Joe Biden continued his vigorous re-election effort on Thursday by visiting another mostly empty gas station. In one of the most tone-deaf moments of his campaign, the president walked into a Wawa with Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker.
READ: Joe Biden’s Painfully Awkward Trip to a Gas Station Is a Major Red Flag
What do you notice about this video?
Biden at a Philadelphia Wawa with Mayor Cherelle Parker pic.twitter.com/j7luELORKp
— Howard Mortman (@HowardMortman) April 18, 2024
The first thing that jumps out at me is how empty the building is. You see Secret Service agents and local law enforcement shuffling around, but there appear to be no Biden supporters present to show enthusiasm. Instead, just like the prior gas station visit, the president shuffles in and is gone within a few minutes.
I won’t belabor the senility angle since I covered that extensively in my prior write-up, but suffice it to say that Biden hasn’t suddenly become sentient. He fumbled over a tip box, having to call in a handler to help in what was a very clearly choreographed scene.
SEE: Biden Goes Full-On Incoherent in Philly; He Even Needs Help to Close a Box
There are two explanations for why this transpired the way it did. The first is that Biden simply doesn’t have supporters willing to show up at a gas station to see him. That’s certainly a possibility given he’s about as exciting as watching paint dry. Whether that lack of enthusiasm, which also shows up in polls, represents a serious liability in November is an open question. Democrats seem to be banking on organized vote-chasing operations more than presentations of enthusiasm, such as rallies.
Alright, so let’s say that the gas station was simply cleared out beforehand for security reasons. Then what exactly is the point of these photo-ops? What does Biden gain by showing how frail he is while accompanied by a mayor who has turned her city into a crime-ridden hellhole? What’s the win in getting confused about a tip box and ordering a milkshake in a mostly empty building?
I don’t get it, and I think the president’s handlers have some explaining to do. Ask yourself this: If they were trying to sandbag his campaign, what would they be doing differently?
I can’t fathom the political strategy behind leaning into Biden’s weaknesses, one of which is simply showing him walking so often. If I were a campaign advisor, I’d want him off-camera as much as possible given his clear physical decline. I also wouldn’t want him to be seen hobnobbing with failed Democrat politicians like Parker who have destroyed their cities. Philadelphia has become a wasteland, and if Biden’s re-election pitch is more of that, it’s a bad one.
With that said, do I think the president’s handlers are actually trying to make him lose? No, not really. It seems more likely that they are just that arrogant and incompetent. Thinking you can outdo Trump’s public appearances with these pathetic attempts seems incredibly ill-advised, though.
Again, does that translate to votes won or lost when Election Day rolls around? I don’t know. I suspect it’s going to depend on how hard Republicans try to capitalize on mail-in voting and ballot harvesting. I’ve taken heat before for saying this because conservatives love the hype, but I don’t think rallies and shows of public support mean much in a country of 320 million people. Those events will always be a drop in the bucket compared to the overall electorate.
Still, if that’s true, what’s the upside in bringing Biden to a gas station so he can trot around like a nursing home patient? There’s a contradiction there for his handlers. If they believe their ground game will win the day, then it’s counter-productive to have the president continually remind people he’s not fit for the presidency. Perhaps it really just is arrogance, with them believing none of this stuff matters. That’s all I can come up with.
