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65-year-old quit his job and emptied his life savings to start a business — now he’s worth $11 billion

This story is part of CNBC Make It’s The Moment series, where highly successful people reveal the critical moment that changed the trajectory of their lives and careers, discussing what drove them to make the leap into the unknown.

Jay Chaudhry never thought he’d run a business, amass a fortune or help popularize an entire industry. Not growing up in rural India, not upon moving to the U.S. in 1980 to study engineering and marketing, not even after landing jobs at tech giants IBM and Unisys.

“I have no background of entrepreneurship in my family of small-scale farmers. So if you asked me, ‘Did I ever think about becoming an entrepreneur in my childhood [or] early years of my career?’ Not really,” Chaudhry, the billionaire founder and CEO of cloud security company Zscaler, tells CNBC Make It.

It took Silicon Valley’s dot-com boom — the wild success stories of tech startups like Netscape — to get Chaudhry thinking in 1996, “Why shouldn’t I start a company?” He made the rash decision to quit his job as an executive at Atlanta-based tech company IQ Software, and his wife Jyoti quit her job as a systems analyst at telecommunications giant BellSouth.

Together, they plunged their life savings — roughly $500,000 — into SecureIT, a cybersecurity software startup they co-founded in 1997. At the time, “maybe less than 5% of Fortune 500 companies had firewalls,” Chaudhry says. “Within 18 months, we had deployed firewalls in about 50% of [the] Fortune 500.”

His timing was perfect: In 1998, Chaudhry sold SecureIT to VeriSign in an all-stock deal worth nearly $70 million. Over the ensuing decade, the husband-and-wife duo founded two more cybersecurity companies and an e-commerce business, each of which got acquired.

By 2007, they were already wealthy entrepreneurs, and Chaudhry — who gets “bored” without something to work on — decided it was time to launch “one big company and put 200% focus on that,” he says.

That company was Zscaler, which aimed to help companies transition away from outdated firewalls and into the cloud era. The couple invested $50 million of their own money, says Chaudhry. Today, it brings in $1.6 billion in annual revenue and has a market value of roughly $30 billion.

Chaudhry’s own net worth is estimated at $11.5 billion by Forbes.

Here, Chaudhry talks about putting his family’s savings on the line to follow his gut, how his upbringing influenced his relationship with money and the advice he’d give someone who wants to quit their job to start a business.

CNBC Make It: What prompted you to stake your entire life’s savings on a startup idea — in an industry that didn’t really exist yet?

Chaudhry: This thing happened because I love to read and I love technology.

In 1996, Netscape had just launched and gone public, and I was fascinated by it. I said, “If [Netscape co-founder] Marc Andreessen could start a company — he was a young guy [right] out of college — why shouldn’t I start a company?”

My wife and I talked a few times, and the more we thought about it, the more conviction we got around it: [Netscape’s web browser] is the way to access information, and it should become popular. But if every company is connected to the internet, that means there will be security risks.

That was my simple thinking. There was no IDC or Gartner study about the market size. It was largely based on what the gut told us.

A gut feeling is one thing. Betting every dollar to your name is another.

It started out with us saying, “Let’s go get venture capital funding.” I had no experience raising funds, and I realized soon that it wasn’t that easy. This was [1996], Atlanta was not a VC mecca and we kept hearing, “Hey, you don’t have any experience.”

We were disappointed, but our conviction was building, which led to me saying, “Why don’t we put our life-savings on the line?”

I didn’t know anything. So, I really didn’t know how big the risk was. I couldn’t quantify it.

How did you make peace with that risk?

After talking back and forth, we asked each other, “What’s the worst thing that can happen?” The company could shut down, we’d lose all of our savings.

The next question was, “Can we find jobs?” There was lots of confidence that we could.

I never had money in my early childhood, so there was never a notion that I must buy A and B and C. Our lifestyle was pretty simple. Our house in Alpharetta, Georgia, was $200,000 — a nice, typical middle-class house at that time — and we didn’t have any fancy cars or fancy payments.

Our only child at that time was going to a public school. There wasn’t a lot of overhead. We said, “Let’s take a chance.”

When a bet pays off, does that success make you more confident to take on bigger risks? Were any of your other ventures as risky as that first one?

The [financial] risk of SecureIT was, like, 1,000 times more than the risk of Zscaler. The amount I invested in Zscaler was a small fraction of my net worth.

But Zscaler was much harder. I put more money in it than all the others combined. I took bigger bets. I hired people more quickly to solve some very hard problems. I wanted to do something big, something lasting.

We were trying to solve a problem that was futuristic. Will it be successful or not? Will the market take off or not? That was all unknown.

So if you asked me the chances of success of Zscaler, there was a much higher risk. Because, with SecureIT, it was fairly obvious that as you connect to the internet, you need firewalls.

