Joe Biden demonstrated an inability to deliver a strong performance during a decisive debate in June; many agreed he was ill-placed and staggeringly wounded. Significantly, the fallout from his fraught showing was opportune for Donald Trump eyeing a return to the Oval Office; as voters were just beginning to pay attention, Biden’s shortcomings were laid bare. Paradoxically, Trump called for his team to be reserved in their attacks on Biden, reluctant to encourage a change in the Democratic ticket. ‘We want him around,’ Trump reportedly uttered, his co-campaign manager, Chris LaCivita, putting the brakes on an advertisement that could have accelerated Biden’s political fall.
Despite his tarnished image and bruised ego, Biden felt compelled by intra-party forces to step aside in August, clearing the path for Kamala Harris to take center stage as the Democratic nominee. The fear looming within the Democratic party was a resurgence of Trump’s power, which seemed frightfully more probable than an electoral recovery for Biden after his disastrous debate. This daunting shift in the Democratic ticket is just one of the many undisclosed occurrences that peppered the 2024 presidential campaign, unveiled at a recent conference by key campaign tacticians.
Traditionally, these conferences serve as an epilogue to the election cycle. However, the 2024 election campaign flaunted a list of unusual features: attempted assassinations, nominee alterations, foreign email hacks, and a political reincarnation that recalled events from the 19th century. This gathering provided the first comprehensive oral recounting of the campaign’s history, with many campaign architects still grappling to understand the wild outcome and exceptional circumstances.
At the conference, Trump’s aides and rivals alike were consistently reverting to the idea that a significant portion of the GOP was unwaveringly loyal to Trump. Any attempts to shake this affection were unsuccessful; prominent Republicans such as former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley failed to disrupt this strong bond. The loyalty of GOP members to Trump seemed infallible, with none able to make any significant impact.
DeSantis, initially accepted somewhat grudgingly, found himself slowly faded out as the campaign progressed. In the meantime, Trump, true to form, remained faithful to his primal instincts. For those in his orbit, it was reaffirmed that Trump’s guidance essentially came from one place point: himself.
The core sentiment in the Trump campaign was that their position was strong when the contest was framed around policy and performance, not personalities. The idea was that focusing on the issues, rather than the characters of the individuals involved, might help solidify their victory. With such a focused strategy, Trump managed to maintain support for his lesser rivals; his team intentionally sustained the presence of these second-tier adversaries to dilute the anti-Trump sentiment and avoid a challenging one-on-one race.
Trump demonstrated his power of influence by simply releasing a social media post, which was enough to steer the conversation amongst the entire primary field. However, Trump’s campaign failed to appeal to a broader audience. His allies openly showed disdain towards initiatives aimed at reaching more voters.
Everyone agrees that Biden’s disastrous performance in the June 27 debate was a full-blown catastrophe. His lack of prowess in such a key moment of the campaign only added fuel to the Trump campaign’s fire. More drama unfolded with attempts on Trump’s life, including a shooting at a rally and a foiled plan near a Florida golf course. Such dramatic events led to enormous changes in how the campaign was conducted.
With limited time in her hands, Harris tried to lure Trump into more debates after their first and only direct confrontation. It seems she was aware of the urgency and was keen on getting every chance to turn the tides in her favor. However, her eagerness did little in altering the trajectory of the campaign.
The final stages of the campaign were fraught with blunders from both parties. Both camps were struggling to gain their footing as Election Day loomed. Against this backdrop, many felt the Harris campaign challenged with a different standard than the one that Trump had enjoyed.