What happened to Trump’s Big Mo, and will the Harris Big Mo slow down?
Could you blame them?
On June 27, President Joe Biden self-sabotaged in what will go down as a truly historic political blunder by agreeing to an early debate with Donald Trump.
Then Republicans began watching with glee as poll after poll showed Trump rising; as the Democratic Party imploded in internecine warfare between the left and center; and as victory suddenly seemed plausible in Senate races in Democratic strongholds like New Jersey and Maryland.
Then, poof. It was all gone.
It peaked at the Republican convention. Trump had survived an assassination attempt, avoided more legal trouble, and was about to pick his vice-presidential running mate. This magazine’s cover referred to Trump’s “comeback.”
But then it all changed. Republicans I have spoken to say the selection of Senator J.D. Vance was a clear nod to the MAGA base and was not intended to win any swing states. Their belief was that the Democratic Party couldn’t recover in time to mount a serious challenge, and that even if Biden were to be replaced, it would be too chaotic and fractured to allow for a shift in momentum. It was akin to “spiking the football” — an unnecessary celebration that can have the unintended consequence of motivating the other side.
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