What’s your best advice for someone who’s thinking about quitting their job to start their own business?

First, build conviction by learning more about what you want to do. Don’t just do some of the cursory work.

Second, start by putting in your own money. That actually is part of testing your conviction. If you really have conviction, you’ll take a chance on yourself. That also means you’ve done some serious homework, you’re ready, you’re committed.

You can also make decisions the way you want to make decisions. If Zscaler was largely owned by VCs, they probably could have shut it down. It took us a few years to really start getting traction in the market, and VCs can write you off and move on. They say, “It’s one of my 20 investments.”

When you put in your own money, this is the only business you have.

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‘We’re out’: Giants say good-bye to popular player on ‘Hard Knocks’

A pair of text messages — one sent by Joe Schoen and one received — framed the third episode of ‘Hard Knocks: Offseason with the New York Giants.’

The first — from the general manager to head coach Brian Daboll — was delivered on a Saturday morning at 6 a.m. ET, two days prior to the start of the NFL’s free agency negotiating period in March, and it read:

‘Protect the quarterback. Get after the quarterback. Let’s go.’

And the second, from Schoen’s youngest daughter Harper at the close the first official day of free agency:

‘Hey Daddy, good job at work today.’

All things Giants: Latest New York Giants news, schedule, roster, stats, injury updates and more.

Everything in between those two texts tested the mettle and patience of Schoen, and all of it was covered in a 37-minute third installment of the NFL Films docuseries that incredibly has just two episodes left.

Here are the takeaways from the latest episode that first aired July 16 with a focus on the process of rebuilding the team in the third year for Schoen and Daboll centered around free agency:

‘We’re out’

This really was a drama-free episode when comparing Schoen’s call to Saquon Barkley that ended last week’s show. We never heard from Barkley, and while Schoen makes several calls to his agent, Ed Berry, the latter’s part of the conversations is not aired for the viewer to hear.

There was confusion created by the captioning on a preview released on social media by NFL Films, suggesting Schoen and the Giants had indeed made an official offer to Barkley. What actually happened: Schoen offered up a hypothetical to Berry, asking if the Giants put a three-year, $37.5 million contract with $25 million guaranteed on the table, would that result in a return for Barkley.

Shortly thereafter, in a call to co-owner and team president John Mara, Schoen suggested Berry could not guarantee that was the case, and there would be work to do. At that point, it sure seemed like Schoen was wary of having his offer used to drive up the price elsewhere.

Later in the episode, Schoen phoned Berry and told him the Giants were out with the price having reached a certain point. News of Barkley’s deal with the Philadelphia Eagles broke and director of pro scouting Chris Rossetti read the terms out loud for Schoen, presumably on social media.

John Mara thinks like an owner. He thinks about the business and he thinks about the football. He does think about the fans’ reaction, probably too much. It’s not hard to see why he didn’t want to trade Odell Beckham Jr., why he wanted to keep Eli Manning for as long as possible and why he would have paid Barkley to keep him out of Philly. That being said: Schoen’s job is not on the line because he made a move that Mara thought would hurt in terms of popularity.

Soon after, Schoen and Mara had this exchange that closed Barkley’s chapter with the Giants.

‘We’re gonna be fine,’ Schoen said, to which Mara responded: ‘I think we will be, too.’

Free agency frenzy

We entered the Ed Triggs and Kevin Abrams portion of the program. As two of Schoen’s lead salary cap guys and negotiators, they were introduced to the audience as the Giants hit the market.

The Giants had three offensive line targets at the top of their list: guards Jon Runyan and Robert Hunt, and guard/tackle Jermaine Eluemunor, sending offers to all three. The Giants ended up landing Runyan when Schoen beat out an offer from the Jets, who had $9 million per year with $17 million guaranteed on the table.

Abrams told Schoen that Drew Rosenhaus, Runyan’s agent, said the Giants were going to have to beat that because of the Aaron Rodgers-Nathaniel Hackett connection. Both were with Runyan in Green Bay.

Triggs told Schoen the Giants were competing with Arizona for Eluemunor and they had to go up to $7 million per year. ‘He’s gonna be our starting right tackle or our starting left guard,’ Rossetti said.

Schoen and Daboll were clear that Tyrod Taylor was their top target for backup quarterback. But, the Jets wound up luring Taylor away with a more lucrative offer.

Schoen mentioned Drew Lock and Sam Darnold, who went to Minnesota, and Gardner Minshew, who was at a much higher price point. The Giants went up to $5 million guaranteed to secure Lock, preventing him from going back to the Seahawks.

As far as running back, the Giants pivoted to Devin Singletary, who Daboll had in Buffalo and seemingly preferred over D’Andre Swift.

