Don’t freak out …
Ever since the 2020 primary, there has been an incorrect perception that Joe Biden and his team are bad at digital. Because Donald Trump’s tweets were so outlandish (and inaccurate) many observers thought he was outshining and outflanking Biden. The truth is the Biden campaign actually outraised the Trump team in online small-donation donors in 2020, while creating a massive digital organizing apparatus that was more focused on person-to-person organizing than viral tweets.
But more importantly, as Trump fought legal battles and was kicked off various social media platforms, the Biden team kept building. This is not just about online fundraising or online ads. TikTok (love it or hate it) doesn’t even allow political advertising. Biden is building an online organization that engages with supporters and encourages them to talk to one another. The Biden team previewed its plans back in December and now that the 2024 campaign is fully underway, my former colleagues tell me that’s what they have been focused on.
Gov. Ron DeSantis seems to want to make inroads on Twitter, even after his embarrassing failure to launch (which Team Biden was quick to zing him for). Maybe that will work. Maybe Sen. Tim Scott or Trump will become a fixture on Facebook. But they are focused on defeating each other, not on organizing the masses. And that is where the Biden digital team has an advantage. So don’t freak out about all the times Trump or his opponents trend on social this year. That alone does not win elections.
A story you should be following: Trump’s legal troubles
Trump’s legal problems are certainly heating up, with two more indictments possibly dropping this summer. But it’s also becoming increasingly clear these criminal liabilities will be hanging over his head throughout the duration of the 2024 campaign, and likely afterward, too.
The Wall Street Journal reports that special counsel Jack Smith is wrapping up his Trump Mar-a-Lago…
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