In the last few weeks, the political gravity within the Democratic Party has shifted away from President Joe Biden, culminating with him stepping down from his re-election campaign. However, the decision by Biden is just the latest significant political event in the last two months. Peter Finn charts some recent key moments.
- This article is part of ‘The 2024 Elections’ series curated by Peter Finn (Kingston University). Ahead of the 2024 election, this series is exploring US elections at the state and national level. If you are interested in contributing to the series, contact Peter Finn (p.fnn@kingston.ac.uk).
President Joe Biden’s decision, announced this past Sunday, not to seek the Democratic Party’s nomination marks what may be the most historic in an array of historic US political events which began at the end of May. With Biden’s decision now dominating the headlines, it’s useful to be reminded of the other major events of the 2024 presidential election campaign which have occurred over the last seven weeks.
May 30, Trump found guilty
After a trial where he constantly tested the boundaries and patience of Judge Juan Merchan, Trump was found guilty of almost three dozen charges brought by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg related to payments made to adult film star Stormy Daniels during the 2016 presidential election campaign. If this had been the only moment of note beyond standard campaigning during 2024 it would have been, and remains, historic. Trump is due to be sentenced on September 18th.
June 1, Supreme Court ruling
Just two days later the US Supreme Court, via a 6-3 ruling, accepted arguments put forward by Trump’s legal team, rejecting a lower court decision, that presidents cannot be prosecuted for their actions that relate to powers granted to them by the US Constitution. The case related to the attempts by Trump to overturn the results of the 2020 election. For those critical of the ruling, in the words of a dissenting opinion by Justice Sonia Sotomayor, this decision means that in ‘every use of official power, the President is now a king above the law.’
June 27, Biden-Trump debate
During the CNN debate in Atlanta, Biden struggled to articulate his points, appearing confused at times. Crucially, however, the performance from Biden fed into a pre-existing narrative that Biden was struggling to cope with both the mental and physical demands of being president. In February this year, for example, Special Counsel Robert K Hur claimed that ‘Mr. Biden’s memory was significantly limited […] in his interview with our office’ in a report exploring Biden’s treatment of classified material. Yet it was the debate with Trump that acted as the catalyst for incessant media coverage of the internal machinations of the Democratic Party, and a running count of how many elected officials had called for Biden to step down as nominee.
“20240529P_CD_1910” (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0) by Biden For President
July 13, Trump assassination attempt
In Butler, Pennsylvania, on Saturday July 13, shots were fired at a campaign rally where former, and potentially future, US President Donald Trump was speaking. One person was killed, and two others were injured. Trump was struck, but did not receive serious injuries, and was quickly bundled off stage by Secret Service agents. The Federal Bureau of Investigation quickly identified Thomas Matthew Crooks of Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, who was shot dead at the scene, as a suspect.
July 15, Trump names JD Vance as his Vice-Presidential pick
Just two days after the assassination attempt, Trump nominated Ohio Senator J.D. Vance in the Republican Vice Presidential slot at the 2024 Republican National Convention at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Vance has ‘rapidly morphed in recent years from a bitter critic of the former president to an aggressive defender and is now positioned to become the future leader of the party and the torch-bearer of Trump’s “Make America Great Again” political movement.’ For his part at the convention, Trump delivered a speech that recounted the assassination attempt against him, but then descended in a rambling affair that lacked focus.
July 21, Biden stands down
Closing out, for now, an extraordinary sequence of events, Biden’s decision to step down marks the moment he aligned himself with the shift in political gravity caused by his faltering debate performance less than a month prior. Yet, these are just two of multiple events of clear historical import that have occurred since late May. At present it seems most likely that Vice President Kamala Harris will replace Biden, though who will be her running mate if she does is now up for grabs. Whether she is chosen, and in turn nominates someone for Vice President, or not, the wheels of history will continue to turn as the clock ticks down to the November 5th election.
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