PREVIOUSLY ON ‘HARD KNOCKS’: Inside combine interviews, teeing up Saquon Barkley exit

Schoen seals the Spida-Man deal

Schoen compromised with Panthers GM Dan Morgan and included the better of the Giants’ second round picks to seal the deal for Brian Burns. The price of a 2 and a fifth rounder next year, plus a swap of picks this spring was a far cry from the two first-rounders Morgan playfully requested when the topic was first broached back at the Senior Bowl two months earlier.

Next week: The NFL draft is here

It’s clear the Giants are willing to let their possible pursuit of a quarterback on Draft Night hit the screen.

Next week’s teaser showed two scenes that serve as confirmation.

The first: Schoen asks Daboll if Jayden Daniels, who went No. 2 overall, is someone he would trade up for, and the coach said yes.

The second: with Mara and co-owner Steve Tisch in Schoen’s office on draft night, Schoen quips: ‘If we don’t get a quarterback here, we’re rolling with Daniel [Jones] and we’re gonna try to get him a weapon. We good with that?’

Daboll: ‘Yup.’

This post appeared first on USA TODAY
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Inside NBC’s extravagant plans for Paris Olympics broadcast coverage

For more than two weeks this summer, NBC will command the eyes of the sporting world from the Unites States at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

And there is a staggering number of ways to consume the countless hours of competition from the 32 sports on display, along with the discussion and viral moments that build off the action.

To make the best viewing decisions at home, here is everything you need to know about NBC’s plans to cover the 2024 Paris Olympics in the United States, including which channels Team USA’s biggest stars will air on, the streaming options available throughout the day and how the network will plan its nightly “Primetime in Paris” show.

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What channels are the Paris Olympics on? How can you stream it?

NBC, which saw strong viewership during Olympic trials, will be the daytime and primetime home of the network’s coverage. But the full might of NBCUniversal will be behind the operation.   

Meet Team USA: See which athletes made the U.S. Olympic team and where they are from

Peacock will stream every sport and event, including all 329 medal events. Full-event replays will be available on demand on top of all NBC programming, curated video clips and original content.

USA Network will be the primary home for team sports and programs with longer run-times, such as swimming heats, track and field, soccer, basketball, 3×3 basketball, beach volleyball, rugby, cycling, volleyball and water polo.

CNBC will feature boxing, cycling, rugby and skateboarding. E! has coverage of track and field, gymnastics, canoeing, diving, equestrian, artistic swimming, breaking, fencing and water polo.

GOLF Channel carries live golf competition from Le Golf National.

What Olympics sports will air live daytime vs. primetime?

All events are available live in the U.S., whether that’s on one of the cable networks, NBC, or strictly Peacock. There will be live competition content to consume daily from 4 a.m. ET to 6 p.m. ET.

“Really, the consumer can find whatever they’re looking for live during the day,” NBC Olympics president and executive producer Molly Solomon told USA TODAY Sports in June. “And that’s the beauty of the European time zone.”

In primetime, starting at 8 p.m. ET (2 a.m. the following day in Paris), NBC’s marquee broadcast will air live and focus on the biggest events of the day with “Primetime in Paris.” That block will have a storytelling lens with more in-depth coverage opportunities. Mike Tirico will be the host from Paris’ famed Trocadero, with the Eiffel Tower serving as the backdrop.

The show will typically open with highlights from a Team USA gold medal and the last hour of the show will revolve around the event of the night.

The USA TODAY app gets you to the heart of the news — fast. Download for award-winning coverage, crosswords, audio storytelling, the eNewspaper and more.

NBC’s plans for Olympics opening ceremony in Paris

Solomon credited Paris 2024 organizers for throwing out the “tradition playbook” and setting the opening ceremony on the Seine River, with athletes floating through the city.

“When people ask, ‘What are you most excited about?’ It has to be the opening ceremonies because something like this has never been done before,” Solomon said.

She added: “It’s audacious, it’s bold, it’s daring, and it’s going to be unforgettable.”

From a technical, television perspective, it will be the most complicated event that has ever been produced. The Olympic Broadcasting Service (OBS) will have 100 cameras along the parade route. Each delegation will have access to a live mobile phone camera on the boat. NBC will be tracking the U.S. team’s route, and the Americans will be second-to-last down the river because the U.S. hosts the 2028 Games in Los Angeles.

NBC will have an additional 40 cameras on the scene. Reporter Maria Taylor will be embedded with Team USA interviewing athletes from the water. “Today” show hosts Savannah Guthrie and Hoda Kotb will be on a bridge over the Seine.

Kelly Clarkson and Peyton Manning will join Tirico as hosts on the broadcast. Live coverage begins at noon ET and primetime starts at 7:30 p.m. ET.

“France is throwing the world’s biggest party,” Solomon said, “and we get to be there.”

How many times has Mike Tirico hosted the Olympics?

The face of NBC’s coverage is Tirico, who is also the network’s frontman for NFL games. This will be his fifth Olympics assignment and fourth time as the television host of the games; he first replaced Bob Costas in that role at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang.

