Newly released documents have revealed why former President Joe Biden pushed to debate Donald Trump much sooner than the Commission of Presidential Debates recommended, leading to a summer showdown that would ultimately kill his campaign to stay in office another term.
"YOUR Senior Advisors, including Ron and Cedric, continue to believe it is important to move forward with a plan that supports YOUR participation in debates as early as possible," the April 15, 2024 memo reads. The document lays out several key goals, including debating before early voting begins, debating from a position of strength, and debating before then-vice President Kamala Harris could debate Trump's running mate, J.D. Vance.
Every reference to Biden in the memo, released by Politico on Monday, is written in attention grabbing bold and all-caps.
The memo initially pushed for a spring debate, concluding that Biden could reach "the widest audience possible" by holding the debate before the Olympics, and before many Americans take their summer vacations. However, Biden advisors later conclude in the memo that June would be the best month strategically.
"By holding the first debate in the spring, YOU will be able to reach the widest audience possible, before we are deep in the summer months with the conventions, Olympics and family vacations taking precedence. In addition, the earlier YOU are able to debate the better, so that the American people can see YOU standing next to Trump and showing the strength of YOUR leadership, compared to Trump's weakness and chaos," a passage of the memo reads.
Biden's advisors suggested the former President participate in two televised debates, the first being no later than the week of June 23, just weeks away and nearly 3 months ahead of the first date recommended by the CPD.
The memo recommended the second debate be held on September 11 or 12, a few days shy of the CPD's first recommended date.
The debate, which was held on June 27, was a disaster for the Biden campaign. The former President's failing basic faculties were on full display for the over 50 million Americans that tuned in. In the weeks that followed, Biden faced harsh criticism from both sides of the aisle and calls from members of his own party to bow out of the race. Biden eventually stepped out of the race on July 21, announcing his exit and endorsement for Vice President Kamala Harris on social media.
The memo was originally obtained by journalists Josh Dawsey, Tyler Pager, and Isaac Arnsdorf ahead of the trio's upcoming book, "2024: How Trump Retook the White House and the Democrats Lost America," which becomes available on Tuesday. Dawsey told Playbook that the memo is just one of several documents, audio recordings, notes, and interviews collected for the book.
"We Talked to both Trump and Biden. And we conducted more than 350 interviews," Dawsey said.
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