Trump plots new election strategy: tie Biden to China - and attack them both

[CousinIT]

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/apr/27/joe-biden-trump-coronavirus-politics-pandemic

Meet “Beijing Biden”, also known as “Sleepy Joe”. According to Donald Trump and his allies, he is both a comrade of “Crazy Bernie” and an establishment creature of Washington, whose coziness with China and long history of verbal stumbles make him unfit for the presidency.

This emerging, and at times conflicting, portrait of Joe Biden is part of a recent effort by the Trump campaign to define the presumptive Democratic nominee to its advantage, ahead of a general election that has now been thoroughly reshaped by the coronavirus pandemic.

As the death toll from the outbreak has passed 50,000 Americans and mass unemployment reaches historic levels, Trump’s main case for re-election – a roaring economy – has evaporated. Instead, he and his team are trying a new strategy: tying his political rival to an old geopolitical foe.

“China wants Sleepy Joe sooo badly,” Trump tweeted on 19 April, adding: “Joe is an easy mark, their DREAM CANDIDATE!” A campaign email earlier this month hammered the point: “I am TOUGH ON CHINA and Sleepy Joe Biden is WEAK ON CHINA.”

For weeks, Trump has sought to shift the focus for his administration’s erratic response to the crisis by harnessing America’s growing hostility toward China, where the virus originated. To defend himself against criticism of his handling of the outbreak, Trump has repeatedly pointed to a January decision to impose restrictions on travel from China, which he says impeded the virus’s spread in the US.

The aggressive push to reframe the election suggests that there is more to be gained by attacking Biden than promoting the president’s leadership during the pandemic.

[live love laugh]

1. Despite Trump's personally owing tens of millions to China?

Doesn’t make much sense. Biden could easily get ahead of him on this issue.

[HarlanPepper]

7. I think the author is a tad behind the curve on this to be honest

For reasons you stated, this becomes problematic. It was always problematic messaging anyway, now it’s not really a viable line of attack. I think they will pivot back to the senile meme for the long haul, even though that is problematic as well following the injecting disinfectant kerfuffle.

[Doodley]

2. That will never explain why America has one-third of cases worldwide.

[Walleye]

3. I bet Joe will be able to smack him around on this.

We need some whistle-blower to leak tapes or transcripts of his calls with Xi. I’m thinking trump was probably as obsequious as hell. And he still thinks China is paying the tariffs.

[scarletwoman]

4. We need to get out ahead of this immediately!

There's a ready-made anti-trump campaign ad just using all trump's recorded praise of China from the beginning of the year.

[live love laugh]

13. Ammo

Trump denies saying another thing he said and makes more false claims at coronavirus briefing
https://www.cnn.com/2020/04/14/politics/fact-check-trump-april-14/index.html

Trump's praise for China's supposed transparency

After he criticized the World Health Organization for praising China's supposed transparency over the coronavirus, Trump was pressed about his own previous praise of China's supposed transparency. "I don't talk about China's transparency," Trump responded. "You know, if I'm so good to China, how come I was the only person, the only leader of a country, that closed our borders tightly against China?"

Facts First: Trump did praise China, and its president, Xi Jinping, for its supposed transparency. Moreover, Trump didn't completely shut down travel between China and the United States; nearly 40,000 people traveled from China to the United States after he announced travel restrictions, according to an April 4 New York Times analysis of data collected in both countries. And Trump was far from the only leader to impose travel restrictions from China. A Washington Post analysis found that 38 countries imposed significant travel restrictions on China "before or at the same time the U.S. restrictions were put in place." (The Post analysis did not count 12 other countries "that took some sort of action before the United States but with measures that were not as sweeping."

[scarletwoman]

17. What we need is someone to put together all the video clips that specifically deal with China.

And it wouldn't have to be confined to trump's coronavirus remarks. There should be plenty of clips, going back to the start of his presidency, of trump praising Xi - remember the chocolate cake incident?

[DrToast]

5. Don't think it will work

This is one of the benefits of Biden winning the nomination. Americans KNOW Biden already.

It's going to be difficult for the Trump campaign to define him in these ridiculous ways.

[SoonerPride]

6. They literally have nothing to run on and little to attack Biden on that doesn't impale Twitler more

The economy was his best card and it can no longer be played.

