Biden Quickly Turns DeSantis Debate Comment Into a Campaign Ad
President Joe Biden has attempted to capitalize on one Republican challenger’s criticism of former President Donald Trump.
Biden — or, more likely, the intellectually functional Democrat operative who controls Biden’s social media account — posted a new campaign ad Thursday morning on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter.
The 20-second ad featured comments by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida at Wednesday evening’s presidential debate.
Predictably — and as he has a right to do — DeSantis blasted Trump for skipping the debate.
“And you know who else is missing in action? Donald Trump is missing in action. He should be on this stage tonight,” DeSantis said.
Biden and Democrats, of course, have no direct stake in whether or not Trump attends Republican debates.
DeSantis’ next set of comments, however, formed the centerpiece of the Biden ad.
“He owes it to you to defend his record where they added $7.8 trillion to the debt,” DeSantis said of Trump.
“That set the stage for the inflation that we have now.”
Enter the familiar voice overlay: “I’m Joe Biden, and I approved this message.”
In both the ad and the accompanying post, the Biden campaign allowed DeSantis’ words to speak for themselves.
“That’s right,” Biden (or his operative) wrote.
That’s right. pic.twitter.com/SI9hNEOEEJ
— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) September 28, 2023
Biden’s use of DeSantis’ comments should not come as a surprise to anyone. In fact, it illustrates a good many things about our current political situation.
First, Democrats cheer Republicans who attack Trump, and this puts DeSantis in a tricky position.
If DeSantis remains in the race, then he must challenge Trump on substance. But when his words appear in Biden ads, the Florida governor risks becoming associated with the anti-Trump establishment.
Second, DeSantis’ attack probably confirms establishment Democrats in their decision not to engage with Democratic challenger Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.
Indeed, keeping RFK Jr. off the debate stage prevents a similar anti-Biden comment from finding its way into a Republican ad.
On the other hand, RFK Jr. could say little about Biden with which Trump supporters do not already agree.
Third, Biden and his establishment handlers have galactic chutzpah.
It is one thing for DeSantis to criticize Trump’s record on debt.
It is quite another thing entirely for Biden to make debt a campaign issue while funneling billions to Ukraine.
That leads us to the fourth and final aspect of the current political situation that the Biden ad illustrates: incongruity.
In short, nothing aligns as it once did. Even the way we talk about the coming election does not conform to its reality.
The Democratic and Republican parties — their primaries and conventions — constitute the mechanisms through which voters will choose. They do not, however, represent the electorate’s most meaningful divisions.
Most Trump voters will support Trump no matter what. When asked to identify their hypothetical second choice, however, no doubt a significant number would pick RFK Jr.
When the establishment slanders and censors RFK Jr., that alone endears him to Trump supporters.
On the other hand, many Democratic voters will vote Democrat, no matter what. The fact that they voted for an incoherent Biden proves nothing if not their party loyalty and hatred for Trump.
DeSantis, of course, has almost nothing in common with Biden. Still, many Trump voters perceive the Florida governor as part of the anti-Trump phalanx.
Thus, we find ourselves in a situation where a Republican front-runner and Democratic challenger could conceivably unite.
No such overt union seems possible or desirable between the Democratic incumbent and the top Republican challenger.
Everything, therefore, appears incongruous. The words “Republican” and “Democrat” will help shape the election, but they do not convey much of the electorate’s mood.
That mood amounts to an anti-establishment rage.
Having enriched himself in government, Biden belongs to a pantheon of corrupt establishment politicians.
The president’s endorsement of DeSantis’ comments, therefore, will do the Florida governor no favors.
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