The presidential campaign closes as it began: Biden on message

There is much that differentiates former Vice President Joe Biden from President Trump. Biden is a lifelong public servant; Trump is a businessman. Biden is famous for his empathy and soft tone, and Trump is known for his “tell it like it is” style. 

The American public knows there’s a big difference, too. Recent polling from Gallup shows that voters believe Biden to be more honest and trustworthy, to care about average people, and to display good judgment in a crisis, while Trump is viewed as a strong and decisive leader. These descriptors match their personalities to a T. 

Beyond these traits, one of the biggest differentiators between the two candidates is what has kept Biden in the lead throughout the general election campaign. Biden can stay on message, but Trump struggles to do so. 

This divergence in approach is on full display in the final days of the campaign. And it’s only helping the Democratic candidate. 

A consistent criticism is that Biden, and his campaign, is dull and predictable. If the polling is correct, it appears that Americans are just fine with that approach. In fact, they’re likely craving consistency.  

That’s why Biden’s closing argument is just as he began: “This campaign isn’t just about winning votes. It’s about winning the heart and, yes, the soul of America,” Biden declared recently. Some variation of the phrase — a “battle for the soul of the nation” — is present in every campaign stop and speech. It also sits prominently at the top of JoeBiden.com, the Biden-Harris campaign website.

Over the course of the campaign, and certainly during these closing days, we have come to learn what that phrase means to Biden. It means to trust scientists on how we can combat COVID-19 and safely reopen America. It means that America’s millionaires and billionaires shouldn’t get richer while the folks of “Scranton and Claymont and all the small towns and working-class towns in America” continue to fall behind. It means to treat each American with dignity and respect, and to acknowledge systemic racism in institutions from education to climate to criminal justice. “Sure, I’ve benefited just because I don’t have to go through what my Black brothers and sisters have had to go through,” Biden told CNN’s Anderson Cooper. 

More broadly, it means restoring decency and integrity to the White House, as well as keeping commitments to our allies. America will lead again.

Character and competence is the name of the game for Biden. Things are much murkier on Trump’s side of things. 

There can be no doubt that Trump’s propensity to steer off course has benefitted him over his political life. His supporters love his jokes, and his rallies often become participatory when he hits some of the classics such as “lock her up.” The problem is that there are few voters beyond Trump’s core base who have any interest, let alone tolerance, for such moments. In fact, these moments often reveal the worst of Trump: his cruelty, affinity for dictators, contempt for average Americans. 

That brings us to Trump’s closing argument, which has been riddled with brash insensitivity, at best, and sometimes downright vindictiveness, at worst. For several months, he has been doing all the things that haven’t been working for him.

Trump’s closing message has focused on characterizing the Bidens as an “organized crime family” at several rallies. He yelled at Reuters reporter Jeff Mason: “You’re a criminal for not reporting it. You are a criminal for not reporting it,” referring to the New York Post story about Hunter Biden’s email that purportedly shows he introduced his father to a Ukrainian businessman while working for energy company Burisma in Ukraine. Several media outlets and the Biden campaign have questioned the validity of the story.

Trump has scolded “suburban women” for not supporting him. At a Pennsylvania rally, he reportedly said, “Suburban women, will you please like me? I saved your damn neighborhood, OK?” He told a group of seniors in Florida that Biden is “gone,” and has refused to disavow QAnon, a right-wing conspiracy group that alleges a group of pedophiles are trying to take over the government.

Perhaps most egregious, in a call with campaign staff and reporters on Monday morning, Trump all but called infectious disease expert Dr. Anthony Fauci a dope. “People are tired of COVID,” Trump complained. “People are tired of hearing Fauci and these idiots, all these idiots who got it wrong.” This is after he told a rally crowd that we are “turning a corner” on coronavirus — despite the fact that America is experiencing a record-breaking number of cases in some states.

With that kind of frenzied and, frankly, wild messaging in the campaign’s closing days, one can understand how Biden remains in the lead. The truth is that Trump does have some accomplishments to discuss, but his ego won’t let him be “dull and predictable” like Biden.

As a Democrat, I’m not complaining. I just hope both candidates keep it up and stick to their scripts. 

Jessica Tarlov is head of research at Bustle Digital Group and a Fox News contributor. She earned her Ph.D. at the London School of Economics in political science. Follow her on Twitter @JessicaTarlov.