Unemployment will be literally off the charts, beyond anything seen. Ever.

The stock market is doing ok for now but don't look for that to hold. By November it will be below where it started when he took office.

His handling of the pandemic is an epic fail beyond all reason. Despite being 4% of global population we harbor 1/4 of the cases and deaths. Those percentages will likely go up in the months to come.

Ties to China? Biden's pale in comparison to the debt and business dealings the crime family has not to mention all of the nice tweets he has issued about how great China's autocratic ruler is.

They have nothing and they know it.

[MagickMuffin]

8. Congress if you're listening

Time to START investigating Jarvanka, DonnieJ, and Eric and Elaine Chao as an added bonus!

Let's get ahead of this now!


Oh and Micheal Bloomberg if you're listening! 1-2-3 GO

[Frustratedlady]

9. I smell the stink of Ghouliani. Trump must be back to talking to him every night.

Between Ghouliani and Hannity, his advice will be even more warped than in 2016.

[captain queeg]

10. Maybe Ukraine will get a rest at least.

[Mike 03]

11. There's too much video footage of Trump singing the praises of his great

friend President Xi and lauding China's handling of the coronavirus. This isn't going to fly.

Doesn't he also owe millions to Chinese banks?

And there's the matter of Ivanka's Chinese patents, and probably much more to uncover besides.

[Baked Potato]

12. Traitor Trump is WEAK ON AMERICA... FIRE THE LIAR!

[live love laugh]

14. More ammo

2-7-20 shipped 17 TONS of PPE to China
2-7-20 Remarks at Summit in Charlotte, NC: “I just spoke to President Xi ... it's a very tough situation. I think he's handled it really well. We're helping wherever we can."
2-7-20 Twitter: “… Great discipline ... in China, as President Xi strongly leads what will be a very successful operation. We are working closely with China to help!
2-7-20 Remarks before Marine One departure: "...good talk with President Xi...about ... the coronavirus. ...they are doing a very professional job. They're in touch with... the World... Organization. CDC also ... World Health is working with them. ...they're doing a very good job.”
2-10-20 Fox interview: “China is very, you know, professionally run in the sense that they have everything under control... China I can tell you is working very hard."
2-10-20 campaign rally Manchester, NH: “I spoke with President Xi, and they’re working very, very hard....”
2-13-20 "Fox News interview: “I think they've handled it professionally ... ... Pres. Xi is extremely capable..."
2-18-20 remarks before Air Force One departure: “... President Xi is working very hard.“
2-23-20 remarks before Marine One departure: “...President Xi is working very, very hard... I think he's doing a very good job..."
roundtable New Delhi, India: “China is working very hard...looks like they’re getting it under control....”
2-27-20 Coronavirus Task Force press conference: “I spoke with President Xi...He’s working very hard...”
2-27-20 “like a miracle it will disappear“
2-28-20 campaign rally: “Democrats are politicizing this is their new hoax”
2-29-20 vaccine “available very quickly.”
2-29-20 Coronavirus Task Force press conference: “China seems to be making tremendous progress. Their numbers are way down. …our relationship with China is very good...”
3-4-20 calls the virus “very mild.”
3-6-20 “there is no testing kit shortage nor has there ever been.”
3-6-20 Maralago party for Trump Jr. g/f several people get Covid
3-10-20 campaign rally: “...everything’s working out a lot of good things are going to happen...”

[Proud Liberal Dem]

15. ROTFLMAO

His base is stupid enough to believe it but I don't know how many other people will buy that. Of course, he and the rest of the Republican Party are trying very, very hard to make China the "fall guy" for the COVID-19 Pandemic

[gratuitous]

16. The base will believe anything Trump says

Including drinking poison. The issue for me is whether the media will dig into Trump's lies and record, which is by no means guaranteed. The worse Trump's prospects look, the more the media are going to have to fluff him to advance their horse race narrative. Unless, of course, the media get a sudden responsibility injection.

[Midnight Writer]

18. I reckon, then, it is time for Democrats to run ads exposing Ivanka's and Jared's Chinese links.

And we should throw in Moscow Mitch, who got a $20 million plus wedding gift from a Chinese shipping magnate.