Former President Donald Trump has taken advantage of the news cycle following last week's debate with President Joe Biden, allowing the president to contend with a growing chorus of voices from the beltway media and within his own party for him to end his reelection campaign.
According to a Thursday report in CNN, Trumpworld is executing a strategy of laying low despite there being just four months remaining in the election cycle, under the belief that putting Trump out there may distract from the relentlessly negative news cycle Biden is currently contending with.
"Chaos is our friend," an unnamed Trump ally told the network.
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Biden has so far been unable to shake off doubts about his mental fortitude after the 81 year-old continuously stumbled over his words and made incoherent remarks during his televised debate with Trump last week. Trump's own stream of unchecked lies and falsehoods that went unchecked by CNN moderators Dana Bash and Jake Tapper went largely overlooked thanks to Biden's visible difficulty speaking without notes or a teleprompter.
As questions mount about Biden's viability, Vice President Kamala Harris' name has increasingly come up as a potential alternative nominee when delegates convene for the Democratic National Convention (DNC) in Chicago, Illinois next month. Because her name is on Federal Election Commission paperwork along with Biden's, she would be the only Democrat able to access the $240 million in campaign donations the campaign currently has on hand.
CNN reported that while the Trump campaign has largely ignored Harris in its anti-Biden attack strategy, Republicans are now starting to focus on defining her in their media offensive for the 2024 election. Trump campaign senior advisors Chris LaCivita and Susie Wiles said in a statement that regardless of whether the Democratic nominee is Biden or Harris, they're confident Trump will defeat either candidate.
"President Trump will beat any Democrat on November 5th because he has a proven record and an agenda to Make America Great Again," they said.
Biden has remained steadfast about his intent to see his campaign through to the end, telling Democratic National Committee members on a recent call, "Im not leaving." He also hosted a meeting of Democratic governors at the White House on Wednesday night to address their concerns about Biden's impact on down-ballot races.
DNC delegates have said that while they would back Biden if he's still in the race at the time of the convention, they're also open to alternative scenarios, like Harris succeeding Biden and being the one to face off with Trump in November.
