Former President Donald Trump spent much of 2020 believing in wild conspiracy theories, Wall Street Journal reporter Michael Bender writes in his forthcoming book, including that Democrats had crafted a secret plot to steal the nomination from Joe Biden and replace him with either Hillary Clinton or Michelle Obama.
This tidbit is revealed in an excerpt in Vanity Fair from Bender's Frankly, We Did Win This Election: The Inside Story of How Trump Lost. Bender interviewed more than 150 people for the book, including Trump. The idea that a switcheroo was set to take place at the Democratic National Convention came from Dick Morris, the former Clinton White House adviser, Bender writes. Morris spent last year "quietly advising Trump" and told him "Biden was too old and too prone to gaffes to be the nominee."
Not every member of Trump's team was on board with this theory. Bender writes that campaign pollster Tony Fabrizio addressed the matter in a memo, going over the delegate math and stating that there was "some concern (which I strenuously disagree with) that if we go after Biden too soon, we can collapse him, and the Dems will replace him at their convention. I know POTUS tends to share this opinion."
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The book paints a picture of a preoccupied Trump who couldn't stop thinking about Biden. Bender writes that Trump used offensive language to refer to Biden, interrupting a policy meeting in the Oval Office to ask, "How am I losing in the polls to a mental retard?" Read more at Vanity Fair.
-
Can Trump put his tariffs on stronger legal footing?Today's Big Question Appeals court says 'emergency' tariffs are improper
-
Film reviews: The Roses, Splitsville, and TwinlessFeature A happy union devolves into domestic warfare, a couple's open marriage reaps chaos, and an unlikely friendship takes surprising turns
-
Thought-provoking podcasts you may have missed this summerThe Week Recommends Check out a true crime binger, a deep-dive into history and more
-
US kills 11 on 'drug-carrying boat' off VenezuelaSpeed Read Trump claimed those killed in the strike were 'positively identified Tren de Aragua Narcoterrorists' shipping drugs to the US
-
Trump vows to send federal forces to Chicago, BaltimoreSpeed Read The announcement followed a California judge ruling that Trump's LA troop deployment was illegal
-
Trump crypto token launch earns family billionsSpeed Read The World Liberty Financial token is now the Trump family's 'most valuable asset'
-
RFK Jr. names new CDC head as staff revoltSpeed Read Kennedy installed his deputy, Jim O'Neill, as acting CDC director
-
DC prosecutors lose bid to indict sandwich throwerSpeed Read Prosecutors sought to charge Sean Dunn with assaulting a federal officer
-
White House fires new CDC head amid agency exodusSpeed Read CDC Director Susan Monarez was ousted after butting heads with HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. over vaccines
-
DOGE put Social Security data at risk, official saysSpeed Read DOGE workers made the personal information of hundreds of millions of Americans vulnerable to identity theft
-
Court rejects Trump suit against Maryland US judgesSpeed Read Judge Thomas Cullen, a Trump appointee, said the executive branch had no authority to sue the judges
