Biden campaign tests Trump's name-calling strategy with 'Broke Don'

[BumRushDaShow]

Source: The Hill

03/23/24 6:00 AM ET


President Biden’s reelection campaign has dubbed former President Trump “Broke Don,” taking a strategy out of Trump’s playbook that his political rivals know all too well. Trump has used nicknames — from “Little Marco” to “Crooked Hillary” to “Lyin’ Ted” — to put down a variety of opponents. For much of 2020, Biden’s moniker, courtesy of Trump, was “Sleepy Joe.”

Now, the Biden team is seeking to turn the tables in attempting to make one stick to Trump while it worked this week to highlight the former president’s lagging fundraising numbers in the 2024 race.

Trump has picked on dozens of opponents with his nicknames since he first ran for office. Over the years, that’s included not only fellow presidential contenders, such as when he dubbed Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) “Pocahontas,” but also lawmakers he has considered his ultimate rivals, such as “Cryin’” Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y), the Senate Majority Leader, and former Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), whom he’s called “Crazy Nancy.”

Some have been considered offensive, while others have been deemed just silly name calling. The Biden team is now trying their hand at lambasting the former president, often by poking fun at his debts as he faces mounting legal penalties, leaving some Democrats questioning if that’s the right move.

Read more: https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/4550498-biden-campaign-tests-trumps-name-calling-strategy-with-broke-don/

[Joe Cool]

1. It is 100% the right move

Kepp calling him broke and a loser. The truth hurts.

[sboatcar]

33. For sure

His vanity is completely based on the illusion that he's so rich, that's also his weakness.

[IronLionZion]

2. Don the Con

It's pure coincidence that everyone in his orbit serves prison time and he's been convicted of fraud and liable for sexual assault.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

4. I like that, and Deadbeat Don. . . . .nt

[calimary]

18. Both of these are terrific!

Don the Con and Deadbeat Donald. I’d throw in Donald Dick (but it’s probably not appropriate for the kiddies).

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: he sure does inspire.

[KarenS]

3. Normally I don't care for name-calling but

I think this election is about saving our Democratic Republic. I am for whatever method works.

[CousinIT]

5. It's the right move. Using his own tactics against him and shaming him..

...right move. Biden needs to play a little offense. Not to the extent of the orange pustule but a few well-placed derogatory monikers are just fine IMO.

[Seinan Sensei]

23. I agree

He perpetrates what he fears most

[trusty elf]

6. He's not woke, but broke!

[BumRushDaShow]

7. OMG

[Mr. Evil]

22. No shit!

Sometimes a little shock therapy can be a good thing.

[KS Toronado]

31. That caterpillar right above vermin should have been a mushroom.

[CousinIT]

39. . . .

[kimbutgar]

45. I love using that toilet brush he's holding!

Especially when my toilet is very dirty!

[SouthernDem4ever]

8. I would like it to be a little more derogatory

but that's just my preference for that orange shyster. Broke Don will just make all of his boner garage type supporters feel bad for him and they will send money.

[Hermit-The-Prog]

15. If they send money to traitortrump, they have less for down-ballot races.

[KS Toronado]

35. I vote for traitortrump

and every time it's written have the Russian logo on each side of it.

traitortrump

To remind everyone he's Putin's puppet, ironic they always call us Communists, they know it's a bad thing.

[Hermit-The-Prog]

36. "Traitor" should forevermore be associated with that name, especially in searches.

[FalloutShelter]

38. Agree... too cute by half.

Go for the jugular and sharpen the rhetoric:

Rapist Traitor works for me.

[Hermit-The-Prog]

40. We do not have to abide by the same etiquette as those we elect.

[FalloutShelter]

43. The problem occurs when one of the players in this... the Democrats,

is the only party that abides by that etiquette rule, and the Republicans are using that comity to take us apart.

[muriel_volestrangler]

64. I hope the campaign will call him a rapist, even if President Biden doesn't personally

Things like "Trump, the rapist, wants to restrict a woman's right to terminate a pregnancy" could be doubly effective.

[CrispyQ]

16. Broke Don doesn't have a ring to it.

They need something snappy. Deadbeat Don, like posted above is much better, IMO.

Our side needs a course in marketing.

[NH Ethylene]

48. Yeah, it's not snappy at all.

But it's fact rather than opinion, so more honorable than 45's stupid, childish name-calling.

[yardwork]

51. I don't know... it leads to "broke down."

Trump won't like that.

[ramen]

9. Ugh. I thought we were better than this

Who is this going to sway?

