Speculation is mounting over whether Joe Biden will withdraw as a candidate in the upcoming US presidential election. Interestingly, one person who hopes he will stay in the race is Donald Trump. Trump and his campaign team believe that Biden is the easiest Democratic candidate to beat, despite Trump's own legal challenges and felony conviction.
Publicly, Trump and his allies dismiss the idea that Biden might withdraw, insisting it's too late for the Democrats to change their candidate. However, privately, they are preparing for other possibilities and believe it may be more difficult to beat a Democrat who is not Biden or Kamala Harris.
Trump has been unusually quiet, focusing instead on Biden's performance in recent debates. Trump's team has been attacking Harris, casting her as a weak candidate. They released ads showing Harris laughing and implying that she is celebrating Biden's struggles.
Biden, on the other hand, is planning more campaign events and television appearances to bolster his position. His campaign recently announced it raised $127 million in June, ending the month with $240 million in cash. This compares to Trump's $111.8 million in donations and $285 million in the bank.
The Trump campaign is also portraying any potential replacement of Biden as undemocratic. They argue that replacing Biden after the primary would be a betrayal to Democratic primary voters. Legal teams are preparing to oppose any such attempts.
Trump's advisors have warned against overconfidence despite Biden's poor debate performance. They believe that the Democrats' campaign is in 'free fall' and advise staying out of the way to let them implode. Meanwhile, Trump is delaying his vice-presidential announcement to keep the Democrats guessing.
- Trump's campaign message to fellow Democrats after the debate was that Biden remains the Democratic nominee. Republicans were reportedly stunned by Biden's poor performance, as they considered him a stronger debater. Trump's advisers were privately baffled by Biden's showing, while Taylor Budowich, who runs Trump's outside political action committee, said videos from the debate would make for devastating commercials.
- Biden's campaign and the White House are stressing that the president remains interested in running and are planning a new round of campaign events. They raised significant funds in June and ended the month with substantial cash reserves, indicating strong financial support.
- Republicans have indicated that any attempt by Democrats to replace Biden would be seen as an affront to primary voters and the democratic process. Legal teams are preparing to oppose any such attempts, arguing that it would be extraordinarily complicated and ripe for litigation.
- Trump has remained largely quiet this week, with some advisers suggesting he delay his vice-presidential announcement. Potential candidates include JD Vance and Marco Rubio, but Trump has not made a final decision. His team believes that any vice-presidential candidate he chooses will be more qualified than Kamala Harris.
