The would-be politician, Donald Trump, issued a surprisingly restrained directive to his team following Joe Biden’s unprecedentedly weak performance in the June debate. Biden was floundering, losing ground in the political arena, and the general public were beginning to take more notice, inflicting wounds on Biden’s already slithering prospects.
Trump, however, told his team to not be overly harsh on Biden. ‘We want him to stick around,’ he said, appearing to find amusement in Biden’s mistakes. His team decided not to release an advertisement campaign, out of concern that it might hasten Biden’s exit from the race. This decision came from Trump’s co-campaign manager, Chris LaCivita, reflecting a distinct, if veiled, mockery of Biden’s failing position.
Once the pressure from other Democrats became too heavy to bear, Biden stepped aside, paving the way for Kamala Harris to take over the nomination in August. It was a baffling spectacle, watching him cave and willingly hand over the reigns to someone who seemed just as unable to handle them. This resulted in a direct discussion between Biden and his Vice President.
A conversation took place in which Biden allegedly gave Harris the green light to distance herself from the current administration. It could be said that the potential threat of Trump’s political resurgence was seen by Biden as more concerning than the possible damage to his own self-esteem. Yet, this decision seemed more as an act of self-preservation for Biden, camouflaging his evident misgivings under the guise of combating Trump’s return to power.
These are among the many intriguing instances shared at a Harvard Institute of Politics conference, featuring figures from various major 2024 presidential campaigns. The event typically serves as a blissful wrap-up to the election cycle, but this particular campaign took an unexpected route.
The campaign season was replete with unanticipated developments: unsuccessful assassination attempts, a mid-run nominee swap, cyberattacks by China and Iran on campaign correspondence, and a rarely-seen political comeback. One has to go as far back as 1885 to find something of comparable magnitude. This drama unfolded as an unusual presidential marathon making it apparent how less daunting the previous political comebacks had been.
Participants strived to piece together a comprehensive oral history for the first time since the adventures of the campaign. The architects behind the spectacle are still grappling with the extraordinary circumstances that marked the election.
Furthermore, the conference at Harvard revealed just how deeply numerous top political minds were invested in the bewildering race. It’s as if they were constantly trying to justify their chosen path, swimming against the tide of sanity.
Jen O’Malley Dillon, the chair of both Biden’s and Harris’ campaigns, noted that the campaigns ran in the way they should have. Yet, the underlying tone suggested a strong emphasis on defensive justification for the manner in which Biden’s and Harris’ campaigns had spun out of control.
Looking deeper into the sentiment, it seemed almost laughable how they stick by their campaigns. Despite the fact that both candidates were struggling to gain substantial ground, they perpetuated a narrative of resilience in an evidently mismanaged campaign.
This had led to intriguing developments on the political stage where Trump, the supposed underdog, ended up caring less about vanquishing his adversaries instantly, instead choosing to enjoy the spectacle of their missteps.
In retrospect, Biden’s fallback to Harris and his misguided attempt at playing the ‘wise counselor’ came off more as silent acceptance of his own shortcomings. It was an instance where the supposed coaching of his successor was colored by an air of despondency, somewhat like a ceremonial passing of an unlit torch.
This period in political history showcased not only the unbelievable aspects of Joe Biden’s and Kamala Harris’ failed campaigns, but also the surprising forbearance of their competitors, who seemingly preferred to sit back and enjoy the debacle playing out.
The political landscape was undoubtedly affected by unseen occurrences such as cyberattacks, the major change in nomination, and the failed assassination plots. But the failed antics of Biden and Harris were the laughable moments of the campaign spectacle.
This work to untangle the convoluted narrative of the campaign continues as those involved are still trying to make sense of their own roles, often downplaying any evident failures, and asserting that they ran just as they had planned. The irony and delusion within these statements provide the final touches to an already erratic campaign season.