At the Beijing 2022 Winter Games, Tirico returned to the U.S. to call Super Bowl 56 between the Los Angeles Rams and Cincinnati Bengals.

Tirico will be on double-duty in strictly a Parisian sense this time. He will be around for about three hours of live coverage during the daytime and then once primetime begins at 8 p.m. ET.

“There haven’t been many people who have the chance to be the lead voice on a sport like the NFL and be the Olympic host, and I love the fact I get to do both and get the opportunity,” Tirico told USA TODAY Sports.

What is NBC’s Olympic ‘Gold Zone’?

For football fans who like their football Sundays with a helping of “NFL Red Zone,” there is good news. There could be up to 40 events happening simultaneously, so NBC green-lit “Gold Zone,” a whiparound format that shows the action as it is happening.

Bringing in Scott Hanson, who anchors “Red Zone” during the fall, “was kind of a layup,” Solomon said. The built-in credibility he brings to the audience helps.

Solomon traveled to Los Angeles to sell Hanson on the idea. Since then, she said, he has been invested to the point of making sure the set design can sustain that type of broadcast. Hanson would know. He has pushed producers and voiced his ideas.

“Because he knows that this is even more difficult than the NFL … I’ve been so impressed by his work ethic,” Solomon said. “He is so committed to making this a success and doing it well.”

Hanson will also be joined by Andrew Siciliano, Matt Iseman and Akbar Gbajabiamila as “Gold Zone” hosts. “Gold Zone” will stream live on Peacock from 7 a.m.-5 p.m. ET daily from July 27-Aug. 10.

Will Michael Phelps be back at the Olympics?

The most-decorated American male athlete in Olympic history is back as a broadcast contributor.

“We definitely flex according to where we think he is best positioned to contribute,” Solomon said.

Is Dwyane Wade auditioning for big NBC job during Olympics?  

NBC tabbed Noah Eagle to call Team USA basketball, and on the men’s side, assigned Dwyane Wade to be the color commentator.

Solomon said that she is always looking for new voices and that Wade checked the box of having international competition experience. She knows that he hasn’t done a lot of game calling, but had been impressed by his previous work in the studio with TNT – being friends with LeBron James also helps.

“He’s so thoughtful, and of course, has experience with so many members of the team,” Solomon said. “So I think there’ll be a lot of personal storytelling. He’ll have access to members of that team to get new insight. And I look forward to hearing a new voice in the basketball space.”

And after this summer, Wade could be in line for a more permanent job at NBC with the network gaining NBA rights in the league’s newest media deal set to begin at the start of the 2025-26 season.

LaChina Robinson will join Eagle for Team USA women’s basketball contests.

Who are the Olympic gymnastics broadcasters?

Gymnastics coverage will be paramount, and NBC knows that. Explaining the complex scoring system can be confusing to the casual viewer at home.

Solomon feels like reporter/analyst John Roethlisberger has a strong chance of being the network’s breakout star in Paris because of his ability to analogize what’s happening on the mat to other sports fans may be more familiar with. And the three-time Olympian can also dive into the weeds of judges’ opinions should that be necessary.

He’ll be joined by the other 2024 Paris Olympics NBC announcers for gymnastics:

Primetime show: Terry Gannon (play-by-play), Tim Daggett (analyst), Samantha Peszek (analyst), John Roethlisberger (analyst/reporter), Zora Stephenson (reporter)Live daytime: Rich Lerner (play-by-play), Laurie Hernandez (analyst), Justin Spring (analyst), Zora Stephenson (reporter)

Who is calling track and field at the 2024 Olympics?

The 2024 Paris Olympics NBC announcers for track and field are:

Live finals and primetime: Leigh Diffey (play-by-play), Paul Swangard (play-by-play), Ato Boldon (analyst), Sanya Richards-Ross (analyst), Kara Goucher (analyst), Trey Hardee (analyst), Lewis Johnson (reporter)Live preliminary heats: Bill Spaulding (play-by-play), Dawn Harper-Nelson (analyst), Shannon Rowbury (analyst), Lewis Johnson (reporter)

Wait, is Alex Cooper part of NBC’s Olympics coverage?

NBC wants to broaden its audience, particularly among young people, and brought in contributors “to bring that enthusiasm and maybe a different perspective to what we’re doing,” Solomon said. The contributors, such as “Call Her Daddy” podcast host Alex Cooper, have different fan bases demographically.

“That’s really why we wanted to integrate pop culture into what we’re doing,” Solomon said. “But I always want to maintain that competition is at the core of what we do.”

“Watch with Alex Cooper” will stream on Peacock as a series of live, interactive, picture-in-picture watch parties streaming on Peacock that serves as sort of a companion-cast to the action. (Think “Manningcast” vibes without the detailed football analysis.) The show will include social media reaction and guests.

