Trump reemerges in North Carolina to a new opponent and a political landscape reshaped once again by the extraordinary

Charlotte, North Carolina CNN — Donald Trump will step out onto the campaign trail Wednesday to an entirely new race and a political landscape once again irrevocably altered by an unprecedented election year.

The former president’s rally here is his first since President Joe Biden abruptly ended his reelection bid Sunday, setting off a chain of events that appears destined to end with Trump facing Vice President Kamala Harris in November.

Biden’s decision and Harris’ elevation has sent a surge of adrenaline through the Democratic Party and unleashed a wave of new donations to compete with Trump’s own strengthened financial position. Meanwhile, Trump and his campaign are working to reimagine a playbook and operation launched to take on an unpopular 81-year-old incumbent.

In a campaign already marked by extraordinary events – a significant civil judgment against Trump, a felony conviction, an indictment dismissed and another delayed by a scandal in the Georgia prosecutor’s office, Biden’s confidence-shattering debate performance and an assassination attempt on the former president – the latest twist has plunged the presidential race deeper into uncharted territory.