Staff Reports
President Joe Biden’s reelection campaign is wasting no time in criticizing the Republican presidential candidates who will be participating in the second primary debate of the 2024 election cycle. Biden’s campaign spokesman, Ammar Moussa, spoke with the Washington Examiner and condemned what he called Republican “extremism.” Moussa stated that they are prepared to aggressively respond to anything that comes out of the debate and will highlight the Republicans’ record of what he deems as extremism.
Republican debate: Biden reelection campaign slams GOP 'extremism' https://t.co/2GmUK98NiG
— Washington Examiner (@dcexaminer) September 28, 2023
Moussa specifically mentioned issues such as potential cuts to Social Security and Medicare, a national abortion ban, and tax cuts for the wealthy. He promised to arm people with the facts about the Republicans’ stance on these issues. Additionally, Moussa took the opportunity to target former President Donald Trump, who is not participating in the debate and will instead be giving a prime-time speech to striking United Auto Workers in Michigan. Moussa accused Trump of spreading lies about his record as a president who attacked unions and shipped jobs overseas.
The Biden campaign also launched a Michigan-focused ad campaign criticizing Trump’s union history with a budget of $25 million over 16 weeks. However, when asked about Biden’s potential participation in the general election debate with the eventual Republican nominee, Moussa did not provide any confirmation. He stated that they have not had any conversations about it yet and emphasized that it is too early to make any decisions.
To counter the GOP debate, the Biden campaign is deploying surrogates including Democratic National Committee Chairman Jaime Harrison, Governor Gavin Newsom of California, and campaign manager Julie Chevez Rodriguez. Harrison criticized the Republican primary field, claiming that they are following in the legacy of Trump’s “Make America Great Again” movement and neglecting union workers to favor corporations and the wealthy. The DNC is also making its presence known by flying a plane banner and featuring a mobile billboard attacking Republicans at the venue of the debate, the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library.
