Biden Campaign Launches $50 Million Ad Blitz, Outlines 'Aggressive' Campaign Strategy Despite Calls To Withdraw

After a week of calls for the president to withdraw, the Biden campaign announced that they would be doubling down on his re-election efforts with a $50 million ad blitz throughout the swing states of Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, North Carolina, Nevada, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin. The move is the latest sign of President Biden's resolve to stay in the race and will be a test to see if he can win back voters who have shifted their support to presumptive GOP nominee Donald Trump following the debate.

The campaign also announced that the president, alongside Vice President Kamala Harris, the first lady, and the second gentleman, will travel to the swing states to pursue an "aggressive, targeted campaign" to turn out young voters. Despite claiming that the campaign blitz would be an "aggressive" pursuit, Biden told Democrat governors on Wednesday that he would be working with his staff to limit events after 8 PM to allow him to get more rest. That could limit the amount of time that he has to campaign and the time that he needs post-debate as his poll numbers slip.

A recent poll from The New York Times/Siena College, taken from June 28 to July 2 with 1,532 registered voters, shows President Biden down by six points nationally against Trump. Among likely voters, the Trump campaign enjoys the support of 49 percent of the electorate compared to Biden's 43 percent. Among registered voters, the 45th president has the support of 49 percent compared to the 81-year-old Democrat incumbent's support of only 41 percent, an eight-point difference.

In a five-way matchup with independent and third-party candidates included, President Trump maintains a five-point lead with 42 percent support compared to Biden's 37 percent, independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s eight percent, Green Party candidate Jill Stein's two percent, Libertarian candidate Chase Oliver's one percent, and independent candidate Cornel West's zero percent.

The New York Times survey also revealed that a large majority of voters believe that Joe Biden is too old to be an effective president. Among the respondents, 74 percent said that Biden was too old, while a stunning 59 percent of Democrats said they were concerned about Biden's age, up eight points from before the debate. An additional 79 percent of independent voters, a key voting bloc that will determine who wins the presidency in November, said that the 81-year-old president was too old to serve another four years.

The New York Times poll isn't an outlier either. A survey from the Wall Street Journal, taken from June 29 to July 2 with 1,500 registered voters, found that Trump is leading Biden by six points with 48 percent support compared to the incumbent's 42 percent. The poll also found that a record-low 34 percent of voters approve of the president's job performance, while 63 percent view him unfavorably. Among respondents, less than 40 percent believed that Biden was doing a good job handling inflation, immigration, or the economy, some of the top priorities for voters heading into November.

Over two-thirds of Democrats, 76 percent, believe that Biden is too old to run for a second term, and a majority of voters from the president's party would be in favor of replacing Biden at the top of the ticket. When asked about Biden's debate performance, voters labeled the president's showing as "abysmal," "embarrassing," or "confused." 

President Biden is facing an uphill battle as he strives to regain ground against Donald Trump. Recent polls have shown the presumptive GOP nominee to be competitive in states not won by a Republican in decades, like Virginia, Minnesota, and New Jersey. The urgency of the situation is clear-if Biden is unable to turn the tide, he could face mounting pressure to withdraw or risk a significant defeat in November.

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