1 big thing: Scoop — Inside Trump's debate prep

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2. What to expect from the debates

3. What's next: Democracy in crisis

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4. Legal fight brewing over Trump's executive actions

5. Sneak Peek diary

Welcome to Sneak Peek, our weekly look ahead from both ends of Pennsylvania Avenue, plus our best scoops.

Today's newsletter is 1,492 words, a 6-minute read.

National

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Take a look at both ends of Penn Ave — and our best scoops

Axios Sneak Peek

1 big thing: Trump offered FBI director job to Kelly, asked for loyalty

2. Leaked memo on Jared Kushner's security clearance

3. Team Biden eyes a trillion-dollar January stimulus

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4. Team Trump's era of good feelings

6. First look: A former Trump aide's apocalyptic new book

Book cover of The Stakes by Michael Anton. 

🎬 Next on "Axios on HBO": At Eli Lilly HQ in Indianapolis, CEO David Ricks shares what he thinks of pressure from President Trump to rush coronavirus treatments and cures. See a clip.

Catch the full interview Monday at 11pm ET/PT on all HBO platforms.

Today's newsletter is 1,828 words, a 7-minute read.

Axios Sneak Peek: Leaked memos on Kushner security clearance

1 big thing: GOP convention is a Trumpian production

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2. How Trump's convention differs from the DNC ... and one similarity

Photo illustration of President Donald Trump.

3. Scoop: The Trump-Navarro mind meld on the FDA

Navarro speaking at a press conference with Trump looking on.

4. Quote du jour

6. First look: Carter Page's new book

Photo of the cover of Carter Page's forthcoming book

Today's newsletter is 1,845 words, a 7-minute read.

Axios Sneak Peek: Previewing the RNC — Scoop: The Trump-Navarro mind meld on the FDA

1 big thing: Trump eyes new unproven virus "cure"

Illustration of a medicine bottle tipped on its side with oleander flowers spilling out.

2. Inside the oleandrin campaign

3. No plane for Biden campaign

4. Sheldon Adelson makes nice with Trump

5. What's next: Inside Dem Convention week

6. The other side: Inside Trump's DNC counterprogramming

7. Sneak Peek diary

🎫 For the next two weeks, Axios is your floor pass to the conventions! Check out Axios 2020 Conventions coverage on the app (Apple | Android) or online for can’t-miss coverage and daily virtual events with the biggest newsmakers.

🎥 In the next episode of "Axios on HBO," Mike Allen interviews the acting Secretary of Homeland Security Chad Wolf. See a clip, then tune in for the full interview on Monday at 11 pm ET/PT on all HBO platforms.

1 big thing ... Scoop ... McCarthy warns Trump's war on mail could screw GOP

Illustration of a mailbox covered in "I Voted" stickers.  

2. Republicans' internal conflict over diversity

Rep. Kevin McCarthy flanked by GOP members, mostly white men.

3. Trump hunts for foreign policy wins

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4. Republicans to vote on skinny bill 

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5. Sneak Peek diary 

My colleague Alayna Treene, an Axios White House reporter, is filling in for me today.

Happy Labor Day weekend. We are 58 days away from Election Day. 

Situational awareness: North Carolina started mailing ballots on Friday. Several other states will also begin sending out ballots in the coming days.

Today's newsletter is 1,879 words, a 7-minute read.

Axios Sneak Peek — Scoop: McCarthy warns Trump's war on mail could screw GOP — Conflict over diversity

Cassidy Hutchinson, a top aide to former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, testified on Tuesday at the Jan. 6 committee's surprise hearing that White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows was aware of the risk of violence on Jan. 6 in the days leading up to the attack.

Driving the news: Hutchinson, who was Meadows' most trusted aide, has been a crucial witness for the committee, offering an inside account of the West Wing in the days leading up to, on and in the aftermath of the Jan. 6 Capitol attack.

Given her proximity to the chief of staff and her access to the inner workings of the White House, she had an extraordinary view into the events on Jan. 6, possibly including closed-door conversations and paper trails most staff were unaware of.

Her planned testimony was first reported by Punchbowl News.

The big picture: Hutchinson also testified that Trump was aware that some of the rallygoers had weapons but he requested that the metal detectors to enter the Ellipse be removed anyways.

She also testified that Trump lunged at his security detail when he learned he would not be taken to the Capitol during Jan. 6.

The other side: "I hardly know who this person, Cassidy Hutchinson, is, other than I heard very negative things about her (a total phony and “leaker”)," Trump wrote in a Truth Social post on Tuesday.

