A year away from Election Day 2024, former President Donald Trump is set to testify in a civil fraud trial and separately faces more than 90 criminal charges, setting up the possibility that a convicted felon tops the Republican ticket next November.
But it’s President Joe Biden’s political prospects that are plunging.
In another extraordinary twist to a 2024 campaign season that is more notable for court hearings than treks through early voting states, Trump is expected to be called to the witness stand in New York on Monday. This is hardly typical activity during a post-presidency. But Trump was, after all, the most unconventional president.
And a lot of the people who, right now, are saying “we’ll vote third party” or “we just won’t vote” will change their tune if it comes to November and it’s a close Biden vs Trump.
This isn’t to say that Biden should take these votes for granted, of course. (Hillary made the fatal mistake of taking votes for granted.) However, it’s a common occurrence for people to refuse to back one party’s candidate a year out and then come back into the fold near election day. The Republicans will likely have a similar occurrence with people refusing to vote for Trump, but then deciding to do so in November 2024.