Biden aides have been delighted to watch growing division within the GOP, as House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) has fended off bitterness within the ranks after a series of revelations about his critical words for Trump and right-wing caucus members after the Jan. 6 Capitol riot. Additionally, there is growing hope that the House committee investigating the insurrection may produce damaging findings against Trump and other key Republicans. The committee plans to begin holding prime-time hearings this June.
Biden advisers have also tried to game out this week the possibility of one particular October surprise. Elon Musk’s purchase of Twitter raised the chance that Trump could be reinstated to the social media platform, where he had more than 80 million followers before being banned in the wake of the Jan. 6 riot. Musk has said he would allow Trump to return, and while the ex-president has claimed he doesn’t want back on, the White House does not believe him.
The consensus among Biden aides about Trump’s possible return: it could cut both ways. While the former president would eat up an extraordinary amount of political oxygen, it’s also possible that he would push the Big Lie or feud with fellow Republicans and damage the GOP’s otherwise strong chances of regaining at least one house of Congress. The more the election becomes about Trump, the better the Democrats’ chances become, many in Biden’s orbit believe.
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