In a strategic move that ultimately backfired, senior advisers to President Joe Biden encouraged him to engage in an early debate with President Donald Trump.
Their aim was to demonstrate Biden's "strength" and capture the "widest audience possible," as revealed in an internal memo. This decision, however, culminated in a disastrous debate performance that significantly undermined Biden's reelection campaign, leading to his withdrawal from the race.
According to The Washington Free Beacon, a six-page memo dated April 15, 2024, advised Biden to participate in the first debate during the spring. "By holding the first debate in the spring, YOU will be able to reach the widest audience possible before we are deep in the summer months with the conventions, Olympics and family vacations taking precedence," the memo stated.
It further emphasized, "The earlier YOU are able to debate the better, so that the American people can see YOU standing next to Trump and showing the strength of YOUR leadership, compared to Trump's weakness and chaos."
This memo, which was obtained by journalists Josh Dawsey, Tyler Pager, and Isaac Arnsdorf for their forthcoming book, "2024: How Trump Retook the White House and the Democrats Lost America," comes amid reports highlighting Biden's declining mental and physical state. In the days leading up to the June debate, Biden was described as "extremely exhausted" and "unaware of what was happening in his own campaign," according to Ron Klain, a longtime aide to Biden, as cited in Chris Whipple's book "Uncharted." Klain, who was responsible for Biden's debate preparation, noted that he had to curtail two mock debates due to Biden's apparent disconnect from American politics. "The President was fatigued, befuddled, and disengaged," Whipple wrote, expressing Klain's concern that the debate with Trump would turn into a "nationally televised disaster."
Interestingly, the April 2024 memo suggests that Klain was among the advisers advocating for an early debate with Trump. "YOUR Senior Advisors, including Ron and Cedric, continue to believe it is important to move forward with a plan that supports YOUR participation in debates as early as possible," the memo indicated. At the time, Klain was leading Biden's debate preparation efforts, while "Cedric" likely referred to Cedric Richmond, the 2024 Biden campaign co-chair.
Following the ill-fated debate, Biden stepped aside, endorsing his vice president, Kamala Harris, who ultimately lost to Trump. This sequence of events underscores the critical importance of timing and preparedness in political campaigns, as well as the potential consequences of misjudging one's own capabilities.
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