MILWAUKEE – Wednesday was a tale of two presidents — one current, one former — and two parties going through the best of times and the worst of times. Today will be more of the same.
Former President Donald Trump, having survived a weekend assassination attempt that left two people dead including the shooter, is prepared to accept his party’s presidential nomination tonight. Trump is the first pol since Richard Nixon to get nominated for a third time by his party, and he’d be the first president since Grover Cleveland to serve non-consecutive terms.
It’s also the first time any party will nominate a convicted felon to be their presidential candidate.
Trump’s political comeback represents a hard-to-even-fathom turn of events from January 2021, when the former president left Washington in disgrace following his failed attempt to overturn the election. Congressional Republicans were eager to move on from him, hoping that their party’s voters would do the same.
Now, Republicans are almost completely unified behind him. Even some of Trump’s biggest former critics and rivals took turns showering him with praise from the convention stage here in Milwaukee.
Trump listened to the GOP’s vice presidential nominee, Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio) — a man literally half his age — call him “the once and future president of the United States” during the Republican convention last night.
On a night themed as “Make America Strong Once Again,” the RNC passed out signs endorsing the Trump-Vance view calling for an end to the war in Ukraine, completely ignoring the GOP defense hawks warning that this position is flat-out dangerous.
Other signs had a simpler message: “Trump = Strength, Biden = Weakness.”
Trump has moved so far past the failed Jan. 6 insurrection that Peter Navarro — a former aide who went to jail for refusing to testify before the House select committee investigating the Capitol attack — even spoke at the convention last night. Trump’s federal indictment over his role in that attack is going nowhere fast, just like the criminal cases in Florida and Georgia.
Trump doesn’t care about old scandals either. Paul Manafort — Trump’s former campaign manager who pleaded guilty in 2018 to money laundering, tax fraud and illegal foreign lobbying charges, only to be pardoned by the former president — was on the convention floor Wednesday night.
Leading in the polls, with his party united behind him, plenty of money and an opponent who is faltering, Trump is trying to project an air of inevitable victory come Election Day. It may just work.
President Joe Biden, on the other hand, couldn’t have had a worse 24 hours.
Already under intense scrutiny from Democrats over his age and mental sharpness, Biden tested positive for Covid on Wednesday afternoon and had to head back to Delaware to recover. He has only mild symptoms, according to White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre.
That was possibly the best thing that happened to him all day.
ABC’s Jon Karl reported that Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer had told him Saturday night in Rehoboth Beach, Del., that “it would be best if Biden dropped out of the 2024 presidential race.” Schumer’s office later issued a non-denial denial.
Other reports followed that House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries had issued a similar warning in his face-to-face meeting with Biden last Thursday. Jeffries’ office issued a similar non-denial denial.
Yet Schumer and Jeffries made clear to Biden that these conversations wouldn’t stay confidential. They’re clearly frustrated that Biden didn’t listen to the numerous complaints about the grim political landscape he’s created. And the private polls just continue to get worse.
Former Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who is close to both men, and other senior Democrats are similarly frustrated with Biden, we’ve been told by lawmakers. CNN reported Pelosi “privately told Biden polls show he cannot win” and will prevent them from taking the House back.
White House spokesperson Andrew Bates said Biden “told both leaders he is the nominee of the party, he plans to win and looks forward to working with both of them to pass his 100 days agenda to help working families.”
The DNC Rules Committee, chaired by Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Leah Daughtry, announced it was delaying until early August a “virtual roll call” to formally renominate Biden after lawmakers and delegates complained. Biden allies had wanted the roll call to be held next week, but Schumer and Jeffries were among those who pushed for a delay. This gives anti-Biden Democrats only a few more days to block him.
An AP poll showed that a large majority of Democrats want someone else to be their White House candidate. And Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), who is very likely the next senator from California, publicly said Biden should withdraw from the race.
In sum, Trump has the Republican Party united. In fact, this may be the most united we’ve seen the GOP in 20 years. Meanwhile, Democrats are stuck wondering just how long Biden will continue with his candidacy, as lawmakers privately — and increasingly publicly — try to push him out the door.
