Kamala Harris Isn’t Going Anywhere

I remain skeptical that the winning coalition of voters that polling suggests is coalescing around Donald Trump — reliable Republican voters, working-class converts, disaffected young people, and a sizeable percentage of the minority vote — will materialize in November. But no one should summarily dismiss the mountain of surveys indicating as much. Indeed, those who take the polls at face value and dread the prospect of Trump’s reelection are seeking a deus ex machina that might deliver the nation from the fate voters seem to have in store for us.

In his latest piece for the New York Times opinion pages, conservative columnist Bret Stephens gives voice to what plugged-in Democrats are willing to say only in private and in hushed tones. Biden needs a “win,” Stephens writes, but the avenues that might produce American success abroad have been closed off by the president’s dithering and risk aversion. His “biggest” opportunity to change the trajectory of this race is, therefore, on the home front. And there is a “win” available to the president here, but only if Biden can summon the requisite courage to eject Kamala Harris from the ticket.

About the Author

Noah Rothman

Noah Rothman is a senior writer at National Review. His third book, Blood and Progress: A Century of Left-Wing Violence, was published by Hachette in May 2026.

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I remain skeptical that the winning coalition of voters that polling suggests is coalescing around Donald Trump — reliable Republican voters, working-class converts, disaffected young people, and a sizeable percentage of the minority vote — will materialize in November. But no one should summarily dismiss the mountain of surveys indicating as much. Indeed, those who take the polls at face value and dread the prospect of Trump’s reelection are seeking a deus ex machina that might deliver the nation from the fate voters seem to have in store for us.

In his latest piece for the New York Times opinion pages, conservative columnist Bret Stephens gives voice to what plugged-in Democrats are willing to say only in private and in hushed tones. Biden needs a “win,” Stephens writes, but the avenues that might produce American success abroad have been closed off by the president’s dithering and risk aversion. His “biggest” opportunity to change the trajectory of this race is, therefore, on the home front. And there is a “win” available to the president here, but only if Biden can summon the requisite courage to eject Kamala Harris from the ticket.

About the Author

Noah Rothman

Noah Rothman is a senior writer at National Review. His third book, Blood and Progress: A Century of Left-Wing Violence, was published by Hachette in May 2026.