A blunt statement from a Joe Biden campaign advisor this week is serving as grist for Donald Trump's messaging to media regarding the Sunshine State.
"We read about Biden's standing in Florida, which was 'in play' just a few weeks ago but has now been unceremoniously dumped — as President Trump's lead widens to an average of 7.6 points in the Sunshine State," reads the memo from Chris LaCivita and Susie Wiles.
The aside in the major communication between Trump's top advisors and political press comes days after Jen O'Malley Dillon, Chair of the Biden re-election effort, pointedly refused to name Florida among the states where the President thinks he can compete during an interview with Puck News.
"No," she said when asked directly by John Heilemann as he listed off states, wondering whether the campaign was treating them as battlegrounds.
The Biden campaign and the Florida Democratic Party have attempted damage control since.
"Florida is in play for President Biden and Democrats up and down the ballot," asserted Dan Kanninen, Biden-Harris Battleground States Director.
"Trump and his out of touch loyalists are taking the state for granted, while their extreme agenda continues to increase costs and rip away Floridians' freedoms. The President has a strong story to tell on the issues that matter most to Floridians, which is why our campaign continues to scale up our presence and investments into the state."
Kanninen's statement on Monday came at the end of the day, hours after the Puck News report caused tongues to wag.
Meanwhile, FDP Chair Nikki Fried is still doing damage control.
"Florida is in play," she said Wednesday, suggesting that "the facts" denote Trump's vulnerability.
"Donald Trump is losing ground here in the state of Florida. Look at the presidential primary where he only received 80% of the Republican vote. One out of 5 Republicans voted for Nikki Haley. His support is diminishing here in this state," Fried said, though her confident words are belied by polling that has yet to show Trump trailing Biden in a state he carried in two consecutive cycles.
Ryan Tyson's The Tyson Group poll, which was taken earlier this month, showed that 46% of likely voters back Trump, good for a 10-point lead over Biden. However, a contemporaneous Fox News survey showed Trump with only a 4-point lead.
Yet whether it's 4 points or 10 points, indications are that Team Biden is putting more lip service in the state than tangible resources, recognizing that the election likely will come down to a handful of too-close-to-call states, including Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina and Pennsylvania.
And the Trump camp clearly feels emboldened to call the other side's bluff.
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