“We are trying a lot of different things to make sure we elevate the Olympics and the stories, and that’s why we went for some different voices this time around,” Solomon said.

At a media event this summer, Cooper said she wants Gen-Z women to participate in the Games in a less-intimidating way. She sat down for an interview with Simone Biles in which the gymnast opened up about her ‘twisties’ experience in Tokyo in 2021.

Is Snoop Dogg back at the Olympics?

With his mind on the Olympics and the Olympics on his mind, Snoop Dogg is, indeed, back. He’s primed for a bigger role three years after his reactions to the dressage competition with Kevin Hart went viral.

Snoop will be a regular on “Primetime in Paris.” Parts of the primetime show being taped allows for Snoop to spend time with Team USA athletes, their families, or explore Paris and relay findings and insights to the wider audience that night.

Snoop expressed interest about a year ago, and Solomon was struck by his passion for telling athletes’ stories and his love for the Olympics. He was at track and field trials in June to start laying the groundwork for his summer job.

“‘Where is Snoop?’ I hope it becomes a popular guessing game of what we’re doing that day,” Solomon said.

Hart and Kenan Thompson will host a commentary series called “Olympic Highlights with Kevin Hart and Kenan Thompson.”

How will NBC cover Israel-Palestine, Russia-Ukraine, and other world events at the 2024 Olympics?

International relations bleed into Olympic competition. That is the nature of the Games. The Olympics also produces lots of news. The plan, Solomon said, is to cover it as the news happens and to collaborate with NBC News.

“Are we going to cover controversy? Of course we’re going to cover controversy,” Solomon said. “But unless it is huge news, we’re not going to live in it. We’re going to cover it and we’re going to cover the Olympic Games.”

Can I watch the 2024 Paris Olympics in Spanish?

Yes. Telemundo is the exclusive Spanish-language home for the Olympics in the U.S. Peacock will livestream all Telemundo and Universo programming. Telemundo will present a two-hour recap show that airs at 12 a.m. ET.

How many people work for NBC during the Olympics? Where are they?

Broadcasting the Games is a 3,000-person effort. Most of NBC’s production team will be based at the NBCUniversal’s Stamford, Connecticut, headquarters (approximately 2,000). There, they can use the hundreds of graphics production machines and hundreds of edit rooms to which they are accustomed.

The remainder will be stationed at the network’s on-the-ground facility near Charles de Gaulle airport outside of Paris. It is a temporary structure that will be deconstructed at the Games’ conclusion in accordance with Paris 2024’s sustainability goals.

“It just becomes very, very difficult to build this up in an Olympic host city,” Solomon said. “When you have a state-of-the-art facility back home, it just makes too much sense.” 

Key announcers and hosts will be onsite. NBC has reporters at every venue during competition.

‘We think we’ve got the right balance,” Solomon said.

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Kamala Harris says Trump picked JD Vance to be ‘rubber stamp’ for former president’s ‘extreme agenda’

Vice President Kamala Harris said in a newly released video that former President Trump selected Sen. JD Vance, R-Ohio, as his running mate to be a ‘rubber stamp’ for the Republican White House hopeful’s ‘extreme agenda.’

This comes ahead of Vance’s acceptance speech on Wednesday at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee. Trump, now formally the Republican nominee for president, announced Vance as his pick for vice president on Monday.

‘Trump looked for someone he knew would be a rubber stamp for his extreme agenda,’ Harris said in the video.

‘Make no mistake: JD Vance will be loyal only to Trump, not to our country,’ she continued.

Harris and Vance spoke by phone after Vance’s nomination in a brief and respectful conversation, Fox News’ Alexis McAdams reports, after Harris left a congratulatory voicemail.

Harris also criticized Vance for saying in an interview with ABC News earlier this year that he would not have certified the 2020 election until states submitted pro-Trump electors if he were vice president at the time, noting in the interview that he believes unsubstantiated claims of election fraud in the 2020 election.

‘Unlike Mike Pence, Vance said he would have carried out Trump’s plan to overturn the 2020 election,’ Harris said.

The vice president further pointed to comments Vance made during his 2022 Senate campaign, when he said he supported a national abortion ban at 15 weeks, with some exceptions such as protecting the life of the mother. Harris also cited in her video Vance’s vote last month against a Democrat-led bill to protect access to in vitro fertilization, or IVF. The bill was blocked by Republicans in the Senate.

‘He supports a national abortion ban and voted against protecting IVF,’ Harris said of Vance.

Harris also referenced Project 2025, a controversial initiative organized by conservative think tank the Heritage Foundation and that was authored by a number of conservatives, including some former Trump administration officials.

