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They Came to See Trump. First They Heard a Pitch to Buy Gold and Silver.

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At a conference this month put on by Turning Point Action, a rising conservative activist group, 8,000 people packed into a Detroit convention hall to hear directly from Republicans’ presumptive nominee for president, Donald J. Trump.

But first, there was a word from a sponsor: Alexander Spellane.

Mr. Spellane, who federal regulators say is also known as Alexander Fisher and Alexander Overlie, sells investments in precious metals. Cash, stocks and 401(k)s could plummet in value, he warned from the stage, but he told the throng of Trump supporters that they could protect their money by buying gold and silver from his company, Fisher Capital.

The Commodity Futures Trading Commission has been trying to shut down Fisher Capital’s sales for the past 14 months, alleging in a lawsuit that it sold gold and silver coins at such exorbitant, deceptive prices that virtually every customer had suffered “immediate and dramatic losses on their investment.” Fisher Capital has denied the allegations.

That lawsuit did not keep Turning Point Action from embracing Fisher Capital as a top-level sponsor of the Detroit event, which has required a donation of at least $250,000 and allowed Mr. Spellane to be photographed backstage with Mr. Trump. Mr. Spellane also claims to be the largest corporate sponsor of a sister group, Turning Point USA.

Mr. Spellane’s place on the Detroit stage offers a window into how Charlie Kirk, a young conservative activist and media personality who is close to both Mr. Trump and his son Donald Jr., has blended commerce and politics to transform a fringe initiative into a juggernaut with sweeping influence in right-wing circles. Turning Point Action, an advocacy group, and Turning Point USA, a charitable organization, were each created by Mr. Kirk and have each helped rally conservatives behind Mr. Trump.

This year, Turning Point Action says it plans to spend over $100 million to turn out voters in three battleground states.

The groups’ highly polished, multimillion-dollar events, which have drawn thousands to convention halls in Phoenix, West Palm Beach and elsewhere, are underwritten by corporate sponsors, who gain access to potential customers.

While some political groups try to steer clear of corporate sponsors that might prompt blowback from politicians or other donors, the Fisher Capital example shows that Turning Point leaders are willing to look the other way to reel in cash, said Michael Steele, a former chairman of the Republican National Committee. He described Turning Point’s attitude as “as long as the check clears, I’m good.”

“It is an incestuous relationship between the folks with the money and the folks who want the money,” said Mr. Steele, a frequent Trump critic.

Andrew Kolvet, a Turning Point spokesman, said the opposite was true. “There is no lack of scrutiny to ensure we’re always abiding by relevant regulations and laws,” he said. Turning Point leaders learned of the fraud claims against Fisher Capital more than a year ago, he said, and “felt satisfied with their explanation at the time.”

“We live in a country where you are presumed innocent, and we extend that presumption to sponsors and their teams as well,” he said.

Another group that has sponsored Turning Point events is New Federal State of China, a organization that says it is dedicated to overthrowing the Chinese Communist Party. The organization has helped finance two recent annual conferences, including one in December, 10 months after prosecutors charged the group’s founder, Guo Wengui, with defrauding thousands of investors of more than $1 billion with bogus cryptocurrency deals and other schemes.

Mr. Guo has said he is innocent. Mr. Kolvet said Turning Point had no agreement with the New Federal State of China to sponsor future events.

Mr. Trump himself has been found to engage in deceptive business practices. He was convicted late last month on felony charges of falsifying business records. Last year, in a civil case in New York, he was found liable for conspiring to manipulate his net worth.

Mr. Spellane and Fisher Capital have asked a judge to dismiss the federal complaint, arguing that the regulatory agency has no jurisdiction to sue and no evidence of fraud. The firm disclosed its fees to customers and operated “in a similar vein as any retailer in this country,” according to its motion to dismiss. Mr. Spellane did not respond to questions for this article.

Turning Point has only strengthened its relationship with Mr. Spellane since the federal complaint was filed in April 2023. The Detroit conference was the third event the firm has helped finance since then, including an annual conference in December in Phoenix, which drew an estimated 13,000 people.

Mr. Spellane pledged $1 million to Turning Point USA at a February gathering at Mar-a-Lago, Mr. Trump’s Florida resort, and later announced that the group had appointed him to its advisory board.

In Detroit, Mr. Spellane played up his Turning Point ties, saying, “That’s why we are here for the third year in a row.” He ended with: “Give it up for Donald Trump, everybody!”

