The violent phone call during a morning TV show, the criticism of “elites,” the insistence on “the public” during his meetings… Joe Biden has adopted in recent days a tone reminiscent – in some ways – of his great rival Donald Trump.
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It is clear that the US President has decided to raise his voice in defense of his candidacy for a second term, which has been severely shaken since his failed debate on June 27 against his Republican predecessor.
Last Friday, on ABC, Trump rejected calls to drop out of the race, insisting he would only do so if “God Almighty” told him to, and questioning the credibility of polls that have put him behind his Republican rivals.
On Monday, he stressed in a letter to elected Democrats that it was “not up to the press, commentators, and major donors” to decide his political survival.
There are a lot of unusual comments indeed, for a president known for his temper, but he generally maintains a moderate image, adept at compromise and gentle exchanges.
It was a very different Joe Biden we heard Monday morning, when the 81-year-old Democrat appeared on MSNBC, a network popular with Democrats.
Challenge me
It's a very unusual approach on his part, reminiscent of Donald Trump's long phone-ins on the morning show “Fox & Friends,” on a channel favored by the right.
The sometimes violent and angry Democrat insisted he had the support of his “base voter base.”
The former senator, then vice president, then president, whose political career spans more than fifty years, said all the bad things he thought about the Democratic Party “elites,” who some elected officials called on him to surrender.
“Those people who think I shouldn’t run, let them run against me. (…) He challenged me at the Democratic Convention in August,” he said.
The US president also expressed his bad mood in the face of speculation about his mental acuity or physical fitness, saying it “drives me crazy.”
He told MSNBC anchors that he had recently spoken before “large” and “enthusiastic” crowds since the June 27 debate, during which he appeared particularly tired and disoriented.
This reminds us of one of the obsessions of Donald Trump, who boasts at every opportunity about the large number of supporters who come to hear or see him.
“Nothing silly”
Joe Biden finally stressed that he had been campaigning actively in recent days, while Donald Trump had done “nothing” except “drive around in his golf cart” with “his wealthy friends” at his luxurious Florida residence.
The Republican candidate has made a habit of openly mocking his Democratic opponent during his rallies, going so far as to imitate a senile old man on stage.
On social network
Some Republican supporters also mocked Joe Biden's alleged darker complexion, accusing the US president of overusing bronzer. It was an apparent way to take revenge on the “orange man” nickname some of his opponents have given Donald Trump.
The US president's camp is somewhat pleased to hear of his combative style.
For example, a Democratic campaign spokesperson relayed a written message that “by November 5th, this will silence people who, like me, believe he should step down.”
Jon Favreau, a former writer for Democratic President Barack Obama, was less convinced by Joe Biden's intervention this morning. Commenting on
