TJ Ducklo Comments On Plans During Interview
President Joe Biden is gearing up for his re-election campaign, but his strategy is taking a new turn. According to his aides, Biden plans to scale back how much he says on the trail in an effort to sharpen his message for the general election. This approach aims for quality over quantity when it comes to the president's public appearances.
TJ Ducklo, the Biden campaign’s senior advisor for communications, believes that there is a strategic advantage to boiling down the message to the most compelling arguments for why President Biden should be re-elected. This approach has resulted in Biden's stump speeches being scaled down to their sharpest and most dynamic form.
Aides say that this new approach also has the appearance of minimizing the potential for Biden to make mistakes in a close election. Some of Biden's verbal missteps have occurred when he speaks at length or veers off the prepared text. Shorter and crisper remarks from Biden are part of a broader strategy to have him appear more in smaller settings, which his aides believe will serve him better than large rallies with voters.
NBC reports Biden's handlers are "looking to shorten his speeches" to limit his public displays of cognitive decline.
A Biden campaign spokesman insists it's about "quality over quantity." pic.twitter.com/GreyaVbgN6
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) May 4, 2024
Biden's campaign is not only focused on shorter speeches but also on reaching an unsettled electorate that consumes information differently than in previous elections. Aides have discussed the idea of the president replacing his prepared campaign remarks entirely with less scripted retail stops and punchier digital content where he speaks directly to the camera.
While this has not yet happened, it is reflective of the campaign's efforts to find ways to connect with voters in this changing media landscape. However, some Biden advisors have argued for a complete shift towards shorter speeches, in favor of more unscripted retail stops and digital content.
For now, the president has made noticeable efforts to be more concise in both official and campaign events. For example, Biden's remarks on the campus protests over the war in the Gaza Strip were just four minutes long. His speech on abortion rights in Florida was just 14 minutes long, and his remarks at the White House Correspondents' Association dinner lasted only 10 minutes.
However, the effort seems to be a work in progress as Biden deviated from the script at an infrastructure event in North Carolina last Thursday and spoke for over 20 minutes.
At this point why even bother with a campaign? https://t.co/euax8rSjhc
— Miranda Devine (@mirandadevine) May 5, 2024
Biden's aides say that he sees value in delivering longer speeches, as he is interested in communicating comprehensively with Americans on policy matters. Additionally, the president will strategically deliver longer, issue-specific speeches to contrast himself with former President Donald Trump.
Biden's campaign has not yet built a speechwriting team, and most of his public appearances are in official settings. However, Mike Donilon, one of Biden's closest advisors, has been regularly traveling with him as his events take on a more political tone.
The campaign hopes to refine a more compact stump speech for the president as the intensity of the campaign builds later this summer. A campaign official noted that the campaign is evolving, and the brevity of the stump speeches is resonating with voters.
However, there is no guarantee that shorter speeches will prevent Biden from making mistakes, as sometimes he will go beyond the prepared text. This means that the president must find a balance between delivering a concise message and avoiding mistakes in his public appearances. As the campaign progresses, it will be interesting to see how Biden's approach to speeches may evolve and impact his re-election bid.