Before US Midterms: Biden in fight mode

With a view to the midterms, US President Biden is switching from reconciliation tactics to a confrontational course – with his predecessor Trump as a target. But its omnipresence in the media is probably not so inconvenient for the Democrats.

Sometimes you had to rub your eyes: Is that really Joe Biden, who is raging like that? The mild-mannered, occasionally avuncular US President who came into office as a bridge-builder?

“Donald Trump and his followers embody an extremism that threatens the very foundations of our republic,” Biden said. Or: “Democracy cannot survive if one side believes that only two election outcomes are possible: either it wins, or it was cheated of its victory; and there are the MAGA Republicans today.” The abbreviation MAGA stands for “Make America Great Again” – the former campaign motto of former President Trump.

This no longer fell into the categories of exchange of arguments or competition of ideas. It was a frontal attack: scathing words meant to damage, not convince.

Reconciliation was yesterday

Normally, incumbent US presidents only appear in front of the cameras during prime time when they have something tangible to announce: a declaration of war, a travel ban, a political or military success.

But Biden used his privileged attention for pure election campaigning – and a radical change of strategy. Until Thursday evening, it was his declared aim to unite the divided country and to overcome the bitterness of the Trump years. He wanted to reconcile, stretch out his hand. That failed tremendously. From now on, Biden will focus on confrontation instead of consensus.

Trump’s lust for attention

A unique phenomenon: Trump has not even declared his candidacy for the presidency for 2024 and has so far only flirted with a comeback. And yet he is the undeniable center of attention.

He’s been dominating all the headlines, and not just since the sensational house search in Mar-a-Lago. Trump craves attention – and he gets it. Furthermore, no political discourse is possible in the USA without the president being ousted dominating it. He is a self-marketing genius whose omnipresence suggests that the Trump era may not yet have passed its zenith.

Away from the spotlight to win the election?

Because part of the truth is: Trump’s strength is Biden’s weakness. The incumbent president’s disastrous poll numbers are no accident. The America of low and average earners in particular is groaning under inflation and rising rates. Food and petrol prices have multiplied, and many people can no longer make ends meet with just one job.

Most Americans don’t care about political bickering: Washington is far away. But under Trump, life was noticeably more carefree for her. Biden’s strategists welcome any distraction from this dilemma – then prefer to leave the stage to Trump. Because why shouldn’t what led to Biden’s election victory in 2020 work again: fuel the weariness with Trump that moderate Republicans and the pivotal voters in the center who decide the election have. And mobilize the democratic voter base with the fear of a comeback of the hated.

Republicans score in primaries

There are less than ten weeks until the so-called midterm elections. Biden’s Democrats are threatened with the loss of both houses of parliament in Washington. At the state level, it’s not just about governorships, but in some places also about election officials.

In the primary elections, the candidates honored by Trump often prevailed, spreading his lie about the stolen election. Revisionists are booming within the Republican Party: but can elections be won by focusing on the past? Trump wants revenge for 2020, but voters want prospects for 2023 and beyond.

Biden is betting on fear of a loss of democracy, but experience has shown that American voters value confidence and optimism. Accordingly, the midterms could produce more surprises than was believed for a long time.