Biden Puts Focus on Abortion Rights to Paint Contrast With Trump
(Bloomberg) -- President Joe Biden is mounting a fresh push on abortion rights, part of a broader strategy to sharpen the contrast with Donald Trump as the Republican frontrunner marches toward his party’s nomination.
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The hope at the president’s reelection headquarters is that the effort — and the rapid narrowing of the Republican field — will crystallize the choice for voters in November, according to Biden campaign officials and allies, who discussed their approach on condition of anonymity.
Aides privately acknowledge that Biden has struggled in recent months, with poll numbers depleted by voter and donor angst over the president’s age and ability, as well as lingering concerns over the economy and inflation.
Yet campaign officials have downplayed Biden’s troubles as fixable, arguing that a narrowed contest offers the opportunity to deploy a playbook they’ve been developing for months: a coordinated effort to cast the election as a choice between the incumbent and his predecessor on issues like abortion, democracy, and civil rights.
They’re convinced that concerns over Biden will melt away — particularly among moderate voters in swing states — if the general election is fought on those terms. The race is also a chance to prove to those doubtful of Biden’s retail campaigning abilities that 2024 will not be a repeat of his basement-centered campaign four years ago during the pandemic.
Biden has previewed the more muscular strategy in recent days. Over the weekend, his campaign released a television advertisement featuring a Texas woman who was forced to travel out of state for an abortion after learning her fetus had a fatal condition. The ad directly criticizes Trump for his role in appointing Supreme Court justices who voted to overturn Roe v. Wade, the landmark 1973 ruling guaranteeing abortion rights nationwide.
On Monday, Biden unveiled new executive actions addressing family planning at a White House meeting with an administration task force. Agencies issued guidance making free contraceptives more available under the Affordable Care Act and for federal employees, and announced a new team responsible for enforcing a law the White House says requires hospitals to provide emergency abortions nationwide.
Roe Reversal
While he didn’t mention Trump by name, Biden said Monday that November’s election would play a critical role in determining the breadth of abortion rights. The president criticized restrictions on access to the procedure as “cruel.”
“Your voice will have a final say — this is not over,” he added,” Biden said at the White House event marking the the 51st anniversary of Roe, which the Supreme Court overturned in 2022.
Read More: ‘This is Not Over’: Biden Vows to Fight for Abortion Access
Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris are set to attend a rally Tuesday in northern Virginia focused on abortion rights, after which Harris will criss-cross the country on a “Reproductive Freedoms Tour.”
Biden’s campaign is wagering that the more aggressive strategy will allow it to capitalize on a realization just now dawning on voters: 2024 is likely to be a rematch of 2020. Internal Biden campaign polling shows that three-quarters of their target voters do not believe Trump will be the Republican nominee, an official familiar with the matter said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
That dynamic is expected to change quickly following Florida Governor Ron DeSantis’s exit fro the race on Sunday. Polls show former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley, who finished third in the Iowa caucuses, significantly trailing Trump in New Hampshire, whose moderate electorate was seen as giving her the best chance to disrupt Trump’s march toward the nomination.
Looming Rematch
Biden needs that gamble to pay off if he hopes to return to the White House. Several polls show Biden tied or trailing Trump in a rematch.
Still, campaign officials remain optimistic that Trump clinching the nomination will fuel a rebound. They’re buoyed by the president’s ample cash reserves. The president, who benefits from not having to wage a primary battle, ended 2023 with a record $117 million in cash on hand.
Earlier: Governor Whitmer Urges Biden to Push Harder for Abortion Rights
The campaign is building out state-level teams and plans to engage voters on the ground in battleground areas later this year, one official said.
They’re also trying new strategies to reach voters in an increasingly fragmented media environment, the official said. One example was last week, when Biden traveled to North Carolina for a relatively routine speech on investments in the state.
Biden’s stop at Cook Out, a popular fast food chain in the South, along with his visit to a family home, garnered attention on social media. Biden officials were particularly delighted when a teenager produced a widely shared TikTok video documenting the visit.
Biden’s campaign aides are striving to produce more of those viral moments with their increasing ambitious schedule and combat the notion the president is cloistered or unable to perform his job.
“We’ve got to earn reelection and we have to communicate what we have achieved,” Harris said last week during an appearance on “The View.”
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