Naomi Lim of the Washington Examiner ponders Democrats’ presidential election strategy.
President Joe Biden is hoping the star power of his Democratic predecessors, former Presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton, will shine a light on his campaign against another former president, Donald Trump, during a high-profile New York City fundraiser.
But although his last State of the Union before November’s general election addressed concerns about his age, his campaign is under pressure to make sure Biden is not overshadowed, particularly by his younger, more popular former boss.
The Biden campaign dismisses the idea that the president has an enthusiasm problem, citing expectations Thursday night’s fundraiser could raise more than $25 million, with 5,000-plus attendees anticipated to be at Radio City Hall.
“Democrats are unified and energized behind President Biden’s reelection campaign, and that will be on full display this Thursday in New York City,” Biden campaign spokesman Kevin Munoz told the Washington Examiner. “Donald Trump has no juice heading into the general: Huge chunks of Republican primary voters have made clear they have no interest in voting for him this November, Republican leaders like his own vice president are openly opposing him, and even if Trump wanted to reach them (he does not!), he has no cash or energy to do so.”
“Elections are won by putting in the work to assemble a broad, diverse coalition, and Joe Biden is doing just that,” Munoz said.
Simultaneously, Republican strategist and former chief of staff to Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) Cesar Conda contended Biden’s support in black, Hispanic, and Asian communities is “hemorrhaging.”
“President Trump has made significant gains with minority voters, which is why I think we will [see] Barack Obama earlier and often on the campaign trail compared to 2020,” Conda told the Washington Examiner. “But I don’t think Obama’s appeal will transfer to Biden because blacks and Hispanics have been battered by rising gas prices, grocery bills, and housing costs caused by Biden’s policies. They know that they were much better off financially during the Trump-era economy.”