Joe Biden takes presidential campaign online amid virus lockdown

Former vice-president Joe Biden’s presidential campaign has had to adapt to both its new status as the Democratic party’s presumptive nominee and as a candidate who can’t leave his home to campaign due to the coronavirus pandemic.

That means taking the fight to unseat Donald Trump from the White House in November almost entirely online.

Instead of shaking hands in swing states or giving speeches in arenas, Biden’s most visible moments in recent weeks have been in front of a camera broadcasting from his basement.

But the Biden campaign has begun embracing the new reality. He has started a regular podcast where he’s interviewed political figures. Virtually every day his campaign airs a live stream of him taking questions or having a discussion with an elected official.

Ron Klain, a longtime aide to Biden, critiqued Donald Trump’s response to the coronavirus in a roughly five-minute YouTube video. Biden over the various channels has focused on how he would approach the pandemic differently and what he sees as Trump’s failures.

“I think his positioning on ‘if I were president, this is what I would be doing’ is a smart place to be,” said veteran Democratic strategist Michael Halle, who recently served as a top adviser to the former South Bend mayor Pete Buttigieg’s presidential campaign.

“I think people are looking for an alternative right now and also answers for ‘how do we come out of this and how do we prevent this in the future?’ And you see [the Biden campaign] starting to angle toward that and providing a longer-term vision which I don’t think you’re ever going to get from Trump.”

Biden has upped the frequency of his appearances on television, appearing on major cable networks and local stations almost daily over the past two weeks. On Facebook, the Biden campaign more than doubled the amount of money spent on ads in the last week compared with the Trump campaign. Trump, though, has still spent more overall on that platform.

Biden campaign fundraisers are also now virtual, changing the logistics of organizing them and who can appear as a headliner, including former rivals. The California senator Kamala Harris was the surprise guest at his second virtual fundraiser in April.

“In some respects it does make the barriers to pulling off these things much smaller,” Democratic strategist Eli Kaplan said.

In the next few weeks the Biden campaign’s fundraising schedule, according to a list obtained by the Guardian, includes a Women for Biden event headlined by his wife Dr Jill Biden and daughter Ashley Biden, a virtual fireside chat with the candidate, and another fundraiser in late April featuring celebrities Kristin Chenoweth, Melissa Etheridge, Billie Jean King and Billy Porter.

The campaign is also planning to set up a digital “ropeline” where Biden can interact with voters.

But even with all those changes, Biden is still having difficulty competing with the New York governor, Andrew Cuomo, and Trump for attention during the coronavirus pandemic. Cuomo’s daily press conferences usually air live on all the major cable networks and the coronavirus taskforce briefing helmed by Trump has become a chance for reporters to ask the president questions in front of a televised audience.

What’s still unclear is how the coronavirus and the resulting state stay-at-home orders will affect Biden’s field organizing as November’s election heaves into view. The campaign is looking into coordinating virtual house parties as well.

Usually, when a presidential candidate has vanquished all other rivals in their party he or she begins building a robust field program and conducts door-knocking to win over general election voters. But the pandemic means that part of campaigning is on hold and clouded with uncertainty.

Instead of pounding pavements, campaign workers will have to leverage social media platforms to build that organization.

The Biden campaign utilized phone banking, texting to voters, and its support on social media in winning the set of Super Tuesday states in March.

“Our team has leveraged their expertise and talent to create powerful digital products that have harnessed millions of views, and as we continue our virtual campaign we will continue exploring creative and innovative formats while getting ready to grow,” a Biden spokesman said.