Since declaring his candidacy for the White House, Donald Trump has seized every chance to portray President Joe Biden as too feeble and compromised to even make it to the November election, much less serve another term. Despite the Democratic president experiencing what might be the lowest point of his political life, his Republican opponent seems to have resisted the strong temptation to publicly revel in Biden's misfortunes.
Trump's rally in Doral, Florida on Tuesday marks his first public appearance in 11 days, and only the second since Biden's disastrous prime-time performance at their June 27 debate in Atlanta, which significantly disrupted the election campaign. Americans are used to the constant flow of Trump's bold campaign speeches from sports arenas, courthouses, and conservative news studios—and they notice when it ceases.
"Trump isn't focusing much on Biden's poor debate performance. His campaign isn't flooding the airwaves with ads about it," noted David Axelrod, a former White House aide for the Democrats, on X Monday. "And Lara Trump mentioned last week that it would be a disrespect to democracy if Biden were not the nominee. Question: Why do you think they are unusually holding back?" The answer might be that the twice-impeached individual with civil court rulings for sexual assault and widespread fraud has realized that sometimes, less is more.
"When your opponent is self-destructing, the smart move is to stay out of his way," commented author, PR consultant, and former White House correspondent Ron Fournier. Trump provided a restrained critique of Biden's debate performance in an interview Monday night with Fox News, avoiding any reference to a serious condition or attacks on his mental state. Trump also expressed his belief that Biden will remain in the race.
The Republican noted he didn't pay much attention to Biden during the debate "except when he went a bit off the rails." When asked if he thinks Biden should step down, Trump responded: "Well, we prepared for him, but I don't think it will matter," before listing his own achievements in office. Since his heavily criticized debate performance, Biden has failed to alleviate concerns that, at 81, he is no longer capable of arguing against another Trump term—let alone leading the free world into 2029.
The president has stated that only the "Lord Almighty" could persuade him to quit the race, but the demand for a more earthly intervention has been growing, with a small but increasing number of Democratic lawmakers urging him to step aside. Meanwhile, Trump has missed chances to grab the spotlight, opting to golf in New Jersey rather than create headlines that could distract from Biden's decline.
He has even avoided naming a running mate—a significant political event that could have dominated headlines ahead of next week's Republican nominating convention in Milwaukee. "When Donald Trump is loud and annoys people, that's one thing," said former New York governor David Paterson on local radio station WABC 770 on Sunday. "But in this case, his silence suggests, 'Why say something when everything's going my way and the Democrats are in disarray?'"
This doesn't mean Trump has been entirely quiet. Besides the Fox News interview Monday night, he has been active on his social media platform, Truth Social, posting and reposting videos, articles, and comments from allies about Biden's job performance and competence. Even with his newfound restraint, Trump has occasionally engaged in baseless accusations, referring to his opponent as "crooked" and the administration as "fascist," while reintroducing the nickname "Sleepy Joe."
Most Democrats view Vice President Kamala Harris as the obvious successor if Biden decides to withdraw, although several of the party's 23 state governors could also be contenders. A CNN poll a few days after the debate showed Trump leading Harris 47 percent to 45 percent, and ahead of Biden 49 percent to 43 percent. His rally will be the first opportunity since the calls for Biden's withdrawal intensified to either twist the knife in front of the cameras or show restraint towards an opponent he perceives as severely weakened and an easier target in November.
