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.

President Joe Biden was implored by his closest advisers to participate in his ill-fated debate against now-President Donald Trump, which ended his campaign and precipitated former Vice President Kamala Harris replacing him as the 2024 Democratic nominee.

The full memorandum, first published by Politico, argued that waiting for the traditional fall debate schedule would be too late. It recommended that Biden debate Trump "as early as possible" to reach voters before early ballots were cast in key states and before the race became mired in summer conventions and the Paris Olympics.