[Lucky Luciano]

14. They go low we go high didn't really work out.

[paleotn]

21. You're referring to a relatively recent phenomenon in the Democratic Party.

Our current holier than thou phase. There was a time when Dems would beat the political snot out of their opponents by any means necessary. That's why the GOP, and even fellow Dems, feared people like the Chicago Daley's. I grew up immersed in the Nashville political machine, so I suppose such things come natural to me.

As to who it will sway, your opinion of the rank and file American is way off target. They are not thinkers. This way of framing is simple, easy to remember and repeated often enough makes it the first thing an average voter thinks about when they hear the name Trump. See Trump's name on a ballot, automatically think broke loser, not voting for him.

Republicans know exactly how this works and have been doing it for decades to our disadvantage. To the point that the word liberal is a now a pejorative. In short, it's very effective and it's about time we got off our goddamn high horse and got our metaphorical hands dirty. The future of our Republic demands it. We went "high" in 2016 and it damn near cost us our democracy.

[ramen]

55. You're misunderstanding my point.

I am not opposed to getting my hands dirty. But if we are dumbing our politicking down to a second grade level, shouldn't we be using a nickname that indicates the actual problems with the guy? His alleged or real financial state is unrelated to why he shouldn't come anywhere near government again.

The things that scare me more are his eagerness for autocracy, hatred of nearly everybody, narcissism, inability to navigate a complex world like foreign policy, anti-science positions, desire to control women, etc etc

His bank account? Who gives a shit? It certainly isn't me. I hope that the decision makers have some reason to think that this will help move the needle because this is a bad moment to slip up in any way. But it is beyond me how someone could be for all the things in the paragraph above but then think "well, but the Democratic party's nickname for him says he is insolvent.. I'm voting for Joe Biden instead"

[Lucky Luciano]

58. Insolvent is a national security concern. He is ripe for all sorts of bribery.

Same reason employers do credit checks on people close to money before hiring.

[onetexan]

10. Brokeass Don

[50 Shades Of Blue]

11. Chef's Kiss

[NoMoreRepugs]

12. The standard purity tests for all things the Democratic Party says or does

flew out the fucking window when the SlobFather led an Insurrection. Throw every piece of dung at him that we can concoct, win the election and then go back to mollifying all the MilkToasts.

[paleotn]

26. Amen and Amen.

The time for being Poindexter is over.

[EarthFirst]

13. I have a few alternatives; however they probably wouldn't poll well in the focus groups... nt

[CrispyQ]

17. Broke Don doesn't work.

Who came up with that? It doesn't sound snappy or clever at all. The same person who came up with the idea of pitting Biden against Uncommitted, perhaps.

[andym]

62. down on his luck Donald, or poor, poor Donald

would directly contradict his "winner" gaslighting

[Javaman]

19. Personally I like: Donald fuck lol nt

[mwb970]

20. Not "Crooked Donald"?

[Mr. Evil]

24. If I could draw,

I'd draw a picture with the names of all his failed business ventures (Tr*** Steaks, Tr*** Shuttle, Tr*** Water, et al) and put a large sign next to it called, Tr*** Dump.

[multigraincracker]

25. Very hard to change any minds.

Best shot is to get them to stay home on Election Day. Go with loser theme.

[thucythucy]

27. I think "Poor Donny"

might work better.

[LisaM]

28. Someone here yesterday called him the BLOAT

Brokest Loser Of All Time. I liked that, with its added insult of actual bloat thrown in.

I don't know if the DUer found it or made it up, but so liked it.

[BlueSky3]

29. I really hope

they focus-group tested this first. I hope it doesn’t make Biden seem petty, like all Trump’s name-calling does. I don’t want anything to take away from the “good person” image Biden has now. Surely Biden can talk all he wants to about Trump’s money woes without resorting to this. Not that Trump doesn’t deserve it…

[Hermit-The-Prog]

37. The election: Dark Brandon and democracy, vs. traitortrump and Russiapublicans.

[Seasider]

30. How about Dishonest Don?

[DinahMoeHum]

32. Deadbeat Donald

n/t

[rso]

34. RSO

I think Don the Con is more insulting and thus more effective, as “con” refers to both conman as well as convict.

[cojoel]

41. That would make Maralago the Brokedon Palace

Tip of my hat to all the deadheads who read this.

[BamaRefugee]

42. DONNIE DEMENTO! DODDERING DONALD. PUTIN'S BOTTOM. Anything's better

Than “Broke Don”, that’s the weakest nickname EVER, somebody got PAID to come up with that?
I’ve only been awake for 3 minutes, lying on my back in bed with my iPad, let me have some coffee and I’ll come up with a dozen more that are WAY better.
Omg, Democrats need to message with laser beam intensity, not “Broke Don”.

