There could hardly be a worse time for Biden to redraw his strategy against Trump.

Follow this authorKaren Tumulty's opinions

For Biden, this is an especially paradoxical situation, given that he ran for president on a premise that he could lower the temperature of politics. He launched his successful 2020 campaign to unseat Trump with a video showing the infamous march in Charlottesville.

“In that moment, I knew the threat to this nation was unlike any I had ever seen in my lifetime,” Biden said in that video.

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Now, the media has been blanketed with the instantly iconic photos of a wounded Trump, fist raised as he is evacuated from the rally stage with an American flag fluttering against the bright blue sky behind him. Chris LaCivita, a senior Trump adviser, shared the photo on social media, adding: “Now this is some real Iwo Jima s--- right here.”

This imagery will no doubt play heavily in the Republican National Convention that begins here Monday. And it harmonizes with the former president’s portrayal of himself as victimized by a “weaponized” government. After his federal indictment last summer, Trump declared at a rally: “In the end, they’re not coming after me. They’re coming after you — and I’m just standing in their way.”

History suggests Trump will get a boost in the public’s regard, at least temporarily. Ronald Reagan’s approval rating, which had been flagging before the attempt on his life in March 1981, shot up 11 percentage points in the days afterward. “While it is common for a president’s popularity rating to increase at a time of national crisis, the rise for Reagan appears as sharp as any yet recorded,” The Post wrote at the time.

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Meanwhile, there could hardly be a worse moment for Biden to be compelled to redraw his strategy against Trump.

After last month’s calamitous debate performance, which deepened concerns about Biden’s frailty and advanced age, his own presidential nomination is in jeopardy from Democrats who believe he is leading the entire party to disaster in November.

All indications suggest Biden has a narrowing path to........

© Washington Post