Efforts to replace President Joe Biden as the Democratic Party’s 2024 nominee have lost all momentum following the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump, according to Biden’s allies.
Prior to the attack, a significant number of Democratic lawmakers and key donors had been urging Biden to step down from the race. However, Biden’s allies now believe that the attempt on Trump’s life has halted these efforts.
“I think it’s over,” a Biden ally told NBC News. “You just lose all momentum.”
“They were having a very bad political day, and then we had this supernova event. Now, it’s frozen,” a Democratic strategist explained to NBC News. “If you’re an advocate for: ‘How do we tell the old man it’s time to go?’ – it’s really hard to have that conversation publicly. This event blocks out the sun right now.”
Following the assassination attempt on Saturday, Biden addressed the nation, condemning the violence and expressing his prayers for Trump and his family.
“I have been briefed on the shooting at Donald Trump’s rally in Pennsylvania,” Biden said in a statement. “I’m grateful to hear that he’s safe and doing well. I’m praying for him and his family and for all those who were at the rally, as we await further information. Jill and I are grateful to the Secret Service for getting him to safety. There’s no place for this kind of violence in America. We must unite as one nation to condemn it.”
Biden later spoke with Trump over the phone, though details of their conversation have not been released. He also communicated with Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro and Butler Mayor Bob Dandoy.
In response to the incident, Biden’s campaign promptly paused plans for ads attacking Trump. Staffers were instructed to “refrain from issuing any comments on social media or in public,” according to NBC News.
“It’s likely the effort to dislodge Biden has ended. He’s not going to voluntarily step aside in this moment,” another Biden ally stated. “Biden demonstrated he’s going to fight.”
The assassination attempt occurred just two days before the start of the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where Trump will be formally nominated as the GOP’s 2024 presidential candidate.
The Democratic National Committee has since been working to pull down ads that were set to run on 57 municipal buses in Milwaukee, the site of the GOP convention.