"When she requested to go with certain others of the team to Florida after my having served a full term in office, I personally turned her request down," he added.

"Why did she want to go with us if she felt we were so terrible? I understand that she was very upset and angry that I didn’t want her to go, or be a member of the team. She is bad news!”

However, former acting chief of staff Mick Mulvaney tweeted that Hutchinson's testimony was "explosive stuff". "If Cassidy is making this up, they will need to say that.  If she isn't they will have to corroborate," he said of her critics. "I know her. I don't think she is lying."

Why it matters: Hutchinson may be the most dangerous witness for Trump so far because, unlike many others who had paramount access to the former president, she is not directly or indirectly on the Trump payroll.

Hutchinson doesn't depend on Trump to sign on political candidates as clients, nor does she work for a Trump-affiliated firm or think tank.

Hutchinson told the committee she was present when Meadows described hearing Trump's positive reaction to the Capitol rioters calling for then-Vice President Mike Pence to be hanged.

A pre-taped video of Hutchinson from her deposition with the committee was also shown at the panel's last hearing, during which she testified that six House Republicans lawmakers who worked to reject the counting of electoral votes on Jan. 6 sought pardons following the attack.

Between the lines: Hutchinson's switch of lawyers while being investigated by the committee — from Trump-aligned lawyer Stefan Passantino to former Justice Department official Jody Hunt — signaled she was no longer attached to Trumpworld.

What we know: Recent reports have detailed that Meadows burned papers in his fireplace following the Jan. 6 riot.

The committee has been interested in knowing what those documents contained and what else Hutchinson heard and saw during those final days as Trump plotted to overturn the 2020 election.

Hutchinson already appeared for multiple closed-door depositions, so the committee already knows how valuable her testimony is.

The decision to bring Hutchinson before the panel for a formal hearing shows they believe the material she offers warrants upending their carefully crafted schedule to have her speak publicly in a highly televised setting.

Cassidy Hutchinson exposes Trump’s role in the Jan 6 violence

Cassidy Hutchinson, Mark Meadows' former aide, is the most dangerous witness for Trump yet.

 An image of Cassidy Hutchinson is shown during the fifth hearing held by the  January 6th committee

 An image of Cassidy Hutchinson is shown during the fifth hearing held by  the U.S. House of Representatives' Jan. 6 committee. Photo: Mandel Ngan-Pool/Getty Images

Jan. 6 select committee

Cassidy Hutchinson, a top aide to former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, testified on Tuesday at the <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Jan. 6 committee&#x27;s surprise hearing" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2022/06/27/jan-6-committee-hearing-schedule" data-vars-content-id="14a462f4-2f0a-46ea-94b0-f054ccc3c151" data-vars-headline="Cassidy Hutchinson exposes Trump’s role in the Jan 6 violence" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2022/06/27/jan-6-committee-hearing-schedule" target="_self">Jan. 6 committee&#x27;s surprise hearing</a> that White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows was <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="aware of the risk of violence" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2022/06/28/cassidy-hutchinson-mark-meadows-jan6-hearing" data-vars-content-id="14a462f4-2f0a-46ea-94b0-f054ccc3c151" data-vars-headline="Cassidy Hutchinson exposes Trump’s role in the Jan 6 violence" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2022/06/28/cassidy-hutchinson-mark-meadows-jan6-hearing" target="_self">aware of the risk of violence</a> on Jan. 6 in the days leading up to the attack.Driving the news: Hutchinson, who was Meadows&#x27; most trusted aide, has been a crucial witness for the committee, offering an inside account of the West Wing in the days leading up to, on and in the aftermath of the Jan. 6 Capitol attack.

President Biden has made the COVID-19 crisis and a post-Trump return to national unity and traditional democratic ideals his top priorities. From vaccinations to stimulus to schools, Biden is seeking bipartisan compromise while showing a willingness to use executive authority and bare Democratic majorities in the U.S. House and Senate to implement his policies. Republican leaders are navigating deep party divisions over if and how to move beyond former President Trump.

Politics & Policy

The Biden White House was angling to replace David Beasley, the head of the World Food Program, before an extraordinary bipartisan intervention by senators convinced the president to support extending his term, Axios has learned.

Why it matters: The potential change at the top of the Rome-based United Nations agency, which won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2020, could have complicated the WFP's ability to raise money and deliver food at a critical moment for global hunger. 

