Campaigning in pandemic reveals contrasting styles
Approaches by Trump, Biden reflect differing visions for the country
WINSTON- SALEM, N.C. — North Carolina caps outdoor gatherings at 50 people to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus, but don’t tell that to President Donald Trump. He basked in a largely maskless crowd of several thousand supporters during a campaign rally in this critical state.
“As far as the eye can see,” Trump said, reveling at the sight of people flouting public health guidelines at Tuesday’s event. “I really believe that these crowds are bigger than they were four years ago.”
A day earlier in Pennsylvania, Trump’s Democratic challenger, Joe Biden, held a socially distanced meeting in a backyard. His team has been so attentive to local regulations that some staffers have left the room if they risked breaking the rules on crowd limits.
“I really miss being able to, you know, grab hands and shake hands,” Biden recently told supporters.
With 54 days until the Nov. 3 election, Trump and Biden are taking diametrically opposite approaches to campaigning during a pandemic — and the differences amount to more than political theater. The candidates trated by Trump’s return to are effectively staking out campaigning. different visions for the “We want to set an examcountry. Biden emphasizes ple,” he said of those in guidelines supported by loleadership. cal health officials while White House press secreTrump rails against restrictary Kayleigh McEnany distions that he argues, without missed the suggestion that evidence, are politically moTrump should comply with tivated. local guidelines. “We be
“By the way, your state lieve if people want to show should be open,” the presiup and express their politident said in North Carolina, cal views, that’s their choice where he has feuded with to do so,” she told reporters Democratic Gov. Roy Wednesday. Cooper over Trump’s abanOutdoor events used to doned plans to hold the be few and far between for Republican National ConTrump, who prefers the vention in Charlotte. “It’s deafening echo and air conyou, it’s Michigan, it’s a ditioning of indoor arenas. couple others,” Trump addBut in the wake of a June ed, as he sees a potent line of rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma, attack in pivotal states run when the president adby Democrats. dressed a half-empty venue
Trump aides and allies and a promised five-figure suggest the president sees overflow crowd never matehis rallies as a manifestation rialized, his campaign deof the reopening he’s cided to move to lowerpreaching and that he bestakes airport hangars and lieves is vital to the econotarmacs. mic recovery and what votThe one thing that has ers want. In a dig at those stayed the same: crowing who warn against reopenabout his crowd sizes in ing too quickly, Trump sugcomparison with Biden’s. gested that these states “If he had 200 people, I reflects the reluctance of would suddenly reopen the think it would be a lot,” many of his supporters to day after the election, when Trump said Tuesday of his attend large gatherings. opponents advocating cauopponent. For someone who has tion can no longer hurt his Biden’s crowds have been never been a natural in an reelection. far smaller. The former vice arena, the smaller events
At the same time, it has president has appeared in allow Biden to have more pit the president against the public sparingly since the personal interactions with public health advice issued pandemic, and with the representatives from imporby his own administration strictest adherence to state tant voting blocs, including and drawn criticism from guidelines: 25 people in labor and community leadDr. Anthony ers.Fauci,thena-Pennsylvania,10peopleintion’s top infectious disease doors in Michigan and manBut they also allow him to expert. Fauci told CBS on datory face-coverings all largely avoid any controWednesday that he is frus- around. Biden’s approach versy created by a critical
questioner or a protester, both of whom he was forced to grapple with multiple times when campaigning before the pandemic.
Even when Biden is confronted with organic crowds of supporters, he’s rarely given the opportunity for an unscripted interaction with them.
As Biden gave a speech last week focused on the Trump administration’s response to the coronavirus at
a university building in Pittsburgh, a crowd of more than 100 gathered and continued to arrive even as his event wrapped up.
They chanted “We want Joe!” and waved Biden signs, some of them homemade. But, after his speech, Biden remained inside the building to attend a virtual fundraiser, then abruptly left to pass out pizzas at a nearby firehouse without approaching the supporters.