Several top Democrats are urging President Biden to alter his strategy ahead of the 2024 election and spend more time attacking former President Trump instead of touting his own policy record.
"He wants the credit, but it’s not working," one top Democrat told CNN. "He needs to stop."
Four sources close to the White House who described private conversations with the Biden campaign said the reason for their concern is simple: The president’s policy achievements are not resonating or swaying voters.
The outside advisers said they asked the Biden campaign to focus on the economy during Thursday’s CNN Presidential Debate. They also suggested carving out time to challenge Trump’s relationship with corporate America and how his proposed policies may further exacerbate inflation.
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"Imagine spending 50 years of your life in politics, and now becoming the guy. You want people to know you’re doing a really good job," one major donor told CNN. "I think Biden can’t help but talk about what a good job he’s done."
Biden’s campaign appears to have taken some of the advice to heart. A newly released ad ahead of the debate suggests that Trump has done little to help middle-class families.
"Donald Trump loves to attack Joe Biden because he’s focused on revenge, and he has no plan to help the middle class," the narrator says in the advertisement.
The commercial is part of a $50 million paid media campaign that will target battleground voters throughout June.
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A May ABC News/Ipsos poll found that over 80% of respondents believe the economy and inflation are important issues in determining their vote. Trump held a 14-point lead over Biden on both concerns.
According to a recent Fox News poll, one-third of voters said the economy is in excellent or good shape — the highest in Biden’s presidency. The previous high was 30% last month (and September 2021).
Fifty-nine percent said they are getting ahead or holding steady financially, up five points since last summer, and 44% feel optimistic about the economy, up nine points compared to 2023.
Economic sentiment may be improving, but it’s far from boom times: A 56% majority is pessimistic about the economy, four in 10 say they are falling behind financially and two-thirds rate economic conditions as only fair or poor (68%).
Fox News’ Dana Blanton contributed to this report.
