Joe Biden recently sought media attention by announcing he would hold counter briefings to President Trump’s daily updates on the government’s response to the coronavirus.
Then on Tuesday, the former vice president’s strategy seemed to shift again, with a media blitz across several networks.
On Wednesday, Biden’s strategy changed further. Instead of any media appearances or formal briefings, the 36-year Delaware senator held a press conference streamed from his Wilmington home. After a 35-minute delay, Biden addressed the press and continued his attacks on Trump.
“Donald Trump downplayed this crisis for weeks … and as a result, this virus will hit all of us harder,” Biden said, referring to the president’s contradictory statements in February.
The Biden campaign’s frantic changes in its daily schedules reflect its concerns adapting to a race defined by a global pandemic. Despite canceling campaign events earlier this month, the Biden campaign took several days to install a “home studio.”
During that time, the Democratic nominee for president was seemingly nowhere to be found. The hashtag “#wheresJoe” began trending on Twitter, all while Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders held briefings of his own.
In the midst of his efforts to assemble a shadow cabinet to counter the Trump administration, regularly citing experts hired by his campaign to criticize the president, Biden has struggled to gain attention as the country remains focused on listening to those in power, rather than just running for office.
And not all efforts to seize the spotlight have worked.
On Monday, Biden held a briefing from his home, during which he attacked the president for misleading the public on the state of the pandemic. But that effort earned mockery from across the political spectrum, with critics noting an apparent issue with his teleprompter.
“And, in addition to that, in addition to that, we have to make sure that we, we are in a position that we are, well let me go [to] the second thing, I’ve spoken enough on that,” Biden said.
On Tuesday, Biden opted not to hold his daily briefing. Instead, he went on three separate television shows for interviews.
Again, Biden’s appearance was poorly received. Aside from jokes about touching his own face, a violation of CDC guidelines, one answer he gave about businesses reopening was nearly entirely incoherent.
“We have to take care of the cure, that will make the problem worse, no matter what,” Biden said.
Clips on the answer circulated throughout a number of liberal Twitter accounts, with supporters of Sanders using it as evidence that Biden isn’t a suitable nominee. Even Rep. Ilhan Omar, a firebrand far-left Minnesota Democrat who endorsed Sanders, shared concerns about the answer.
During his appearance on MSNBC later that evening, Biden appeared unprepared for an answer to a question by anchor Nicolle Wallace.
“Why doesn’t [Trump] just act like a president? That’s a stupid way to say it … I really wish he — sorry,” he said, before adding, “Oh, ah, probably best I don’t.”
Then, in Wednesday’s virtual press conference, Biden hinted at an evolving strategy that included online videos and briefings with the press but gave no clear road map on how he plans to gain the public’s attention.
“I was [concerned], but what I’m finding out is that the new technologies are quite effective. I noticed when I laid out my plan four days ago, it wasn’t covered on the national news, but 3.8 million people watched it online. But I’m learning a lot about getting the message out,” he said. “I hope to be the nominee of the Democratic Party, and I hope to be able to get my message out.”
