WASHINGTON — The attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump has turned Joe’s campaign upside down Biden forcing him to tone down his attacks but at the same time giving him time to deal with his own political problems.
The US president’s call to “lower the temperature” after the shooting deprives him, at least for now, of his strategy of attacking his predecessor as a threat to American democracy as he has been doing.
And that came just days after Biden tried to focus his campaign on his Republican rival, following weeks of turmoil in the Democratic Party over his age and health following his poor performance in a debate against Trump.
The question is how long he can afford to be lenient toward Trump.
In an Oval Office speech focused on unity, Biden, 81, hinted that he would soon lash out at the Republican again.
“I will continue to speak out strongly for our democracy, defending our Constitution and the rule of law, calling for action at the ballot box and for no violence in our streets,” Biden said Sunday.
Forced to redesign its strategy against Trump?
Biden said he will be “criticized” at the Republican National Convention, which began Monday, but will still travel “this week” to defend the Democratic platform.
Despite cancelling a trip to Texas (south), Biden is going ahead with a planned visit to the swing state of Nevada.
Writing in the Washington Post, columnist Karen Tumulty wrote that “there could hardly be a worse time for Biden to be forced to redesign his strategy against Trump.”
Republicans have accused Biden of creating the political conditions that led to the outrage against Trump. He has been compared to Hitler and dictators, and several lawsuits have been opened against him months before the presidential elections, using the Department of Justice as a tool.
They cite Biden’s recent statements because they believe they were intended to “target Trump” to avoid discussion of the debate crisis.
Biden benefited
Trump’s attacks could, however, help Biden in his fight for his own political survival amid calls to abandon the campaign following the disastrous episodes he has been involved in.
“This obviously changes the calculus for those calling for Biden to drop out,” said Peter Loge, a political scientist at George Washington University. “It buys him time.”
The Democratic crisis over Biden’s age after the debate dominated the campaign in recent weeks, but with Saturday’s shooting the revolt over his candidacy abruptly fell silent.
Congressman Dean Phillips, an unsuccessful primary candidate, told Axios that it would be “unpatriotic and unprincipled” to raise the issue now.
Biden has also sought to strike a presidential tone about the shooting, speaking out Saturday two hours after the attack and addressing the nation Sunday in the third Oval Office address of his presidency.
The message of unity in appearances like this is not only directed at Republicans, but is also a signal to his Democratic supporters that they should support him as a leader in a time of crisis.
The shooting could unite Democrats, but it could also doom Biden’s re-election bid at a time when he is already trailing in most polls.
Iconic images of a bloodied Trump raising his fist after the shooting galvanized Republican hopes of a landslide victory in November.
Source: With information from AFP
