Notable Quote of the Day

“CBS News reported on Thursday: ‘Senator Amy Klobuchar, Democrat of Minnesota, has been asked by Joe Biden to undergo a formal vetting to be considered as his vice presidential running mate, one of several potential contenders now being scrutinized by his aides ahead of a final decision, according to people familiar with the moves.’ This should surprise no one. It would be extraordinary if he did not vet an experienced senator from the Midwest who ran for president and is ideologically compatible with Biden.

The news unleashed breathless speculation that Klobuchar will be the pick, but, of course, the report says no such thing. As we hear about vice presidential vetting, we should keep in mind some simple rules of vetting.

First, a presidential nominee has to vet several people. If something troubling comes up about one or more possible picks, the nominee has to have viable alternatives.

Second, there is only one person who might know which contender he wants, and former vice president Joe Biden is not telling. In his own mind, he may have narrowed it down to a few people as he awaits the results of the vetting process. Speculation will run rampant; there will be much talk about a contender’s ‘stock’ rising or falling. Don’t buy it. Anyone who says he or she knows who Biden will pick doesn’t really know.”

- Jennifer Rubin, The Washington Post 

Election Updates

• Joe Biden appeared on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. In the interview, he said he would win the election: “Look, I don’t want to jinx myself, but I’ll tell you why. The American people fully understand what’s at stake here. This is the most important election in anybody’s life, not because I’m running, but because of the circumstances.”

• Donald Trump visited Ypsilanti, Michigan, on Thursday and toured a Ford plant that has been manufacturing ventilators. He said, “This country is poised for an epic comeback. Within the next year, we're going to be exceeding any expectation. And I've had a good gut feeling about a lot of things – including running for president. … By the way, I think we're going to do better the second time, and it's very important that we win the second time.”

• Trump told reporters, “We got to get back to the rallies … I think it's going to be sooner rather than later.” He said, “We might do some outdoor big ones and we also may just wait until some of the stadiums can open up. … The demand has been incredible to get going with the rallies.”

• The Libertarian Party will select its presidential nominee during its national convention, which is being held online May 22-24. 

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What We’re Reading

• National Review: How to Save the November Election

• NPR: Trump And Biden Wage An Uneven Virtual Campaign

• FiveThirtyEight: How Biden Could Be The Most Liberal President In Modern U.S. History

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Flashback: May 22, 2016

Hillary Clinton said of Bernie Sanders during an interview on “Meet the Press,” “Let me say that I don't think he's had a single negative ad ever run against him. … And that's fine. But we know what we're going into, and we understand what it's going to take to win in the fall.”  She said of herself, “It's also fair to say that I have been vetted and tested, and I think that that puts me in a very strong position.”