Listening with interest was Jeff Strasser, 57, a former carpenter and truck driver who had traveled more than two hours from Northern Michigan to hear Mr. Trump. Mr. Strasser said he was intrigued by Mr. Spellane’s statement that anyone who stopped by the Fisher Capital booth in the adjoining hall would be eligible for up to $10,000 in free silver.

He came away from the booth thinking a precious metal investment was a slam dunk. “You kind of have to be a fool not to want to do it,” he said, adding “I’m talking about maybe switching my whole 401(k) over to it.”

Ian Sangster, a Fisher account executive, said about 50 people stopped by over the weekend, some of whom signed up for a follow-up sales pitch.

Asked if Mr. Spellane’s backstage photos with Mr. Trump would be a selling point for Fisher Capital, Mr. Sangster said: “Yeah. It’s pretty cool, right?”

Both Fisher Capital and New Federal State of China have ties to high-profile Trump allies. Fisher Capital’s spokesman is Roger Stone, a Trump associate who was convicted in 2019 of lying to Congress and witness tampering. He was later pardoned by Mr. Trump.

Mr. Guo founded the New Federal State of China with Stephen K. Bannon, a former Trump strategist and keynote speaker at many Turning Point events. Neither the group nor Mr. Bannon was charged in Mr. Guo’s fraud case. Mr. Bannon was named as a co-conspirator.

Mr. Bannon was charged in a separate criminal case with swindling donors in a supposed effort to finance a wall on the Mexico border. He pleaded not guilty and was pardoned by Mr. Trump before his trial. He now faces state charges in New York stemming from the same effort. He was convicted of contempt of Congress after refusing to testify about efforts to overturn the 2020 election results and is scheduled to begin serving a four-month prison sentence next week.

Mr. Spellane is a relative newcomer to the Trump political world. Just 31, he never registered with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission to trade precious metals, as required, the agency says. Its complaint, filed less than three years after Fisher Capital opened in 2020, said the operation was meant to trick older, unsophisticated investors into swapping their retirement savings for gold and silver coins priced as high as 200 percent over their market value. The company is not connected to Fisher Investments, a Texas-based firm.

Targeting Christian conservatives was central to the scheme, according to the complaint. Salespeople falsely claimed that Fisher had teamed up with conservative media personalities — who were not named — to protect customers from a looming retirement crisis, it said.

James A. Simpson Jr., an evangelical pastor from western Ohio who visited Fisher Capital’s booth at the conference, said that the Turning Point imprimatur “absolutely” bestowed credibility on the company.

After learning of the fraud claims, Mr. Simpson, 61, said he would have hoped that Mr. Kirk, Turning Point’s founder, “would have diligently done some research as far as whether he felt the allegations were valid or not” before giving Mr. Spellane an opportunity to drum up customers. He said he would be very cautious about pursuing any investment.

Regulators are seeking to permanently bar Mr. Spellane and Fisher Capital from trading commodities like precious metals and to recoup money investors lost. Steven Adamske, a spokesman for the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, said the agency’s lawsuit was moving slowly, like most such cases.

Typically, by the time government lawyers are able to shut down an operation, “the money is already gone,” he said.

Michael Forsythe contributed reporting. Kitty Bennett and Susan C. Beachy contributed research.



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New Jersey man with epilepsy uses hand-painted seashells to help find a cure

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Greater epilepsy awareness could be as simple as a walk on the beach, thanks to one New Jersey man.

Kyle Adamkiewicz, 33, has lived with epilepsy since being diagnosed at age 6. He is now combining his love of art with the power of nature to help bring his seizure disorder into the spotlight.

In Oct. 2022, Adamkiewicz began collecting seashells from the New Jersey shore, then painting and decorating them with heartfelt messages in search of a cure. He places his works of art along the seaside boardwalks in the hopes that they will inspire strangers to spread the word — and the shells.

OHIO WOMAN WITH EPILEPSY FINDS SAFETY WITH HER SERVICE DOG

“It started with just painting a few shells, and I figured no one would find them,” Adamkiewicz said in an interview with Fox News Digital. 

“And then I saw people posting them online, and writing so many good and positive comments about the shells and about finding a cure for epilepsy. That motivated me to keep making more and more and more.”

Kyle Adamkiewicz epilepsy shells

Kyle Adamkiewicz, shown above, now 33, has lived with epilepsy since he was diagnosed at age 6. He is combining his love of art with the power of nature to help raise awareness of his disease. (Adamkiewicz family)

“And now they have been around the entire world.”

