Following a widely criticized performance in the recent CNN Presidential Debate, President Biden’s campaign is launching a new ad in key battleground states. The ad aims to change the narrative surrounding Biden’s performance and ease widespread panic within the Democratic Party. This 60-second commercial doesn’t feature clips of Biden’s stumbling answers at the debate in Atlanta, which was watched by an estimated 50 million people across the country. Instead, the ad showcases Biden at an energetic rally in Raleigh, North Carolina the day after the debate.
“Folks, I know I’m not a young man. But I know how to do this job. I know right from wrong. I know how to tell the truth,” Biden says in the ad. “And I know, like millions of Americans know, when you get knocked down, you get back up.” The ad aims to salvage Biden’s standing in his 2024 election rematch with Trump, and to alleviate concerns among Democratic politicians and donors who have called for Biden to step aside as the party’s standard-bearer. The commercial also emphasizes a theme that has been prominent in the Biden campaign since the debate – that Trump repeatedly spread falsehoods during the debate.
“Did you see Trump last night?” Biden says in the ad, in a clip from the Raleigh rally. “I mean this sincerely – the most lies told in a single debate. He lied about the great economy he created. He lied about the pandemic he botched. And then, his biggest lie: He lied about how he had nothing to do with the insurrection on Jan. 6,” the president argued. The ad’s release comes as the president and his campaign strive to address the wave of criticism and calls for Biden to end his bid for a second term.
In response to the negative feedback, the Biden campaign has engaged in a multipronged effort to reassure its supporters and party officials. Top campaign officials met privately with top party donors in Atlanta, and a conference call was held with committee members and officials of the Democratic National Committee. These efforts aimed to alleviate concerns and demonstrate the campaign’s communication with its allies.
Furthermore, the Biden campaign has repeatedly highlighted its record-breaking fundraising both during and after the debate. The campaign announced it raised $27 million on Thursday and Friday, highlighting it as “a sign of strength of our grassroots support.” By Sunday morning, the fundraising haul had surged to $33 million. A Biden campaign adviser, speaking anonymously, described the fundraising as “an important sign that there’s a bit of disconnect between national narratives and where supporters are.”
However, a Democratic strategist and presidential campaign veteran acknowledged that while fundraising is a valuable tool, it may not be enough to undo the damage caused by Biden’s performance at the debate. “There’s no amount of money that can reverse the damage that was done at the debate and the president confirming everyone’s worst suspicions and fears about him and his age and not being up to the job. Period,” the strategist stated.
In response to internal criticism, Biden campaign chair Jennifer O’Malley Dillon released a memo pushing back against “all the hand-wringing” and emphasizing that “this will be a very close election.” The campaign also touted their “Weekend of Action,” a “mobilization blitz, engaging voters at over 1,500 events across the battlegrounds, marking the most successful organizing weekend of the campaign by far this cycle.”
Meanwhile, former President Trump, in a nationally syndicated radio interview, emphasized the importance of the debate, calling it “a monster” and highlighting Biden’s perceived struggles during the event. “He studied so hard that he didn’t know what the hell he was doing,” Trump said of Biden’s week-long debate prep. Trump has taken aim at his Democratic rival, calling him “grossly incompetent.”
Trump campaign senior adviser Chris LaCivita told Fox News that the debate “helps greatly in terms of not only raising money and motivating the troops, but creates issues clearly for the Democrat nominee.” While LaCivita declined to discuss ad strategy, he hinted that the Trump campaign may use clips from the debate in future ads. A source in Trump’s political orbit commented, “how much do we need to do while they are busy committing suicide,” suggesting that they may not need to take further action at this time.
The Biden campaign is facing an uphill battle in attempting to recover from the negative fallout of the debate. The new ad and fundraising efforts represent a significant effort to regain momentum and maintain support, but the campaign’s success in turning the tide remains to be seen.
