Were any of these political moments this year surprising to you?
Abortion. Health care. Taxes. Immigration. Foreign policy… These are just a few of the terms we’ve heard over and over again this year. And the presidential race has been nothing short of historic.
Former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris started the last week before the election almost tied in national polls and tight races in the swing states. But when it came down to it, Harris was outperformed… BIG TIME!
It’s safe to say that 2024 will be remembered as one of the most unique elections ever, and we’ll probably be discussing how legendary this election has been for many years to come. But besides that, here are 8 of the most shocking political moments this year!
Shocking political moment: Biden’s debate performance sparks concerns, and he bows out of the race
President Joe Biden’s mental sharpness was questioned following a catastrophic first presidential debate with Donald Trump.
His perplexing responses, halting delivery, and obvious confusion in that political moment prompted questions over whether or not he was still fit to run for reelection.
While Trump avoided questions and made numerous misleading or false statements per CNN’s fact-checker, Joe Biden offered complicated answers in a hoarse voice to the point that it was sometimes challenging to understand him.
The poor performance on Biden’s part sparked panic and doubts among Democrats about his ability to beat Trump. In the following weeks, Democratic donors and legislators called for Biden to drop out of the race.
The president, who is now 81 years old, was encouraged by leaders in the Democratic party and by many on social media to bow out of the race due to his alarmingly poor debate performance in late June.
At first, Biden said the debate resulted from a cold, but he ultimately decided it was time for him to pass the torch and declared his final decision on July 21st.
Shocking political moment: Harris becomes the democratic nominee and chooses Minnesota Governor Tim Walz as her running mate
Vice President Kamala Harris ends up replacing Biden as the Democratic nominee for president, becoming the first woman of color to head a major party ticket.
Briefly, after his announcement that he would withdraw from the race, Biden endorsed Kamala to take his place. She obtains immediate support from fundraisers, drawing in $81 million on the first day, and from leaders in Congress.
Her place at the top of the ticket is virtually set in stone when the Obamas declare that they endorse her. A virtual roll call vote by delegates followed this. As for her running mate?
An Army National Guard veteran, Tim Walz was once a teacher, taught social studies, and coached high school football prior to serving six terms in Congress.
As governor of Minnesota, he’s been known to champion progressive policies, including reproductive rights, paid family leave, and free school meals.
During the 2024 campaign, his description of Trump his running mate as “weird” people became a widely used meme and talking point among Democrats.
Shocking political moment: Donald Trump found guilty in historic conviction
In the beginning of 2024, a federal jury ordered Donald Trump to pay E. Jean Carroll $88.3 million in two civil defamation cases. Carroll alleged that Trump violated her in a Manhattan department store and made slanderous statements about her.
Trump has appealed both of these rulings. And in May, he became the first-ever former president to be convicted of a crime when he was found guilty on all 34 counts of forging business records to cover up “hush-money” payments to adult film star Stormy Daniels.
Trump held on to his claim that he’s a “very innocent man.” His other trials connected to charges of Georgia election interference, federal election interference, and the obstruction and willful retention of classified documents have been delayed amid legal battles.
But this political moment is vital because his election victory will likely help him in all of his criminal cases, experts say.
Shocking political moment: Trump survives the first assassination attempt on his life
On July 13th, Donald Trump survives an assassination attempt. A gunman attempted to end his life, grazing his ear, while he spoke at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. Unfortunately, another man at this rally, Corey Comperatore, was shot and killed.
Inquiries about the Secret Service’s errors immediately popped up all over the internet, leading to Congressional hearings, a US House of Representatives task force dedicated to the assassination investigation, and the ultimate resignation of Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle.
Shocking political moment: Trump Unharmed in Apparent Second Assassination Attempt
As if that wasn’t enough, in September, the Secret Service was successful at stopping a second apparent assassination attempt on Trump’s life as he was out playing golf at his West Palm Beach golf club in Florida.
Ryan Wesley Routh was charged with federal gun crimes for hiding in the bushes that surround the Trump International Golf Course with two backpacks, a scope, an AK-47 style rifle, ceramic tiling, and a GoPro camera.
According to court documents, it turns out that he had been camped in the bushes for at least 12 hours, arriving around 2 in the morning.
Shocking political moment: The singular presidential debate between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris
Harris was widely considered the winner of the presidential debate as she repeatedly provoked Trump into talking about crowd sizes at his rallies rather than his policies.
Another discussion was scheduled to take place, which Kamala agreed to, but Donald Trump said that he would never debate Harris again.
During their debate on September 10th, Trump brought up false declarations about immigrants in Springfield, Ohio, eating people’s pets. Trump stated, “In Springfield, they’re eating the dogs; the people that came in eat pets.”
This remark was undoubtedly hurtful to all the immigrant communities in the nation, but many people also found it so outrageous that they thought it was humorous. That moment was remixed and turned into a TikTok sound that captured this ridiculous comment.
Shocking political moment: Sarah McBride, the first openly trans member of Congress, was elected
Sarah McBride, a progressive trans woman who ran on issues affecting families and workers, became the first openly trans member of Congress. Her term in Washington comes amid an effort by Republicans to roll back the rights of LGBTQ+ citizens.
She went to social media and tweeted: “Delaware has sent the message loud and clear that we must be a country that protects reproductive freedom, that guarantees paid leave and affordable child care for all our families, that ensures that health care and housing are available to everyone and that this is a democracy that is big enough for all of us.”
Shocking political moment: Donald Trump delivered a victory speech in West Palm Beach, Florida, before the race was officially called
“I’ll be fighting for you, and with every breath in my body,” he said. “I will not rest until we deliver the strong, safe, and prosperous America that our children deserve and that you deserve.”
The race was called for Trump in the early hours of the morning following Election Day. And it was Wisconsin’s 10 electoral votes that put him over the 270 required to win the presidency.
For those who don’t remember that political moment, President Biden won that state in 2020. Fox News stated Trump’s victory briefly before 2 am on Wednesday. NBC News, CNN, CBS News, and ABC News followed a few hours later.
What are YOUR thoughts on these shocking political moments? Let us know in the comments section. And if you missed it, here’s a look at Shocking – Stars React to Trump’s Win: Unity, Outrage, and Everything In Between
