Joe Biden’s withdrawal already left the White House race uncertain, but it will also upset Donald Trump – forcing him to realign his campaign that was almost entirely focused on his former rival.
For months, Trump and his allies have been capitalizing on concerns that the 81-year-old Biden is no longer fit for office, happily sharing video clips of every stutter, rhetorical gaffe and red carpet stumble.
He was often the target of Republican derision and scorn, including at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, where Trump’s newly-declared running mate J.D. Vance called him “Fake Scranton Joe.”
But with the Democrat no longer in the race, the Trump operation finds itself pushed into a strategic twist, forced to alter its messaging now that there is no current nominee and no confirmed opponent yet, though Biden on Sunday endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris after she decided to drop out of the race.
“Biden’s withdrawal is bad news for Trump,” Henry Olsen, a senior fellow at the conservative Ethics and Public Policy Center think tank, told AFP.
“Biden has the lowest approval rating of any first-term president in polling history at this stage of his presidency, and he is also burdened by his age. Trump would be more likely to run against him than any other potential opponent.”
Trumpworld was playing down the prospects of Biden backing down, but behind the scenes aides were mulling contingencies, and preparing a ferocious attack on the veteran Democrat’s successor, Harris.
“Nothing fundamentally changes,” Jason Miller, one of Trump’s closest advisers, told AFP during the Republican convention, adding that any “radical liberal” Democratic opponent, Harris or anyone else, “shares responsibility for the failure to destroy our economy.”
Harris, a 59-year-old former senator from California, is not considered an easy candidate and is likely to face competition from several prominent Democrats in Congress and the country’s 23 Democratic governors.
“I’ll be coming and campaigning — whether it’s Biden or anybody else,” Trump told a radio network in Virginia ahead of Biden’s announcement, pointing to polls that showed Biden doing as well or better than other Democrats.
– Clash of cultures –
Voters have been telling pollsters for months that they want younger political leaders, and having, for example, a relatively young swing state governor running on a ticket would be a threat to Trump, who will be 82 at the end of his second term.
However, a campaign led by Harris and backed by a moderate Midwestern ally could pose the biggest threat, as it would bring out more women, who historically vote in greater numbers than men and are a weakness for Trump.
Harris will give Democrats a chance to reframe the race as a clash of cultures between a former prosecutor and a convicted criminal at their convention in Chicago in August.
And Harris wants to make sure that abortion rights — one of her biggest domestic priorities and another weakness for Trump and Republicans — remains a key election issue.
Trump’s new, serious focus on the vice president is reflected in one of his famous nicknames he has given her, most recently calling her “Laughin’ Kamala Harris” on social media.
– ‘Destruction and Chaos’ –
The disastrous presidential debate in June in Atlanta proved to be the catalyst for Biden’s retreat.
A new survey released Thursday by Democratic polling form Public Policy Polling found that Harris — with the right partner — could likely beat Trump and Vance in Pennsylvania and Michigan, two of the three “blue wall” states seen as crucial to electing a Democratic president.
However, the vice president has the disadvantage of remaining in office, meaning Trump can blame her for anything that is perceived as a weakness on the part of Biden — including the border crisis, which Harris led the administration’s early efforts on.
Several Democratic rising stars have been floated as alternatives, including governors Josh Shapiro, Gretchen Whitmer and Gavin Newsom.
California’s Newsom — who has demonstrated a willingness to take on top Republicans — is unlikely to be intimidated by Trump’s jabs.
Whitmer was considered for the Biden ticket in 2020 and has since led a Democratic resurgence in Michigan, while Shapiro, of Pennsylvania, is another serious contender as the chief executive of a crucial swing state.
No matter who becomes the nominee, Trump will likely press Biden over his past defenses throughout the rest of the campaign, and accuse him of covering up the president’s downfall.
“The destruction and chaos created by the Biden administration isn’t just on Crooked Joe — it’s on the entire Democrat Party,” the Trump team said in a recent edition of its daily circular.
“No one is worse than Kamala Harris, who has lied repeatedly — potentially putting her own position above the safety of the American people.”
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)