Election 2024: What If Nothing Changes?

A week is an eternity in politics. But what if, by early June, we’ve already had all the weeks that we’re going to have?

All coverage of the impending 2024 presidential election presumes that something is going to change. If Trump is imprisoned, then A. If interest rates come down, then B. If persuadable voters start to pay attention, then C. But what if that’s all nonsense or wishful thinking? What if the cake is already baked? What if Trump is Trump is Trump, irrespective of the label “felon”; and Biden is Biden is Biden, irrespective of the attempts to revivify him; and the issues are the issues are the issues, having been absorbed by the public over the last three years and cemented into a stable view of the world? Elections are typically too complicated to reduce to a simple equation, but, in this case, it seems possible that the key variables are all already here, and we are just waiting for the voters to run the math in whatever order they see fit. Trump bad. Biden old. Inflation unpopular. Abortion popular. Border disaster. World on fire. On November 5, solve for X.

CC

About the Author

Charles C. W. Cooke

Charles C. W. Cooke is a senior editor at National Review and the host of The Charles C. W. Cooke Podcast.

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A week is an eternity in politics. But what if, by early June, we’ve already had all the weeks that we’re going to have?

All coverage of the impending 2024 presidential election presumes that something is going to change. If Trump is imprisoned, then A. If interest rates come down, then B. If persuadable voters start to pay attention, then C. But what if that’s all nonsense or wishful thinking? What if the cake is already baked? What if Trump is Trump is Trump, irrespective of the label “felon”; and Biden is Biden is Biden, irrespective of the attempts to revivify him; and the issues are the issues are the issues, having been absorbed by the public over the last three years and cemented into a stable view of the world? Elections are typically too complicated to reduce to a simple equation, but, in this case, it seems possible that the key variables are all already here, and we are just waiting for the voters to run the math in whatever order they see fit. Trump bad. Biden old. Inflation unpopular. Abortion popular. Border disaster. World on fire. On November 5, solve for X.