Biden campaign’s favorite time of the week? Trump’s day off

President Biden’s campaign appears to be adopting a “Mean Girls”-esque motto in an effort to win back some of the coverage from former President Trump’s hush-money trial. “We’ll make the news on Wednesday.”

The Biden campaign is using Wednesday, the only weekday when President Trump’s New York City trial is adjourned, to dominate the airwaves, launch political attacks and draw attention to the president’s re-election efforts. I’ve been collecting.

Last Wednesday, Biden released a video proposing two debates with Trump.

“Good luck, bro,” Biden told the cameras in a message to Trump, who has repeatedly asked to debate the president “anytime, anywhere.”

“Let’s set a date, Donald,” Biden said, adding, “I hear you’re free on Wednesday.”

Biden’s campaign stepped up its offensive shortly after the video was released, including by promoting $32 “Free Wednesday” T-shirts, with a campaign aide telling The Hill that more than 1,000 of the shirts were sold in the 24 hours after the video was posted.

Earlier this month, on Wednesday, Biden gave a rare interview with CNN’s Erin Burnett. The president caused a stir by warning that his administration would stop supplying offensive weapons to Israel if the Israeli military launched an invasion of Rafah.

A week earlier, on Wednesday, unsurprisingly, Biden launched an even more scathing attack on his White House rival in a campaign fundraising speech.

“A man came up to me the other day and said, ‘Mr. President, I’m so overwhelmed with debt that I’m completely bankrupt,'” Biden said at an event in Washington, adding that he previously I repeated the joke I had told before.

“I looked at him and said, ‘Sorry, Don, I can’t help you,'” Biden declared.

Mr. Trump’s trial ends this week, with jury deliberations looming, but it is unclear how long Mr. Biden will employ the Wednesday strategy. But Democrats say it has been a very effective strategy so far.

“It’s about understanding the news cycle we’re living in, accepting it, and trying to proactively deal with it where possible,” said Michael LaRosa, a former press secretary to first lady Jill Biden and special assistant to Biden. I think that’s wise,” he said.

LaRosa said that between the debate pitch against Trump and the CNN interview, the Biden campaign “succeeded in essentially dominating the news cycle” on Wednesday.

Mr. LaRosa, who now works for the lobbying firm Ballard Partners, said this is something Mr. Biden’s team has done so far in terms of creating events, surprises, news stories that will ultimately win coverage. “I’ve been struggling with this,” he said. ”

MSNBC host and former White House press secretary Jen Psaki acknowledged the “unique challenges” facing the Biden campaign, where criminal cases seem to suck all the media’s oxygen. He maintains his innocence.

“This is important news to report,” Psaki told The Hill in a recent interview. “But it blocks out the sunlight. It doesn’t leave much room for reporting on other issues.”

The Biden campaign said the trial helped contrast the two candidates.

“While Trump is ranting and whining on social media, the president is on the ground touting his record-breaking accomplishments that will decide this election,” Biden campaign spokeswoman Lauren Hitt said. “We are committed to fighting for the American people on these issues.”

Trump campaign spokesman Daniel Alvarez said Wednesday’s strategy was “proof that this is a sham trial for Biden and that this was political from the beginning.”

“This is complete proof,” Alvarez said. “And are they breaking through? We won’t know until they tell us what they’re doing on Wednesday.”

“President Trump’s energy and momentum is unlike anything we’ve ever seen before,” she said.

LaRosa, a former producer of MSNBC’s “Hardball,” said nonstop coverage of Trump’s legal battles has “immunized voters to the point where they are already indifferent to Trump’s flaws as a human being.” “There is,” he said.

“The oversaturation of news coverage is eerily reminiscent of 2016, when I was a TV producer. This person is not someone who is afraid of oversaturation; in fact, he is successful because he is afraid of oversaturation.” he said about Trump.

“So the more we talk about Donald Trump, the happier Donald Trump becomes, but frankly, it’s even worse for the Biden campaign, because TV, cable news, whatever. Because you’re always in the lead. And it’s probably going to end with Donald Trump, and what’s sandwiched in the middle? Maybe it’s going to add different angles to the story around Trump.” said LaRosa.

“Unless it’s bad news, Biden, his accomplishments, his record will probably be squeezed out of every show synopsis. For persuaded or undecided voters, the airtime devoted to all things President Trump and his legal dramas and the latest outrage of the day is airtime that doesn’t come close to Biden’s record,” he said.

During the 2020 campaign, Biden also struggled to break through the news cycle due to the COVID-19 pandemic and all the cable news coverage surrounding it. To help his own cause, Biden eventually built a studio in the basement of his home where he could directly address the American people.

Now, despite the bullish pulpit and megaphone that comes with his presidency, Biden is finding ways to cut through the noise.

“It’s unusual for a president to have difficulty breaking through,” said another strategist. “Usually it’s the opponent who has to resort to this kind of strategy in order to be heard.”

“Biden has to take advantage of these opportunities,” the strategist said, referring to Biden seizing such opportunities on Wednesday. “It’s creative. But I don’t know if it will help.”

Democratic strategist Brad Bannon said the White House has so far done a poor job of communicating Biden’s economic achievements.

In the coming months, the Biden campaign will need to figure out how to use its platform to spotlight Biden’s vision against Trump, which even Democrats have acknowledged is effective in branding. Dew.

“People write him off as a fool, but he’s a master of the media,” Mr. Bannon said. “Who else could be in such serious legal trouble and yet be so competitive in a presidential election?”

He said Biden has to do a better job of getting on the board, saying, “They’re the White House, for God’s sake.”