Chuck Todd: How the 2024 election is hinging on capitulation versus character

One of the biggest developments of this campaign — and the biggest difference between 2016, 2020 and today — is the lack of fear of another Donald Trump term.

It may explain why President Joe Biden’s campaign — and before that, the primary campaigns of Republicans like Nikki Haley — struggled to move voters away from Trump by reminding them of his questionable character traits and chaotic governing style.

And right now, with the decision by Biden’s campaign to do whatever it takes to make this election a referendum on Trump and character, this lack of fear of Trump could be a real stumbling block as they try to galvanize voters to remember what Trump’s presidency was really like.

Think of it in simpler terms. The first time you went on a roller coaster that goes upside down, you likely had a pit in your stomach and perhaps worried about whether you’d fall out. For some, that fear is so great, it keeps them from even attempting the ride. But after riding said roller coaster without falling, that fear dissipated.

One of the great disconnects in the coverage of Trump today is the lack of memory the public has for many of the details of the Trump years, as opposed to the scarred memories those of us who covered Trump still have. Thanks to the pandemic and the human mind’s ability to memory-hole unhappy periods, a large chunk of the public has simply forgotten about the daily chaos Trump intentionally created with his presidency.

And yet, I’m convinced the sole reason why Trump lost the 2020 election was not due to his antics in 2017, 2018 or 2019 — but because of his erratic leadership during the pandemic itself.

Not everyone believes that’s why Trump lost in 2020. After all, Democrats were fired up to do whatever it