Yesterday, President Biden’s reelection campaign released the first ad as part of its $30 million post-State of the Union advertising campaign, in which the president directly confronts concerns about his age.
The ad – part of the campaign’s pivot to the general election – features Biden speaking directly into the camera as he contrasts his record with his likely opponent in November, former president Donald Trump.
“Look, I’m not a young guy,” Biden says at the start of the 60-second advertisement. “That’s no secret, but here’s the deal: I understand how to get things done for the American people.”
The president then outlines his record on curtailing the coronavirus pandemic, passing legislation to reduce health care costs and invest in infrastructure projects. He also criticizes Trump for rolling back reproductive rights, promising to codify Roe v. Wade if legislation passes Congress.
“Donald Trump believes the job of the president is to take care of Donald Trump,” Biden says. “I believe the job of the president is to fight for you, the American people, and that’s what I’m doing.”
The ad campaign will air over six weeks on national cable and local broadcast in seven swing states: Michigan, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Arizona, Georgia, Nevada and North Carolina – targeting voters of color and young voters. The buy follows an advertising campaign of more than $25 million that ran over the last five months of 2023, as the Biden campaign flexes its significant financial advantage over Trump’s effort.
The new spending on advertising comes as part of Biden’s ramped-up campaign activity to capitalize on momentum from Biden’s State of the Union address Thursday night. The president campaigned in Pennsylvania on Friday night and will appear in Georgia on Saturday. Next week, he will make stops in New Hampshire, Wisconsin and Michigan. Vice President Harris and Cabinet officials are also fanning out across the country to sell the president’s record.
Biden and his aides have largely dismissed questions about his age, even as polls continue to show voters across the political spectrum have concerns about his fitness for the job.
“Y’all want to talk about age? Let’s talk about age,” Michael Tyler, the campaign communications director, said in a statement, ticking of Biden’s accomplishments at various ages over the past four years.
He concluded: “Trump may be four years younger than Joe Biden, but his ideas are old … and they’ve already been rejected by the American people. Joe Biden is running to make sure we reject them for good.”
The ad ends with an off-camera producer asking, “Can we do one more take?”
“Look, I’m very young, energetic, and handsome,” Biden says. “What the …. am I doing this for?”
(c) 2024, The Washington Post · Tyler Pager