If Joe Biden does finally decide to seek a second term in the White House, reports are surfacing that he will pursue a version of the same basement strategy his campaign employed during the pandemic of 2020, limiting his public presence to tightly choreographed events.
But perhaps this 46th president is not the only one who should consider such a scheme.
Now, the idea we propose here might seem preposterous on the surface for so many reasons – his extravagance, famously extroverted personality and outgoing nature, not to mention his legendary appeal to everyday Americans, and stature as the 45th president of the United States. But here goes: Donald Trump should consider emulating his 2020 opponent and instituting his own basement strategy.
Before you click off thinking this writer, as John McEnroe used to say, can’t be serious, humor me for a moment as we explore the reasons for adopting such a strategy.
Trump Basement Strategy: It’s the Record, Stupid
The 2020 Biden basement operation was the polar opposite of Trump’s typically frenetic campaign and designed specifically to magnify the flaws of his opponent while limiting public exposure to his own shortcomings. It hid the worst of stumbling, bumbling Joe Biden, and turned him into merely a generic not-Trump stick figure and repository for certain ideals and policies – absent the doddering presence reminding voters of his advanced age and cognitive decline.
Trump could create the mirror image in 2024, limiting his public appearances with the plausible assertion that everyone already knows all there is to know about him. He could then allow voters to consider his record side-by-side against Biden and let the chips fall where they may – likely in his direction. Already, a record number of citizens say they are worse off than when Biden took office – three times as many as said so about Trump – so 45 could go straight up against 46 on the field of play where he holds a distinct advantage.
Are we already seeing the outlines of such a strategy? Trump has remained at a distance since he announced his third run for the presidency more than three months ago. While this might just be a function of money – limiting the burn rate on his campaign coffers with the primaries still a year away and the election not for another 21 months - it could in fact represent the broad strokes of a less full-throated campaign. Trump was also notable in his recent absence from Iowa, where a host of others pondering a run - Nikki Haley, Mike Pompeo, et al. - showed up to position themselves for the crucial kickoff contest of the 2024 presidential campaign.
Donald Trump (Photo by Scott Eisen/Getty Images)
By remaining at a distance, Trump becomes a composite of his accomplishments and beliefs, instead of the personality that would remind the millions of Trump skeptics – though of course not the haters because they would still hate him if he walked on water – why they are wary of putting him back in the White House. He can have confidence that his record placed in direct contrast to Biden’s, absent the distraction of personalities, will certainly elevate his chances of returning to the Oval Office. After all, Biden was able to hide his most pronounced flaws from the public enough to enter 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue as the oldest president in American history – while somehow appearing to be even older.
A basement strategy would also allow Trump to stand apart from the fray, amplifying his stature as a one-time president and two-time GOP nominee, and not “dirty his hands” by stooping to the level of wannabes like his VP Mike Pence in stumping for votes at the retail level. You know my record, and you know exactly what I stand for, he might say, adding that he need not conduct the volume of rallies that defined his first two presidential campaigns – and provided endless ammunition for his many mortal enemies.
Of course, this entire idea is predicated on Donald Trump believing he needs to adopt an almost counter-intuitive strategy and throw a change-up when everyone is expecting a fastball. It is difficult to expect an old dog to adopt new tricks. But Trump is on a mission to restore his image and erase the memories of 2020, so he might well be open to any strategy that could contribute to a second term for him instead of Biden. For as Vince Lombardi once said and Donald Trump has all but echoed, winning isn’t everything, it’s the only thing.
