AYESHA RASCOE, HOST:
It continues to be an incredibly dizzying time in American politics. Here are some of the voices in the news this past week.
(SOUNDBITE OF MONTAGE)
PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN: A former president was shot. An American citizen killed, while simply exercising his freedom to support the candidate of his choosing - we cannot, we must not go down this road in America.
UNIDENTIFIED PASTOR: Lord, we pray that you would continue to watch over him. Give full healing to him. Help him to...
DIXON WOLFE: Even the people who weren't very political in the first place - I saw them posting on social media that they'd made their decision on who they were voting for.
MICHAEL WHATLEY: This convention will come to order.
(CHEERING)
TIM SCOTT: The devil came to Pennsylvania holding a rifle, but an American lion got back up on his feet, and he roared.
(CHEERING)
BIDEN: Look, when I originally ran, you may remember that I said I was gonna be a transitional candidate. And I thought that I'd be able to move from this to pass it on to someone else. But I didn't anticipate things getting so, so, so divided.
(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)
JANET MURGUIA: The president has been at many events, as we all know, and he just tested positive for COVID.
TAMARA KEITH, BYLINE: Yesterday, prominent House Democrat Adam Schiff called for Biden to pass the torch, adding to a growing list. And we know that Senate...
MICHAEL STEELE: But you know what? Joe Biden could be in his underwear, sitting in the corner drooling with COVID, and I'd still vote for him.
(APPLAUSE)
USHA VANCE: And with that, it is my great privilege to introduce my husband and the next vice president of the United States, J.D. Vance.
(CHEERING)
J D VANCE: We've heard about villains and their victims. I've talked a lot about that, but let me tell you about the future. President Trump's vision is so simple and yet so powerful. We're done, ladies and gentlemen, catering to Wall Street. We'll commit to the working man.
VICE PRESIDENT KAMALA HARRIS: But with the selection of his running mate this week, Donald Trump is also trying to distract people. He wants to direct attention away from his record and his Project 2025 plan to suggest that he and his running mate are going to prioritize the middle class. But we are not buying it.
(APPLAUSE)
HULK HOGAN: So all you criminals, all you lowlifes, all you scumbags, all you drug dealers and all you crooked politicians need to answer one question, brother. What you gonna do when Donald Trump and all the Trump-a-maniacs run wild on you, brother?
(CHEERING)
DONALD TRUMP: And this is the love that will lead America back to the summit of human achievement and greatness. This is what we need. Despite such a heinous attack, we unite this evening more determined than ever. I am more determined than ever, and so are you. So is everybody.
(CHEERING)
SUSAN DAVIS, BYLINE: Biden has the delegates who are bound to vote for him by those very rules to deliver the nomination on the first ballot. And to Ocasio-Cortez's point, there is no clear answer to what happens if Biden drops out. She is right. It would likely be a chaotic process, potentially one that further divides...
(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC) Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.
