An internal six-page memorandum dated 15 April 2024, obtained by journalists for the forthcoming book “2024: How Trump Retook the White House and the Democrats Lost America,” shows senior advisers to then-President Joe Biden urging him to press for an unusually early televised debate with Donald Trump. The document, circulated two months before the Democratic National Convention, argued that a spring showdown would let Biden reach “the widest audience possible” before summer distractions and frame Trump as a figure of “weakness and chaos.” The memo—drafted for Biden’s “Senior Advisors,” and referencing him in bold, all-capital “YOU” and “YOUR”—identified former chief of staff Ron Klain and campaign co-chair Cedric Richmond among those backing the strategy. Advisers rejected the customary autumn timetable, contending that early voting would already be underway by then and that an accelerated debate schedule would play to Biden’s strengths. Biden accepted the advice, agreeing to face Trump on 27 June 2024. His halting performance, broadcast nationally 73 days after the memo’s circulation, intensified scrutiny of his stamina and decision-making. Within weeks, Biden suspended his re-election bid and endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris, leaving her to lead the Democratic ticket. Harris ultimately lost the November vote to Trump, who reclaimed the presidency. Political strategists on both the left and right now cite the leaked memo as evidence of severe miscalculation at the top of the 2024 Democratic campaign. Conservative columnist Byron York labeled it “the worst political advice in the history of the world,” while progressive commentators say the episode underscores a broader failure to adapt to the president’s visible decline. The book containing the full memo is due for release tomorrow.