The first national presidential debate at the end of June kicked off a very eventful month in the political arena and was the first time Americans saw Trump and Biden debate each other since October 22, 2020. Both candidates took time during their answers to levy insults towards the other and mention their individual golf scores, but they also discussed policy issues such as healthcare, immigration, and the economy. 

Both received criticism from across the aisle post-debate, however, President Biden’s performance further inflamed critics who believed he is not mentally fit for another term as president. While this claim has been made before, it was shared by politicians and news pundits in his own party as well.

Rep. Lloyd Doggett (D-TX) was the first member of congress to publicly call for President Biden to step down from the presidential race following the debate. In his statement he writes, “My decision to make these strong reservations public is not done lightly nor does it in any way diminish my respect for all that President Biden has achieved,” however later in the statement he continues, “I am hopeful that he will make the painful and difficult decision to withdraw. I respectfully call on him to do so.” Doggett’s choice to call on President Biden set a precedent that was soon followed by other representatives.

July 14, 2024 - Trump is shot as his rally in Pennsylvania

On July 14, Former President Trump was speaking at his own rally in Butler, Pennsylvania when several shots were fired at him and into the crowd killing one rally-goer and injuring at least 2 other people. Right before the shooting, witnesses were able to see the gunman on the roof of a nearby building and were captured on video saying, “On the roof, he’s got a gun.” just as the shooter began to fire at the former president. 

Former President Trump was seen grabbing the side of his face before ducking behind the podium he was speaking at and being surrounded by secret service agents. According to CNN, it was once the secret service surrounding Trump got word that the shooter was “down” that they rushed the former president off the stage to receive medical treatment for the bullet wound to his ear. 

The shooter was later identified as 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks of Pennsylvania. While Crooks has been called a “lone wolf” there is still an open investigation into the motive for the shooting. In the hours following the shooting many political figures including Matt Gaetz, Former President Barack Obama, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and others took to social media platforms such as Instagram or X to voice their condemnation of political violence in any form.

July 15, 2024 - Trump announces his VP candidate JD Vance

On July 15, Trump took to his social media platform, Truth Social, to announce that he had made his selection of his Vice Presidential candidate, Ohio senator J.D. Vance. As Vance is only 2 years into his senate term, if Trump were to win the election, the Ohio governor would have to appoint a replacement senator to fill his seat. 

Vance served in the Marine corps, graduated from Yale law school, and published his memoir Hillbilly Elegy before beginning his political career. In 2022 he won his current Senate seat in Ohio against Democratic nominee Tim Ryan. 

July 21, 2024 - Biden announces his departure from the presidential race 

In the weeks following the June 27 debate Biden continued to reassure the nation of his mental fitness and his intentions to remain steadfast in the race. However, on July 21 he announced that he would be stepping down from the presidential race and endorsing his Vice President Kamala Harris as the Democratic Party’s candidate for 2024. 

This makes for an extremely swift race to the election date for Harris as some voters will begin casting their ballots as early as mid-September. Harris has since received support and numerous endorsements from democrats such as Barack and Michelle Obama, Gavin Newsome, Hakeem Jefferies and others. 

August - Kamala Harris IS Brat 

On July 21, pop sensation Charli XCX posted on X the simple declaration that “Kamala Harris IS Brat,” as her way of saying Harris perfectly encapsulates the soul of her newest pop album which has been topping the charts. The statement inspired a slew of online memes and edits of Harris to songs off of the album as well as her famous quip that starts, “You didn’t fall out of a coconut tree…” 

As light-hearted as the jokes have been, Harris has taken the label “Brat” seriously and branded her social media accounts with the matching aesthetic, even posting to edited sounds made from her voice. It’s debatable whether this phenomenon translates to genuine support for the Harris campaign, however she did manage to snag the first ever presidential endorsement from March for Our Lives, a student-led organization that advocates for gun control legislation. This endorsement signals genuine support for Harris among gen-z. 

As far as the overall success of Kamala Harris’ last minute campaign, she has managed to raise over $130 million from small donors and a singular $150 million from Democratic super PAC Future Forward according to the New York Times. The Harris campaign has a lot of ground to make up before the votes start rolling in, but it has certainly made a substantial start on marketing and fundraising efforts in the few short weeks since she started running.

August 6, 2024 - Harris announces her VP candidate 

On August 6, Harris announced that she had chosen a Vice Presidential candidate to run with her only 16 days after launching her own campaign. Her pick, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, is a veteran of the national guard and is also a former social studies teacher and football coach. 

Walsh began his political career in the U.S. House of Representatives where he was elected in 2006 and served six terms before being elected Minnesota's Governor in 2018 and again in 2022. While not exactly being a household name in politics, Walz has gained recent popularity within the Democratic party.