MEMORANDUM

DATE: February 19, 2024

FROM: Lee Atwater, Republican Party strategist (1951-1991)

TO: Donald J. Trump, Republican Presidential nominee

RE: 2024 Presidential Election vs. Biden

I read about the NBC News national poll that had you leading Joe Biden 47 percent to 42 percent in the presidential race.  More importantly, you lead Biden on many key issues, including the border, the economy, competence, having the mental and physical health to be president, crime, and improving America’s standing in the world.  Biden only leads on abortion.  On Biden’s signature issue — he claims he is better at “protecting democracy” — the electorate is split.  And Biden’s approval rating is heavily underwater at 37 percent.  

Even worse, Biden’s three-year average approval is only 40 percent.

Matter of fact — like Yogi Bera said, it’s déjà vu, all over again.  In 1980, Jimmy Carter was in pretty much in the same spot.  And as you remember, Carter lost. (READ MORE from Adam Turner: The Ghost of Thurlow Weed Seeks Out Donald Trump)

I believe that if you play things right, Joe Biden will be the new Jimmy Carter.

I know that Joe Biden is worried about this.  That is why he is acting so desperate, and making such a big deal about “protecting democracy.”  And why he will also continue to call you a racist, a Nazi, and a dictator.  

I’ll tell you what.  In 1980, Jimmy Carter was worried too.  He said Ronald Reagan was a racist, a Nazi, a right-wing fanatic, and a warmonger.  Carter was so obviously out of his mind, that after a while, no one took him seriously.  Barbara Walters characterized him as “vindictive, hysterical, and on the point of desperation.”  And even then, the mainstream media was not the friend of Republicans, and they were always looking for opportunities to bring us down.

So, ignore this kind of baloney coming from Biden.  As Slick Willie would say, it couldn’t be used to sell p#$y on a troop train.

The one political hit they do have with some force behind it, is abortion.  There, you are doing what you need to do, by moving to the middle.  Keep on doing this.  The Democrats are going to get some traction on abortion, with people who really care about this issue.  Don’t waste your time trying to convince these folks, who will never be convinced by you.  Stay in the middle, focus on eliminating late-term abortion and exemptions for rape and incest, with your supporters and swing voters in mind.  In the end, abortion won’t be enough for Biden.

Other than that, the Biden team is reduced to hoping for one of their partisan law cases to come through.  Once again, keep doing what you are doing — talk about how this is all BS partisan politics.  Politics is all about narratives, and you have already crafted a compelling narrative, which the people are listening to. Because it is true.

You also have a break with the timing of the cases against you.  The one most likely to be tried during this election year is the case from New York.  If that Soros prosecutor Bragg completes it, you and I both know you will be convicted by the biased left-wing jury.  But the Bragg case is incredibly weak, obviously partisan, and all about sex.  And what did my old friend Jim Carville say about Presidential sex scandals?  “In my world, you don’t abandon a guy over sex.  You stick with him.”  That advice should work for your voters, and those in the middle, too.  The Bragg case — that dog won’t hunt.

Let me tell you something.  I have always believed that fear is a powerful motivator in politics.  The American people are afraid this year, because the economy has fallen apart, prices are through the roof, and the international scene is in chaos.  The American people also fear that Joe Biden, who his own Department of Justice thinks is too old and senile to be indicted for his multiple crimes, isn’t up to the job of being President.   (READ MORE: A Letter From Lincoln to Donald Trump)

But you are.  So, like some others have said, you should be hitting Biden hard on his economy, his foreign weakness, and his corruption.  You should be comparing his sorry job as President to your jam-up job.  And most especially, you should be pounding him on the fact that his lights are on, but nobody’s home.  The U.S. needs a president who is as sharp as a tack, as stubborn as a mule, and a bull in the China shop, in order to make Congress listen to the people, and to scare off the foreign buzzards circling, such as Russia, China, and Iran.  Americans also want someone who can fight the deep state.  They want someone like you.

Now, let’s talk about your “mean tweets” and other colorful commentary.  I agree with the others that you should pretty much hush up.  You never want to get caught up in a whopper.  And if you really need to say something mean, then use an escape route — give it to Junior.  A president needs to be presidential.  You should also be pickier about who you fight with.  Don’t punch down on people whose support you might want.  

But, at the same time, don’t apologize for who you are.  Never show weakness, as it’s a sign of vulnerability.  Instead, just shrug off those “mean tweet” attacks, and tell them that this is how you are — you are a fighter — and the U.S. needs a fighter in the White House.  Now, more than ever.  

If you do all this, that is going to be enough to win ugly.  And winning ugly is still winning.

The debates are going to be a hoot.  Biden said no, of course.  That is because, as the Department of Justice just said, the old goat’s way past his prime.  He will make up some excuse why he won’t debate; but nobody will believe him.  They have eyes and ears.

You need to make Biden own his weaknesses.  As in 1980, there are going to be some 3rd party candidates running.  So, when Biden ducks, hides, and crawfishes, you should agree to appear on the stage with all the candidates who are on the ballot.  (After all, polling shows that you benefit from the 3rd parties.)  Just like Reagan debated with Anderson.  All the nation’s attention will be focused on the debate, and on you, the one candidate with a real chance to win.  If you perform well enough, as Reagan did, Hidin’ Biden might be forced to join the next debate.  But I doubt it — he can’t even talk plain.

And, of course, you already know what your closing statement on the debate stage is going to be:

The American people need to ask themselves some questions.  Are we better off now than we were four years ago?  Is it easier for us to go and buy things in the stores than it was four years ago?  Is it cheaper for us to buy gas for our cars?  Is America as respected throughout the world as it was?  Do we feel that we are as safe, secure, and as strong as we were four years ago?   And can Joe Biden, the guy who can’t remember what he did yesterday, struggles to communicate and walk, the president who is going to take us back to those better days?  The answer to all of these questions is “no.”  I am the only candidate who can bring us back to where we want to go.  That is why I am running — to Make America Great Again. 

Everyone is expecting you to say this, because it so fitting.  And Biden has no good reply to it.  And, sometimes, you need to give the people what they want.

Say hey to Roger from me.

Harvey LeRoy “Lee” Atwater (February 27, 1951 – March 29, 1991) was a Southern based United States political consultant and strategist for the Republican Party.  He was an adviser to Republican U.S. presidents Ronald Reagan and George H. W. Bush and chairman of the Republican National Committee.  He still resides in an undisclosed location down in the deepest part of the South, where it is hot all the time, and where there are plenty of other American politicians to keep him company.