[Bayard]

44. Broke Don isn't bad

Then, when Biden trounces him, he can call him Broken Don.

I do like Don the Con and Deadbeat Don better. More catchy.

[DC77]

46. I like it.

Not everybody knows what a deadbeat is. I learned this word in 3rd grade myself as it was a favorite of my teacher. To me, deadbeat is a person that doesn’t pay their bills, not necessarily someone with no money. Broke Don works because it’s brief and because it crushes the myth The Apprentice and Donald have created (“I’m really rich.”). He is indeed broke.

“Sleepy” Joe in all retrospect doesn’t seem that clever, but somehow we all remember it now.

Love that Biden is getting under the man’s skin. “Donald, I can’t help you.”

[yardwork]

50. True. Democrats aren't used to name-calling. We don't have to.

[Escaped Floridian]

49. Mushroom Tip Donnie

Just a suggestion. . .

[intrepidity]

52. "Poor Loser Donnie Poopy Pants"

Try it, rolls right off the tongue.

[redwitch]

53. Desperate Don

Seems like a good name.

Or perhaps Donald the Whiny.

[MorbidButterflyTat]

54. Oh.

I hate disingenuous crap like this.

"Biden campaign tests *rump's name-calling strategy..."

This is insulting, to Prez Biden's campaign and decent human beings.

It's not testing a "strategy," I mean, really? Name calling is a strategy? Maybe for an undisciplined six year old. All this article did was highlight the sooper dooper genius "strategy" of behaving like a spoiled brat in a decomposing alleged "body," repeating idiotic things he's said over the years that no one gives a shit about. Look at that list! To imply Prez Biden needs a strategy of name calling, from that leprous sack of shit's "playbook," makes me SICK.

I looked it up and this is what I found:

“Not a Winning Campaign: Broke Don Hides in Basement,” the Biden campaign email said. “Trump can’t raise money, isn’t campaigning, and is letting convicts and conspiracy theorists run his campaign.”

Completely truthful and accurate, hardly "name calling." HE IS BROKE! And the whole world knows it!

Sloppy gutter press BS.

[LuvLoogie]

57. Joe already coined a name.

The Sick Fuck

Yeah, I doubt the campaign is racking their brains to come up with an official nickname.

Hammer trump and the GOPs with their own malevolent, destructive record of bigotry and sabotage.

This is what you did. This is what you said. You sick fuck shit souls.

[canetoad]

56. It should have been

'Impecunious Don' - then tfg would puff up and think he was being complimented.

[Novara]

59. Flat-broke felonious fatass

[tavernier]

60. Nope.

Joe should say, “Donald likes to exaggerate his weight loss. That’s understandable and embarrassing. Many folks have problems keeping the weight off. So to be nice, we just call him Tiny. Like the ladies do.”

[CTyankee]

61. "Like the ladies do" PERFECT!!!!

OMG, that's funny.

He SHOULD say that, but Joe won't. He doesn't have a dirty mind, like I do (I won't speak for my fellow DUers).

[andym]

63. "Poor, poor Donald" sounds better. nt.

[SKKY]

65. I heard "Don Poorleone" today and about fell out of my chair.

[BumRushDaShow]

66. LOL

[LetMyPeopleVote]

67. #DonPoorleone is now the top trend in the United States

Link to tweet

Link to tweet

Link to tweet

Link to tweet

[LetMyPeopleVote]

68. 'Broke Don' is probably the nickname he hates most

Link to tweet

[cstanleytech]

69. Dumb Donny? Conjob Don? Dickless Don? Lyin Don?

[DET]

70. I Hate That We've been Reduced to This

I could live with the childish name calling if I thought it would work. But I don’t, except as a way to really piss off Trump. I hope the marketing gurus know what they’re doing.

[BumRushDaShow]

71. "But I don't, except as a way to really piss off Trump"

That's mainly what it is.

One of the problems that has plagued Democrats over multiple Presidential elections is the ridicule that we -

1.) Are always hand-wringing
2.) Never take the gloves off
3.) Must keep our powder dry
4.) "Go high when they go low"
5.) Pull our punches
6.) Always clutch our pearls

In this desperate time with multiple (real) billionaires funding the opposition in support of overthrowing democracy and installing a fascist autocracy, it has to be "all hands (and tactics) on deck".

And due to the nature of the social media world, a suggestion can be floated and that "world" will take it from there.

If you ever followed the progress of John Fetterman when he was running for Senator here in PA in 2022, his ability to "break through" to certain demographics was thanks to his "trolling" the opposition.