House Democrats want President Biden to be relentless in Thursday’s debate, arguing that only an aggressive approach can effectively get his policy message across, fight off Republican attacks on his competence and counter former President Trump’s combative style.
Democrats say Biden has the clear advantage heading into this crucial race after scoring key legislative victories as the incumbent president. But with inflation worries still souring the nation, Democrats want their White House ally to make a strong case that his policies have improved people’s lives.
“Trump needs to be proactive,” said Rep. Mark Pocan (D-Wis.), a former chairman of the House Progressive Caucus. “He’s had a great campaign record, and we need to be proactive and call out what he can’t do, which is he doesn’t have a plan.”
The move highlights the uniquely dichotomous nature of national debates: They provide candidates with a huge platform to promote their policies and challenge their opponents, but on the televised podium, a poor performance — in delivery, appearance or even a single gaffe — also risks garnering headlines and negative voter reactions. In that environment, appearance matters as much as content.
Democrats jubilanted at Biden’s performance in his annual State of the Union address in March, when he passionately defended his congressional victories and promised more wins if voters kept Democrats in power. Nearly four months later, they are hoping Biden will bring the same fervor to Thursday night’s debate.
“He should be just as energetic as he was during the State of the Union, because political operatives on the other side worked twice as hard to convince people that Biden has no energy and is incompetent to run for office,” said Rep. Matt Cartwright, D-Pa. “They demanded drug testing afterwards. [because] He did very well in terms of energy levels.
“I’d love to see him do that again.”
Rep. Mark Takano, D-Calif., echoed that message, saying Biden’s March speech eased Democrats’ concerns that Republican attacks on the president’s fitness to act would resonate with voters and could be a drag on the party.
“[He] “He eased the fears of many people,” Takano said. “There were doubts about his energy and ability, but I think he made it very clear in his State of the Union address that he is more than qualified for the job.”
Thursday’s debate is the first of two scheduled before the November election, when Biden and Trump will face off in a rematch of the 2020 presidential election. Throughout the campaign, Republicans have backed Trump, portraying the 81-year-old Biden as an infirm man lacking the physical and mental strength required for the presidency.
At a recent rally, Trump suggested Biden would be “high on cocaine” to get through Thursday’s debate, an unfounded accusation that House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) was forced to deny on Wednesday.
Democrats have repeatedly denied accusations about the president’s health, pointing to a long list of legislative achievements in his 3 1/2 years in office while also pointing out that Trump, who just turned 78, has made a string of gaffes on the campaign trail this year. Biden’s doctors, meanwhile, have regularly certified him as healthy enough to be president.
Still, polls suggest Biden’s age is a drawback for the president in the eyes of voters. And rhetoric aside, Democrats are eager for Biden to highlight his legislative record, particularly the major bills he passed during the first two years of his term, when Democrats also controlled the Senate and House of Representatives.
The list includes bills to help small businesses weather the pandemic, provide $1 trillion for new infrastructure projects, boost domestic manufacturing of computer chips and lower the cost of insulin for patients to $35.
“The president led one of the most productive last terms of Congress in the last 50 years,” said Rep. Darren Soto (D-Fla.). “The president needs to talk about that and how it’s improving people’s lives.”
Cartwright singled out one project in Biden’s district that Biden could tout: a new passenger rail line connecting Biden’s hometown of Scranton, Pennsylvania, with New York City, which is estimated to bring tens of millions of dollars to the region.
“We haven’t seen anything like this in 50 years,” Cartwright said. “It wouldn’t have happened without a major infrastructure effort.”
Biden has a lot of work to do.
By many measures, the country is in better shape than it was before the pandemic: Unemployment remains at its lowest in decades, the stock market is at an all-time high, workers’ wages have risen significantly and violent crime is occurring less frequently than it was in 2019 under the Trump administration.
Yet many Americans perceive a different reality. Recent polls have shown that a majority of voters believe the country is in a recession, largely because the pandemic-induced price hikes for many consumer goods continue to hit consumers’ wallets. Republicans, in particular, are more likely to blame the federal government for inflation.
Democrats said instead of running away from the issue, Biden should use the debate to acknowledge the problems that inflation is causing for lower and middle-class people and point out specific policies he would push for to address the persistent problems.
“Inflation is slowly coming down, but it’s not going backwards. People remember two years ago they had to pay a lot less for eggs and bread than they do now,” Cartwright said. “This needs to be recognized and we’re working on it.”
Trump’s debating style also poses a unique challenge for his opponents. The former president is notoriously aggressive on stage, frequently interrupting his opponents while they are speaking and clashing with moderators who try to calm the stage. The first Trump-Biden debate in 2020 was well-remembered for the former president’s interruptions and persistent prodding.
Already he and his campaign have accused CNN-appointed hosts Jake Tapper and Dana Bash of being biased against him.
Democrats acknowledged that Trump is not a great debater, but expressed confidence that Biden, a longtime veteran of the debate stage, could handle it.
“You can’t let him trample you when you’re debating him, but you don’t want to get into a shouting match with him. You have to be strong and careful,” said Rep. Jimmy Gomez, D-Calif.
