Biden campaign tests Trump’s name-calling strategy with ‘Broke Don’
by Alex Gangitano - 03/23/24 6:00 AM ET
President Biden’s reelection campaign has dubbed former President Trump “Broke Don,” taking a strategy out of Trump’s playbook that his political rivals know all too well.
Trump has used nicknames — from “Little Marco” to “Crooked Hillary” to “Lyin’ Ted” — to put down a variety of opponents. For much of 2020, Biden’s moniker, courtesy of Trump, was “Sleepy Joe.”
Now, the Biden team is seeking to turn the tables in attempting to make one stick to Trump while it worked this week to highlight the former president’s lagging fundraising numbers in the 2024 race.
Trump has picked on dozens of opponents with his nicknames since he first ran for office. Over the years, that’s included not only fellow presidential contenders, such as when he dubbed Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) “Pocahontas,” but also lawmakers he has considered his ultimate rivals, such as “Cryin’” Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y), the Senate Majority Leader, and former Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), whom he’s called “Crazy Nancy.”
Some have been considered offensive, while others have been deemed just silly name calling.
The Biden team is now trying their hand at lambasting the former president, often by poking fun at his debts as he faces mounting legal penalties, leaving some Democrats questioning if that’s the right move.
“The Biden team’s instinct to earn free media, try to get under his skin, and go on offense is the right one. But mimicking Trump has been done before and has never really worked,” one Democratic strategist said.
“You can’t out-Trump Trump because he’s the original version. I would say they need to be more creative in producing their own original and unique strategy to bring him down a peg that shocks and awes,” the strategist added.
Bruce Mehlman, a former official under President George W. Bush, cited Irish playwright George Bernard Shaw to warn against such a tactic.
“George Bernard Shaw famously advised ‘never wrestle with a pig because you’ll both get dirty and the pig likes it,’” Mehlman said.
The Biden campaign tried out the “Broke Don” nickname this week after election filings made public Wednesday showed Trump’s 2024 campaign brought in $10.9 million last month, while his joint fundraising committee raised nearly $11 million. It has about $42 million in cash on hand.
more
https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/4550498-biden-campaign-tests-trumps-name-calling-strategy-with-broke-don/
