CNN: Why Trump had one of his most challenging weeks and Biden had one of his best
03.8.2020 / By Betsy Klein and Kaitlan Collins
CNN: Why Trump had one of his most challenging weeks and Biden had one of his best
(CNN) The week that gave Joe Biden a sorely needed political comeback also dealt Donald Trump some of the greatest challenges of his presidency.
As Biden’s fledgling campaign roared back to life with a stronger than anticipated win in South Carolina and wave of Democratic endorsements, Trump was being tested on a level he hasn’t before: facing a crisis that wasn’t of his own making.
For the last several months, Trump and his aides have centered his reelection pitch to voters around a thriving economy. The novel coronavirus outbreak has sparked a public health quandary and threatened to upend that message, all while the candidate who will be Trump’s chief rival for the presidency comes into clearer view. …
Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg dropped out of the race after a poor showing on Super Tuesday, but he could still remain a threat to the President his wealth of ads have irked. Bloomberg endorsed Biden shortly after bowing out of the race — which could be a significant boon to Biden, a candidate who has struggled with field organization and could eventually be the nominee for a party that has failed to keep up with the Trump campaign’s data juggernaut.
Bloomberg’s campaign has more than 2,400 staff in 43 states and territories and, now, those staffers will focus their efforts and millions of dollars on making Biden the Democratic nominee and eventual president. Bloomberg’s campaign says it will try to leverage his ground and data operations to help Biden through an existing super PAC.
There are practically no limits on what Bloomberg and his super PAC can do to aid Biden, whether that’s running pro-Biden ads or overseeing a field operation to assist the former vice president. The only restriction, experts say: Bloomberg and his aides cannot coordinate their spending decisions with Biden’s campaign.
“As long as Team Bloomberg doesn’t talk to Team Biden about what it’s doing — how it’s spending Bloomberg’s fortune to support Biden — it’s not subject to any limits at all,” said Paul Ryan, a veteran campaign-finance lawyer who is now vice president for policy and litigation at Common Cause.