ARI SHAPIRO, HOST:
The 2024 presidential campaign is officially over after some 11th-hour appeals in key battleground states. Late last night, former President Donald Trump held his final rally in Grand Rapids, Michigan...
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DONALD TRUMP: This has been an incredible journey. And it's very sad, in a way, because, you know, we've done all these - and this is the last one. But here's the good news. All we were doing is putting ourselves in a position to win, which we can do tomorrow very easily if we show up.
SHAPIRO: ...And Vice President Kamala Harris wrapped up her campaign in Philadelphia.
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VICE PRESIDENT KAMALA HARRIS: So America, it comes down to this - one more day - just one more day in the most consequential election of our lifetime, and the momentum is on our side.
SHAPIRO: We are in the final hours of the election. The two candidates appear to be deadlocked. So now, as the last ballots are cast, we wait and reflect because it can be hard to remember from where we sit today that, when this presidential campaign began, it looked a lot like the last one. Everything sounded familiar, down to the candidates.
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TRUMP: In order to make America great and glorious again, I am tonight announcing my candidacy for president of the United States.
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PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN: That's why I'm running for reelection - because I know America. I know we're good and decent people.
SHAPIRO: Former President Donald Trump and sitting President Joe Biden became the presumptive nominees for their parties in March. This year was set to be the first U.S. presidential rematch since 1956. And everyone thought, OK, we all know sequels are rarely more interesting than the original. In fact, it seemed like this election might be downright boring. Well, the joke was on us because, while we can't say what the outcome of this election will be, we can say that Americans have just lived through the most dramatic, eventful, unexpected presidential campaign of our lives.
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TERRY MORAN: More Democrats seem to be getting cold feet over President Biden's reelection campaign.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER #1: We are watching live at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, where former President Trump was speaking on the stage.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER #2: A shooting at former President Trump's campaign rally is being investigated as an attempted assassination.
ALEX MARQUARDT: President Joe Biden has just announced that he is dropping out of the 2024 presidential race.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER #3: A second apparent attempt on former President Trump's life - this time, the incident...
SHAPIRO: The 2024 presidential campaign went from déjà vu to utter chaos in a matter of months. So today, we're revisiting the key moments that brought us to this point in the race. Let's start with the evening of June 27, 2024...
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JAKE TAPPER: We're live from Georgia, a key battleground state in the race for the White House.
SHAPIRO: ...The debate between President Biden and former President Trump in Atlanta. This was unusually early in the calendar for a presidential debate, and that timing would turn out to be crucial because Biden's performance sent Democrats into a tailspin.
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BIDEN: Eligible for what I've been able to do with the COVID - excuse me - with dealing with everything we have to do with - look, if we finally beat Medicare...
SHAPIRO: Members of the Democratic Party began calling for Biden to drop out, but the president was resolute. Here's what he told ABC's George Stephanopols the week after the debate.
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GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: If you can be convinced that you cannot defeat Donald Trump, will you stand down?
BIDEN: Well, it depends if - I mean, if the Lord Almighty comes down and tells me that, I might do that.
SHAPIRO: Biden sent a letter to congressional Democrats, saying, quote, "I am firmly committed to staying in this race," but former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi didn't seem to get the message. She said this on MSNBC's "Morning Joe."
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NANCY PELOSI: It's up to the president to decide if he is going to run. We're all encouraging him to make that decision because time is running short.
SHAPIRO: And just like that, she reignited the debate over Biden's future. Then, while Democrats were wringing their hands, a major event rocked the Trump campaign. And we'll warn you - you're about to hear gunshots.
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TRUMP: Take a look at what happened...
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TRUMP: Oh.
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UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #1: Get down, get down, get down, get down...
SHAPIRO: On July 13, a man outside of a Trump rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, shot the former president, grazing his ear. One person died, and two were critically wounded. The next morning, Trump posted on social media, quote, "we will fear not, but instead remain resilient in our faith and defiant in the face of wickedness."
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UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER #4: We have breaking news here. Former President Donald Trump just announced that JD Vance...
SHAPIRO: Two days after the attempt on his life, Trump chose his running mate, Ohio Senator JD Vance. It was the start of the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee. And that night, Vance told Fox News about getting the call from Trump.
