Policies Biden does and doesn’t want to talk about at debate – Washington Examiner

President Joe Biden’s high-stakes rematch with former President Donald Trump is coming up, and both want the debate to go a certain way.

A campaign memo obtained by Reuters last month gave hints into what topics Biden would like to discuss. Public statements and rhetoric from the Biden administration give additional insight into how the president believes he can be successful.

Here are the topics that Biden would like to discuss and then avoid during the debate.

Discuss: Employment

The Biden administration has repeatedly touted the country’s growing number of jobs, claiming sometimes record-breaking job reports. Following April’s job report, Biden hailed that “the great American comeback continues.”

“When I took office, I inherited an economy on the brink, with the worst economic crisis in a century. I had a plan to turn our country around and build our economy from the middle out and the bottom up. Now we are seeing that plan in action,” Biden said.

A Heritage Foundation analysis cast heavy doubt on the numbers, however, finding that 1-in-4 of the jobs supposedly added to the economy in 2023, about 800,000 total, don’t actually exist.

Nevertheless, Biden has pitched “Bidenomics” in campaign rallies and speeches, seeking to change the negative public perception of his economic record.

Avoid: Israel and Gaza

Biden has struggled through one of his greatest crises as president after Hamas’s deadly Oct. 7 surprise attack against Israel unleashed the bloodiest war in the region since the 1948 Independence War. The destruction of Gaza has animated Biden’s left flank against him, with many accusing him of partaking in a genocide. On the other end, more centrist and Jewish Democrats view Biden as not properly supporting Israel, possibly leaving them at the mercy of Iran and Hezbollah.

Biden has sought to carefully balance the two perspectives, offering restrained criticism of Israel, satisfying neither group. Trump, meanwhile, has thrown his lot in with winning over Jewish and traditional Democrats, saying Jews who vote for Biden “should have their head examined.”

Though Biden gets heckled by pro-Palestinian protesters in most public appearances, his campaign message focuses on avoiding the topic to avoid inflaming either side. In what is likely to be the most watched debate of the year, Biden will be best off avoiding the topic to avoid enflaming his flanks.

Discuss: Abortion

With the topic of abortion considered largely responsible for Democrats stopping an expected red wave in the 2022 midterm elections, Biden has sought to make the issue a centerpiece of his campaign. Though Trump has cast himself toward the center of the GOP on the issue, the Biden campaign has been steadfast in linking the former president to abortion bans.

Trump has distanced himself from an abortion ban, though Biden has claimed that a vote for Trump would be a vote for a national abortion ban.

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Avoid: Immigration

Trump has consistently polled better than Biden on immigration by double-digit margins, buoyed by record numbers of border crossings during the Biden administration. Biden has claimed it is congressional Republicans and Trump’s influence that has sunk his efforts to take action at the border.

During the debate between the two, Biden is likely keen to avoid the spotlight being shown on a comparison of the two’s immigration policies.