The would-be assassination of former President Donald Trump may have saved President Joe Biden’s future as the 2024 Democratic nominee.
Before the unprecedented moment of Trump surviving an assassination attempt in just seconds, all eyes were on Biden. His ailing health was finally put in the spotlight following his disastrous debate performance and even worse post-debate interview. Since then, Democrats have been pressuring him to drop out of the race.
Just hours before a shooter fired shots at Trump during his Pennsylvania rally on Saturday, Biden held a “tense” Zoom call with congressional Democrats to address calls for him to step down— which reportedly was “even worse than the debate.”
“He was rambling; he’d start an answer, then lose his train of thought, then would just say ‘whatever.’ He really couldn’t complete an answer. I lost a ton of respect for him,” a congressional Democrat told Puck News.
However, the attack on Trump paused at least 50 Democrats from publicly calling for Biden to exit the race.
“Had the assassination attempt not occurred an hour later, I imagine 50 people on that Zoom were ready to come out publicly against him,” the congressional Democrat said.
Meanwhile, a source close to the Biden Administration said that the Trump attack took the focus off Biden, arguing that the “Biden replacement talk” is “over.”
“I think the assassination attempt took the pressure off for a critical 72 hours. Also, the Hill never got its act together—and death by 270 cuts doesn’t work,” the source said.
Nearly 20 congressional Democrats have called for Biden to leave the race.
California Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) was the latest Democrat to urge the president to give up the fight against Trump. He said that he has serious concerns about whether Biden can defeat Trump in November.
If you thought Trump had the election in the bag before his near-death experience, Saturday’s event turned a whole new tide for the future of Republicans, with people coming out of the woodwork in support of Trump.
“It’s the worst thing that could have possibly happened,” a senior Biden campaign source said.
According to a new NBC News poll, nearly 80 percent of voters are concerned about Biden "not having the necessary mental and physical health to be a president for a second term."