How the Trump campaign keeps outmaneuvering Biden

Meanwhile, Biden, 77, is sidelined, hosting online events from a recreation room inside his Wilmington, Delaware, home. For now, he’s relying on his super PAC and outside groups to pay for both positive and negative virus-related ads, while he sits for national and local interviews. He’s phoned the incumbent with advice, as well as offered to connect state and local officials with people and organizations wanting to help their public health and economic relief efforts.

For Chris Dennis, who heads Swing State Solutions, Biden is struggling to maintain the traction he started to pick up prior to the COVID-19 outbreak as Trump’s campaign works overtime to shape-shift the narrative around the newly dubbed “wartime president.”

“Along with more accurate and factual updates, the president has been sounding more, well … presidential. And while many have complained about his mishandling of this crisis, every pollster suggests that Trump’s approval ratings have been ticking up, with a most recent bump in the last few weeks,” she told the Washington Examiner.

Biden is aware he’s at a disadvantage, telling donors over the weekend that “you can’t compete with a president” because “that’s the ultimate bully pulpit.”

“I’d much prefer to be out there shaking hands, looking at people,” he said, referencing “Where is Joe Biden?” jabs from supporters of Trump and Bernie Sanders, his last remaining rival for his party’s nomination.

The two-term vice president and 36-year Delaware senator added that he’s struggled with technology’s new central role in his third White House bid: “I’m the same guy that, when something happens on my cellphone, I turn to one of my granddaughters and say, ‘Can you help me out here?’”

But Biden’s insistence that 20 million-plus people have engaged with his digital content and Trump’s coronavirus approval is beginning to slide hasn’t overcome the president’s strong hand yet. And Trump’s reelection team isn’t letting any advantage go unutilized.

On Sunday, the daily White House press briefing was convened at the same time as Biden’s virtual town hall focused on how families can cope with being quarantined at home. The scheduling conflict came after Biden’s camp produced a video promoting the prerecorded event.

Trump has also been trolling Biden, dismissing any criticism from his likely opponent as being drafted by his aides rather than the candidate himself.

Over the weekend, he embraced the Biden campaign’s praise of his decision to impose a China travel ban after the novel respiratory illness emerged in Wuhan, claiming the former vice president called the move xenophobic.

Then on Monday, the president took to Twitter to mock Biden for suggesting the Democratic National Convention, delayed a month until mid-August, should be held online out of fear a gathering of tens of thousands of party faithful could further spread the disease.

“Joe Biden wanted the date for the Democrat National Convention moved to a later time period. Now he wants a ‘Virtual’ Convention, one where he doesn’t have to show up. Gee, I wonder why?” Trump wrote.

Dennis said everyone this election cycle was acclimating to the “unprecedented” COVID-19 political environment.

Although Biden wasn’t hogging the spotlight, she told the Washington Examiner she was advising clients to make themselves available to the voters they hope to represent.

“If Trump’s team can sell this idea of a ‘Wartime President,’ there are people, even many from the other major parties, who will undoubtedly support a second term solely based on their desire for stability in these otherwise uncertain times,” she said.

She added, “‘Pandemic Politics’ has quickly become the name of the game, and it’s still unclear which of the candidates will come out on top. The polls would suggest it’s Trump’s to lose, but there’s clearly room for Biden to surprise us.”