Joe Biden Opts Out of Campaigning for Three Days Ahead of Next Debate

President Donald Trump certainly is fond of nicknaming his political opponents, and Joe Biden is no exception.

In fact, the 2020 Democratic presidential nominee has had at least three such monikers bequeathed upon him by the Commander in Chief:  “Sleepy” Joe Biden, “Creepy” Joe Biden, and, the latest, “Hidin'” Joe Biden, on account of the former veep’s light and quiet campaign schedule.

The Trump team exploited this tactic earlier in the campaign, formulating facts and figures that showed just how much more active President Donald Trump had been during the same time period.  The point here was two-fold:  First, it forced the gaffe-prone Biden to increase his opportunities for faux pas, and secondly, it helped Trump push back against claims that he was the less physically fit of the two candidates.

It seems as though the Biden campaign has reweighed their strategy in this regard, and after initially ramping up public appearances after the President’s chiding, are looking to sequester the former Vice President ahead of the next debate.

Former Vice President Joe Biden will not be campaigning for the three days leading up to the final presidential debate in Nashville, Tennessee, on Thursday evening.

Biden spoke in Durham, North Carolina, on Sunday, and stopped for a milkshake before heading back to his campaign plane, avoiding most questions from reporters — including questions about his son Hunter’s emails, which suggest Biden may have participated in an effort to sell access to foreign interests.

Democrats are sticking with a “basement” strategy that has seen the 77-year-old Biden maintain a lead in most national polls. The strategy has two advantages: first, it allows Biden to model cautionary behavior toward the coronavirus pandemic; and second, it allows Biden to avoid media scrutiny.

Biden supporters have long believed that their candidate’s consistent national polling lead is enough to defeat Donald Trump come November 3rd, and aren’t largely or overtly concerned about the “basement” strategy.