Barack Obama told Joe Biden he will do whatever it takes to help with his re-election bid. During a private lunch at the White House, the former president warned Biden that Trump will be a formidable candidate in the 2024 presidential race.
The two were catching up over lunch and they cut a video together for fundraising purposes. The lunch took place in late June and some details are just now coming out. Those familiar with the lunch say, anonymously, that Biden was relieved to get reassurances from Obama that he will help. The thought is that Obama is still the biggest star among Democrats and his campaigning on behalf of Old Yeller will help bring in votes in the general election.
Obama made it clear to Biden that Trump has an iron grip on a big portion of Republican voters who will show up to vote for him. The insiders think that Obama will use his playbook from recent election cycles. He will hold big rallies in swing states, host fundraisers for both Biden and the DNC, and do campaign ads to help in competitive congressional races. Obama looks for nontraditional ways to bring in young voters, especially sports events and TikTok collaborations with social media influencers. That was what the did in 2020 and in 2024.
Here is an example from three years ago. It was for a grassroots fundraiser.
See how cool they are? Does a TikTok video move the needle in 2024, though? Younger voters don’t think Biden is cool. They turned out for him in 2020 but after four years of him, they have soured on supporting him. You know, like everyone else has, as evident by his historically low approval numbers across the board.
Eric Schultz, a senior adviser to Obama, declined to comment on the White House lunch, but he said Obama will tailor his campaign activity to maximize its effect.
“We place a huge emphasis on finding creative ways to reach new audiences, especially tools that can be directly tied to voter mobilization or volunteer activations,” Schultz said in a statement. “We are deliberate in picking our moments because our objective is to move the needle.”
Team Biden is relieved that Obama will be there to campaign with Biden when the time comes. His wingman, Eric Holder, will be working to defeat Republicans in 2024 through re-districting congressional districts with state legislatures.
Obama is slated to ramp up his political activity in the coming months, starting with a fundraiser later in August in Martha’s Vineyard to benefit the National Democratic Redistricting Committee. That group, launched by Eric Holder, who was attorney general under Obama, aims to combat Republicans’ success in drawing legislative and congressional districts.
Obama is expected to begin fundraising for Biden in the fall, a person familiar with the plans said.
“President Biden is grateful for his unwavering support, and looks forward to once again campaigning side-by-side with President Obama to win in 2024 and finish the job for the American people,” TJ Ducklo, a spokesman for the Biden campaign, said in a statement.
A July poll from The New York Times and Siena College showed a tie between Biden and Trump. It was 43-43. It remains to be seen if that is a outlier or if Trump is gaining momentum. With the latest indictment playing out this week and the anticipated indictment coming out of Georgia, it is possible that Trump will continue to go up in support, as has happened each time he’s indicted. It very well may be that overzealous Trump hating public officials are guaranteeing a Trump victory in 2024. We are in new territory in the 2024 election cycle with all the legal challenges for Trump. It may be that the hatred for Trump ends up being a plus for his campaign in the general election.
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