Staff Reports
President Joe Biden’s campaign appears to be gearing up for what could be a very forgettable start to his 2024 election bid. With the first debate against former President Donald Trump on the horizon, the Biden camp is already tempering expectations. Despite Trump maintaining a lead in the polls, Team Biden would have you believe that this debate is merely a warm-up act.
According to a Biden campaign insider, the CNN-hosted debate in Atlanta is being pitched as Biden’s chance to reach an audience that hasn’t yet tuned into the election saga. The adviser claimed this platform would highlight the stark contrasts between Biden and Trump, framing Trump as a convicted felon running a revenge tour. This debate, they argue, is also a golden opportunity to rally the Biden-Harris coalition across key battleground states. But behind the rosy rhetoric, the camp is already conceding that the election is going to be a nail-biter until the very end, with polls showing Biden and Trump in a dead heat.
Biden campaign plays down possibility of post-debate polling bump https://t.co/7CYRkGBup8
— Washington Examiner (@dcexaminer) June 27, 2024
Interestingly, the Biden team admits that the debate is unlikely to shift poll numbers dramatically. With both candidates being household names with well-defined public personas, the adviser suggests that winning over the undecided voters will require a marathon effort, not a sprint. Seems like they’re setting the stage for a lackluster debate performance by lowering expectations.
On the other side, Trump’s campaign has turned the tables by highlighting CNN’s alleged bias. Trump’s team argues that the media is setting the debate bar so low for Biden that he would get applause merely for standing upright for 90 minutes. They’re preparing the public for a Biden who will be on his A-game, claiming he’s got the perfect dosage to be alert and spry – just like his unusually coherent State of the Union Address or his 2012 VP debate against Paul Ryan.
Trump’s camp is setting a benchmark that focuses on Biden’s ability (or inability) to defend his dismal record on issues like rampant inflation and the border crisis, in direct comparison to Trump’s successful first-term policies. If, and that’s a big if, the moderators allow a fair debate, Trump plans to lay out his vision for making America thrive again, countering the sky-high costs and border chaos allegedly fueled by Biden’s failures.
While Biden has been holed up at Camp David in mock debates under the watchful eye of his former chief of staff, Ron Klain, Trump has been engaging in more casual but insightful policy chats with his team. The debate will be the first of its kind in history, given its early timing and unique format—no live audience and muted microphones for time-overrun.
In short, Biden’s camp is downplaying, and Trump’s camp is tactically prepping. It’s going to be an interesting showdown, but conservatives aren’t holding their breath for Biden to have any groundbreaking moments. It’s a long road to November, and this debate is just the opening scene in a very dramatic election play.
