"Biden Candidate Withdrawal Backfires on Trump: Why Trump's Strategist Was Concerned"

Interview with Former White House Chief Strategist Steve Bannon
"Easy Opponents Disappear, Wild Cards Emerge" Concerns

Steve Bannon, former White House chief strategist and 'strategist' for former U.S. President Donald Trump, predicted that President Joe Biden, who botched the first presidential debate, will step down as the Democratic candidate, and that this situation will actually be disadvantageous to former President Trump.

President Joe Biden [Photo by Reuters]

In an interview with The Washington Post (WP) published on the 30th of last month (local time), Bannon forecasted that Biden's debate performance would lead to a collapse in poll support and ultimately result in his elimination from the presidential race. He added that this situation would backfire on former President Trump.

Bannon said, "Last Thursday (the debate day) was a 'Pyrrhic victory' for Trump, where the losses outweighed the gains," explaining, "Because of this, you will remove the person (Biden) who knows he can win, and win big, and instead face a 'wildcard' (an unpredictable figure)." He emphasized, "This person (Biden) is actually the best for us."

Trump's campaign has so far been premised on ousting the incumbent president, but Bannon expressed concern that if President Biden resigns, this would upend everything. In that case, the Republicans would have to attack the Democrats' 'messy process' of replacing their candidate, arguing, "They need to show how insensitive, selfish, and how much they prioritized personal ambition over the national interest."

Bannon predicted, "They (the Democrats) will look for a messiah and then have a 'honeymoon' period," adding, "This is very critical, so whether it's Michelle Obama or Gavin Newsom, until the Democratic National Convention at the end of August, they will start off at least 5 to 7 percentage points behind."

Meanwhile, following President Biden's crushing defeat in the first TV debate ahead of the November U.S. presidential election, calls for replacing the Democratic candidate are growing louder. Biden's stuttering and vacant stares during the debate highlighted his advanced age risk, fueling widespread momentum within the Democratic Party for a candidate change.

According to a poll conducted by CBS News and YouGov from the 28th to 29th of last month, immediately after the presidential debate, surveying 1,130 registered voters, 72% responded that President Biden should not run for president (margin of error ±4.2 percentage points). Only 28% said he should run. In a previous poll in February, 63% opposed Biden running and 37% supported it, indicating that opposition to his candidacy increased after the TV debate.