The Trump campaign declared victory after Joe Biden said he would return to the campaign trail after Labor Day, claiming the Democratic nominee sensed his decision to stay close to home had caused him to cede ground to his opponent.
And pro-Trump super PACs are ready to make fresh ads on any gaffes or policy pronouncements as they look to scrutinize Biden and his record.
While President Trump traveled to Charlotte, North Carolina, as well as Fort Henry, Maryland, before addressing more than 1,500 people on the south lawn of the White House on Thursday, Biden appeared in several prerecorded videos and delivered his acceptance speech in an auditorium empty apart from a handful of staff and journalists.
It is part of what had been seen as the challenger's "basement strategy," which saw him leading his campaign via video conference calls from his downstairs studio.
Samantha Zager, deputy national press secretary for Trump 2020, said: “Joe Biden thought he could insult the intelligence of the American people by hiding in his basement and letting the mainstream media do his campaigning for him. He was wrong.
"Now that he’s scrambling to hit the campaign trail after seeing the organic enthusiasm for President Trump and the effective stories from real Americans at the RNC, it’s clear he was using COVID as an excuse to avoid answering for his abysmal record.
"We’re excited for Americans to see the real Joe Biden because once they do, they’ll reject him in favor of four more years of President Trump.”
Biden announced the change in strategy on Thursday."I’m a tactile politician. I really miss being able to, you know, grab hands, shake hands. You can’t do that now,” he said. “But I can, in fact, appear beyond virtually, in person, in many of these places. That’s what you’re going to be seeing after Labor Day.”
Before the lockdown, the Trump campaign was able to use much of Biden’s campaign schedule against him. Every slip of the tongue or verbal stumble was quickly weaponized into memes or talking points for supporters.
But there have been thin pickings ever since.
Kelly Sadler, communications director of the America First Action super PAC, said his return to the campaign trail would aid anyone looking to scrutinize his policies.
"We'll be able to clip ads," she said. "What we are using right now is everything that he said during the primary because we don't have any new footage.
"So, this is all good news for us. When he was out on the campaign trail in the primary, he provided all the ammo that we needed."
Biden's retreat from public view was met with accusations that he was hiding from difficult questions compared with a president who speaks with reporters on a daily basis.
But supporters of both sides also acknowledged the sense that a front-runner could avoid slip-ups by staying away from the limelight. It better ensures the election remains a referendum on the incumbent.
Karl Rove, adviser to President George W. Bush, compared the basement strategy with the old four-corners offense of college basketball: Defend a lead by slowing the game and passing the ball around the edge of the court until the defense makes a mistake, leaving an opening for an easy layup.“Team Biden slowed the campaign’s pace, keeping its candidate in his basement and leaving the spotlight to the incumbent," he wrote in a column for the Wall Street Journal. "The campaign team took its sweet time before allowing Mr. Biden to make a speech. "
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