Biden tries to turn the tables on Trump’s use of a classic political attack line

President Joe Biden is opening a new line of attack against former President Donald Trump this week, flipping the script on the classic Reagan-era “Are you better off than you were four years ago?” question to remind voters of life during his predecessor’s tenure.

President Joe Biden is opening a new line of attack against former President Donald Trump this week, flipping the script on the classic Reagan-era “Are you better off than you were four years ago?” question to remind voters of life during his predecessor’s tenure. Ronald Reagan used the question to great effect in his race against then-President Jimmy Carter: In their lone debate of the 1980 presidential campaign, Reagan posed the searing question to voters in his closing statement, “It might be well if you ask yourself - Are you better off than you were four years ago?” Since then, it has often been used to attack incumbents running for reelection – but Biden appears ready to use the question to remind voters of how Trump’s term ended. Biden campaign officials are making a concerted effort to refresh voters’ memories of Trump’s time in office, including his approach to the Covid-19 pandemic, as they prepare for a re-match against him in November. Trump’s campaign has sought to use the question to draw its own contrasts with Biden recently on the economy and immigration. Biden previewed the new messaging push at a Dallas fundraiser Wednesday evening, saying “Speaking of Donald Trump, just a few days ago he asked a famous question in one of his rallies. Are you better off today than you were four years ago?’” “Well, Don, I’m glad you asked that question, man,” Biden said. He then ticked through the state of the US in March of 2020, when the Covid-19 pandemic sent the country into isolation, crippled the health care system and economy, and eventually resulted in the deaths of hundreds of thousands of Americans while “Trump tried to downplay the virus,” Biden said.