By putting the national interest above his own ambitions, Joe Biden has dealt a terrible blow to his rival. For the first time in a very long time, Donald Trump finds himself on the defensive. Just a week ago, the Republican candidate, the victim of an assassination attempt, was walking on water. Nothing seemed able to stop the almost messianic race of this “miracle” winner towards power. By withdrawing from the race for the White House, its current occupant is upending his plans.
First, because Trump, who never stopped talking about the age of “Sleepy Joe”, has become, in turn, the oldest presidential candidate in American history. Whether it is the current vice-president, Kamala Harris, 59 years old, or another contender who emerges from the woodwork at the next Democratic convention (from August 19 to 22), the official candidate will be quick – if Donald Trump agrees to debate with him, which, to date, is not a given – to make us forget Joe Biden’s disastrous televised performance on June 27. In this role, the former California prosecutor seems well equipped to push the Republican candidate to the ropes, who multiplies errors and excesses during his interventions.
For Trump, everything has to be redone
Second, because Trump may well regret having chosen JD Vance as his potential vice president. By nominating this self-made man from a poor family, the former president clearly wants to attract the white, downgraded working class who live in the deindustrialized regions of the central United States. “But you can’t win the election by betting only on this electorate,” objects Charles Kupchan, professor at Georgetown University and former adviser to Barack Obama. Strategically, Trump would probably have done better to choose a more centrist partner. By nominating Vance, he opened up to the Democratic vote independent voters, women and moderate Republicans who live in the suburbs of key states.”
For the Republican campaign team, everything has to be redone. They have to find new angles of attack against an opponent who could, especially if it is Kamala Harris, win back some of the young, black and Latino voters who have turned their backs on the Democrats out of disillusionment. We are one hundred days away from the election. One hundred days that will change the destiny of America. And of the entire world.