Adamkiewicz doesn’t drive, so his parents — Chuck and Laurie Adamkiewicz — drive him to place his shells.

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“We have shells with us in the car all the time, and he places them in different locations, different towns,” his mother told Fox News Digital.

Adamkiewicz estimates that he’s painted some 1,100 shells so far.

Many include messages about finding a cure for epilepsy, but he has also created themed designs for various occasions, like Shark Week and Halloween.

Kyle Adamkiewicz

Adamkiewicz has painted over 1,000 shells so far. “Our entire living room consists of nothing but shells and paint,” joked Adamkiewicz’s mother. (Adamkiewicz family)

“Our entire living room consists of nothing but shells and paint,” joked Adamkiewicz’s mother.

In addition to a hand-painted design, each shell contains Adamkiewicz’s initials, the year he decorated it and a QR code.

When people find the shells and scan the QR code, it takes them to a website. From there, they can access Adamkiewicz’s Facebook group, his Instagram account and a GoFundMe page set up to help raise funds for people to get “seizure alert” dogs.

THE GIRL WHO CAN’T SMILE: HOW A RARE DISORDER BECAME A YOUNG WOMAN’S ‘GREATEST GIFT’

It also links to the Epilepsy Foundation website, where people can learn what to do if they witness someone having a seizure.

“Most people don’t really know how to handle someone if they’re having a seizure,” Adamkiewicz told Fox News Digital. “They just turn their back and walk the opposite way.”

Epilepsy shell

In addition to a hand-painted design, each shell contains Adamkiewiczs’s initials, the year he decorated it and a QR code. (Adamkiewicz family)

“One out of 26 people in the world have epilepsy, but it’s basically a hidden disease that nobody really wants to know about.”

The Adamkiewicz family has a map of the world hanging on the wall — with pushpins to mark where the shells have been found, they told Fox News Digital.

In addition to locations across the U.S., shells have also been scanned in Mexico City, Greece, Italy, Panama, Canada, Nova Scotia, France, South Korea and Germany, Adamkiewicz said.

“One out of 26 people in the world have epilepsy, but it’s basically a hidden disease.”

“People will find the shells and take them to those places,” Adamkiewicz said. “And sometimes people will ask me for shells to take to wherever they are traveling.”

He’s also partnered with the hospital to get kids with epilepsy involved in his project, bringing shells in for them so they can paint their own designs.

Touching lives

Beyond helping to find a cure, Adamkiewicz has a goal of reducing bullying of people with epilepsy.

Kyle and Laurie Adamkiewicz

Adamkiewicz is pictured with his mother, Laurie Adamkiewicz. In April, he underwent a procedure to implant a responsive neurostimulation (RNS) device in his brain, which will gather data about his seizure activity. (Adamkiewicz family)

“When I was growing up, if my parents or brother weren’t there, I was always made fun of in school and in the neighborhood,” Adamkiewicz said. “Especially right after I had a seizure — the kids would just stare at me and make fun of me.”

He went on, “I want people to know it’s OK to be friends with someone with epilepsy.”

OHIO BOY, 8, PREPARES FOR BLINDNESS: ‘IT’S HEARTBREAKING,’ HIS MOM SAYS

At one point, during second and third grade, he estimates that he was having 100 seizures per day.

“It’s been a very hard and lonely life for Kyle, and very painful to see as a mother and father,” Laurie Adamkiewicz added.

The goal, she said, is that the shells will help to make life a little easier for those with epilepsy — and their families.

Epilepsy shells

Adamkiewicz said his seashell project has been a therapeutic endeavor for him. “If it’s been a really bad day, that’s mostly what I’ll be doing,” he said. (Adamkiewicz family)

Adamkiewicz’s mother recalled a man who posted about a personal experience on the Facebook group.

“His son had passed away, and the man goes to the ocean every morning to say good morning to his son,” she said. “And there was the epilepsy shell, and he said he started crying. He said it was just like a gift to him.”

She added, “You never know whose lives you’re touching.”

Taking control

Since age 12, Adamkiewicz has been a patient at NYU Langone’s Comprehensive Epilepsy Center, one of the largest programs in the nation, where he’s had a series of brain surgeries.

NEW JERSEY TWINS RECEIVE MATCHING HEART SURGERIES AFTER MARFAN SYNDROME DIAGNOSIS: ‘A BETTER LIFE’

In April, he underwent a procedure to implant a responsive neurostimulation (RNS) device in his brain, which will gather data about his seizure activity.

