The “handy guide,” released by the campaign on Thanksgiving morning, offers Biden supporters some talking points to keep in mind before joining pro-Trump family members for dinner
Alex Wong/Getty; SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump
Joe Biden’s 2024 campaign has an idea for how to react if Thanksgiving devolves into a back-and-forth over politics: hit them with some stats.
On Thursday morning, the Biden-Harris reelection campaign released a “guide” explaining what to do if family approaches you with “crazy MAGA nonsense,” a reference to Donald Trump’s Make America Great Again campaign slogan.
The partly satirical, partly earnest guide offers Biden supporters tips for countering some common pro-Trump claims, in case they come up at the dinner table.
Related: Who Is Dark Brandon? Understanding Joe Biden’s ‘No Malarkey’ Alter-Ego
One possible pro-Trump claim the guide includes is that the economy was better under Trump, in which Biden’s campaign responds by pointing to their respective records on jobs, a weak spot in Trump’s presidency by most metrics — and by asserting that the economy is heading in the right direction, claiming that gas prices, as well as the cost of eggs and turkey, are both down since last year.
Another pro-Trump claim the guide mentions is that Trump is more respected than Biden by world leaders and kept the nation safer. Per Biden’s guide, “heads of state literally laughed and mocked Trump at the UN.”
“He negotiated with the Taliban, sent love letters to Kim Jong Un while letting him and Iran pursue nukes and doing nothing to push back on Chinese aggression,” it continues. “Now, he’s praised Putin as ‘smart,’ ‘savvy’ for invading Ukraine, and called Hezbollah ‘very smart’ after Israel was attacked.”
Related: How the Biden Campaign Is Using Republicans’ Own Words Against Them
Elsewhere in the guide, the Biden campaign suggests that if anyone brings up Medicare or Social Security, tell them that Trump tried cutting them “Every. Single. Year.” he was in office while he “cut taxes for his superrich friends.”
And for any family members who say that Trump is faring better in the polls, Biden’s campaign says: “Oh — those same polls and pundits who said Joe Biden would never be president, and that Republicans would have massive wins last November?”
The guide then declares that many two-term presidents saw lagging numbers in their first terms. “Just like on election night a few weeks ago, Biden’s agenda is going to win again next November.”
Related: Why Did Polls Prepare Us for a Red Wave in 2022? Experts Weigh In on the Surprising Midterm Election Results
Official White House Photo by Adam Schultz Vice President Kamala Harris and President Joe Biden, who are running for reelection in 2024, walking outside the White House
Both Trump and Biden are running for their respective parties’ presidential nominations in 2024, with the most recent polls predicting a rematch between the two.
As the election draws nearer, the Biden-Harris campaign has gotten increasingly brazen with its campaign messaging. Recently, the team began seizing on Republican in-fighting, sharing a slew of moments in which lawmakers slam their own party — and back the administration’s messaging.
Back in October, amid the chaotic search to replace Kevin McCarthy as speaker of the House, Biden’s campaign reposted viral moments from Republican presidential debates, such as one in which former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley said, “Donald Trump added $8 trillion to our debt and our kids are never going to forgive us for this.”
“Couldn’t agree more,” @JoeBiden (the official X account used by Biden as a presidential candidate and civilian) wrote in re-posting the exchange.
Related: ‘Dark Brandon’ Appears on Fox News’ Homepage on Day of Republican Debates: ‘I’m Bringing Roe Back’ (Exclusive)
Speaking to PEOPLE at the time, Rob Flaherty, deputy campaign manager for Biden’s 2024 campaign and former director of digital strategy in Biden’s White House, said the campaign appreciated “demonstrating to the American people that the Republican Party can’t tie their own shoes.”
“At the end of the day, the best evidence for the Republican Party being unfit to govern is the Republican Party,” Flaherty said.
Biden’s campaign has also seized on the use of the phrase, “Let’s Go Brandon” by some far-right members of the party as a code for “F— Joe Biden.” In recent months, the campaign has co-opted it, turning “Brandon” into the president’s alter-ego — one who gets things done.
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Read the original article on People.