Project 2025 offers right-wing policy recommendations for Trump should he win the presidency, including replacing civil service employees with Trump loyalists, abolishing the Department of Education, criminalizing pornography, eliminating DEI programs, cutting funding for Medicaid and Medicare, rejecting abortion as health care and infusing the government with Christian values.

Trump has sought to distance himself from the initiative, which has been criticized as an authoritarian and Christian nationalist plan that would undermine civil liberties, saying he knows nothing about it and that parts of it are ‘absolutely ridiculous and abysmal.’

‘And if elected, [Vance] will help implement the extreme Project 2025 plan for a second Trump term, which would target critical programs like Head Start and Medicare,’ Harris said. ‘But we are not going to let that happen.’

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McCarthy says Trump showing ‘real leadership’ to the world after assassination attempt

Milwaukee, Wis.—President Trump is showing ‘real leadership’ to ‘not just America, but the world’ following the attempt on his life over the weekend — drawing a stark contrast between himself and President Biden, former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy said.

McCarthy spoke with Fox News Digital on the sidelines of the Republican National Convention, nothing that while JD Vance is a strong pick for vice president, this election is ‘all about Trump and he is stronger than he has ever been.’ 

‘Seeing President Trump, talking to him the day after the shooting, I mean, it is unbelievable that he is alive,’ McCarthy said. ‘I think just in that sheer moment he taught, not just America, but the world, that he is a real leader.’ 

McCarthy told Fox News Digital that in the past several days following the assassination attempt against Trump, he has spoken with numerous world leaders who have called to check in on the former president.

‘They say he showed real leadership, and that makes America stronger, and makes the world safer in the same instance,’ McCarthy said. ‘And then when they look at the times of President Biden tripping, falling over a bike — that showed a weakness in America.’ 

This week, less than 48 hours after the attempt on his life, Trump announced that Sen. JD Vance of Ohio is his pick for vice president. Trump made the highly anticipated announcement on his Truth Social account, amid months of speculation of who his running mate would be. 

But McCarthy doesn’t think it matters. 

‘Not taking anything away from JD, but I don’t think a VP is going to matter in this race,’ McCarthy told Fox News Digital. ‘This is all about Trump and Trump is stronger than he has ever been.’ 

McCarthy, though, said the Trump-Vance ticket is an ‘interesting’ one, that can draw in non-traditional Republicans. 

‘Just the history of JD and his life experience—being raised by his grandparents, joining the Marines, coming up from nothing, making something of himself, being an author, understanding the Appalachians—that is new for us,’ McCarthy said. ‘But President Trump has always reached out to a lot of Independents and Democrats and I think they know the contrast and the policies that they had under Trump and what world they lived in under President Trump and now President Biden. I think this will be a big night for us in November.’ 

As for Biden, McCarthy said he has watched the president ‘utilize the assassination attempt to try to reset his campaign and solidify his nomination.’ 

‘He is even trying to move it forward ahead of time by having the vote for the nomination early so that there’s not a fight at the convention,’ McCarthy explained. ‘For the first time, I see the Republicans more unified at any given time.’ 

McCarthy reflected on his relationship with Biden while serving as speaker of the House. 

‘Biden never met with Republicans, and the rhetoric you saw in his State of the Union — that wasn’t a speech to unite the country — he has been this way the whole time,’ McCarthy said. ‘And if you just watch President Trump and President Biden in the last week, one is angry and the other is very somber and uniting and that is President Trump uniting.’ 

McCarthy said he has seen Biden ‘lashing out.’ 

‘He has this anger in him — I’ve seen it individually and what I’ve warned people about is the fact that this is a different Joe Biden and I think it is all coming to fruition,’ McCarthy told Fox News Digital. 

McCarthy said the divide in the Democrat Party over Biden’s re-election campaign following his disastrous debate performance last month is a ‘Watergate moment for the Democrats.’ 

‘Who knew what when? They wouldn’t allow the president to go talk to people, they knew the cognitive problems he had,’ McCarthy said. ‘I have been talking about this for more than a year and they have been attacking me over it, and now it has all been shown.’

McCarthy reminded that Democrats ‘changed their own party rules so that nobody could run against him. They changed when the primary would be, starting in South Carolina.’ 

McCarthy added: ‘They did everything they could to hide the fact of why they now want him to be removed.’  

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Former NY congressman lays out Dems’ years-long escalating rhetoric ahead of Trump assassination attempt

Former New York Republican Rep. Lee Zeldin said he’s ‘tired’ of seeing Republicans verbally and physically attacked, arguing that anti-Trump and anti-GOP rhetoric has reached new highs across the years. 

‘The rhetoric has gotten so bad between, yes, the bullseye comment, remember Dan Goldman making a comment about how President Trump needs to be eliminated. Bennie Thompson wants to take away Secret Service protection. One of [Thompson’s] aides was just complaining that the shooter Saturday evening had missed President Trump. I’m tired of seeing Republicans attacked like this,’ Zeldin told Fox News Digital during the Republican National Convention on Tuesday. 

