Five Moments That Doomed the Democrats in 2024

I finally decided to go to bed around 5 a.m. The election had been called for Trump for a couple of hours, at least according to DecisionDeskHQ and Fox News, and I just couldn't stay up any longer. At the time I finally went to bed, MSNBC still hadn’t officially called the race for Trump, which was crazy, but it appears they’ve finally admitted the truth.

Now, I find myself reflecting on what moments during the 2024 presidential campaign doomed the Democratic ticket.

Joe Biden seeking a second term

From the moment Joe Biden was declared the winner of the 2020 election, most people assumed he wouldn’t finish his first term, much less run for a second. Conservatives had raised concerns about his cognitive decline throughout the campaign, yet the media continued to ignore the issue well into his presidency. Biden’s decision to seek reelection prevented the Democrats from going through a process to select a more viable candidate not connected to his disastrous administration.

The Biden/Trump debate

While conservative media had been pointing out Biden’s cognitive decline for years, the mainstream generally pretended that it wasn’t happening. The Biden/Trump debate in June made it impossible to deny the truth. That debate not only resulted in Biden being forced out of the race but exposed the media and the Democrats as being part of a massive coverup. In the end, Americans were left with deep trust issues toward the entire Democratic establishment.

The first assassination attempt

This may well go down as the defining moment of the 2024 election. Years of relentless hate and vitriol directed at Trump culminated in an attempt on his life. His collapse at the rally, followed by his dramatic rise — face bloodied, fist raised in defiance — produced one of the most iconic images in presidential campaign history and rallied many reluctant conservatives behind him. That moment galvanized the MAGA movement, and frankly, it was hard to see at that point how Trump could possibly lose.

The anointment of Kamala Harris

The fallout from the Biden-Trump debate left Democrats with little choice but to rally around Kamala Harris. On paper, backing the sitting vice president may have seemed more practical than risking a bitter, divisive mini-primary battle, especially considering how many Democrats have been waiting for their moment to run. However, in hindsight, uniting behind the most unpopular vice president in polling history turned out to be a far riskier move than keeping Biden on the ticket.

Kamala picking Walz

As a San Francisco liberal, Kamala Harris could have strengthened her ticket by selecting a more moderate running mate from a critical battleground state. Instead, she opted for Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota — a choice that left many scratching their heads. Passing over Pennsylvania’s popular Gov. Josh Shapiro may have cost her crucial votes in that state and the Rust Belt. Though we’ll never know for certain if it would have saved her campaign, her decision to pick Walz thrilled conservatives, and that speaks volumes.