Democrats are self-destructing. Trump should let them.

With the Republican National Convention days away, the presidential nominee’s pick for vice president would be a main story in any normal election cycle. But here and now, in Meltdown Summer, the only real story is whether the Democratic nominee, who also happens to be the president, can remember what he had for breakfast this morning.
Former President Donald Trump’s pick for vice presidential running mate − heck, even Trump himself − has become a secondary story. As it should be. This is a presidential race unlike anything we’ve ever seen.
Democrats are self-destructing. Trump should let them.
It’s ironic, really, that President Joe Biden’s cognitive decline and Democrats’ cover-up have become the main story so fast and with such ferocity. Biden can’t even align his narrative − “I’m here to stay, so stop saying I need to leave” − with the conversations happening in his own party.
For years, the Democratic Party has had an easy target in Trump. He’s an awful candidate and a free pass for jokes, derision, mockery and more.
But we’ve now seen behind the curtain at the White House, at the Joe Biden his closest advisers and his family have seen for months, and it’s not pretty. It’s equal parts sad and unfortunate, disappointing and dangerous.
Democrats are in chaos over Biden.It shows they’re not ready to lead America.
Now, the Biden campaign and the Democratic Party, which is in no way unified on how to handle the president’s decline, are in the middle of a karma downpour − a karma tsunami. They’re getting back just a taste of what they’ve given. And I’m guessing that taste is quite bitter.
In fact, the Democratic Party is worse off now than the Republican Party, which even Democrats now are saying is on course to win the White House and both chambers of Congress in November.
Everybody knows that Trump is a lying, fraudulent hack. MAGA is proud of it, even. But voters have already factored that into their decision, and enough of them have enough concerns about Biden that they’re going instead with the convicted felon.
With Biden, the cover-up of his cognitive decline has been so long and so deep, it’ll be months, maybe years, before we find out who knew what and when. To know that the Democratic Party has done this to themselves is a special kind of karma − karma elite.
While writing this column, I received an email from the Trump campaign with this subject line, “I’m about to announce my Vice President.” Trump can tease the announcement all he wants, but he also should draw it out. He probably will introduce his pick by Monday, when the Republican National Convention begins, but he does not need to quite yet.
Trump is the last person who would ask someone else for advice, but I’ll offer this anyway: The Democratic Party is burning down its own house. Let them. Or, in the more refined wisdom of Sun Tzu, “Never interrupt your enemy when he is making a mistake.”
The Biden campaign isn’t just making a mistake, either.
Biden is the mistake. Biden has become the mistake.
That might not be entirely his own doing, either. Although Biden has resisted stepping down for the good of the country and his own party, it’s hard to believe he stayed in power and decided to run for a second term entirely on his own volition. Surely his inner circle told him that he was fine, that he was strong, that he was well − that he was capable of saving America from the Terrible Orange Man.
Will Biden resign?Democrats’ cover-up of Biden decline raises hard questions. When did they know the truth?
I’m loath to say one nice word about Trump. I don’t like his character or his personality, and I don’t think he’s the best choice for the Republican Party to lead America the next four years. He’s a power-hungry, narcissistic joke who’s got a bevy of traits that make him a magnet for fame while simultaneously make him incapable of handling authority with any humility or grace.
But now that it looks like Biden is unwell and has been for some time, the stakes have shifted significantly. It’s no longer just a race between a “decent Democrat” versus “a Republican convicted felon.” It’s now “Can Biden make a decision about nuclear war in 15 minutes?”
I’m not being facetious or mean. Being the leader of the free world is serious business. Both parties should treat it as such.
Hoping that Trump will allow Democrats more time to destroy themselves isn’t just about partisan politics.
This is as good of a moment in history as any for the media and the public to focus on the Democratic Party’s numerous problems. Those problems include inflation, immigration, jobs and national security. Focusing on Trump’s vice presidential pick too early will rob Americans of the chance to ask themselves: Do we really want four more years of this?
As soon as Trump announces his choice for vice president, the news will shift, especially if he chooses someone unexpected. Not just because it’ll be an important news story, but also because it will deflect from the storm surrounding Biden.
Let’s face it: A lot of Democratic-friendly pundits have had to eat their words about Biden since the presidential debate on June 27, when we all saw for ourselves that the president is incoherent. They’re looking for an exit from having to tell the truth about their progressive friends.
Trump also should continue to let Democrats burn it all down because it might just result in a necessary purification in institutions that have let us down. We may learn more of the truth about what’s been going on behind closed doors in the White House. We may see more of the extent to which Democratic insiders and members of the news media covered up the real story about Biden’s mental and physical health.
Trump’s vice presidential pick is important, but less so than the reckoning taking place in the Democratic Party. Democrats are self-destructing. Trump should let them.
Nicole Russell is an opinion columnist with USA TODAY. She lives in Texas with her four kids. Sign up for her newsletter, The Right Track, and get it delivered to your inbox.