A global food shortage and skyrocketing prices — exacerbated by Russia's war in Ukraine — has threatened the worst hunger crisis in decades, with especially devastating impacts in vulnerable regions like the Horn of Africa. 

Beasley is warning that up to 323 million people are "marching toward starvation," with 49 million "knocking on famine's door" in 43 countries.

Behind the scenes: Beasley, a former Republican governor of South Carolina, was nominated to his job by former President Trump in 2017 for a five-year term — but did not have strong support inside the Biden White House.

Beasley did, however, have broad — and bipartisan — backing in Congress, where he earned respect for his fundraising skills and willingness to travel to war zones.   

Driving the news: The war in Ukraine and global pandemic have added a new degree of difficulty to the WFP's normal challenges — delivering food where fighting is fierce and droughts are persistent.

Millions of Ukrainians are facing food shortages: Germany's agriculture minister accused Russia on Friday of "deliberately using starvation as a weapon." 

At the same time, the WFP needs to keep open the port in Odessa, where Beasley has visited several times, to facilitate the export of Ukraine's wheat and cooking oil to a world struggling to feed itself after COVID-19 shocks to supply lines. 

What they're saying: "I urged that he strongly be considered for an extension because of what I'd seen of his effectiveness in the world and in Congress," Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.) — a key Biden ally — told Axios.

"I've seen David Beasley in action around the world, making a difference, both raising funds for the World Food Program from countries in the Gulf and in Europe," Coons said.

"I made pretty clear to the administration you have somebody who has credibility on the Hill," Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) told Axios. 

"And you'd be making a huge mistake to try to replace him because he has a lot of support on both sides of the aisle," Graham said. "Between Ukraine and famine, it's a sh*tshow out there."

A White House spokesperson told Axios: "The Biden administration decided to extend his term by one year due to world events such as [Russian President Vladimir] Putin's invasion of Ukraine that have exacerbated global food insecurity." A WFP spokesperson declined to comment.

The big picture: The WFP's executive director is one of several coveted international positions — like the president of the World Bank Group and the first managing director of the International Monetary Fund (the No. 2 slot) — that the U.S. effectively gets to fill.

The WFP's executive director's five-year term is out of sync with the U.S. presidency, meaning that presidents often inherit a leader who was installed by the other party. 

The U.N. — with Biden's consent — gave Beasley a one-year extension in March.

"It's a fat job," said Sen. James Inhofe (R-Okla.). "There's a lot of pressure on the administration" to replace Beasley with a Democrat.

The president doesn't officially need congressional consent for the top job at the WFP.

Biden does need Senate approval for the U.S. ambassador to the WFP, however. He selected Cindy McCain, the wife of the late Republican Sen. John McCain, for the job.

The bottom line: Beasley has until April of 2023, but so does the White House to find a replacement who has international appeal and support on both sides of the aisle.

Scoop: Senators derailed Biden from dumping World Food Program head

Biden wanted to replace Republican David Beasley at the UN.

 World Food Program chief David Beasley. Photo: Andrea Renault/AFP via Getty Images 

Food

Ukraine

The Biden White House was angling to replace David Beasley, the head of the World Food Program, before an extraordinary bipartisan intervention by senators convinced the president to support extending his term, Axios has learned.Why it matters: The potential change at the top of the Rome-based United Nations agency, which <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="won the Nobel Peace Prize" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2020/10/09/nobel-peace-prize-world-food-program-un" data-vars-content-id="433e89cc-f66f-4cc3-bf0b-a53f699d3507" data-vars-headline="Scoop: Senators derailed Biden from dumping World Food Program head" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2020/10/09/nobel-peace-prize-world-food-program-un" target="_self">won the Nobel Peace Prize</a> in 2020, could have complicated the WFP&#x27;s ability to raise money and deliver food at a critical moment for global hunger.

China is becoming the most formidable rival America has faced, and the risk of confrontation with Russia, North Korea or Iran still looms. Authoritarians are rising, the chaotic Afghanistan exit revealed the limits of U.S. power, and the pandemic, climate change and other critical challenges continue to pose grave threats.

World

Frustration inside the Senate GOP conference is boiling among conservatives at the way Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) is handling the bipartisan gun reform negotiations — putting the man who aspires to succeed Mitch McConnell as Republican leader in a political jam.

Why it matters: Some senators are viewing these negotiations as a test case for how Cornyn would fare as lead negotiator for the party should he replace McConnell one day.

