The 2024 presidential race had no shortage of surprises. But the most remarkable part might be what author Jonathan Allen called “the most epic comeback in American political history.”
As Allen told me, the moment everything changed was the first debate. Incumbent President Joe Biden visibly struggled to stay coherent, and it became painfully clear to the American people that something was wrong. “You just couldn’t unsee it,” he said. From that moment on, the campaign spiraled in a completely new direction.
What stunned me—and I think will surprise a lot of readers—is that Biden only did 45 minutes of debate prep. He held no serious rehearsals or mock debates.
His team thought an early debate would help reset the race. Instead, it ended his campaign. Behind the scenes, Democratic leaders such as Nancy Pelosi and Barack Obama began quietly working to get Biden to step aside without tearing the party apart. Meanwhile, Kamala Harris and her team were scrambling to lock in support before anyone else could jump in the race. Within days, Harris was suddenly the nominee. But as Parnes explained, Harris walked into a political trap. She was publicly tied to Biden by his insistence that there was “no daylight” between them. So, she was unable to be the change candidate voters clearly wanted.
While Democrats were managing internal chaos, Donald Trump was doing what he does best. He was grabbing attention and connecting with everyday Americans. Whether it was passing out McDonald’s French fries or showing up at an Ultimate Fighting Championship fight, he showed voters he was still in touch with real life. This time, there was more discipline. He stuck to his message, took advice from his team, and avoided many of the mistakes that were made in 2020.
Parnes also shared something that stuck with me. She recalled a moment when one of Trump’s closest aides broke down and said, “If they can’t stop him legally, someone might try to kill him.” That tells you just how tense and emotionally charged this election really was behind the scenes.
If you haven’t already, it is well worth reading.
