Between Biden’s campaign, the Democratic National Committee (DNC) and his associated super political action committee (super PAC), the effort to re-elect Biden in November 2024 has spent $39 million on ads between August and November, many of which are aimed at countering criticisms of his age and his physical and mental acuity. However, others are more typical, touting what they perceive as his best policy achievements.
The ads for Biden portray him as strong and capable, wearing his trademark aviator-style sunglasses and doing things such as walking through rubble in the Ukrainian capital, while a strong male voice praises his bravery and steadfastness for entering a war zone not controlled by the US.
According to the lead pro-Biden campaigners, the ads are the vanguard of a $1 billion effort to turn around the 80-year-old president’s low approval rating and boost his image ahead of the November 2024 elections, which prospective “if the election were tomorrow” polls suggest he might lose in several key battleground states.
The most recent poll released by the New York Times and Siena, published on Monday, shows that between Trump and Biden, the two presumed nominees for the major parties, Trump has a strong lead in Nevada, Georgia, Arizona, Michigan, and Pennsylvania, in some cases by as much as 10 percentage points.
By comparison, in 2023 just 39% say Trump is too old, 44% say he lacks the mental sharpness, and 55% say he lacks the temperament to be president, with the latter two actually declining since 2020. Trump is just three years younger than Biden.
That said, Biden hasn’t had a problem raising money. His campaign reported receiving $71.3 million in donations in the third quarter of 2023 alone, and said in early November it had $91 million on hand. By comparison, Trump, who is facing multiple high-profile felony cases, said in September he had just $37.5 million in the war chest.