As President Joe Biden continues to try to stave off a Democratic revolt aimed at removing him from the ballot this fall, he’s adopted a series of tactics that his opponent — Donald Trump — has made famous/infamous.
Consider:
Elites vs average people: Trump based his entire 2016 campaign around the idea that the elites — in both parties —were out of touch with what regular people wanted. Here’s Biden on Monday in an interview with “Morning Joe”: “I’m getting so frustrated by the -- by the elites. No, I'm not talking about you guys, but by the elites in the party who, they know so much more.”
Crowd size: No one loves to tout his big crowds — and use those crowds as indicative of all of the support he has — more than Trump. Now, Biden is doing the same. “How many-- how many people draw crowds like I did today,” Biden told George Stephanopoulos on Friday. “Find me more enthusiastic than today?”
Dismissing polls: Trump, in 2016 and 2020, would regularly answer questions about polls that showed him behind by insisting that a) the polls were wrong and ) he had seen polls that showed him in much better shape. Asked Friday about his low approval ratings, Biden responded: “Well, I don't believe that's my approval rating. That’s not what our polls show.”
Attacking the media: Trump’s most tried and true tactic is his “fake news” attack — the idea that journalists are consistently wrong and have an agenda. Here’s Biden, talking to reporters, on the tarmac last Friday: “You've been wrong about everything so far. You were wrong about 2020. You were wrong about 2022 — we were going to get wiped out, you remember the red wave.”
Phoning in to “Morning Joe”: During the 2016 campaign, Trump was always calling in to “Morning Joe.” The hosts liked the access they had to a presidential candidate and Trump liked the fact that he could drive the news cycle from the comfort of his own house. Biden did the same Monday — a phone interview with “MJ” where he debuted his new, feistier approach to dealing with elements within his party who wanted him to drop out.
I explain it all in more detail in today’s edition of The Morning. This is always a free post. But if you value the work I am doing here, I hope you consider becoming a paid subscriber. It’s $6 a month or $60 for the whole year.
The Morning: Joe Biden takes a page from the Trump playbook