Biden’s agenda to center on foreign policy ahead of first debate: Politico Desk

Welcome to the online edition From the Political Deskis an evening newsletter bringing you the latest coverage and analysis from the election campaign, the White House and Congress from the NBC News political team.

In today’s edition, chief White House correspondent Peter Alexander looks back at President Joe Biden’s big foreign policy efforts ahead of the first debate, plus political editor Amanda Turkel takes a closer look at Donald Trump’s campaign’s often emotive fundraising appeals.

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Biden’s agenda centres on foreign policy ahead of first debate

Peter Alexander

We are just two weeks away from the first presidential general election debate and just days away from the guilty verdicts against Donald Trump and Hunter Biden.

But if there is one set of issues that has dominated President Joe Biden’s time and schedule at this critical juncture, it is foreign affairs and international relations.

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Biden was in France last week for a state visit and to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the Normandy landings.

And while part of the trip was focused on the domestic audience in the United States, particularly Biden’s speech on democracy and freedom, much of it was focused on foreign affairs.

What struck me most while covering the trip for NBC News was, of course, the public debate following the final public gathering of Normandy invasion veterans about who would lead the United States in less than a year. Even in the hallowed ground of the Normandy American Cemetery, some of those attending Biden’s speech denouncing isolationism were wearing red MAGA hats.

Behind the powerful images of the place and the stories of the unity of the Western alliance in World War II was the harsh reality that 80 years later, Americans are deeply divided.

And this week, just days after his son’s conviction, Biden flew to Italy to attend the G7 meeting of leading Western nations and Japan.

At the top of Biden’s policy agenda was a 10-year security pact with Ukraine and a $50 billion loan for Ukraine in its war with Russia.

“We will stand with Ukraine again and again,” Biden said in Italy on Thursday.

But underscoring the policy stakes of the 2024 election, given President Trump’s past comments about Russia and Ukraine, the future of the U.S.-Ukraine security pact may depend on the winner of the November election.

In an election year, such trips can bolster the commander in chief’s image at home and allow him to plant the American flag abroad (as both Ronald Reagan and Biden did in their Normandy landing speeches, 40 years apart).

But with polls showing the economy, inflation, immigration and democracy ranked as American voters’ top concerns for the next election, it’s entirely possible that these will be Biden’s final overseas trips before the election — especially as the 2024 campaign heats up in earnest with the first debate this month.

From hugs to the guillotine, Trump’s fundraising emails are a roller coaster

Amanda Turkel

“You’re on my mind.”

“Do you need a hug?”

“I love you.”

“They want to sentence me to death!”

No, these aren’t increasingly desperate attempts at love from someone you met on a dating app (though there is a scary turn at the end).

These are fundraising emails from Donald Trump.

“It’s like a multiple personality reading comprehension test. I’m not sure what they’re getting at,” said Tim Lim, a Democratic strategist.

But for the Trump campaign, the answer is clear: personal taste.

“The Trump campaign cares about our supporters and all Americans, and President Trump’s supporters appreciate messaging that has a personal touch in addition to messaging that highlights the failures and weaknesses of unscrupulous Joe Biden,” said Caroline Sunshine, deputy communications director for the Trump campaign.

Politicians (and con artists) have long relied on emotional appeals to get people to give their money. The Democratic House Campaign Committee has frequently plagued donor inboxes with dire fundraising emails with “urgent” and “Democratic Party on the Brink of Collapse” messages, pleading with loyal Democrats to donate before it’s too late.

Then-President Barack Obama’s reelection campaign helped lead the country to this point when it discovered the effectiveness of casual subject lines that sounded like they were sent from a friend: “Hey” and “I don’t usually email you” made a ton of money.

But if Obama was a casual friend meeting for coffee, with Trump the mood shifts from intimacy to fear and back again.

Read more about President Trump’s fundraising request →

That’s all from the Politics Desk. If you have any comments, please email us here. politicsnewsletters@nbcuni.com

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