President Trump has been floundering in the polls recently, falling behind in key swing states amid the coronavirus pandemic and the feeling of unrest that has come with protests across the country. And while that is good news for Joe Biden, his current strategy of isolation is not sustainable.
Biden has agreed to three presidential debates, while the Trump campaign is pressing for more of them. This is because the Trump campaign recognizes the obvious; Joe Biden is terrible whenever he’s on camera. “As many Americans as possible need to see the stark differences between the accomplishments and leadership of President Trump and the failed record and sleepiness of Joe Biden,” Trump campaign manager Brad Parscale said.
Biden’s strategy since clinching the nomination has been to stay out of sight. He’s been helped along by the coronavirus restrictions prohibiting typical campaign events from taking place. Trump has a propensity to shoot himself in the foot, repeatedly, and his handling of the pandemic and the protests has brought increased scrutiny on him. He’s now trailing Biden in the must-win states of Florida and Arizona. But the news about debates is a reminder that Biden can’t stay invisible all the way to November.
As Election Day gets closer, Biden will be forced more and more into the public eye. The debates might not be as bad for him as other television appearances, as at least he’ll have Trump on-stage to mitigate the damage. But where Trump’s general unpredictability and penchant for poorly thought out off-the-cuff remarks are a problem themselves, Biden’s inability to make it through four coherent sentences on a given issue combined with his decadeslong history of gaffes will make each of his appearances a minefield.
Polls are only a snapshot in time. If the election were today, Trump would lose handily. But the election is over four months away, and Joe Biden can’t stay hidden away in his basement for that long. Each Biden gaffe will highlight his ever decreasing cognitive abilities, and without a real identity to his campaign other than “not Trump,” he runs the risk of having those mistakes define him. For all his flaws, Trump’s always had a clear campaign message, and most voters have already made up their mind about him one way or another.
Biden’s been able to skate by under the news for now, but that won’t last as things settle down, and he has to remind voters that he’s actually running. And if Biden himself can’t remember most of these things, then there this will be a real race by November.
