If Dems face anyone other than Trump, they plan to depict their opponent as 'Trump Lite' or 'Diet Trump'
Leaving aside Donald Trump's main legal troubles, the former president starts the 2024 campaign in an enviable position as the front-runner with a commanding 30.8 percent lead over Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) in the most recent Real Clear Politics polling average.
But if, for some reason, the former president doesn’t win the nomination, Democrats won’t have to change their playbook much.
That’s according to new reporting from Politico that describes behind-the-scenes efforts Democrats are making to prepare to face a candidate other than Trump in the general election.
Jonathan Lemire writes, "While not all Republicans can be directly tied to some of Trump’s record, or his role in inspiring the Jan. 6 riot, Biden aides still believe they can be lashed to the former president. DNC staffers have begun branding all Republican hopefuls as enablers of MAGA policies, making their support of Trump a throughline.”
Democratic strategist Basil Smikle told Politico that his party would try to depict anyone other than Trump who wins the nomination as “Trump Lite.”
“It’s not a stretch to paint with a broad brush and make the other Republicans out to be ‘Trump Lite,’” Smikle told the outlet.
“Nearly all of them have supported him before. The White House can also make the large umbrella case that the GOP are threats to democracy itself and the protection of personal liberties.”
Politico reports that DNC aides are conducting background research on all declared candidates and some potential candidates, such as Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin, New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu and former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie.
Lemire writes, "Democrats believe that while a moderate Republican might prove a more serious general election opponent, others who may enter the race — like— stand little chance of surviving a GOP primary electorate that has moved decisively to the right.”
The Biden campaign believes that regardless of who wins the Republican nomination, the GOP is likely to roll out the same attacks on the president, including his age, the controversy surrounding his son Hunter Biden and attempts to brand Democrats as socialists – the same attacks that didn’t work in 2020.
But the Biden campaign’s focus remains on the former president.
“The White House likes its chances in a rematch,” Lemire writes.
“Aides believe Trump’s behavior is disqualifying for voters and that many Americans would not like a return to the chaos that dominated his administration. Moreover, Biden’s political brain trust is fixated on the independent, swing voters — in many cases, suburban women — who went for Trump in 2016 but broke hard away from him four years later.”
Read the full article here. See a full discussion on MSNBC below or at the link here.
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