Embattled US President Joe Biden’s campaign on Thursday released a new ad accusing his rival and former President Donald Trump of “siding with Putin” and calling him a “dictator’s pet dog”. The ad – released here on the final day of this week’s high-profile NATO summit – is part of a larger USD 50 million paid media buy for July ahead of the November 5 presidential election.
The ad comes at a time when Biden, 81, faces a major challenge to reassure his fellow Democrats and voters about his qualifications for office after a poor performance in debates against Trump, 78.
The ad criticizes Trump, saying that Russia can “do whatever it wants” to NATO members who don’t meet defense spending targets, and warns that the Republican Party’s presumptive nominee is “the pet dog of a dictator who blathers on ‘America First.'” “Donald Trump is a man who wants to be a crazy dictator. If he’s re-elected, he’ll be Vladimir Putin’s pet dog, giving him the green light to overrun Europe and possibly ignite World War III,” CNN quoted Biden campaign spokesperson Lauren Hitt as saying on Thursday.
It added, “Democracy and American security are on the ballot this November, and President Biden is the only candidate in the race committed to defending and promoting it at home and abroad.”
Congressional Democrats are concerned about Biden’s chances of winning re-election, especially in the wake of his disastrous debate on CNN last month, and putting him at the top of the ticket could also hurt the party in the election.
Most Democrats have been reluctant to publicly call on Biden to step down, but a growing number are doing so vocally, even as Biden goes on an offensive this week to garner support for a second term in the White House.
Biden wrote to congressional Democrats on Monday saying he would continue his reelection bid despite growing concerns.
Meanwhile, Biden is scheduled to hold a news conference at the end of the NATO summit on Thursday, which will be another key opportunity for him to show off his skills at answering questions in an unexpected setting.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
