The Biden reelection campaign has enlisted three police officers who were present at the US Capitol during the January 6th riot to campaign for Biden in battleground states. Sgt. Aquilino Gonell, Officer Harry Dunn, and Officer Danny Hodges will be sharing their experiences and highlighting the threat they believe former President Trump poses to democracy and American rights. Dunn and Gonell, who retired from the Capitol Police after sustaining injuries during the attack, and Hodges, who continues to serve with DC’s Metropolitan Police Department, plan to emphasize the importance of saving democracy by sharing their stories.
These surrogates will be traveling to key swing states such as Nevada, Arizona, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Michigan, and New Hampshire in the coming weeks to spread their first-person message about the threat to democracy. The campaign aims to intensify this message leading up to the first debate between Biden and Trump on June 27, hosted by CNN. Some of this messaging has already been tested in a fundraising email sent to Biden supporters, where Gonell described his injuries and his commitment to continue fighting for America to ensure that Trump is not elected as president again.
The Biden team’s strategy includes using the events of January 6 to argue about Trump’s mental stability and provoke an exaggerated response from Trump. They aim to highlight how Trump reacted to his loss in the 2020 election, leading to the violent attack on the Capitol and his support for the rioters who threatened violence against his own vice president. This focus on democracy and Trump’s actions will be a key component of the campaign’s messaging on the trail and during the upcoming debate in Atlanta.
In addition to focusing on domestic issues related to democracy, the Biden campaign will also be engaging in democracy-focused summits with international allies. This includes a trip to France to commemorate the 80th anniversary of D-Day, participation in the Group of Seven developed democracies meeting, and a NATO summit in Washington, DC with a focus on defending Ukraine against Russia. This international engagement will reinforce the campaign’s messaging about the importance of democracy and the need to protect it both at home and abroad. CNN’s Priscilla Alvarez has contributed to this report.
