Having effectively wrapped up the Democratic presidential nomination, Joe Biden finds himself in a novel, if unenviable position as a presumptive nominee finding it difficult to attract media attention.
Biden right about now should be earning mass coverage as he shifts from talking to a Democratic primary electorate to forming a general election message since he is the candidate who will challenge President Trump in November.
But now, the former vice president is confined to his home, like many U.S. citizens, amid the coronavirus crisis. The 36-year Delaware senator is unable to hold large events with voters and confined to the sidelines as leaders grapple with how to manage economic turmoil and public health amid a global pandemic. Nearly all political coverage is focused on various stimulus bills proposed in Congress while the campaign trail is an afterthought.
Because cable and network television studios have largely abandoned in-person interviews, Biden is now competing with a flood of medical experts and other officials giving updates on the coronavirus outbreak.
“Loss of typical campaign craft due to the crisis would be difficult under most circumstances, but he can become the shadow president and show leadership and vision using social media and other means as many Americans question the White House’s ability to lead the country through a difficult period,” Basil Smikle, a Democratic strategist and former executive director of the New York State Democratic Party, told the Washington Examiner.
Biden attempted to do just that in a five-minute livestream from his Wilmington, Delaware, home on Tuesday night following winning three state primaries, wearing a green tie for St. Patrick’s Day and standing in front of a display of American flags.
“Tackling this pandemic is a national emergency, akin to fighting a war, and it’s going to require leadership and cooperation from every level of government,” Biden said.
His address and message, though, was undermined by mockery across the political spectrum about low production values.
“A livestream from his home, he was saying. Clearly, kind of looks like it,” said CNN host Anderson Cooper.
His comments were echoed by Democratic strategist David Axelrod, who was a chief strategist for President Barack Obama.
“There’s no doubt they need to invest in some production because this may be the way he has to communicate,” he said.
In another attempt to gain exposure, Biden’s campaign has been monitoring Trump’s response to the crisis, often releasing its own plans and criticism of the president. But some of Biden’s responses have arrived too late, with a Wednesday press release calling on Trump to invoke the Defense Production Act coming out minutes after the president already announced he was prepared to use the Cold-War era law to vamp up domestic production of things such as ventilators and masks. Biden on Thursday tried renewing that criticism by tweeting that Trump should use those powers now.
“There’s no denying he’s going have a hard time breaking through the chaos that is the 24-hour news cycle right now. All they can do and just stick to it,” said Democratic strategist Jim Manley. “They can increase the use of video town halls, but I guess they had some problems with that.”
Technical difficulties have undermined Biden’s attempt to campaign without engaging in traditional retail politics. His first-ever “virtual town hall” last week was interrupted multiple times by technical difficulties such as garbled audio and blank screens.
Biden’s campaign postponed a virtual fundraiser that was supposed to happen Thursday until next week, though it was unclear what prompted the event to be pushed back. Meanwhile, Trump has raised over $100 million for his reelection, according to number released at the beginning of this year.
On Thursday, Biden’s campaign sent out another press release attacking Trump over his response to the outbreak, saying he attempted “to hide his record of failure on combating the coronavirus.” The criticism went largely uncovered as networks aired press conferences held by governors and Trump.
“I don’t know if a low profile campaign is sufficient right now, but it’s what he has to do,” Manley said.