Neurosurgeon Peter Rozman, M.D., performed the surgery alongside his mentor, Werner K. Doyle, M.D., Adamkiewicz’s longtime doctor.

laurie-kyle-adamkiewicz

Adamkiewicz and his mom, Laurie Adamkiewiz, are pictured with some of his painted shells. (Adamkiewicz family)

“This system has the capacity to actually record brain activity in the form of electrical waves that detect when the seizures start, so it can deliver an impulse to the brain at that time, with the goal of aborting the seizure,” Rozman said in an interview with Fox News Digital.

The data collected by the device is sent to the neurologist, who uses that information to program the device to better capture and treat the seizures, he said.

“Over time, people see more and more improvement in their seizures,” Rozman said.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP                                                    

Rozman praised Adamkiewicz’s seashell project, emphasizing the importance of increasing awareness of the condition.

“And it gives him an outlet, too,” the doctor said. “Having other people to talk about your condition with and being part of a community can be very helpful.”

Epilepsy shell

Each shell contains a QR code that a person can scan to access information, resources and fundraisers for epilepsy. (Adamkiewicz family)

In a way, Rozman said, Adamkiewicz is turning his epilepsy into a good thing.

“It’s beneficial on both sides — for raising awareness and also allowing Kyle to have more control and to drive the story,” he said. 

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“It can be such a devastating thing to have to deal with on a daily basis, and having some sort of license and control over that is really important.”

Adamkiewicz agreed that his project has been a therapeutic endeavor for him.

“We want to teach people how to be kind, and how to help.”

“If it’s been a really bad day, that’s mostly what I’ll be doing,” he said.

“Like earlier today, I was painting some shells and had my ear buds in, just listening to some music. I’m just so focused on painting the shells that I zone everybody else out.”

Epilepsy shell

Adamkiewicz’s shells have been found in many cities and countries around the world, including in Paris, France. (Adamkiewicz family)

Adamkiewicz and his mother are also working on a children’s book to teach kids more about epilepsy and what to do if someone is having a seizure.

“When someone has a seizure, it can be frightening to other children,” said Laurie Adamkiewicz mother.

For more Health articles, visit www.foxnews/health 

“So the goal is to get some information out there, to take the stigma away from the person who has epilepsy … We want to teach people how to be kind, and how to help.”



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26,000 Evacuate as Wildfire Spreads in Northern California

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When a fast-moving wildfire began marching across thousands of acres of Butte County on Tuesday, David Pittman didn’t panic. He packed up his family, including their 90-pound African sulcata tortoise, and drove to his sister’s house across town in Oroville, Calif.

That’s where he’s planning to stay for the next several days — at least until firefighters get a handle on the Thompson fire, which has engulfed several homes and vehicles and has prompted about 26,000 people to evacuate, including Mr. Pittman.

“I hate to say it, but we’re experienced in this kind of stuff,” he said on Wednesday.

Mr. Pittman, 70, is the mayor of Oroville, a small Northern California town that has roots in the Gold Rush and is tucked near the state’s second-largest reservoir about 65 miles north of Sacramento. He is also a retired local fire chief who has watched his region face calamity after calamity in recent years.

In 2017, officials ordered residents to flee Oroville as thundering rapids from an emergency spillway at nearby Oroville Dam threatened to overwhelm the town. The next year, in 2018, one of the deadliest wildfires in American history, the Camp fire, killed 85 people and nearly wiped the town of Paradise — about 20 miles north of Oroville — off the map.

In 2020, a record-breaking fire season left millions of acres scorched across California, including “right into the city of Oroville,” Mr. Pittman said. In 2021, the second largest fire ever recorded in California, the Dixie fire, burned an area larger than New York, Los Angeles, Chicago and Dallas combined. It was sparked by damaged PG&E power lines near the waterway that bisects Oroville, the Feather River.

The various disasters, experts have said, are symptoms of widening climate extremes, which have plunged the West into near-constant whiplash between catastrophic floods and raging wildfires. This year, climate scientists warned that a hot summer in the West could dry out vegetation that grew abundant during a wet winter, turning what was lush green into prime tinder and making for a hazardous fire season.

For many Oroville residents at evacuation centers on Wednesday, fleeing from wildfires is becoming routine.

Sitting in the 106 degree heat outside a church shelter a few miles from the fire, Vernon Englund, 78, said this was the third time he had evacuated in four years from fires.

“We’ve been evacuated enough times that we keep to-go bags, and I just hooked up my R.V. and took off,” he said. “But I probably should have been more worried than I was, because the fire got closer than I ever thought that it would,” he added.