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JD VANCE: You know, he just said, look, I think we've got to go save this country. I think you're the guy who can help me in the best way. You can help me govern. You can help me win.
SHAPIRO: Republicans kicked off their convention feeling like they were on a roll. The event almost had a religious fervor, with people wearing bandages over their ears in solidarity with Trump. In his July 19 speech, accepting the Republican nomination for President, Trump referenced that assassination attempt.
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TRUMP: I'm not supposed to be here tonight - not supposed to be here.
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #2: Yes you are. Yes you are.
UNIDENTIFIED CROWD: (Chanting) Yes you are. Yes you are. Yes you are. Yes you are.
TRUMP: Thank you. But I'm not. And I'll tell you, I stand before you in this arena only by the grace of Almighty God.
(CHEERING)
SHAPIRO: And while Republicans were celebrating in Milwaukee, Biden was sidelined with COVID. Finally, on July 21, the president posted on social media that he was ending his campaign.
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MARQUARDT: President Joe Biden has just announced that he is dropping out of the 2024...
SHAPIRO: He offered his, quote, "full support and endorsement" for Vice President Kamala Harris to be the party's nominee, cementing the decision in a formal address two days later.
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BIDEN: So I've decided the best way forward is the pass the torch to a new generation. That's the best way to unite our nation.
SHAPIRO: Harris would have the shortest runway of any presidential campaign in modern history. She would need to introduce herself to voters, explain a policy agenda, draw a contrast with Trump and also choose a running mate. On August 16 in Philadelphia, she announced her pick.
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HARRIS: So Pennsylvania, I'm here today because I found such a leader.
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HARRIS: Governor Tim Walz of the great state of Minnesota.
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SHAPIRO: A few days later, the Democratic Convention in Chicago came with a rush of adrenaline as the party celebrated the first woman of color to lead the Democratic ticket.
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HARRIS: On behalf of everyone whose story could only be written in the greatest nation on Earth...
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HARRIS: ...I accept your nomination to be president of the United States of America.
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SHAPIRO: The first and only debate between the two presidential candidates came on September 10 in New York City. They debated policy positions, including on the economy.
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TRUMP: The polls say - 80 and 85 and even 90% - that the Trump economy was great, that their economy was terrible.
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HARRIS: Donald Trump has no plan for you. And when you look at his economic plan, it's all about tax breaks for the richest people. I am offering what I describe as an opportunity economy.
SHAPIRO: Trump also pushed a false claim about Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio.
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TRUMP: The people that came in - they're eating the cats. They're eating the pets of the people that live there.
SHAPIRO: That led to weeks of threats and violence against the community in Springfield. Five days later, Trump was golfing when his life came under threat once again. Secret Service agents spotted a gunman lurking at the Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida. He didn't fire, and Trump wasn't harmed.
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TRUMP: A few days ago, we had an incident. I have to say, Secret Service did a hell of a job. They really did.
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TRUMP: They caught...
SHAPIRO: And that brings us to the last week before Election Day, as Harris and Trump made their final appeals to the American people. On October 27, former President Trump gave his closing argument at Madison Square Garden in New York City. It was a homecoming rally of sorts, where he and his opening acts leaned into divisive rhetoric.
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TRUMP: On Day 1, I will launch the largest deportation program in American history. We will get critical race theory and transgender insanity the hell out of our schools.
SHAPIRO: And two days later, Vice President Harris made her closing argument at The Ellipse in Washington, D.C. - the same place where Donald Trump encouraged a crowd to march on the Capitol on January 6, 2021. Harris went through key parts of her platform, from grocery prices to reproductive rights, and drew a stark contrast with Trump.
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HARRIS: On Day 1, if elected, Donald Trump would walk into that office with an enemies list. When elected, I will walk in with a to-do list...
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HARRIS: ...Full of priorities of what I will get done for the American people.
SHAPIRO: And now, after four turbulent months, the final polls going into Election Day show a closer race than the U.S. has seen in years. The two candidates appear to be in a dead heat - a tie - which means, as we reach the finish line, this dramatic and unpredictable presidential race is living up to its reputation even down to the very last stretch.
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SHAPIRO: As the 2024 election comes to a close, NPR will be covering the latest developments around the clock. You can follow along at npr.org.
(SOUNDBITE OF SAMUEL A. WARD'S "AMERICA THE BEAUTIFUL") Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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