Joe Biden’s reelection campaign has prepared supporters for family gatherings over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend by issuing a guide on how to win arguments with fans of the US president’s top political rival, Donald Trump.
The campaign released its snarky advisory on Thursday, calling it “Your Handy Guide for Responding to Crazy MAGA Nonsense This Thanksgiving.” It includes talking points for countering pro-Trump family members on such issues as the economy, the US border crisis, and abortion rights.
For example, the guide said that when Trump supporters claim that the former president will protect Social Security and Medicare benefits, Biden supporters should reply, “Trump cares about himself and would rather poor people and seniors suffer so rich people prosper.” The advisory also offered suggested responses when family members argue that Biden’s predecessor secured America’s borders, including a claim that Trump calls for “rounding up Latinos into mass detention camps, ending birthright citizenship, and shooting people at will.”
The Biden campaign offered its advice for family political debates at a time when polls show the Democratic president falling behind Trump in the 2024 race. A New York Times/Siena College poll released earlier this month showed that Trump is leading Biden in five of the six ‘swing states’ that are expected to decide next year’s election. The poll showed that Trump is favored over Biden by four to 11 percentage points in five key states, while the incumbent leads his rival by two points in the other key battleground state, Wisconsin.
Two-thirds of Democrat-leaning voters don’t want Biden to seek a second term, according to a CNN poll released in September. David Axelrod, the chief political strategist for former President Barack Obama, called earlier this month for Biden to consider dropping his reelection bid for the good of the country.
Biden critics argued that his holiday guide would further divide families in a country that is already plagued by political polarization. “Preparing political talking points to use against family members on Thanksgiving is a form of mental illness,” US health and fitness author John Durant said. “Show some maturity, speak with the right tone, or change the subject.”
For his part, Trump used his Thanksgiving greeting on Truth Social to attack his political enemies, including Biden and the “psycho” judge in his New York fraud trial.