By Stacy M. Brown
NNPA Senior National
Correspondent
In the shadow of a contentious political landscape, President Joe Biden and his close circle have reportedly embarked on a strategic campaign to fortify their defenses against potential electoral sabotage. With a wary eye on the twice-impeached and four-times indicted Donald Trump’s lingering ambitions and a Republican Party fueled by the specter of the “Big Lie,” Biden’s team is meticulously crafting legal strategies to navigate a potential showdown in the 2024 presidential election.
According to a detailed report in Rolling Stone, years before Trump’s formal announcement for the 2024 race, clandestine maneuvers, and overt machinations were underway within the ex-president’s camp to tilt the electoral scale in his favor. This extensive groundwork, conducted covertly and publicly, has set the stage for a potentially volatile showdown in November. Democratic Party elites, grappling not only with Biden’s dwindling poll numbers but also with the looming threat of electoral subversion, are intensifying their efforts to thwart any attempts at a coup.
Citing sources familiar with Biden’s concerns, Rolling Stone reported that officials have revealed an ongoing apprehension that Trump may resort to nefarious means to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat, particularly in a closely contested election. With memories of the tumultuous aftermath of the 2020 race still fresh, Biden’s inner circle is bracing for a potential reprise of Trump’s scorched-earth tactics, buoyed by a relentless assault on truth and democratic norms.
“President Biden has been worried, for a while now, that Donald Trump is going to try to steal the election, if it’s very close on Election Day,” a source familiar with Biden’s thinking told Rolling Stone. “If that ends up being the case, we are… also expecting the Republican Party to go into overdrive to help him steal it. We are continuing to build out the infrastructure to ensure that doesn’t happen — again — if President Biden wins and Trump and MAGA Republicans try to confuse [everyone] and sow chaos.”
Following Biden’s victory in 2020, Trump and his allies unleashed a barrage of legal challenges, conspiracy theories, and outright attempts to overturn the election results, culminating in the violent insurrection on January 6. While their efforts ultimately faltered, the specter of electoral subversion looms large, especially in the event of razor-thin margins in key battleground states.
Insiders from the Trump and Biden camps anticipate a nail-biting finish in November, with the outcome hinging on a mere sliver of votes. Advisers to both candidates told Rolling Stone that they foresee a contentious battle unfolding, with Trump’s team primed for an electoral “knife fight to the death.” Biden’s preparations for such a scenario date back to his candidacy’s infancy, with a dedicated cadre of legal experts brainstorming strategies to counter every conceivable threat to the democratic process.
Biden’s allies reportedly are leaving no stone unturned in their efforts to safeguard the integrity of the electoral process. Partnering with the Democratic National Committee and a vast network of legal experts, they erected a formidable bulwark against potential acts of subversion.
Draft pleadings and legal motions tailored to address various Trump-related emergencies are already in place, focusing on critical swing states like Georgia, Arizona, and Pennsylvania. Biden’s team has maintained close communication with outside counsel and local law firms, ensuring they remain vigilant against any attempts at electoral malfeasance.
Despite the exhaustive preparations, the spectacle of a Jan. 6-style power grab continues to haunt Biden’s camp. With a laundry list of nightmare scenarios and a relentless commitment to defending democracy, Biden and his allies are steeling themselves for a protracted battle to ensure that the people’s will prevails come Election Day.
A spokesperson for the Democratic National Committee told the publication that the national party is also setting aside “tens of millions of dollars in a robust voter protection program to safeguard the rights of voters to make their voices heard against relentless attacks from Donald Trump and the GOP.”
“Meanwhile, the Trump campaign and the RNC have invested in an army of conspiratorial, election-denying legal staff to undermine our elections and make it harder for Americans’ ballots to be counted,” the DNC spokesperson said. “We won’t let Republicans get away with these baseless attacks on our democracy, and we will continue to use every tool at our disposal to strengthen our democracy as MAGA extremists attempt to tear it down.”
