In an interview with Fox News, Donald Trump responded “Uh, sort of” when asked if he believed a coup within the Democratic Party against Joe Biden was possible.
Yes, there were no military caps or tanks, but Biden being forced out of the candidacy before the Democratic Party convention in August, where the presidential candidate would be decided, was clearly a coup.
First, we know that nobody knew what was going on until Biden announced on July 21 his intention to run for reelection but decided that stepping down would be the best choice for his party and his country. Even his close aides in the White House say they learned about Biden's decision to withdraw from the presidential race on Nov. 5 at 1:46 p.m. local time, while they themselves were informed at 1:45 p.m.
The fact that no other candidate's name was mentioned after the president's withdrawal decision is also an indication that such a possibility was not discussed within the party.
So, how was the president, who declared his determination to uphold the will of the voters, suddenly convinced to withdraw? When did the operation begin?
The bells started tolling for Biden with that June 28 program on CNN where he faced Trump. During the 90-minute debate, Democrats pulled out everything that had been said about Biden until then, who was crushed by Trump. They looked incredibly agitated as if this debacle was a surprise. Calls within the Democratic Party for Biden to withdraw from the presidential race became louder. Even Democrats like David Axelrod, who had long been an advisor to former President Barack Obama, raised alarm bells with comments like “Panic had set in.”
The New York Times, which had not printed a single critical piece about Biden, featured an article on July 10 with George Clooney calling for the president to withdraw on the front page.
Yet, despite this all-out assault, Biden gave no sign of withdrawing. He emphasized his determination to fulfill the role given to him by millions of Americans and Democratic Party members.
The failed assassination attempt on Trump, the favorite candidate of the elections, on July 13 further intensified the pressure on Biden. Trump surviving the assassination attempt boosted his image even more. It resolved the doubts among Republican voters and within the party about Trump. It consolidated the base. This attempt was also a message to Biden. When Biden received the news of the assassination attempt, he must have wondered how far those who did not want Trump in the presidency would go.
Even if it didn't occur to him at the time, he must have understood the seriousness of the situation when his most staunch supporter, Obama, called him on July 19 to express reservations about running again. Two days later, he had to say that he was not running despite his wishes.
And this is the brief story of the last U.S. president being sidelined while in office.
