Veteran political journalist Mark Halperin, who was among the first to report that President Biden would withdraw from the race in July, revealed on Tuesday that there is a “certain story” that has been pitched to major news outlets that — if true — could derail Donald Trump‘s 2024 presidential campaign in its final days.
Speaking on his “Morning Meeting” show on YouTube, Halperin shared that although he does not believe the story is accurate, its impact—if it were—would be the October Surprise the political media has been waiting for.
“I know of one story… I don’t believe it is true. But if it’s true, it would end Donald Trump’s campaign,” Halperin said, adding that he’s aware of various efforts to influence the race’s outcome with less than two weeks until Election Day.
Halperin highlighted the nature of last-minute campaign tactics, comparing them to an attempt to “pull a Comey.” He was referring to former FBI Director James Comey‘s actions during the 2016 election, when, just 11 days before Election Day, he sent a letter to Congress announcing that the FBI had reopened its investigation into Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton.
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Clinton, and many Democrats, believe the so-called “Comey letter” single-handedly cost her that election.
“What we’re seeing in the final days are actors who want a certain outcome,” he said, suggesting that stories like the one being pitched are aimed at swaying public opinion in the final stretch of the race.
While Halperin did not provide specifics about the content of the alleged story, he stressed that its circulation alone speaks to the charged atmosphere surrounding the election.
“There are people pitching stuff, and if it were true, it would end his campaign,” he reiterated.
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However, he said that he was not pursuing the story himself, advising Trump supporters at Mar-a-Lago to “remain calm” and adding that he has not found credible evidence to support the claims being made.
According to Halperin and co-host Sean Spicer, who served as Trump’s first White House press secretary, the timing of these pitches is predictable as campaigns near their final stages on the look out for dramatic revelations that could sway undecided voters at the last minute.
Halperin said that he knows that certain journalists and media figures are attempting to influence the outcome through various stories and allegations, whether substantiated or not. He brought up a bombshell story in The Atlantic, published Tuesday, in which Trump is accused by his former chief-of-staff, John Kelly, of praising Adolf Hitler.
“In the case of The Atlantic, Jeffrey Goldberg himself is trying to impact the race’s final stretch,” Halperin remarked, referring to the magazine’s editor-in-chief and author of that story. “Not sure if he can, but if a major network like CBS picks it up, it’s something,” he added.
In The Atlantic piece, Goldberg attributed the Hitler claim to “two people who heard him say it” and also cited John Kelly making similar claims on the record. Kelly told the New York Times on Tuesday that the former president had expressed admiration for the loyalty of “Hitler’s generals.”
For decades, presidential campaigns and their political operatives have braced for an “October Surprise”—a major, narrative-changing piece of news that could upend the race in its final stretch.
For Halperin, given a campaign season already full of surprises, any new revelation must be more than just a rumor.
“The bar for October surprises is very high now, given the nature of this campaign,” Halperin said.
“Everybody’s on guard.”
