Biden's biggest debate challenge — and opportunity: From the Politics Desk

Welcome to the online version of From the Politics Desk, an evening newsletter that brings you the NBC News Politics team’s latest reporting and analysis from the campaign trail, the White House and Capitol Hill.

In today’s edition, senior political editor Mark Murray explains why President Joe Biden's campaign is in a fighting mood ahead of the debate. Plus, we take a deep dive into a key Democratic House primary in New York, where the Israel-Hamas war has been a major focus.

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Biden’s biggest challenge — and opportunity — on debate night

By Mark Murray

President Joe Biden’s campaign is in a fighting mood ahead of Thursday’s presidential debate.

On “Meet the Press” on Sunday, Mitch Landrieu, the Biden campaign’s national co-chair, used the words “fight” or “fighting” 11 times when he was discussing the president and the upcoming debate.

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Vice President Kamala Harris also said those words repeatedly in her interview on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” that aired Monday: “I think that the debate is going to make clear the contrast between our president, the current president who works on behalf of the American people, fights for the American people, and the former president, who pretty much spent full-time fighting for himself.”

And this is the latest TV ad the Biden campaign has been airing in battleground states: “This election is between a convicted criminal who’s only out for himself, and a president who’s fighting for your family.”

There’s a good reason why this term is on Team Biden’s mind: Perceptions about the president’s strength and toughness are arguably his biggest liability heading into November’s election.

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