Everyone knows it, but one Biden surrogate—former Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe—said it out loud: the former vice president is best kept out of the limelight, in the basement, where he’s been campaigning for months amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Gaffe-prone Biden, who recently stirred up controversy over his declaration that black voters who support President Trump “ain’t black,” can barely be trusted to carry out coherent interviews from his basement, even when he has his notes with him. To unleash him on the campaign trail is infinitely more risky.
During a videoconference meeting of Virginia Democrats over the weekend, McAuliffe seemed to acknowledge that.
"People say all the time, 'Oh, we got to get the vice president out of the basement,'" McAuliffe said in the video, which was obtained by Fox News. "He's fine in the basement. Two people see him a day: his two body people. That's it. Let Trump keep doing what Trump's doing."
Acknowledging the crises affecting the country, McAuliffe said it’s difficult for Biden to “break through” but that Democrats would “prefer” when he does come out, he delivers carefully crafted remarks.
"You've got the COVID crisis. He's not a governor, doesn't have the National Guard. He's not the president, doesn't have the briefing room. He needs to come out strategically. And when he says something like he did on race relations two days ago, it needs to have a big impact -- thoughtful, and that's what we're preferring that he actually do at the time."
Terry McAuliffe recorded saying Dems prefer @JoeBiden stay 'in the basement' https://t.co/mykUVYFrq0#JoeBasement pic.twitter.com/8sQo61w3Ul
— Larry Elder (@larryelder) June 10, 2020
President Trump, meanwhile, announced he will resume holding rallies later this month.