Donald Trump's advisors and allies viewed last night's debate as the most advantageous outcome possible.
“Best of both worlds,” said a Trump ally. “Bad but not bad enough to be forced out.”
“Democrats’ worst nightmare is unfolding," said a Trump advisor. "He gave us enough new material and may stave off his insurrection.”
While the polls show Trump and Biden either in a statistical dead heat or Trump slightly ahead, the battleground states look awful for Biden. He trails Trump by six points in Pennsylvania and four points in Wisconsin. All things considered, this severely narrows Biden's path to 270 electoral votes and victory.
"I think he's doing OK enough to stay. The press, I think their mission was to try to get him out with this, but I don't think they are going to," Donald Trump Jr. said in a livestream on Thursday.
The press conference is not expected to move the needle much. But this means that the case for Biden leaving the race is evaporating — at least for now. And that's just fine with Donald Trump.
Trump made it clear on Tuesday that he doesn't care who the Democrats put up to run against him; he's going to win.
PRESIDENT TRUMP: Despite all the Democrat panic this week, the truth is, it doesn’t matter who they nominate—because we are going to beat ANY ONE of them in a thundering landslide this November—because we have the policies that will Make America Great Again, and they don’t. pic.twitter.com/5JBtLa5FnZ
— Trump War Room (@TrumpWarRoom) July 10, 2024
With so many Democrats coming out against him (and dozens more in the next few days, according to CBS.), there will come a point of no return where Biden cannot exit the race without destroying the Democratic Party. How can 50 or 60 congressmen and several senators say they will vote for a man in November whom they've called on to step away from the campaign because of his age?
It's not clear that any number of defections from Democrats will change the president's mind. So far, more than a dozen House Democrats and one Senate Democrat have publicly called on Mr. Biden to end his reelection bid.
One of the few things that could pierce the insular Biden team and persuade Mr. Biden to reconsider his run is the argument that his legacy could include tarnishing the Democratic Party and its electoral prospects, one of the sources indicated. Multiple sources indicated that the only two people who could effectively deliver that message to him would be his sister, Valerie, or wife, first lady Jill Biden.
Joe Biden remains unconvinced that he will lose. He still thinks he can rescue his campaign with one master stroke of strategy. Other Democrats aren't convinced.
Multiple House Democrats told Axios that even a strong performance by Biden at the press conference likely wouldn't change the dynamic on Capitol Hill.
"I'm skeptical there's going to be any interview, press conference or debate that's going to put to rest the persistent concerns about the president," said a fourth House Democrat.
A fifth told Axios: "I think people are just waiting until after the [NATO summit] is done, regardless of how he does ... They just don't want to take away from his discussions with world leaders."
The Republican Convention, which begins on Monday, couldn't come at a better time. The energy, the confidence, and the sheer joy at the turn that the national campaign has taken could electrify the party and build unstoppable momentum going forward.
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