(WASHINGTON) — President Joe Biden’s campaign sees this week as a focal point, with both Super Tuesday and his State of the Union address on Thursday crystalizing to voters that this election will be a Biden versus Trump rematch.
The president’s campaign has been eager for the general election to begin in earnest so they can more effectively draw the contrast with Trump.
For the past several months, they say, people have not been fully tuned in to the political cycle. This week, campaign officials say, is the moment when that starts to change.
In fact, one campaign official says it’s helpful for Trump to be in the limelight and news cycle more, so Americans can be reminded of what they called his “dangerous ideas,” such as his recent remarks that immigrants are “poisoning the blood” of America. These comments help push swing voters – who will decide this election – towards Biden, the campaign official said.
The president will ramp up attacks on Trump, which the campaign says have been getting under Trump’s skin. For instance, when the president said on “Late Night with Seth Myers” that Trump can’t remember his wife’s name, the next day Trump blasted Biden’s comments in a Truth Social video.
One campaign official says Trump’s response proves his ego took a hit and that his reaction gave the Biden team a window to attack Trump again in a post on social media.
The campaign will have a watch party, war room and boiler room Tuesday night to examine Super Tuesday data. Officials say they’ll be closely watching where and which demographics Trump underperforms with — they point to what they say is his weakness with suburban voters and female voters. The campaign will also be monitoring what they’ve seen so far as stronger-than-expected turnout in uncontested Democratic primaries.
They have staff on the ground in the battleground states as a warmup and trial run for the general election. The campaign continues to ramp up its operations in battleground states, with plans to open 31 offices in Wisconsin in the next several weeks.
The campaign sees Biden’s State of the Union speech as one of the biggest moments for the president ahead of November, and a critical moment for him to set the scene for what his campaign will be about. They say they’re aware that much of the electorate is deeply disengaged and needs to be persuaded.
The campaign continues to brush off poor polling as overestimating Trump’s popularity. They argue that the Biden campaign has a larger war chest that’s focused on voter outreach, whereas much of the Trump campaign and RNC funds will be funneled towards helping cover Trump’s legal fees.
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