After Donald Trump narrowly escaped death by assassin on Saturday, the presidential campaign has never been more tumultuous. In the weeks leading up to it, all eyes were on Joe Biden and his severe mental and physical decline, with many high-ranking Democrats desperately trying to find a way to force him out of the race.
But after the assassination of Trump, the race to succeed Biden as the Democratic Party candidate is essentially over, and not for the reason one might suspect. According to NBC NewsThe succession campaign has lost momentum not because Democrats believe the president can take advantage of a moment of unity, but because they believe the race is now over.
“We are completely screwed,” said one longtime Democratic insider, noting that the image of Trump raising his fist in the air, his face dramatically smeared with blood, will be remembered forever.
“The presidential campaign ended last night,” said a veteran Democratic adviser who spoke on condition of anonymity to provide an candid assessment of his own party’s position less than four months before the election.
“Now it’s time to focus on keeping the Senate and trying to win the House,” he said. “The only positive thing that Democrats took away from last night is that we’re no longer talking about Joe Biden’s age today.”
A Biden campaign spokesman did not respond to NBC News’ request for comment on how the attempted assassination of Trump might affect the dynamics of their rematch. A White House spokesman declined to comment.
Is the presidential campaign really over? Being a natural cynic when it comes to politics, I will never believe that until all the votes are counted. Still, it is very telling that the Democrats are throwing up their hands and retreating to their back positions. Maybe they don’t want to waste the career of someone on their bench, but the bigger question is what this means for the money.
Since Biden’s disastrous performance in the debate, reports have been circulating that fundraising is drying up. If this situation worsens, it could derail the president’s campaign, regardless of what path to victory may exist on paper.
SEE: Major Democratic donors freeze $90 million in donations to Biden
On the other hand, I’m not sure the idea of keeping the Senate and taking back the House is really a backup plan. The Senate map is brutal for Democrats, and unlike 2022, the slate of candidates in various swing states is powerful with few exceptions. As strange as it may sound, trying to assist Biden pull off a miracle by pumping money into his campaign might be the best of many bad options.
What is certain, however, is that the Democrats are in a bad spot. If they try to fight Trump and the Republicans too tough with more nonsense about a “threat to democracy,” they could alienate swing voters even more. If they hold back, they risk losing any initiative they might take. I guess that’s one of the downsides of having an ideological ally trying to kill your political opponent.
Herein lies the Democrats’ biggest problem, though. Whether or not the race ended Saturday night, they were already deep in the hole before then. It’s not that one earth-shattering event has destroyed their prospects. It’s an avalanche of events, including Biden being revealed as senile, that are compounding. That makes any potential comeback all the more unlikely. Of course, the usual disclaimer applies. This is politics, and anything can happen.
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