President Biden’s reelection pitch to voters is that he is a fierce protector of voters’ personal freedoms and the 2024 election is a battle between authoritarianism and liberty.

Mr. Biden’s message that Republicans, and in particular former President Donald Trump, are targeting Americans’ freedoms is the cornerstone of his reelection campaign. It is a topic he talks about frequently at fundraisers and has delivered four major speeches warning that the Make America Great Again movement would erode the nation’s democratic institutions and values.

Mr. Biden expanded that argument after the Hamas terror attack in Israel on Oct. 7 to include freedoms across the globe being threatened by the conflicts in the Middle East and Ukraine.

The campaign has tried to capitalize on the international crisis by saying Mr. Biden has restored American leadership when it comes to fighting for freedoms both at home and abroad.

Biden campaign videos and literature accuse “MAGA extremists” of trying to take away “bedrock freedoms” by cutting Social Security, limiting abortion rights, banning books and passing laws they say target the transgender community and make it more difficult to vote.

Republicans criticize Mr. Biden’s pitch as hypocritical, arguing that Biden won’t protect the freedoms guaranteed by the Second Amendment, tried to implement COVID-19 mandates and attacked religious freedoms with his stances on abortion and gender identity.

“This has been the worst administration in the past 100 years when it comes to the freedom of anything,” said James Keady, a Republican political strategist. “In the Biden administration, you are only allowed to be free if you agree with him. You name the freedom, he’s trampled on it.”

Antjuan Seawright, a Democratic strategist, said freedom is rightly the “anchor” of Mr. Biden’s campaign because the fight to protect personal liberties informs the president’s agenda and legislative victories.

“Accomplishments don’t mean anything if basic freedoms are not protected,” he said. “When we have freedom the implementation of [Mr. Biden’s] accomplishments become easier.”

While Mr. Biden is talking about freedom, voters are focused on his age and handling of the economy — and expressing concern about both.

A CNN poll released last month found that 67% of Democratic and Democratic-leaning voters said the party should nominate someone other than Mr. Biden in 2024. The same poll revealed Mr. Biden’s job approval rating was 39% among all voters surveyed with 58% saying his policies have made economic conditions worse in the U.S.

A recent Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research survey revealed that 73% of Americans are concerned about the 80-year-old president’s physical and mental competence with 76% saying they worry about his ability to complete a second term.

Those concerns are why Mr. Biden’s “freedom message” won’t resonate with voters, Mr. Keady said.

“He’s got the worst polling numbers and he’s a drag on the ticket and by talking about freedom, he’s trying to jumpstart his campaign with a middle-of-the-road message. Voters are smarter than that,” he said.

A recent spending spree on Biden ads suggests the campaign is cognizant that the freedom message hasn’t sunk in with the electorate. The ad buy so early in the 2024 cycle underscores the campaign’s concern about his message, given he has a lock on the nomination as the party’s incumbent president. 

The campaign bought a $25 million, 16-week ad buy in swing states last month, a major investment for a campaign that has raised less than $23 million as of June 30, according to the most recent campaign finance report.

The ads, which target Hispanic and African-American voters, launched much earlier than most presidential candidates traditionally air campaign commercials.

In 2020, Mr. Biden made history by raising $1 billion for his presidential run, but this time his fund-raising has been slower and hampered by an overall decline in online contributions.

Between April 25, when Mr. Biden announced his reelection bid, and June 30, Mr. Biden has raised more than $72 million. In comparison, President Obama had raised $85.6 million between April and June of 2011, when he launched his campaign for a second term. President Trump raised roughly $105 million during the same period in 2019.

Mr. Seawright dismissed claims that slow donation pace suggests that Democrats are not enthusiastic about the president’s reelection bid.

“Campaigns are built for ebbs and flows and this is not the time to panic,” he said.

Still, the Biden campaign has been running a lean reelection effort, spending about $1.1 million in the second quarter.

The campaign, which is headquartered in Wilmington, Delaware, had spent less than $1,500 on travel, accommodations and airfare. At the conclusion of the second quarter, the campaign only had four people working for it.

That changed last month when the campaign added a handful of senior aides to its communications and policy operations. Among those added include Ammar Moussa, a former national press secretary for the DNC, who is now serving as the campaign’s director of rapid response. 

Grace Landrieu, who was previously the director for economic policy and labor at the National Economic Council, joined as the campaign’s policy director. Carla Frank, who was recently a deputy political director at the White House, is the director of the national advisory board and surrogate operations for the 2024 campaign.

The new hires join the campaign’s inner circle, which is a mix of longtime Biden advisers and some fresh faces.

Julie Chavez Rodriguez is the campaign’s manager and senior adviser and assistant to the president. She was a deputy campaign manager for Mr. Biden’s 2020 effort and oversaw the campaign’s outreach to Latino voters. Ms. Chavez Rodriguez is also the granddaughter of late labor leader Cesar Chavez, who founded the United Farm Workers of America union.

Quentin Fulks, who served as campaign chief for Georgia Sen. Raphael Warnock’s reelection bid in 2022, is the Biden campaign’s principal deputy campaign manager. He also oversaw Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s 2018 campaign.

Kevin Munoz, a former White House spokesperson who led its messaging on the COVID-19 pandemic, is managing the press office. He previously served as a campaign spokesperson for Biden’s 2020 presidential campaign.

First lady Jill Biden also is playing a key role in her husband’s reelection bid, serving as a senior adviser. She is expected to be instrumental in the campaign trail as she pitches the president’s message to women and suburban voters.

• Jeff Mordock can be reached at jmordock@washingtontimes.com.