Last updated on July 18th, 2023 at 12:04 pm
Trump knows that he is losing and he thinks that the way to turn around his failing presidential campaign is a new nickname for Joe Biden.
An urgent task for Trump and his team, advisers say, is to find a way to negatively define Biden — transforming the election into a choice between the two men, rather than a referendum on Trump.
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Trump has recently been asking advisers if he should stick with his current nickname for Biden — “Sleepy Joe†— or try to coin another moniker, such as “Swampy Joe†or “Creepy Joe.†The president is not convinced that “Sleepy Joe†is particularly damaging, and some of his advisers agree and have urged him to stop using the nickname. In a tweet on Sunday, Trump tried out yet another variant: “Corrupt Joe.â€
One of the biggest mistakes that Trump and his campaign have continued to make is that they believe that they can make this election about Joe Biden.
This isn’t 2016. Donald Trump is the incumbent. The election will turn on the question of giving Trump another four years in office. The Trump campaign is wasting its time trying to negatively define Joe Biden when Trump has yet to give voters a reason why they should give him a second term.
A nickname for Joe Biden in the midst of a pandemic and economic response will only backfire on Trump, but his desperation to negatively define Biden shows that Trump knows he is losing, and he is having no success in trying to define Joe Biden.
Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
