Joe Biden is targeting ‘Maga’ Republicans – but will the gambit work?

The president is taking a calculated risk that swing voters see the ‘Make America Great Again’ brand of politics as repellent, writes Chris Stevenson

Biden is trying to show that the more moderate Republicans have lost control of their party (AP)

Joe Biden has refined his attack line on the Republican Party over the past week – referring to the GOP by the acronym Maga, which stands for “Make America Great Again”, an election slogan synonymous with Donald Trump. Needless to say, the comparison is not a kind one.

Biden has spoken of the “ultra-Maga” agenda of the Republicans, which is “extreme, as most Maga things are”. Trump has even been scoffed at as “the great Maga king”. It is a moniker that those within Biden’s circle have insisted to several outlets in recent days (mostly anonymously, it should be said) as one that plays well with potential swing voters.

The reason they would have to be sure of that before rolling it out to this degree is that it gives the pro-Trump elements of the Republican Party exactly what many of them will be looking for – an opportunity to reinforce the “us v them” mentality. It is always going to be part of the Trump (and Trump acolyte) playbook, but if Biden is leaning into it too, that makes their job easier. Note the reaction of New York representative Elise Stefanik, the third-ranking Republican in the House of Representatives and chair of the House Republican Conference: “I am ultra-Maga. I’m proud of it.”

And so we are back to Trump, who on Saturday endorsed Doug Mastriano in the Republican primary for Pennsylvania governor. Mastriano – who is running to the right of the mainstream Republican candidates – has backed Trump’s false claims that the 2020 election was stolen, and also attended the protest that took place before the Capitol riot in January last year. Mastriano has a lead in the polls over his closest GOP rival, former representative Lou Barletta, with a couple of other candidates dropping out of the race as Barletta looks to gather party support around his candidacy.

It is this type of influence (although Trump’s endorsement isn’t foolproof) that Biden is looking to highlight in order to demonstrate that the more moderate Republicans have lost control of their party. You can see the logic, but the White House will be hoping it doesn’t look like a mistake in a few months’ time.