Aides told former President Joe Biden he would debate Donald Trump from "a position of strength." The June 2024 showdown didn't turn out that way.

W hat was meant to be Joe Biden 's defining moment in the 2024 campaign — an early debate to secure a second term by addressing concerns about his age and showing strength against Donald Trump — instead became a turning point that accelerated his political declin e and led to his political nemesis' comeback.

Biden's senior advisors urged him to participate in the debate against Trump, which ultimately led to his withdrawal from the race and the nomination of Kamala Harris as the Democratic candidate.