Without providing any proof, Donald Trump and his associates have hypothesized for the better part of a year that Joe Biden would not be the Democratic presidential nominee, speculating that he would resign prior to the convention and another candidate would replace him.
Republicans are attempting to ascertain the true implications of Biden’s resignation for Trump’s campaign, as the former vice president’s political future is becoming more clouded in the aftermath of his weak debate performance. As for the possibility of an easier return to the White House with Biden as the ticket’s leader, some hold that view.
With the former president making the unusual choice to stay low at his New Jersey club and let Biden be the center of attention, Trump and his allies have enjoyed the extended spotlight on Biden this week. There are no scheduled public appearances by Trump, and his campaign caught some strategists and staffers off guard by suggesting they take time off to celebrate the Fourth of July.
“Chaos is our friend,” a Trump associate stated.
To find out what would happen if Biden decided to withdraw from his reelection campaign, campaign advisors and important friends have been contacting reporters and supportive Democrats.
In their assaults against the Biden administration, the campaign and its associates have so far paid little attention to Vice President Kamala Harris. However, certain indications suggest a shift in stance. A Trump-aligned super PAC, MAGA, Inc., attacked Harris in an email on Wednesday, claiming that she oversaw Biden’s border policies. The question was whether Harris is “The Best They Got?”
Regardless of whether Biden leads the Democratic ticket or not, Trump’s campaign maintains that their calculations will remain unchanged.
“Any Democrat will lose to President Trump on November 5th due to his track record and agenda to Make America Great Again,” stated Chris LaCivita and Susie Wiles, who were co-campaign managers.
The Trump team maintains that the issues that will determine the election will not change regardless of whether Biden is the Democratic nominee or not.
“People care about the issues, and that’s what the issues are,” one advisor told AWN.
The truth, though, might not be so black and white. It is unclear how a change could impact Democratic turnout or the sentiments of swing voters, as polls have demonstrated a lack of enthusiasm around both major parties’ presumed presidential contenders. Just as Democrats are under pressure to make a decision before their convention in August, Republicans are also in a rush to do so. The GOP has spent months preparing an elaborate data operation, attack advertising, and general campaign infrastructure to unseat Biden.
Trump, according to one Republican pollster, would “rather go with the devil he knows than the devil he doesn’t know.”
Trump advisors informed AWN that the Republican National Committee secretly maintained “rolling books” of opposition research on prominent Democrats considered potential Biden successors in 2028, including, but not limited to, Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan, Mark Kelly of Arizona, Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania, and Gavin Newsom of California.
A senior Trump aide told AWN that the books “are constantly being updated, because, you know, they’re perpetual candidates, and they’re always running for something.”.
Still, Trump’s two advisors have stated that, until the situation with Biden has resolved itself, the president would not alter his tactics or refocus his studies and plans.
“We simply do not know how this turns out in the end,” one of the advisors stated. “Until we know, we will not make any changes.”
As the president’s deteriorating health became more noticeable, some Republicans openly discussed, if not predicted, Biden’s withdrawal from the race. Republican presidential candidates Ron DeSantis of Florida and Nikki Haley of South Carolina made it a central tenet of their platforms, claiming that Democrats would depose Biden and Republicans could not afford to pit Trump against an up-and-coming, younger rival.
The idea had been floated by Trump himself, who had stated time and time again that he did not believe Biden “makes it.” What would happen if Joe Biden dropped out of the campaign was discussed in an interview with conservative commentator Tucker Carlson and Trump over a year ago.
Trump said, “Not really,” in response to Carlson’s suggestion that Harris would succeed Biden as the Democratic ticket’s vice presidential nominee. I suppose they might have a complete breakdown of rules. It is widely believed that there are specific reasons why she must stay. In fact, I find that hard to believe…. Other people wouldn’t put up with it, in my opinion.
However, Trump’s campaign did not foresee the Democratic Party’s long-term anxiety over Biden’s potential to be the party’s presidential contender following the debate. According to one Trump adviser who spoke with AWN, the Democrats were anticipating that the drama will subside within a week.
As a result, Trump’s staff is rushing to be ready for anything, even if it means launching a fresh campaign against a different opponent.
“Every Democrat who is calling on Crooked Joe Biden to quit was once a supporter of Biden and his failed policies that led to extreme inflation, an open border, and chaos at home and abroad,” LaCivita and Wiles wrote in their statement. “The swamp, the mainstream media, and Democrats all worked together to conceal the truth from the American people. It’s that simple.”
Her previous remarks on Biden’s eligibility to serve have centered early conversations among Republicans as they plot how to attack Harris.
“The American people will always be asking her the same basic question: why did you cover up Joe Biden’s mental illness?” a Trump associate stated.
The majority of Trump’s inner circle maintains the pessimistic outlook on the possibility of a change, pointing to the lack of star power among the candidates vying to succeed Biden and the difficulties in transferring the president’s campaign funds to another contender. Like Trump, Biden maintains his stance that he isn’t leaving office. “No one is pushing me out” he assured staff in a feisty campaign call on Wednesday, vowing to stay in the race.
“I’m not leaving,” he declared, according to AWN’s sources dealing with the call.
Some on the conservative side may also try to ensure that Biden remains on the ballot. An organization with ties to Trump, the Heritage Foundation, has been preparing for this moment since spring. They have now unveiled a strategy to counter Democratic efforts to remove Biden from the ballot in areas where nominations must be announced by specific dates.
Releasing a somewhat foreboding document last month with the subject “Can they replace Biden if he freezes at debate,” the group identified three key states—Georgia, Nevada, and Wisconsin—where Republicans might sue to counter Democratic attempts to reverse direction.
Mike Howell, who heads Heritage’s election oversight project, admitted that the details surrounding Biden’s departure would be crucial to any successful case.
“Time is of the essence,” Howell said.
The suggestion that Democrats would face any legal difficulties in proposing a new name prior to Biden’s official nomination was dismissed by Rick Hasen, an election law specialist at UCLA.
I don’t believe it, Hasen stated on his website. The party’s nominee at this time is not Joe Biden, and he has stated generally