Driving the news:  Multiple sources with direct knowledge say the GOP senators who are uneasy about the negotiations include Mike Lee (R-Utah), Rick Scott (R-Fla.), Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), Rand Paul (R-Ky.), and Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), among others.

McConnell has thus far supported Cornyn's efforts, saying he's "comfortable" with the bipartisan gun deal and will support the bill if it "ends up reflecting what the framework indicated."

Behind the scenes: At Tuesday's private Senate GOP lunch, several senators questioned Cornyn about the proposal and pushed for specific details about what the legislation would entail.

Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) "very vocally" requested more information from Cornyn on the substance of the framework. Those requests were rebuffed, three sources familiar with the lunch told Axios.

The proposal to incentivize state red flag laws has been especially unpopular among conservatives. Sens. Crapo, Cruz and others have voiced their concerns to leadership about it potentially becoming too easy to strip Americans of their right to bear arms.

And Scott, the chairman of the Senate Republicans' campaign arm, feels snubbed by the bipartisan group after holding early talks with Cornyn and Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.).

"No one's telling me anything. I've just asked for the text, and I haven’t gotten anything," Scott told Axios. "My whole goal is that we shouldn't be rushing something like this through; we should take our time."

Hawley told Axios he's "not a big fan of the framework as it's been announced ... I'm tracking what's been reported in the press. I understand the framework is shifting. But you know, I'm not a huge fan of it."

"I'm at a disadvantage because I'm not part of the negotiations," Hawley added. "I don't know where they are. All I know is what I read secondhand from you all."

Between the lines: Several senators feel they've been shut out of the negotiating process and kept in the dark about crucial details, and will be asked to take a politically tough vote without enough time to digest the bill.

One GOP senator, speaking to Axios on the condition of anonymity to be candid about his concerns, branded Cornyn's approach: "Shut up, and vote."

"There's considerable unhappiness in the conference that we seem to be approaching a bill that will unite all the Democrats and divide the Republicans," said another senior Republican with direct knowledge of the internal talks.

The senior Republican mentioned that Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) asked Cornyn during one lunch, "Are we focusing on gang violence and inner-city murders? And the response was, 'No, we're not focusing on that' ... And more than a few of us wondered why the hell not?"

"It would be prudent, and I think Sen. Cornyn knows this … it would be prudent to give senators plenty of time to read the bill and research the issues," Kennedy told Axios. 

"We're being told that Schumer wants to vote next week," the senior Republican added. "And that the Republicans engaged in negotiations are fine with that. Even though nobody's seen bill text, nobody's seen anything more than a couple of bullet points on a one-pager."

"And there's considerable concern that Republicans will join with Schumer in blocking amendments and forcing the package as a take it or leave it."

Yes, but: Leadership was skeptical that some of these conservative senators would vote for any gun deal they might come up with, given the makeup of their constituencies and — for some of them — suspected presidential aspirations.

Meanwhile, the bipartisan group has been in a stalemate over the final text because Cornyn is trying to get stronger due process protections for red flag laws after hearing from these members.

He's also seeking to limit the extent of closing the "boyfriend loophole" — which would keep guns out of the hands of domestic abusers, unmarried or not. 

The big picture: The disquiet among Republican senators grew louder when leadership decided to bypass the Senate Judiciary Committee and bring the tightly negotiated bill to the floor before the Senate's July 4 recess.

Cornyn's initial aspiration was to put forward a bipartisan bill that could win the support of 20 or more Republicans — not just eke out passage with the 10 Republican votes required to break the filibuster.

"That [approach] was in response to the complaint that they were going to pick off 10 Republicans and divide our conference," a GOP senator told Axios. "And what do we get? Last weekend we get a press release with 10 Republican senators and the suggestion it's happening whether you like it or not."

The other side: Cornyn is aware of the growing conservative backlash and has sought to tamp it down in a series of media appearances and in public remarks — including today, when he walked out of negotiations and told reporters: "It's fish or cut bait. I don't know what they have in mind, but I'm through talking."

He's also emphasized the provisions he fought to keep out of the bill, such as raising the age to purchase assault weapons to 21.

Cornyn has rebranded "red flag laws" — a toxic phrase among conservatives — as "crisis intervention."

He's said he wants states to have the option to use the federal grant money to "incentivize" them to pass red flag laws for other purposes.

A Cornyn aide told Axios the senator and his staff have answered several questions and taken feedback from many of these members and their staff every day this week.

"Cornyn has been talking to and answering questions one on one from multiple of these members. He or our staff has been in particularly close contact with Crapo and Lee."

