A Tumultuous Summer

The United States 2024 presidential election occurs on November 5, 2024. Moving into June, the presidential campaign appeared somewhat predictable. Both of the major party candidates passed through the early months of 2024’s primary elections with only a few primary challengers and they easily won most state primaries. As a result, Biden and Trump quickly secured enough delegates to win their party nominations. President Biden was preparing to accept the Democratic Party nomination and former president Donald Trump was also the clear favorite of the Republican Party. But several dramatic events in June and July introduced surprise and doubt into the campaign for the White House. 

Trump and Biden’s Only Debate 

On Thursday, June 27, there was a much-anticipated televised debate between the two candidates. Trump and Biden appeared on stage in Atlanta to challenge their opponent and persuade voters. But the debate went unexpectedly badly for President Biden.  

Biden had a very uneven, halting performance on stage. His voice was raspy and weak sounding. He did not display the energy that his supporters hoped for. During the debate, Biden brought up the fact that Trump was the first former American president convicted of a felony. Trump was found guilty in May by a New York jury of 34 charges in a scheme to influence the 2016 election.   

Trump’s conviction, however, did not make as much of an impact as Biden’s overall demeanor and how he answered questions on stage. Biden said that he had a sore throat due to a cold. Critics, however, focused on how Biden lost his train of thought and did not provide clear answers to questions. 

Concern Over Biden’s Age 

Immediately after the debate ended, President Biden’s Democratic Party supporters began worrying about how the debate performance would affect the race. People began publicly questioning whether the 81-year-old president could successfully maintain the effort required to run the campaign. Even though Trump is 78, he appeared more confident and in control. 

Before the debate, Biden trailed the former president in some polls, but the deficit was within the statistical margin of error. In the week and a half following the debate, even as more people began to question Biden’s age, the polling data showed very little change. When asked if he was going to leave the race in early July, President Biden said he was remaining in the campaign. 

Assassination Attempt on Trump 

A few weeks after the debate, on July 13, Donald Trump held a political rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. While Trump was on stage, speaking to the crowd, a nearby gunman fired eight shots toward the stage. One of the bullets grazed Trump’s right ear, but Trump was not further injured in the assassination attempt. Secret Service officers who were there to protect Trump pushed him to the ground and tried to quickly move him off the stage to safety. A member of the Secret Service shot and killed the gunman. 

A local firefighter named Corey Comperatore, who was a strong Trump supporter brought his family to the rally. He was killed by one of the assassin’s bullets. He was shielding his wife and daughter in the crowd when the bullet struck him. Two other people in the crowd were injured.  

In the investigation following the shooting incident, there was a focus on how the 20-year-old gunman was able to get himself and his weapon to the rally without being halted by the local police or the Secret Service who established security around the area. Kimberly Cheatle, the director of the Secret Service when the incident occurred, was questions by Congress. She eventually chose to resign her position. Congress continues to investigate the incident. 

Trump formally accepted his nomination as the GOP presidential candidate five days later in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He wore a bandage on his ear while the gunshot wound was still healing. Some Republicans in the convention crowd also wore fake bandages as a show of support. Trump resumed outdoor rallies in August, but the stage was surrounded by bulletproof glass as an additional security measure. 

Biden’s Withdrawal and Support of Harris 

On Sunday, July 21, President Biden announced that he was ending his reelection campaign. He said that he thought it was in the best interest of the Democratic Party and the country for him to step aside and focus on his presidential responsibilities for the rest of his term in office. He put his political support behind his vice president Kamala Harris. 

Harris responded to Biden’s announcement by saying she was honored by his endorsement and that she intended to earn the nomination of the Democratic Party. With only four months remaining before Election Day, and with the Democratic primaries concluded, questions immediately arose about what the Democrats would do in the weeks before the August 19^th start of the National Convention.  

A few days after President Biden made his withdrawal announcement, former president Barack Obama publicly endorses Vice President Harris. Former Democratic Party speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi also spoke out to endorse Harris as the possible nominee. The Democratic leaders in Congress also weighed in, Senator Chuck Schumer and Representative Hakeen Jeffries endorsed the vice president as well  

On August 2, the Democratic Party National Committee Chair Jaime Harrison announced that Vice President Harris had secured enough delegate votes to become the party’s nominee. 

What Do You Think? Which event do you think had the biggest impact on where the presidential race is right now? Discuss why you think so with your classmates.