Biden and Trump Maintain Sparse Campaign Activities While Contenders Increase Engagement

While their competition is actively fielding questions from voters at South Carolina town halls, shaking hands with business proprietors in New Hampshire, and striving to reach every one of Iowa’s 99 counties, the leading candidates for their respective party nominations—current President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump—are notably absent from key early-voting states as the primary season gains momentum.

On Monday, Biden will participate in a union parade in Philadelphia, marking just the second campaign event since announcing his bid for reelection over four months ago. Trump, who criticized Biden’s “basement strategy” during the 2020 campaign, has not made a public appearance for campaigning in three weeks, his last being at the Iowa State Fair on August 12.

These light schedules highlight the candidates’ presumed dominance in the race. Biden faces nominal opposition in Robert F. Kennedy Jr., an anti-vaccine advocate who polls more favorably among Republicans than Democrats. Trump leads his nearest rival by a significant margin in recent surveys.

“Given their substantial leads, the urgency for traditional early-state campaigning seems diminished,” noted Whit Ayres, a seasoned Republican pollster.

Both Biden and Trump have taken steps to exude an aura of inevitable victory four months before the 2024 primary voting starts. While Biden concentrates on governance and promoting his policy successes, Trump deliberately avoids participating in events featuring other candidates and even skipped the first Republican primary debate last month.

However, their reasons for limited campaigning diverge.

Legal battles over criminal charges in multiple jurisdictions—ranging from alleged attempts to overturn the 2020 election outcome to improper accounting of hush money payments—have consumed much of Trump’s attention. His court appearances have paradoxically become his most visible campaign activities, dominating news coverage and even boosting campaign coffers, which received over $20 million in donations in August alone.

Although his aides anticipate a more active schedule post-Labor Day, Trump has remained engaged behind the scenes—calling into conservative podcasts, releasing videos on his Truth Social network, and attending fundraisers both in his New Jersey club and elsewhere.

Biden, by contrast, has kept his campaigning to a minimum, adhering to a traditional incumbency approach similar to past Presidents Barack Obama and George W. Bush. He frequently showcases his policy wins while minimizing campaign expenditures, cooperating with Democratic party mechanisms at both national and state levels to prepare for the intensification of the race next year.

Biden has traveled nationwide for fundraising and has often appeared in Republican strongholds, discussing bipartisan legislative accomplishments and criticizing Republican opposition to his policies.

“The advantages of incumbency are quite significant. Discussing national benefits rather than your reelection helps sustain that,” said Ed Rendell, a former Democratic governor of Pennsylvania.

As the primary season unfolds, the restrained campaign strategies of both Biden and Trump remain indicative of their calculated approach to what each considers an almost certain nomination. While this strategy risks neglecting crucial swing states—a lesson painfully learned by Hillary Clinton in 2016—both candidates seem confident in their paths toward their respective party nominations and eventually, the 2024 general election.

___ Reporting from New York by Colvin. Additional contributions from Jonathan Mattise, a writer for Big Big News, based in Nashville, Tennessee.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about 2024 campaign strategies

More about 2024 campaign strategies

• Biden’s Policy Accomplishments
• Trump’s Legal Challenges
• 2024 Primary Polling Data
• The Role of Early-Voting States in Primaries
• Incumbency Advantage in U.S. Elections
• The Risks of Limited Campaigning
• Campaign Finance and Spending
• Past Campaign Strategies of Biden and Trump