With just 55 days until the election, the Biden campaign called a "lid" early Tuesday morning; there will be no news from the Democratic nominee for the remainder of the day. That proclamation, that came from the Biden camp first thing in the morning, came as a surprise to members of the press as the president continues his active schedule. President Trump will make stops in North Carolina and Florida on Tuesday, both battleground states.
Lid = no questions allowed from the press, which is common declaration from the Biden campaign. The Democratic nominee also has no public events scheduled.
— Joe Concha (@JoeConchaTV) September 8, 2020
In a related story, there's a presidential election in 56 days. https://t.co/Z8GH2CO7L8
Biden's day off came as a surprise to many who thought the former vice president may be more eager to get back to the campaign trail after what was generally considered to be a lackluster outing on Labor Day. Biden traveled briefly to Harrisburg, PA to commemorate the national holiday, but faced tough questions from union leaders about his plans for fossil fuel energy and wasn't able to give any solid answers.
While Biden floundered in Pennsylvania, his vice presidential pick Sen. Kamala Harris refused to take any questions while visiting Milwaukee, Wisconsin. During a press appearance, her first solo interaction with the media since being added to the Biden ticket, she awkwardly declined to participate in a Q&A with reporters after the event host attempted to pass her the microphone.
Biden's biggest blunders in Harrisburg on Monday occurred as he tried to paint himself as the obvious pro-union candidate on a day that honored leaders in organized labor. Instead, he once again faced a question about his policy on fracking and whether or not he supported the effort to defund the police.
.@JoeBiden: “The only person calling to defund the police is Donald Trump.” pic.twitter.com/CKi51jaXOS
— Tom Elliott (@tomselliott) September 8, 2020
Despite Biden's remark in July that he would support redirecting funding away from the police, Biden attempted to turn the tables on Trump saying that it was actually the president who advocated for defunding the police. Several police unions, including the largest in the nation, the Fraternal Order of Police, have voiced their support and endorsement of Trump.
"I’m the one calling for $300M more for local police, for community policing … The only person calling to defund the police is Donald Trump. Look at his budget. He calls for cutting police funding for local — state and local help by $400 million. Once again, he’s pathological.”
— Tom Elliott (@tomselliott) September 8, 2020
Biden on his earlier vow to ban fracking: "I never told the environmentalists that I’m going to ban fracking, period! Number one. Number two, it’s a fat lie about what President Trump is saying." pic.twitter.com/QeIVOIo2Tq
— Tom Elliott (@tomselliott) September 8, 2020
Biden's and Harris's absence from the campaign trail and disinclination to take reporter questions that have not been screened has been a major concern of potential voters headed into the November election. Polls from battleground states like Pennsylvania and Florida still show Biden with a narrow lead over Trump, but new data shows the scale sliding in the president's favor, putting Biden in far worse shape than 2016 Democratic Nominee Hillary Clinton was at the same point in the election cycle.
It's hard for me to believe Trump will lose in November considering all the polls in 2016 and how Biden is substantially worse than Hillary in many ways
— Tim Pool (@Timcast) September 8, 2020
"Biden, to me, is like taking a flashlight with a dying battery and going for a long walk in the woods." - Joe Rogan