Rarely has America been in greater need of competent, reassuring leadership. The pandemic has brought out the worst in President Donald Trump, who continues to behave as if he’s presiding over a sick spinoff of “The Apprentice” during sweeps week. His misinformation briefings are such a disgrace that his advisers have sought to downsize them. His hawking of drugs of unproven efficacy and potential lethality is grossly irresponsible. His call for citizens to “LIBERATE” certain (Democratic-led) states from his own administration’s social-distancing policies was nuts. And just when you thought his performance could not get more erratic, there he was, musing about “cleaning” COVID-19 patients with a shot of disinfectant.
A majority of Americans, polling shows, are unimpressed.
For many Democrats, the remedy is obvious: Former Vice President Joe Biden, the party’s presumptive nominee for president, should be elbowing his way into the conversation. He should be doing more interviews, issuing sharper critiques, proffering better plans — basically presenting himself as a smarter, steadier alternative to Trump. Since the pandemic took hold, there has been much discussion about Biden’s having become “invisible” and what it will take for him to break through. (Even he is said to be growing twitchy.) Why, frustrated supporters fret, won’t he fight for a higher profile?
There are plenty of good answers to this question. Some speak to the basic political reality of national crises and some to Biden’s particular quirks.
First, the basics: In times of upheaval — be it a war, terror attack, hurricane or pandemic — the commander in chief commands center stage. No matter how ill equipped a president may be, he is the nation’s daddy figure, and anxious Americans look to him for guidance and action.
Political challengers must tread carefully. They can offer alternative visions, but they cannot come across as second-guessing the president’s every move from the safety of their rec rooms. If an opponent hits too hard too often, he risks looking as though he’s playing politics while Americans are dying.
Biden is in an even more delicate spot than some of his former primary rivals. He is not a governor, a member of Congress, a mayor or even a school superintendent. He has a platform but no authority. What he can essentially do is criticize and opine about how things should be done — how he would do things — if only.
Team Biden is in fact doing a lot of this, through statements, surrogates, social media and other avenues. Before Trump’s briefings, the Biden campaign sends out “Key Questions for Donald Trump” to reporters, focused on the topics du jour: why the head of the agency tasked with finding a coronavirus vaccine was removed; what is being done to address a potential shortage of coronavirus tests; why publicly traded companies are receiving relief funding earmarked for small businesses. Post-briefing, the team sends out Biden’s response.
But again, the candidate has to pick his moments, especially with personal appearances, to avoid seeming to undermine the president during a national meltdown. Criticisms must be targeted and measured. (Biden has, for instance, repeatedly called on Trump to fully utilize the Defense Production Act.) Of course, without a frontal assault, he will have a tough time getting attention. The media respond to heat more than light. But that is Trump’s turf, and those who try to play on it tend to get burned.
It would take a world-class political talent to walk the fine line required here — a communicator on the level of Barack Obama, Ronald Reagan or Bill Clinton. Biden is not that person. He was a discursive gaffe machine well before questions arose about whether age has made him lose a step. Where he shines is making politics feel personal, with an emphasis on empathy and compassion. He is doing this in his virtual appearances. It’s just not winning him major coverage.
The campaign is not slacking. Biden is doing numerous TV and radio hits, targeting specific audiences with appearances on local stations in swing states, and on Spanish-language radio and the late-night circuit. In recent weeks, he has chatted with Jimmy Fallon, Jimmy Kimmel, James Corden and Desus & Mero. He has also been interviewed by some of the usual suspects, such as Chuck Todd and George Stephanopoulos.
Biden is also hosting virtual events, such as a happy hour with younger voters and an Earth Day town hall with former Vice President Al Gore. He is putting out plans on issues ranging from “A Clean Energy Revolution” to the pandemic-focused “4-point plan for our essential workers.” In an April 12 op-ed in The New York Times, he outlined his thoughts on how to “safely reopen America.”
And he has started his own podcast, called “Here’s the Deal,” where he can talk about whatever he likes, with whomever he likes, from Amy Klobuchar and Gov. Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan to the presidential historian Jon Meacham and, in a special Easter edition, the Rev. Dr. William J. Barber II.
The campaign could stand to get looser and more creative, upping its social media game in particular. (Close your eyes and picture Joe Biden as a TikTok phenom.) Having essentially secured the nomination, Biden should move to mine the talent and ideas of former rivals. Now is the time to try out new tricks, while most of the electorate is focused on more pressing matters.
Now is also a prime opportunity for Biden to do lower-profile coalition building, reaching out to progressive activists and influencers. He has the time and space to woo disappointed Bernie Bros and Elizabeth Warren fans, to let them know he cares.
A new NBC News/Wall Street Journal survey indicates that Biden’s messaging on the pandemic is not breaking through, but it also gives him an 11-point edge over Trump in whom voters trust to handle a crisis — and a 9-point edge in whom they trust to handle the coronavirus crisis specifically. As for the election, multiple new polls show Biden running ahead of the president in battleground states.Much can happen in six months. But there’s no reason to believe that having Biden more in the president’s face at this time would help him in November. Better for now to keep the election a referendum on Trump.
As one former Democratic operative put it, “When a guy is digging his own grave, you don’t fight him for the shovel.”
Michelle Cottle
Michelle Cottle is an editorial writer for The New York Times.