Is Trump using the "basement strategy" of Biden?

 Is Trump using the "basement strategy" of Biden?

Additionally, a look at how the turmoil in the US House may affect the presidential election

The On the Trail 2024 newsletter is where this piece originally appeared. Here, you can sign up to get the newsletter in your mailbox every Tuesday and Friday.

Welcome to On the Trail 2024, the advertising effort newsletter for the Deseret News. Samuel Benson here, national political reporter for Deseret.

If you missed it, here is my profile of the BYU alumnus in the center of the largest cultural conflict of the 2024 election. The new AP African American Studies course has survived objections from Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who referred to it as "indoctrination" and outlawed it in his state. Trevor Packer, who manages Advanced Placement courses for the College Board, overcame these obstacles. Click here to read more.

Here is the most recent election coverage from the Deseret News in 2024:

Biden declares in the Oval Office speech by Margaret Darby, "We stand with Israel."

How old is it to be a candidate for president? via Suzanne Bates

What President Biden said in Tel Aviv to Israelis and Palestinians by Dennis Romboy

Eva Terry reports that Trump would be questioned on Tuesday for the Strzok and Page lawsuit while still present at the civil trial proceedings.

Is Trump using Biden's "basement strategy"?

The opponents of Donald Trump have introduced a new attack stance, which is that he is "campaigning from his basement."

During the 2020 election, when the COVID-19 epidemic was at its worst and Joe Biden's campaign events were smaller and more infrequent than Trump's, it was one of Trump's favorite digs at Biden. According to Trump, it was a sign of Biden's "weakness" or a cover for his advanced age.

But now, Trump's Republican rivals, like Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, have come out swinging, challenging the former president for skipping the debate stage and making few campaign stops in early voting states.

Following the most recent debate, Christie criticized Trump on Fox News for "hiding behind his golf clubs" and failing to address the electorate. DeSantis joined the chorus this week, saying during two Fox News appearances on Sunday and Tuesday that Republicans won't "beat the Democrats by adopting Joe Biden's underground strategy."

DeSantis said, "You owe it to the voters to turn out." "You need to defend your track record."

A rematch between Biden and Trump seems probable, if not inevitable. Democrats are convinced that Biden will be their nominee. Trump has his largest polling advantage ever (north of 50 percentage points).

And yet, Trump just experienced what is perhaps his worst run of days since the election's start. In order to prevent Trump from influencing jurors in one of his four criminal cases, a court issued him a gag order on Monday. This was "the first major outcome of his life as a criminal defendant," according to Josh Gerstein and Kyle Cheney in Politico. His attorneys are appealing, arguing that his right to free expression has been infringed.

And Trump continues to draw criticism for his criticism of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his support for the terrorist organization Hezbollah, only days after a terrorist assault on Israel that resulted in the worst single-day loss of Jewish life since the Holocaust.

Trump's remarks sparked widespread outcry, including criticism from his old supporters, his Republican opponents, and his own staff. His aides are concerned that his remarks would turn off evangelical voters or even American Jews, who are already suspicious of Trump's new, more tolerant attitude on abortion. "His comments on Israel were a disaster," a former Trump White House staffer told Vanity Fair. Even more so when the supposed cause of Trump's contempt for Israel is considered: Trump is upset because Netanyahu phoned to congratulate Biden after the 2020 election, refusing to believe Trump's claim that the election was stolen.

On a radio program this week, DeSantis remarked, "You notice, (Trump) doesn't do very many events." When he does appear on the air, they have him reading off a teleprompter since he won't argue. DeSantis said that when a speaker deviates from the script, "he tends to step in it."

According to Natalie Allison for Politico, perhaps Trump's infrequent in-person appearances are merely a symptom of a larger trend among candidates from the Republican Party this cycle, where "retail politics seems flatlining" in early voting states. Specifically, candidate events are down 50% in Iowa, down 50% in the state of New Hampshire, and down absent in Nevada when compared to this point in 2015.

