The Trump Campaign’s Worst Mistake

There is no question that the single biggest mistake of the 2024 election was Joe Biden’s stubborn, deluded insistence upon running again. That denied the Democrats the chance for an open primary that might have produced a different candidate — one better prepared to get distance from the unpopular Biden administration, and unconnected to the coverup of Biden’s declining capabilities. In the end, Biden’s decision didn’t even deliver the one thing it promised: the stability of an incumbent reelection.

But today’s news cycle on the extent of Biden’s decline is a good occasion to reflect upon the second-biggest mistake of the cycle: Donald Trump’s acceptance of the Biden campaign’s unprecedented request for a debate in June.

About the Author

Dan McLaughlin

Dan McLaughlin is a senior writer at National Review Online and a fellow at National Review Institute.

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There is no question that the single biggest mistake of the 2024 election was Joe Biden’s stubborn, deluded insistence upon running again. That denied the Democrats the chance for an open primary that might have produced a different candidate — one better prepared to get distance from the unpopular Biden administration, and unconnected to the coverup of Biden’s declining capabilities. In the end, Biden’s decision didn’t even deliver the one thing it promised: the stability of an incumbent reelection.

But today’s news cycle on the extent of Biden’s decline is a good occasion to reflect upon the second-biggest mistake of the cycle: Donald Trump’s acceptance of the Biden campaign’s unprecedented request for a debate in June.