People attend a watch party for the US Presidential debate between Vice President and Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris and former US President and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump in New York on September 10, 2024.
LEONARDO MUNOZ/AFP via Getty Images
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LEONARDO MUNOZ/AFP via Getty Images
People attend a watch party for the US Presidential debate between Vice President and Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris and former US President and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump in New York on September 10, 2024.
LEONARDO MUNOZ/AFP via Getty Images
It can be hard to remember from where we sit today, but when this presidential campaign began, it looked a lot like the last one.
Everything sounded familiar, down to the candidates. There was Trump talking about bringing back glory, and Biden wanting to restore the normalcy of a good and decent United States.
Former president Donald Trump and sitting President Joe Biden became the presumptive nominees for their parties in March making it the first presidential rematch since 1956.
We all know sequels are rarely more interesting than the original, and many were frustrated or indifferent to what seemed like a repeat of what we had already seen before.
Anyone with a pulse knows the last year has been anything but predictable.
And while we can’t say what the outcome of this election will be, we can say that Americans have just lived through the most dramatic, eventful, unexpected presidential campaign of our lives.
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A last minute substitution
Questions surrounding President Biden’s fitness to serve in the oval office for a second term had already been circulating for months following his acceptance of the Democratic nomination.
But the June debate in Atlanta between Biden and Trump featured a performance from Biden that sent democrats into a tailspin. Members of the Democratic party began calling for Biden to drop out. But the president was resolute.
Weeks later, former speaker of the house Nancy Pelosi weighed in with an open ended conclusion:
“It’s up to the President to decide if he’s going to run. We’re all encouraging him to make that decision, because time is running short.”
Then, while Democrats were wringing their hands, a major event rocked the Trump campaign when a would-be assassin took aim at the former president while he was onstage at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. A bullet grazed Trump’s ear, while one attendee was killed, and another two were left critically wounded.
As Republicans fervently united around their leader, wearing ear bandages to show their support, Biden became sidelined with COVID.
Finally, on July 21st, the President posted on social media that he was ending his campaign.
He offered his quote “full support and endorsement” for Vice President Kamala Harris to be the party’s nominee, cementing the decision in a formal address two days later.
A post-Biden race
Harris would have the shortest runway of any Presidential campaign in modern history. She would need to introduce herself to voters, explain a policy agenda, draw a contrast with Trump, and also choose a running mate.
On August 16th in Philadelphia, she announced her pick, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D).
A few days later, the Democratic convention in Chicago came with a rush of adrenaline as the party celebrated the first woman of color to lead the Democratic ticket.
The first and only debate between the two presidential candidates came on September 10th, in New York City.
They debated policy positions – including on the economy.
Trump had one view:
“The polls say 80 and 85 and even 90 percent, that the Trump economy was great, that their [democrats] economy was terrible.”
Harris had another:
“Donald Trump has no plan for you. And when you look at his economic plan it’s all about tax breaks for the richest people. I am offering what I describe as an opportunity economy.”
Trump also pushed a false claim about Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio, saying they were eating people’s pets.
That led to weeks of threats and violence against the community in Springfield.
And just five days later, Trump was golfing when his life came under threat once again, as Secret Service agents spotted a gunman lurking at the Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida.
He didn’t fire, and Trump wasn’t harmed.
There’s more to recount of course. Listen to the full episode of Consider This for a refresher on why your blood pressure has been so unusually high this past year.
This episode was produced by Kathryn Fink. It was edited by Courtney Dorning. Our executive producer is Sami Yenigun.
