Biden struggles as others lead on virus

With President Donald Trump providing daily televised briefings and governors like Andrew Cuomo emerging as national leaders during the coronavirus pandemic, former Vice President Joe Biden is still grappling with how to position himself as a prominent voice on a crisis that is pushing traditional politics to the background.

Biden has been confined over the last week to an unusually small role for the likely — though not yet completely certain — nominee of a major political party. His public comments have been sparing and, for the most part, restrained. He has begun to ramp up a public schedule, beginning with an appearance on ABC’s The View on Tuesday, and his aides said he would now offer daily remarks on camera.

But Democratic strategists, some state officials and even some of his own aides have said that Biden needs to be more visible at a time when Americans are looking for leadership. The challenge for Biden, they say, is to find ways to draw sharp contrasts in leadership style with Trump while showing sensitivity to the severity of the crisis, and to break through when the nation is focused on more immediate concerns.

Jim Margolis, a veteran Democratic strategist, said Biden had “walked that line really well, but it’s hard. … The task is, are you able to cut through? Are you able to cut through when Americans are consumed by a virus that is in the news, and that’s all that’s being discussed, whether on the Senate floor, the White House briefing room or in emergency rooms?”