For Ashlie Boocks, 22, who had driven to the church shelter on Tuesday after seeing “ash the size of my palm” drifting from the sky, this was her second evacuation in three years.

On Tuesday night, she said, she drove to a spot where she could see the whole mountainside glowing with flames. “It was lit up and it was just horrible,” she said. “You’re seeing propane tanks exploding. You can hear them.”

“This is not something that should be common,” she added.

Pacific Gas & Electric, California’s biggest power utility, shut off power this week in some parts of Northern California, including Butte County, because of the increased fire risk, including nearly 2,000 homes and businesses in eight counties on Tuesday, The Sacramento Bee reported.

The Thompson fire, which erupted on Tuesday morning, remains small compared with the major fires in past years; as of Wednesday night, it had burned nearly 3,600 acres of mountainous terrain near Lake Oroville and was 7 percent contained, according to Cal Fire, the state’s firefighting agency. So far, eight injuries have been reported as a result of the blaze. And the authorities have not yet said how many structures have been damaged, though the fire has consumed homes and vehicles, based on news coverage.

Several state water facilities were affected by the evacuation orders, but there was no risk to Oroville Dam, which is the tallest dam in the United States, the California Department of Water Resources said on Tuesday night.

Mr. Pittman noted that the extreme heat baking the state this week, along with unpredictable winds, would make containing the blaze particularly difficult. Temperatures in Oroville were expected to reach 110 degrees on Wednesday and even higher toward the end of the week, according to the National Weather Service.

“We have up-and-down breezes that are pushing the fire around,” he said. “The fuels are ready to burn. So the crews have a tough job.”

He added, “I’m standing outside, and I can feel the heat through my T-shirt.”

Evacuation centers were full, he said. A large fireworks display that typically draws more than 10,000 people to Oroville was canceled to ensure that emergency workers could focus on responding to the fire.

Oroville officials on Wednesday temporarily banned the use of fireworks of any kind in the city, but stopped short of prohibiting legal sales, which local nonprofit groups have long used to raise funds in the summer. In Butte County, fireworks are illegal except in the cities of Oroville, Gridley and Biggs, where those with a “safe and sane” seal can be used.

“The last thing we need is somebody who’s purchased fireworks from a local fire stand going out and doing something stupid,” Sheriff Kory Honea of Butte County said at a news conference late Tuesday. “Don’t be an idiot, cause a fire and create more problems for us.”

Fireworks may not be as visually impressive as usual, anyway: The mayor said that the smoke in downtown Oroville was at one point so thick that he couldn’t see his hand in front of his face. Some evacuees have gathered there with trailers or recreational vehicles, but many businesses were closed.

Brian Wong said that his restaurant, Union Patio Bar and Grill, would remain open with reduced staffing because workers were dealing with their own evacuation orders. Evacuees would receive a discount, he said.

“We’ll just do what we can,” he said. “Today is about serving the community.”

But Mr. Wong, 53, said he wouldn’t be on site. Instead, he plans to stay at his home with his father-in-law, where they hope to protect the property by extinguishing any flames that get close.

Although his house is under an evacuation order and most of his neighbors have fled, Mr. Wong said that he was reluctant to do so after seeing residents of Paradise and other communities struggle to obtain insurance payments or other emergency aid.

“A lot of those cases are still not settled,” he said. “A lot of people that have properties — they’re not going to get what they were owed. So I really didn’t want to leave.”

He added that many of his neighbors had been required to pay skyrocketing insurance premiums, while others had simply gone uninsured as companies dropped coverage in many areas of California.

Mr. Wong, who has lived full-time in Oroville for more than 25 years, said that he and his family had taken precautions recommended by fire experts to clear brush on the property. He had also packed his truck full of valuables and said he was ready to leave if necessary.

Still, as of Wednesday afternoon, he was hunkering down and watching the plumes of smoke, hoping that his neighborhood would be spared.

Amanda Holpuch, Jonathan Wolfe and Yan Zhuang contributed reporting.



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‘I’m running’, Biden says, as pressure mounts on campaign

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By Gareth Evans and Kayla EpsteinBBC News, Washington & New York

EPA Image shows Joe Biden and Kamala HarrisEPA

President Biden and Vice-President Harris presented a united front to Democrats on Wednesday (file image)

US President Joe Biden worked to calm senior Democrats and staff on his campaign on Wednesday, as reports suggested he was weighing his future after his disastrous debate with Donald Trump last week.