Zeldin was responding to President Biden backtracking on his comment earlier this month that ‘it’s time to put Trump in a bullseye,’ saying the remark was a ‘mistake’ after a 20-year-old man in Pennsylvania attempted to assassinate Trump during a rally on Saturday evening. Zeldin reflected that verbal and physical attacks against Republicans have been ongoing and heightening for years before a shooter tried to kill the 45th president. 

‘I saw it with Steve Scalise with the shooting a few years ago, the attack on Rand Paul, the targeting of Justice Kavanaugh, this very close, near-assassination of President Trump. Yes, we should settle our scores at the ballot box. I agree with that. It’s a truth. It’s something that everyone should preach and everyone should believe in,’ he continued. 

‘Ultimately, we have to confront, head on, the fact that there is a very extensive effort basically throwing everything that they can against President Trump outside of the ballot box to try to prevent him from taking office … It’s gone too far. It’s sick and it needs to end,’ he continued. 

Zeldin said that three days after Trump announced his run for re-election in 2022, Attorney General Merrick Garland announced Jack Smith as special counsel to prosecute Trump, while Georgia prosecutor Nathan Wade ‘was sitting inside the White House Counsel’s Office,’ and DOJ official ‘Matthew Colangelo was putting in his papers to leave the Department of Justice’ to take a job in the Manhattan District Attorney’s office ahead Trump’s indictment in the New York criminal case.  

‘That was all nine days after President Biden said that we would have to pursue ways outside of the ballot box to take down President Trump,’ he said. ‘I’m not going to just sign up for the fact it’s all just a coincidence.’ 

‘Every normal, commonsense, average everyday American is able to see through it. Let’s truly focus on settling the score at the ballot box. Let’s not have to focus on crazy criminal cases and trying to bankrupt the president and all these other attempts that threaten safety.’

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Delegates seen wearing ear bandages at Republican convention in solidarity with Trump

Several delegates at the Republican National Convention (RNC), including Arizona’s Stacey Goodman and Joe Neglia, were spotted donning ear bandages that mirrored the one being worn by former President Trump after he was wounded during an assassination attempt at his Pennsylvania rally on Saturday.

‘Yesterday when he came in, and there was that eruption of love in the room, I thought, ‘what can I do to honor the truth? What can I possibly do?” Neglia told Fox News Digital. ‘And then I saw the bandage and I thought, I can do that. So, I put it on simply to honor Trump and to express sympathy with him and unity with him.’

Neglia said he made the bandages en route to Milwaukee, where the convention is taking place this week. Trump has been wearing a bandage on his right ear where the bullet shot by Thomas Matthew Crooks’ pierced through his skin.

‘There’s a male version and a female version because there are only two genders!’ Neglia said. Other attendees were spotted sporting the look, too.

Trump received a warm welcome, again, from delegates at the RNC on Tuesday night, where lawmakers, activists, and everyday Americans spoke about immigration, crime, and the fentanyl crisis – fitting the night’s theme of ‘Make America Safe Again.’ This time, Trump arrived alongside his newly picked running mate, Ohio Sen. JD Vance, where they took seats in Trump’s family box. 

Trump arrived on Day 2 of the convention just in time to hear Sen. Ted Cruz, Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, former Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Ben Carson and his daughter-in-law Lara Trump, among others. 

He also heard from former UN ambassador Nikki Haley – his final rival to drop out of the race – and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who had also challenged Trump for the Republican nomination. Both have now endorsed the former president, as the Republican Party becomes more unified behind their standard-bearer. 

Republicans enthusiastically rallied behind Trump, with many thanking God for protecting Trump from narrowly surviving an assassination attempt over the weekend. The lawmakers also slammed President Biden’s ‘soft-on-crime policies,’ and for the crisis at the southern border –  two key issues central to the Republican platform.

‘He has inspired a movement,’ Rubio said in his speech. 

Trump is not scheduled to speak until Thursday, the final night of the convention, where he will formally accept the Republican Party’s nomination for president.

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Biden calls to ‘lower the temperature’ then bashes Trump in NAACP speech

President Biden once again called to ‘lower the temperature’ in American politics following the assassination attempt on former President Trump before repeatedly attacking Trump in his remarks.

Biden made the comments during a speech Tuesday in Las Vegas at the 115th NAACP National Convention. 

‘Just a few days after the assassination attempt on Donald Trump, we’re grateful he’s not seriously injured. We continue to pray for him and his family,’ Biden said. ‘It’s time for an important conversation in this country. It’s gotten too heated.’

He referenced his Oval Office speech, saying it’s time to lower the temperature and condemn violence in any form. 

‘We have to say with one voice that violence is not the answer. That’s what we should rally around as a nation. That’s the unity I’m talking about. Few organizations know that better than the NAACP,’ Biden continued.

