Instead of defending himself against a tsunami of attack ads about his declining mental capacity, Biden can bombard the airwaves with a set of arguments that counter Trump’s lies while reminding voters that the reason they elected him in 2020 is because they know that America can do Only be great if it is led by a unifier, not an avenger.
The announcement may have started one of Trump’s most unpopular lies in a debate last Thursday about how the American economy has become a disaster since Biden entered the White House. To which Biden might say:
You know, Donald, I read that you have to pay $88.3 million in damages for sexual harassment and defamation E. Jean Carroll. I just did some back-of-the-envelope calculations: If you had put $88.3 million into an S&P index fund on my inauguration day, it would have gone up About 40 percent now. That’s about 35 million bucks, Donald. Some disaster! Think of the legal bills you could pay!
Another ad may quote Trump’s remarks about how he can work with Russian President Vladimir Putin in a way that Biden never could. To which Biden might say:
Donald, do you know, if Putin can vote in our election, why would he vote for you? That’s because he knows one thing about you: that you’ll never be able to orchestrate the kind of alliance you made to push him out of Ukraine and contain China. You will simply throw away those connections because you can only imagine practical relationships. A lasting connection, Donald, Like a permanent marriage, Not a transactional relationship. It is cemented by shared values. You treat our allies as if they are shoehorns in some Trump Tower lobby who don’t pay enough rent. Well, you didn’t just lie about how much our allies contributed to Ukraine — in large quantities – You also have no idea how much they amplify American power and values.
Such a rebuttal to Trump would be the best farewell gift Biden could give his party and all Americans.
Gautam Mukunda, Presidential Scholar and Author “election of presidents,“The other day it was pointed out to me that “in 1783, when George Washington announced that he would surrender his commission, King George III of England—the man whose empire he had destroyed— said that if he did this ‘he would be the greatest man in the world.’ Fourteen years later Washington did it again, voluntarily giving up the presidency when he could have easily made himself president for life. The father of our country stamped his greatness by showing that sometimes the best thing a president can do for his country is to leave the presidency. Today, in the midst of the worst threat to our democracy since the Civil War, Joe Biden can strengthen his legacy by following Washington’s example.
Biden, in addition to being a good man, has been a truly results-oriented president. He deserves to be remembered as the leader who saved the country from Trump in 2020, led us out of the dark days of the Covid pandemic, passed critical legislation to rebuild America’s infrastructure, renewed the dignity of work, promoted the transition to a green economy — and, finally, knew that When and how to say goodbye.
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