Act like an insurgent, not an incumbent.
You don’t defeat an incumbent president by playing defense. Every day, Mr. Trump provides opportunities. It isn’t hard to get a rise out of this thin-skinned president and knock him off his game. Be a speedboat, not a battleship. Make him react to you.
For better or worse, the first Twitter president is a master at using social media to frame the daily debate and news coverage. Mr. Trump’s flare for the outrageous helps drive that attention. In contrast, Mr. Biden’s temperance and decorum are relative strengths. But civility isn’t particularly well-suited to social media.
Still, with creative and timely interventions, Mr. Biden can turn the tables on Mr. Trump. To do this, the challenger needs to behave more like an insurgent, building the capacity to wield facts, humor and mockery at lightning speed in those surreal moments of opportunity that Mr. Trump regularly provides. (Simple example: a Biden video, fired off in real time: “This is a cup of Lysol. It is poison. Please do not drink it.”)
Join the conversation as a VIP Member