Biden will likely denounce Trump for wallowing in ”conspiracy theories” so close to an election, says a source close to the Biden campaign who was not authorized to speak on the record. “The story [of the laptop] has too many holes; most people aren’t following it,” the adviser tells Newsweek. Biden is ready to mock Trump: ”This is your last chance to talk to 75 million Americans before this election, and you want to talk about this crap,” says the staffer. And if moderator Welker doesn’t ask about Trump’s hotel company bank account and tax payments in China, as disclosed in a New York Times report Tuesday, Biden may raise the issue. “It’s certainly on the table,” says the staffer.
Biden, his camp says, will emphasize that he wants to talk about how to deal with increasing COVID-19 cases, how to rebuild the economy, how to lower health care costs and get more people health insurance. “The bread-and-butter issues that people want to hear about,” says another Biden campaign adviser who also requested anonymity.
Less clear is whether Biden will counter accusations of “grifting” by going after Trump’s family. Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner both have White House jobs, and according to financial disclosure forms released this past summer, they earned about $36 million in outside income in 2019 from businesses and investments they had made before Trump took office. Ivanka’s fashion business—since closed—received trademarks in China after Trump took office. “You want to talk grifting, let’s talk grifting,” says the Biden adviser.
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