Friday Briefing: U.S. Presidential Race at a Crossroads

The U.S. presidential race has reached a pivotal moment. Donald Trump is poised to formally accept the Republican presidential nomination in an arena packed with supporters, less than a week after he survived an assassination attempt. His opponent, President Biden, is recovering from Covid-19 at his beach house as calls for him to drop out grow louder.

For some insight, I spoke with my colleague Jess Bidgood, who writes our On Politics newsletter and is at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee.

Dan: It’s been a wild ride this week. Where do you think the race stands now?

Jess: Up until Biden’s bad debate performance about three weeks ago, it was a fairly steady race between two familiar candidates.

Now, after weeks of Democrats wringing their hands and an assassination attempt against Trump, I think American voters suddenly feel like they’re on a roller coaster.

What’s happening to Biden’s campaign?

Biden is attempting to draw a contrast between himself and Trump. But as much as Biden is trying to make this race about Trump, he’s almost running against his party’s increasingly negative perception of him, and that is a really difficult position.