we plan to cancel student debt for those who still owe student loans even though they started repaying them more than two decades ago. third, we plan to cancel debt for about 2 million borrowers who would be eligible for debt forgiveness through the save program. public loan forgiveness or other debt counseling programs, but are not enrolled in these programs. some of you are only finding out after the fact as a teacher, firefighter, or cot, that you

qualify, but you did not know about it. fourth, we plan to cancel debt for borrowers with the department of education who determined they were cheated by universities. you know one of those colleges was close. i won't mention. finally, the department of education will propose a new rule to cancel student debt for americans facing financial hardships from childcare to health care, to prevent them from paying back their loans. over the coming months, the department of education will propose and then implement these plans. starting this fall, we plan to deliver up to $20,000 in interest relief to over 20 million borrowers and full forgiveness for millions more. care workers represent the best of who we are as america. [cheers and applause]

we look out for one another in america. we leave nobody behind, nobody behind. you are our heroes. you are the heroes of so many individuals. you really are, and you represent so many people who do it and do it out of love and concern, not because they are paid because they are not getting paid. i give you my word, i have your back. we want the best economy in the world, we have to have the best caregiving economy in the world. they are not inconsistent, they are consistent. but the cost of care is too high . the workers with small children, we will guarantee affordable, quality childcare. [cheering]

most families will pay less than $10 a day per child, saving millions as much as $7,000 a year. that's a lot of breathing room for a young family. we will also restore the expanded childcare tax credit, lifting millions of children out of poverty. by the way, this helps the economy, it does not hurt it. our republican friends let that expire. we got to expire a couple of them politically. together, we are going to bring it back. second, seniors and people with disabilities, we are going to expand medicaid home care services and reduce that 700,000-person backlog. that will mean more folks who live and work in their own communities with independence. more home care workers start

getting the better pay and benefits and dignity that they deserve. by the way, we are in deadly earnest. this is not a joke. it matters. third, for everyone who cares for a loved one, my budget would finally create a national paid family and medical leave program. after four weeks of care for a newborn, a sick loved one, or yourself without losing your income. it's past time america caught up with the rest of the world on paid leave. all this helps families, and it grows the economy. it grows the economy. and we can afford to do it. we can't afford not to do it. look, i'm a catholic, but i want to make sure, if you make a

million bucks, great. just start paying your fair share of taxes. but let me ask you -- does anyone here think the tax code is fair? raise your hand. i don't either. the last administration enacted a $2 trillion tax cut, overwhelmingly benefited very wealthy individuals and corporations and exploded benefits more than any other president had. we cut the deficit, by the way. it added more to the national debt than any presidential term in history and is due to expire next year. guess what? i hope to be president because if it expires, it's going to stay expired. my predecessor originally said "there's a lot you can do in terms of cutting" with respect to social security and medicare.

house republicans rate -- released their budget and would raise the retirement age for social security next year and cut medicare while cutting taxes for the very wealthy. i've got a better idea -- i will protect social security and medicare and make the wealy pay their share to make it work. >> last, a look at the announcement from independent presidential candidate cornell west of his vice presidential running mate. >> i am very blessed. it is my great joy to announce my dear sister, one of the great freedom fighters of a generation, a doctor, a professor, most importantly, and lover of the people. her name is melina abdullah. this campaign is very much a moment in the movement of the

great people. i wanted somebody whose heart, mind, and soul is committed to the empowerment of poor and working peoples of all colors. melina has a history of longevity, of putting her heart, mind, soul, and body in the struggle. you know, she has been in jail many times. she has hit the road many times. she has been chairman of the department of than african studies at california state in l.a. many times. she has a record of deep commitment and investment in ensuring that poor and working people are at the center of her vision. another way of putting it, my brother, is that i wanted to run with someone who would put a smile on the face of fannie lou

hamer and martin luther king jr. from the grave, put a smile on their faces from the grave. that's the highest standard, as you know. that's not the typical standard of garden-variety politicians, you know what i mean? not at all. i'm talking about somebody whose spirit, whose heart, whose intellect, whose vision has been a year after year, decade after decade, committed to the empowerment of those called the wretched of the earth. >> what we are offering is a different choice. what we are offering is a choice that says we can move forward, a vision that says we want to free palestine. we can move forward a vision that says we want community care and not police in our communities. we can move forward a vision that says education should be free and should be quality. we can move forward something that says we are not going to roll you back so you can never afford houngright?

we are going to make sure you have whatou need, and i think that's going to ignite these folks. >> a reminder -- this program and all of c-span's >> c-span's washington journal. our low form involving you to look at the latest issues in government and public policy. from washington and across the country. coming up saturday morning, the vice president and managing director of the asian society policy institute wendy on u.s.-japan relations. and washington times martin to caro talks about his podcast, history as it happens and other political news of the day. c-span's washington journal, join the conversation live at 7:00 eastern saturday morning on c-span, c-span now or online at c-span.org.

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