"Part of the reason McConnell selected him is because he has credibility and a track record on this issue and has a wide reach across the board among members," a Senate GOP leadership aide said. “He is uniquely suited to take on this challenge.”

The bottom line: Given his leadership aspirations, Cornyn is taking on a bigger risk than the nine other Republican senators who signed onto the bipartisan gun safety framework.

Four of those GOP senators are retiring, and none are up for re-election this year.

Scoop: Conservative backlash builds against Cornyn's gun talks

It could spell trouble for the man who aspires to succeed Mitch McConnell as Republican leader.

John Cornyn

Frustration inside the Senate GOP conference is boiling among conservatives at the way Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) is handling the bipartisan gun reform negotiations — putting the man who aspires to succeed Mitch McConnell as Republican leader in a political jam.Why it matters: Some senators are viewing these negotiations as a test case for how Cornyn would fare as lead negotiator for the party should he replace McConnell one day.

House Republicans welcomed to the Capitol on Wednesday a new self-described "anti-woke" business lobbying group, amplifying their hostility toward the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and broader "environmental, social and corporate governance" (ESG) movement.

Why it matters: The U.S. Chamber used to wield enormous power within the GOP as the representative of business interests. But the country's largest lobbying group is now viewed with contempt across large swaths of the Republican Party.

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) says he won't even meet with the group if he's speaker next year.

The GOP Senate Conference isn't nearly as hostile as the House. But several high-profile Republican senators, including Tom Cotton of Arkansas, have been publicly attacking the business lobby for months.

Driving the news: The Republican Study Committee, the largest group of conservatives in the House, invited leaders of the American Free Enterprise Chamber of Commerce, to lunch at the Capitol.

As Axios first reported, the group is positioning itself as an alternative to lobbies like the U.S. Chamber, which some Republicans charge have lurched left to appease Democrats amid a broader effort by corporate America to advocate on issues such as abortion, voting rights and racial justice.

Behind the scenes: The Republican Study Committee lunch conversation turned into a bashing session against the U.S. Chamber and corporate ESG.

RSC chairman Jim Banks (R-Ind.), who is close to McCarthy, introduced the new group's two leaders — its chairman, former Iowa governor and President Trump's ambassador to China, Terry Branstad, and its CEO Gentry Collins, a former political director of the Republican National Committee.

In his introductory remarks, Banks said he was "increasingly frustrated with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce for supporting woke policies and enriching China." 

Between the lines: Woke is a term used to refer to an awareness of broad injustices in society that conservatives are increasingly using as a pejorative to criticize liberal ideals.  

Things only got worse for the Chamber from there as the lunch entered a question-and-answer session with Branstad and Collins.

Rep. Andy Barr (R-Ky.) described the corporate ESG movement as a "threat" to America that is "undermining American competitiveness" and said the U.S. Chamber "has been corrupted by woke thinking." 

Barr told Branstad about his bill, the "Ensuring Sound Guidance (ESG) Act," which is part of a broader GOP legislative assault against green investing and other forms of socially responsible investment. Part of the GOP's goal is to get major investment firms to re-embrace fossil fuels.

"Amen — I agree with that," Branstad said of Barr's requirement that investment advisers prioritize financial returns over other issues such as sustainability.

Rep. Warren Davidson (R-Ohio) told Branstad and Collins: "Thanks for organizing an actual American Chamber of Commerce versus this woke Chamber."

Rep. Brian Babin (R-Texas) contended that the U.S. Chamber had opposed sufficiently securing the southern border and was "flooding our country with cheap labor ... basically taking jobs out of the hands of U.S. citizens." 

"Where is this new Chamber going to stand on border security?" he asked.

Branstad replied they would "stand strong for border security."

Branstad was seen huddling with House Minority Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.) at the end of the lunch and later met with McCarthy's staff.

Scalise's chief of staff, Brett Horton, said last year his office wanted nothing to do with the U.S. Chamber. "If the U.S. Chamber sent me a meeting request right now, I wouldn't even staff that meeting out to an intern, and I don't see that changing," Horton said.

The U.S. Chamber's executive vice president Neil Bradley is a former senior House GOP leadership staffer and executive director of the RSC.

The other side: In response to this reporting, a U.S. Chamber spokesman told Axios:

"Today, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce was advocating for boosting domestic energy production and cutting tariffs to curb inflation, fighting taxes in the Senate, securing two business community wins at the Supreme Court, and ensuring pro-business champions like [South Carolina GOP] Rep. [Nancy] Mace return to Congress. So I am not sure what these people were referring to."