Perhaps there is increasing anxiety that Trump could insult his jury or disparage an ally while campaigning, both of which might have dire legal or political repercussions. The basement could be a better option in that case.

Week's top advertisement

In a recent advertisement, Nikki Haley asserts that if the two were to face off in the general election, she would "stomp all over Joe Biden."

The advertisement, titled "Strength, Not Chaos," features a talking point Haley has used to urge Republican House of Representatives members to choose a speaker.

On CNN's "State of the Union" on Sunday, Haley said, "You can't battle Democrat instability with Republican turmoil. "They must band together."

Sunday reading

Some well-known Democrats have changed their rhetoric in light of the continuing border situation. How can the party, as 2024 approaches, sell its pro-immigrant message to a populace that is becoming more and more incensed about what many perceive to be Biden's cowardly stance? Perhaps begin by paying attention to those who are most impacted: Former Representative Luis Gutierrez, a longstanding supporter of immigration reform, said the Democrats "have always taken their inspiration from non-Hispanics — they've not once taken their cue on immigration from Hispanics." Democrats are demoralized after Republicans' victory on immigration and see an inflection point. (From The Messenger by Adrian Carrasquillo)

My Tuesday email discussed the current discussion around Israel and Palestine at prestigious colleges (as well as what presidential contenders with Ivy League educations are saying). The following quote from this article in The Atlantic has stuck with me: "If presidents of universities weren't spending the past few years issuing runny, say-nothing statements about every crisis in today's world, they would not now be expected to set up their opinion on the conflagration in the Middle East." This piece of writing makes many thought-provoking disagreements, including the claim that universities aren't as "woke" as we might think. Furthermore, not having such an expectation would have prevented problems for Harvard, Penn, and a number of other institutions. What Conservatives Don't Know About Radicalism at Universities by Tyler Austin Harper in The Atlantic

Previously unwaveringly pro-Israel, the American political right is starting to split, particularly among far-right media figures. Trump's isolationist foreign policy inclinations have now given rise to Turning Point USA officials and Tucker Carlson's arguments against American participation in Israel. After the Hamas assault, conservative influencers debate Israel, 'America First,' and antisemitism (Shelby Talcott and David Weigel, Semafor).

Finally, here's an intriguing look inside Air Force One as it approached Israel, which is now embroiled in war: "... security folks were giving instruction to the traveling journalists about how to stay away from, well, dying." How to Fly the President of the United States Into a War Zone (Peter Baker, The New York Times)

mailbag for Friday

Have a query for the mailbag the following week? Reply to this email or send me a message at onthetrail@deseretnews.com.

The following question was submitted by reader Christian M.: What are the candidates saying about the turmoil involving the US House Speaker?

Republican presidential hopefuls were mostly in agreement when they called Kevin McCarthy's removal earlier this month "theater," a "distraction," and "chaos." All save Vivek Ramaswamy, that is.

Was it necessary to create chaos? It was, Ramaswamy acknowledged. But the fundamental question is whether anarchy under these circumstances is actually such a terrible thing.

Little has changed. This past week, Christie said that Jim Jordan's bid for the speaker's chair made Republicans "look childish." Haley has emphasized time and time again that candidates must rise above the "chaos."

But what Jordan's commotion (and eventual submission) may signify for DeSantis and Trump is where things could get interesting. Both DeSantis and Jordan were members of the former Freedom Caucus, and both supported Jordan for speaker. Even after Jordan said he is "100% behind Donald Trump" in 2024, DeSantis has seemed to maintain a friendly relationship with his former teammate. Furthermore, Jordan's backing for Trump's plan to rig the 2020 election has drawn the most criticism from both Democrats and his Republican detractors. This criticism is more serious than merely Jordan's overall inefficiency as a congressman. How long will it take the Republicans to elect a speaker? Will Jordan try one more time? By then, will DeSantis still be competing?