Plenty of digs at Trump followed.

‘Just because we should lower the temperature, doesn’t mean we should stop telling the truth,’ Biden said.

He then talked about ‘why Donald Trump’s presidency was hell for Black America,’ mentioning tax cuts for the wealthy and exploding federal debt. 

‘What in the hell is the matter with this man? I’m serious. Go figure,’ Biden said of Trump after ticking through some policy points.

Biden mocked Trump’s focus on growing ‘Black jobs.’ He claimed Trump is ‘lying like hell’ about Black unemployment records.

He then brought up Trump’s ‘black jobs’ line: ‘Folks I know what a black job is. It’s the vice president of the United States.’ The crowd then applauded and many stood up. 

‘It’s because of you that I’m president and Kamala Harris is vice president. By the way, she’s not only a great vice president. She can be President of the United States,’ Biden said.

Biden also talked about standing up against all violence – violence against presidential candidates in Pennsylvania, violence against George Floyd, violence against election workers, and he continued on. 

He talked about the weapon used against Trump, an AR-15 rifle, saying it’s time to outlaw them. ‘I did it once, I will do it again.’

Fox News’ Nick Rojas contributed to this report.

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Tim Scott fires back after Milwaukee mayor says he doesn’t ‘buy’ the idea that Trump surging with Black voters

MILWAUKEE – South Carolina GOP Senator Tim Scott is pushing back after the Democratic mayor of Milwaukee said ‘I don’t buy it’ when asked about former President Donald Trump gaining popularity with Black voters. 

‘Well, November 5th, you will have to buy it. It’ll be sold,’ Scott told Fox News at the Republican National Convention in Wisconsin.

‘I think there’s probably a reason why Tim Scott wasn’t selected to be the vice president even though Mr. Trump is supposedly trying to make inroads with African Americans,’ Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson said Tuesday during a press conference when asked about Scott’s outreach to the Black community. ‘I don’t buy that, I just don’t.’

Johnson added that he doesn’t think Scott has ‘the juice’ to convince Black voters to vote for Trump.

‘I think black people across the United States know that President Joe Biden’s agenda has been delivering not just for the United States, but specifically for Black people,’ Johnson said. 

Scott, who held an event at the RNC promoting voter outreach to the Black community, told Fox News that ‘if we market our message’ Trump will ‘see the highest turnout of African-American voters we’ve seen since he’s been running for president.’

‘President Trump has been very successful and very effective in meeting the moment for African-American voters like he has for the rest of the country,’ Scott said.

Scott acknowledged to Fox News that it is difficult for Republicans to make inroads with Black women, who he called the most ‘loyal’ and ‘fierce’ voters in the Democratic Party. However, he argued that Black men are ‘very different.’

‘They are what I call gettable,’ Scott said. ‘If we sell our message sincerely, accurately, with passion, I believe that selling our message to the African-American community will result in a lot of strong turnout. 15%. I do not think it is unrealistic. We could go higher. But if we get to 15%, this game is all over.

A USA Today/Suffolk University poll released last month found that support for Biden among Black voters has dropped roughly 20 percentage points in the swing states of Michigan and Pennsylvania since the last election. 

Fox News polling showed that Biden led Trump by 64 points with Black voters in July 2020. Today, Biden’s lead has shrunk to 42. 

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Haley takes stage to mixture of cheers and boos at RNC

Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley made her highly anticipated appearance at the Republican Convention, taking the stage to a mixture of cheers and boos from those in attendance.

Haley, who was former President Donald Trump’s fiercest primary rival, gave the former president her ‘strong endorsement’ during the appearance in Milwaukee, ending months of speculation on if she would throw her weight behind her former rival.

But the initial reaction to Haley’s arrival stood in stark contrast to Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, Trump’s chief primary rival during the 2016 campaign, who received a standing ovation from those in the crowd, including Trump themselves.

Nevertheless, Haley tried to send a message of unity, acknowledging that not everyone has to agree with Trump 100% to support him in this year’s election.

‘You don’t have to agree with Trump 100 percent of the time to vote for him,’ Haley said. ‘Take it from me. I haven’t always agreed with President Trump. But we agree more often than we disagree.’

Haley, who served as Trump’s ambassador to the United Nations before running against him, was not always a sure bet to speak at the convention. However, after a failed assassination attempt on Trump at a Pennsylvania rally Saturday, a message of unifying behind the former president soon spread across the Republican Party.

The former South Carolina governor was followed on stage by another former Trump primary rival, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who continued to preach the message of unity during his remarks.

‘My fellow Republicans, let’s send Joe Biden back to his basement and let’s send Donald Trump back to the White House. Life was more affordable when Donald Trump was president,’ DeSantis said. ‘Our border was safer under the Trump administration, and our country was respected when Donald Trump was our commander in chief.’

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