The bottom line: The Chamber has remained highly engaged in Washington in spite of its rocky relationship with Republican leadership.

The $19 million it spent on its federal lobbying operation in the first quarter of 2022 topped the list of all D.C. lobbying spenders, according to OpenSecrets.

House GOP welcomes a new Chamber, declares war against the old one

The country's largest lobbying group is now viewed with contempt by much of the GOP.

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) with Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) and Jim Banks (R-Ind.). Photo: Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images

House Republicans

House Republicans welcomed to the Capitol on Wednesday a new self-described <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="&quot;anti-woke&quot; business lobbying group" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2022/05/10/gop-anti-woke-chamber-lobby" data-vars-content-id="b720e5dd-308a-4775-b234-ab54e403d52f" data-vars-headline="House GOP welcomes a new Chamber, declares war against the old one" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2022/05/10/gop-anti-woke-chamber-lobby" target="_self">&quot;anti-woke&quot; business lobbying group</a>, amplifying their hostility toward the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and broader &quot;environmental, social and corporate governance&quot; (ESG) movement.Why it matters: The U.S. Chamber used to wield enormous power within the GOP as the representative of business interests. But the country&#x27;s largest lobbying group is now viewed with contempt across large swaths of the Republican Party.

After a record economic expansion, the coronavirus pandemic sent the U.S. economy into a recession as unemployment soared to staggering heights. The country now faces urgent questions about how much stimulus is needed for reeling consumers and businesses, and what a recovery might look like.

Economy & Business

For months leading up to the Supreme Court's ruling, Mike Pence's unequivocal public and private embrace of the impending Roe decision contrasted with Donald Trump's private concerns about the political risks to Republicans if abortion rights were overturned in a midterm election year.

Why this matters: Pence is preparing to challenge Trump for the Republican nomination in 2024. Abortion is one of the key policy issues on which the former vice president has sought to define himself as more unabashedly conservative than the former president.

Driving the news: On Friday, as soon as the Supreme Court announced its decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, Pence's team was ready to be first out of the gate with an instant reaction.

His organization instantly released a video celebrating the decision and Pence's role in making it happen. The video recalled Pence's history fighting against abortion, long before he became vice president. Nowhere in the video is  Trump mentioned by name.

Pence also immediately issued a statement to Breitbart News: "Today, Life Won. By overturning Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court of the United States has given the American people a new beginning for life, and I commend the justices in the majority for having the courage of their convictions."

He called for a fight to stop abortion "in every state in the land" — an effort to entirely eradicate abortion.

Trump's initial response was strikingly different. Usually eager to claim credit for himself, he told Fox News that "God made the decision," when he was asked whether he felt he played a role in the reversal of Roe v. Wade after having appointed three conservative justices to the Supreme Court.

In the Fox News interview, Trump said the ruling "will work out for everybody."

The former president later issued a written statement in which he took credit for the decision, calling it the "biggest WIN for LIFE in a generation" and "only made possible because I delivered everything as promised..." 

Behind the scenes: These statements mask Trump's private doubts about the political implications of the ruling, according to sources with direct knowledge of the former president's private comments.

Soon after Politico published its explosive leak last month of the Supreme Court's draft decision to overturn Roe, Trump told confidants the decision could be bad for Republicans in an election year.

At least two other Trump advisers agreed with him that the decision could fire up Democrats in November, especially suburban women. The New York Times was first to report Trump's private comments.

Yes, but: Another reason for Trump's reluctance to praise the Supreme Court is because he's still bitterly angry at the conservative justices for refusing to take up his challenges to President Biden's 2020 election victory, according to a source with direct knowledge. 

Trump feels he was let down when it mattered most by the three justices he appointed.

Trump also privately said that if he took a victory lap after the leak and before the Supreme Court finalized its decision, the justices might change their minds, the source added.

Pence draws contrast with Trump on abortion decision

Donald Trump has privately worried about the political risks to Republicans of overturning abortion rights in a midterm election year.

For months leading up to the Supreme Court&#x27;s ruling, Mike Pence&#x27;s unequivocal public and private embrace of the impending Roe decision contrasted with Donald Trump&#x27;s private concerns about the political risks to Republicans if abortion rights were overturned in a midterm election year.Why this matters: Pence is preparing to challenge Trump for the Republican nomination in 2024. Abortion is one of the key policy issues on which the former vice president has sought to define himself as more unabashedly conservative than the former president.

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