Trump's Approval Jumped. What's Biden's Answer?

Plus: Could NY have a total vote-by-mail primary? [View this email in your browser]( [Politics Brief from WNYC + Gothamist] [Keep friends and family informed. Forward the Politics Brief.]( Three Men Are Now Running For President. Only One Is In Front Of Us Every Day. By [James Ramsay]( [President Trump delivers a press briefing on COVID-19 at the White House on March 23rd] Alex Brandon/AP "Trump keeps saying that he's a wartime president," Joe Biden said Monday, [during a 15-minute address]( delivered in front of a bookshelf in his house in Delaware. "Well, start to act like one," Biden continued. "To paraphrase a frustrated President Lincoln, writing to an inactive General McClellan during the Civil War, quote, if you don’t want to use the Army, may I borrow it? End of quote. You know, we need to get in motion." According to Democratic strategists and Biden supporters who spoke to the [New York Times]( Biden is the one who needs to get in motion. While the Democratic front-runner's disappearance from the campaign trail has spawned the #WhereIsJoe meme, Trump has started holding daily televised news conferences about the coronavirus — and his approval ratings have spiked. An ABC/Ipsos poll last Friday found that 55% of Americans approve of how he's handling the crisis, which is up 12 points from the prior week. On [The Brian Lehrer Show]( yesterday, USA Today's Susan Page suggested that Trump's boost in popularity might be temporary. "Sometimes, Americans at times of peril rally around their leader in a way he or she cannot count on to continue," she said, adding that President Carter saw only a brief jump in popularity during the Iranian hostage crisis before Americans ultimately voted him out of office. But Biden also faces the particular challenge of running for president amid a crisis while holding no position of government leadership. Bernie Sanders, who's still in the race despite having a [0.1% chance]( of winning a majority of the delegates, hasn't been actively campaigning either. But he's a sitting U.S. senator with a role to play in the federal response. (If you'll recall, he's "[dealing with a f**king global crisis]( The Democratic leader who's been most visible during this is [one who didn't run for president]( New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo. Even former Trump communications director Anthony Scaramucci is praising the governor for his "[wisdom and competence]( Jim Margolis, a prominent Democratic political strategist, told the Times that it's important for Biden to be sensitive in criticizing Trump during an immediate crisis. But Margolis says that Biden "does not have the opportunity to sort of sit back and wait three months" before putting himself out there and getting competitive. Because if, as Susan Lerner suggested, voters sour on Trump and start looking for a leadership alternative, their option won't be the guy [in a polo shirt]( who's touring makeshift hospitals; it'll likely be the septuagenarian who's been at home delivering Civil War anecdotes into a webcam. Every Democrat In New York Could Be Mailed An 'Emergency Ballot' For The Primary State Assembly member Joe Lentol has put forth a bill that, if passed, would mean every registered Democratic voter in the state automatically receives a mail-in ballot in time for the April 28th presidential primary. Technically, a constitutional amendment is required to change the rules around mail-in ballots. As it stands, a voter needs to actively apply to get one — which is why the other ideas for expanding absentee voting during the pandemic have been about the application itself. (For example, [a different bill]( put forth would add "public health risk" to the list of reasons you can cite when requesting an absentee ballot.) Lentol acknowledges that even if his bill passes, a judge could shoot it down. But he argued that it should stand, since his proposal is for an "emergency ballot, which is different from an absentee ballot." Separately, State Sen. James Skoufis [recently introduced a bill]( that would push the primary to June 23rd — [something the DNC has urged against](. Though Gov. Andrew Cuomo hasn't provided specifics, he did say Sunday that he's exploring ways to make it easier to vote by mail. He has not indicated a desire to postpone the primary. ([City & State]( Bloomberg Laid Off Aides Who Were Promised Pay Through November. Now Some Are Suing. A new class action lawsuit alleges that Michael Bloomberg committed fraud by laying off campaign staffers who'd been promised jobs through the general election. Plaintiffs say they would've pursued other opportunities, like law school or other campaign work, had they known the "Team Bloomberg" position wouldn't last. They say they'd been told that if the former New York City mayor didn't get the Democratic nomination, they'd still have jobs on a super PAC dedicated to beating President Trump in November. Last week, Bloomberg allegedly reneged on that promise, telling staffers in six battleground states they'd only be paid through the first week of April (and given health benefits through the end of April). He then donated $18 million to the Democratic National Committee, arguing that it was a better strategy to have one group — the party itself — working to beat Trump. After recruiting thousands of staffers with higher-than-average pay and solid health benefits, nearly 2,000 people are suddenly without work, just as a pandemic is squeezing the country's economy and labor market. ([Politico]( How To Stop The Spread, According To A Politician Who Has It [a screenshot of Ritchie Torres talking to Jenna Flanagan on MetroFocus] MetroFocus City Councilmember Ritchie Torres last week became the first local lawmaker to test positive for COVID-19. He also happens to be the youngest councilmember, which makes his case a cautionary tale about the ability of millennials to both contract and potentially spread the coronavirus. He himself got tested after a staff member fell ill; he then had to instruct everyone working for both his legislative office and his congressional campaign to quarantine themselves. "Everyone should assume the worst-case scenario," he told MetroFocus last Thursday. "I think of social distancing as much as a pattern of thinking as it is a pattern of behavior. We all should act as if we have tested positive. We all should act as if we are carrying the virus — and then adjust our behavior accordingly." Torres, who's facing his term limit in the City Council while [running to replace retiring Bronx Rep. José Serrano]( in Washington, is now in the midst of a two-week self-quarantine. But he says he's feeling fine; his symptoms are mainly intermittent fatigue and headaches. [Watch the whole thing here](. [the logo for Brian Lehrer's daily politics podcast]( How New York Should Vote Now Susan Lerner, executive director of Common Cause New York, weighs in on what she thinks is the safest way for the state to carry out its primary. Support WNYC + Gothamist Make a donation to support local, independent journalism. Your contributions are our largest source of funding and pays for essential election coverage and more. [Donate]( Copyright © 2020 New York Public Radio, All rights reserved. Our mailing address is: New York Public Radio 160 Varick Street New York, NY 10013 [unsubscribe]( [update preferences]( [privacy policy](