President Biden and his party are facing a new challenge after the attempted assassination of former President Trump on Saturday—how to adjust their message.
So far, Biden and his team have portrayed Trump as a serious threat to democracy. They hope this message will help Biden win in November despite his low approval ratings, a rough first debate, and concerns about his age.
However, the challenge now is to deliver this message carefully so it doesn’t come off as insensitive after the shooting at Trump’s rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, which resulted in one death and two injuries. The attack nearly took Trump’s life as well.
In a speech from the Oval Office on Sunday night, Biden tried to strike the right tone. He emphasized the need to “lower the temperature in our politics” and reminded everyone that we are not enemies even if we disagree.
Biden also acknowledged that he would face criticism at the Republican National Convention, which started in Milwaukee on Monday. He said he would support democracy, the Constitution, and the rule of law, urging everyone to act peacefully and vote without violence.
Biden has made some adjustments to respond to the current situation. He postponed a planned campaign trip to Texas, where he was set to commemorate the anniversary of the Civil Rights Act. The Biden campaign also worked to remove its TV ads right after the assassination attempt.
In a notable interview with NBC News anchor Lester Holt, Biden admitted it was a “mistake” to say recently that it was “time to put Trump in the bull’s eye.”
However, this change in tone may not last long. In the same interview, Biden shifted from acknowledging his mistake to emphasizing the need to focus on Trump’s agenda. He stated, “I’m not the guy who said I want to be a dictator on Day One. I’m not the one who refused to accept the election results.”
Grant Reeher, a political science professor at Syracuse University, argued that Team Biden must be “more careful” about making its case against Trump. But Some influential liberal figures say that it’s important to keep pushing back against Trump verbally, even after the events of Saturday.
In a post on X on Monday, former Obama speechwriter and podcaster Jon Favreau said that Democrats shouldn’t be worried about what to say.
Favreau argued that there is a “pretty straightforward” message they can share to highlight Trump’s past words and actions. He suggested this message should include a strong statement: “We should oppose political violence in all forms, no matter who it comes from or targets.
But Favreau said that Biden’s messaging should include the need to “oppose leaders who say their supporters convicted of political violence should be pardoned.” This clearly targets Trump, who has called those jailed for January 6-related offenses “hostages.”
But Biden is not facing the challenge alone. The leftist media has been calling for violence against Trump for years and now must tone down the rhetoric. MSNBC’s popular morning show “Morning Joe” did not air on Monday, leading to speculation about whether it was connected to the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump.
A network spokesperson told USA TODAY that the show, hosted by Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski, was taken off the air because the channel has been providing continuous breaking news coverage since the shooting on Saturday evening.
This statement seems to contradict a CNN report that said the show was pulled due to worries about a guest possibly making an inappropriate comment after the assassination attempt.
The Democrats have lost their message, at least for now. For years, they’ve claimed that Trump is a serious threat to democracy and the Constitution, calling him a criminal and an insurrectionist. They’ve tried to paint him as someone who shouldn’t be allowed back in the White House. Now, they need to tone down that language to avoid being seen as encouraging more violence. This means they will have to focus on President Biden’s record, but that might not be effective since he is struggling in the polls on almost every major issue except abortion.
Meanwhile, the failed assassination attempt is expected to bring renewed enthusiasm for Trump supporters and draw more support from those watching from the sidelines. Few photos will ever have the political impact as those of the shaken but not defeated President Donald Trump fist-bumping the crowd after nearly losing his life to a crazed gunman.
