Political shockwaves reverberated through the United States in the figurative sense on the afternoon of July 21st when the 46th president of the union Joe Biden made a stunning announcement that he would be dropping out of the presidential race with less than four calendar months remaining until the general election is set to occur in November. Biden made the historically unprecedented decision following weeks of intense political pressure. On June 27th, Biden and Trump squared off in the first presidential debate of the cycle. Hosted by CNN, the debate occurred in an early fashion and was perhaps the earliest debate ever held in a presidential cycle. Biden performed very poorly, and often appeared incoherent, struggling to answer questions. Following the debate, some 70% of individuals in a recent poll stated they believed Biden was unfit to serve as president.
Donald Trump appeared to galvanize the support of his conservative voter base in the aftermath of the debate and even received more unified support amongst Republicans after the near-death experience he endured when he was nearly assassinated on July 13th while holding a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. A 20-year-old gunman nearly killed Trump and the Secret Service failed in a historic episode to ensure proper security for the at-risk former president. On July 23rd, the director of the Secret Service Kimberly Cheatle resigned following intense political pressure and a poor showing at Congressional hearings.
Kamala Harris is now racing to form her political campaign and is retooling Biden’s pre-made campaign to fit her messaging. She announced she would be keeping key campaign managers and chairs in place to ensure a smooth transition and many allies have reported that she is planning major efforts in swing states along the campaign trail to bolster voter support and motivate her base. Harris appears to be polling better against Trump than Biden, at least so far – and in preparation for the new campaign, President Biden phone called into the campaign headquarters to offer support for Harris and the rebranded campaign. So far so good…