Mr Biden held a closed-door lunch with Vice-President Kamala Harris at the White House as speculation mounted over whether she would replace him as the party’s candidate in November’s election.

The pair then joined a call with the broader Democratic campaign where Mr Biden made clear he would remain in the race and Ms Harris reiterated her support. “I’m the nominee of the Democratic Party. No one’s pushing me out. I’m not leaving,” he told the call, a source told BBC News.

That same phrase was repeated in a fundraising email sent out a few hours later by the Biden-Harris campaign. “Let me say this as clearly and simply as I can: I’m running,” Mr Biden said in the email, adding that he was “in this race until the end”.

Questions have been swirling around whether the 81-year-old will continue with his campaign following the debate with Trump, which was marked by verbal blanks, a weak voice and some answer which were difficult to follow. It sparked concern in Democratic circles around his fitness for office and his ability to win the election.

Pressure on Mr Biden to drop out has only grown in the days since as more polls indicate his Republican rival’s lead has widened. A New York Times poll conducted after the debate, which was published on Wednesday, suggested Trump was now holding his biggest lead yet at six points.

And a separate poll published by the BBC’s US partner CBS News suggested Trump has a three-point lead over Biden in the crucial battleground states. That poll also indicated the former president was leading nationally.

Name-calling and insults – key moments from Biden and Trump’s debate

The damaging polling has been compounded by some Democratic donors and lawmakers publicly calling on the president to stand aside. Ramesh Kapur, an Indian-American industrialist based in Massachusetts, has organised fundraisers for Democrats since 1988.

“I think it’s time for him to pass the torch,” Mr Kapur told the BBC. “I know he has the drive, but you can’t fight Mother Nature.”

And two Democrats in Congress also called for a change at the top of the party’s ticket. The latest, Representative Raul Grijalva of Arizona, told the New York Times it was time for Democrats to “look elsewhere”.

Despite this, the White House and the Biden campaign have vehemently denied reports he is actively weighing his future and say he is committed to defeating Trump for a second time on 5 November.

The New York Times and CNN reported on Wednesday that Mr Biden had told an unnamed ally he was evaluating whether to stay in the race.

Both reports said the president had told the ally he was aware his re-election bid was in danger and his forthcoming appearances – including an ABC News interview and a Friday rally in Wisconsin – were hugely important to his campaign.

A spokesperson rejected the reports as “absolutely false”, shortly before White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre faced a barrage of questions about Mr Biden’s commitment to the race.

She said the reports he may drop out were untrue: “We asked the president [and] the president responded directly… and said ‘no, it is absolutely false’. That’s coming direct from him.”

Mr Biden met 20 Democratic governors from around the country, including California’s Gavin Newsom and Michigan’s Gretchen Whitmer, later on Wednesday. Both have been tipped as potential replacements if Mr Biden were to stand aside.

“The president has always had our backs, we’re going to have his back as well,” Maryland Governor Wes Moore told reporters after the meeting.

New York Governor Kathy Hochul said the two dozen governors who had just met the president pledged their support and that Mr Biden had vowed he was “in it to win it”.

But Ms Harris is still considered the most likely replacement. The 59-year-old has been hampered by poor approval ratings, but her support has increased among Democrats since the Biden-Trump debate.

Biden points to White House record after shaky debate

The vice-president gave an immediate interview on CNN after the debate, projecting calm as she expressed full support for the president.

“She’s changing nothing,” a source close to Ms Harris told BBC News, adding that she would continue to hit the road on behalf of the campaign.

“She has always been mindful to be a good partner to the president,” said Jamal Simmons, Ms Harris’ former communications director.

“The people who ultimately will make the decision about who the nominee should be mostly are people who are pledged to him. Her best role is to be a partner to him.”

Members of the Democratic National Committee are charged with voting to officially make President Biden the party’s nominee at the August convention, putting him on the ballot nationwide.

One member, who has spoken to other delegates and requested anonymity to speak frankly about sensitive discussions, told the BBC that the nomination should go to Vice-President Harris if Mr Biden opted not to run.

“If we open up the convention, it will cause pure chaos that will hurt us in November,” they said.

A report by the Washington Post, meanwhile, said Mr Biden and his team recognised that he must demonstrate his fitness for office in the coming days.

He appeared at a Medal of Honor ceremony on Wednesday, and has planned trips to Wisconsin and Philadelphia later in the week.

Courtney Subramanian, Adam Levy and Brajesh Upadhyay contributed to this report



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