Biden advisers urge him not to focus on White House record but attack Trump on economy

Several top Democrats are warning President Joe Biden not to focus on his own White House record but to shift his attention to attacking former President Donald Trump .

Four sources close to the White House reportedly told CNN that they have advised the president to go after Trump’s record on the economy because voters on the campaign trail have not been moved by Biden's achievements.

“He wants the credit, but it’s not working,” one top Democrat said of Biden. “He needs to stop.”

The Democratic advisers particularly identified Thursday’s debate between Trump and Biden as an opportunity for the president to go after his opponent on his relationship with corporate America and his proposed economic policies.

Biden’s former chief of staff, Ron Klain, expressed a similar sentiment earlier this year when he said the president spent too much time praising efforts such as progress on infrastructure instead of connecting with voters. Klain is Biden’s debate coach for the Thursday night showdown.

“Biden’s record of record-high inflation, a wide open border, and a weak foreign policy is indefensible and his advisors know it,” Trump campaign national press secretary Karoline Leavitt told the Washington Examiner in reaction to the report.

“President Trump is proud of his record that created a booming economy, no inflation, cheap gas, a secure border, and peace around the world,” she added. "Life was better under Trump, and Americans know it."

The Biden campaign and the Democratic National Committee have recently ramped up efforts to attack Trump, in line with the strategy outlined by the Democratic advisers.

On Tuesday, the Biden campaign released an advertisement attacking Trump on the economy just one day after unveiling another attacking the former president on abortion. On Sunday, the campaign put out a memo previewing the debate that went after Trump on the issues they say “matter most to the American people.”

Biden’s campaign additionally characterized Trump as having “snapped” after losing the 2020 election in a May 24 memo, claiming he “echoes the words of dictators and invokes the language of Nazi Germany.” The memo slammed Trump for stating there would be a “bloodbath” in the auto industry if Biden is reelected, claiming this was an example of “embracing political violence.”

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER

With polls showing Trump ahead of Biden in a number of swing states going into Thursday’s debate, the former president will face a choice of his own in terms of his debate conduct. While many voters at Trump’s Saturday rally in Philadelphia told the Washington Examiner he should “let Biden speak” to make the president look bad on his own, others argued Trump needs to be “his unhinged self” to come away victorious.

The Washington Examiner reached out to the Biden campaign for comment.