by Elodie CUZIN DES MOINES, United States (AFP) — Democratic candidates made their frantic, final campaign pitches Sunday in Iowa, on a mission to persuade undecided voters one day before the state’s nominating contest officially starts the US presidential election season. Iowa, a largely rural state of three million people, has traditionally served as a vital launching point — or burial ground — for presidential hopefuls. Even as all eyes turn to the debut vote, […]
Tag: democrats
Trump trounces Democratic rivals in election fundraising
by Michael Mathes WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Donald Trump’s re-election team revealed on Thursday that he is sitting atop a staggering campaign war chest, underlining the scale of the challenge facing the US president’s Democratic rivals at the start of an election year. The sprawling Democratic field meanwhile lost another candidate when Julian Castro, the only Hispanic in the 2020 field, announced he was ending his bid. That leaves 14 candidates still in the […]
Trump seeks rapid exoneration in Senate after impeachment
by Paul HANDLEY Agence France Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — US President Donald Trump pressed his Republican allies Thursday to exert rigid control of his Senate trial and ensure a swift exoneration, a day after he was impeached in a historic rebuke by the House of Representatives. A bitter fight looms over the coming trial, expected to begin as early as the second week of January, with Senate leaders already drawing battle lines […]
Pompeo accuses Democrats of bullying in impeachment probe
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Tuesday accused Democrats of intimidation in their impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump and refused to let State Department employees comply with orders to appear in coming days. In a letter to Congress, Pompeo said the subpoenas “can only be understood as an attempt to intimidate, bully and treat improperly the distinguished professionals of the Department of State.” “Let me be clear: I […]
Trump calls Democratic impeachment inquiry a ‘joke’
by Sebastian Smith / with Paul Handley in Washington NEW YORK, United States (AFP) — A downbeat Donald Trump on Wednesday dismissed as a “joke” the grounds laid out for the impeachment inquiry into him, as Democrats stood firm in accusing the US president of a “mafia-style shakedown” of his Ukrainian counterpart. Trump denied claims he abused his office by repeatedly urging President Volodymyr Zelensky to probe his rival Joe Biden — as confirmed in […]
Eyes on Biden as Democrats ready for third 2020 debate
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Ten Democrats seeking the White House will gather Thursday for their party’s third debate of the 2020 cycle, with frontrunner Joe Biden sharing the stage with top rival Elizabeth Warren for the first time. The televised showdown in Houston will be the longest to date in the primary contest, a three-hour marathon that will give voters their first opportunity to see all the leading candidates onstage together. The previous […]
‘Go easy on me kid’: Biden, rivals temper tone at Democratic debate
DETRIOT, United States (AFP) — Moderate frontrunner Joe Biden and his 2020 Democratic rivals took the stage Wednesday ready for a dog fight but began their debate largely with cooler heads prevailing, uniting under a common goal of ousting President Donald Trump. But tensions were quickly evident between Biden and Senator Kamala Harris, the most prominent African American in the field and who savaged him over race and criminal justice issues at their previous debate. […]
US Democrats skeptical on Trump-Kim meeting in Korea
WASHINGTON (AFP) — Democratic White House contenders gave a guarded welcome to Donald Trump’s meeting Sunday with Kim Jong Un, with several warning the US president was granting him “legitimacy” despite the lack of progress on curbing North Korea’s nuclear arsenal. Senator Bernie Sanders, a leading candidate in the race to face off against Trump in 2020, said he had “no problem” with Trump’s decision to meet with Kim, in a moment of high diplomatic […]
Biden assails Trump as Democrats clash in second 2020 debate
by Leila Macor, with Michael Mathes in Washington WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Joe Biden attacked Donald Trump Thursday for putting Americans in a “horrible situation,” as the Democratic frontrunner faced off against his main presidential rivals who braced for a fiery debate over their competing visions for the nation. “Look, Donald Trump put us in a horrible situation,” the former vice president, as he swiftly trained his criticism on the Republican in the White […]
Pelosi told Dems she’d like Trump ‘in prison’: report
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Donald Trump should be sent to “prison,” US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi told fellow Democrats in a closed-door meeting about whether to launch impeachment proceedings against the president, Politico reported Thursday. Pelosi, Trump’s political nemesis in Congress, has long stated she is not ready to proceed with what would be a deeply divisive impeachment action, and that she would prefer to see the president defeated at the ballot box next […]
Trump, Pelosi trade barbs as impeachment talk stirs anger
by Michael Mathes / Sebastian Smith WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Democratic congressional leader Nancy Pelosi on Thursday said Donald Trump is angry that her party is not rushing to impeach him, as the relationship reached new lows with the rivals trading crude personal barbs. It was the second straight day of a very public war of words between Trump and the speaker of the House of Representatives, who earlier questioned the president’s mental fitness […]
For many Democrats desperate to beat Trump, Biden’s their man
by Michael Mathes PHILADELPHIA, United States (AFP) — The crowded 2020 presidential race features six women, three African Americans and a dozen youthful contenders. But Denise Haley is going old school, supporting white male frontrunner Joe Biden as the Democrat best positioned to beat Donald Trump. “He could lead the nation and bring us back together,” Haley, who is black, told AFP of the 76-year-old former vice president, reflecting what appears to be a solidifying […]





