Biden campaign, sticking to playbook, will spend $50 million on ads this month

President Biden’s campaign said Friday it would spend $50 million on advertising in July, a sign that his reelection campaign is trying to navigate a crisis that threatens to end his candidacy by largely sticking to its usual playbook.

The ad buy matches what the campaign said it spent in June, a media blitz that did little to improve his lagging poll numbers. A New York Times/Siena College poll conducted after last week’s presidential debate showed Trump with his largest lead in the race.

The new ads will run online, on television and on radio, and will focus on Biden’s core issues: abortion, economic fairness and democracy. The campaign also said Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris and their respective spouses would travel to every state in the race this month. And it plans to spend $17 million on door-to-door canvassing in July and August.

Together, the efforts represent a boost to Biden’s campaign for stability and normalcy at an extraordinary time when some in his own party have called for him to back off. Alarmed by his clumsy debate performances last week, many Democrats are urging Biden to shake things up and prove he has the energy and mental fortitude to beat former President Donald J. Trump, including by doing more interviews with mainstream journalists and speaking without a teleprompter.

So far this week, Mr. Biden’s public appearances have been brief and scripted. He sat for two interviews in friendly settings with black talk show hosts, but stumbled through them. He’s likely to face much sharper questions on Friday, when he sits down for an interview with ABC News’ George Stephanopoulos that will air in the evening. He’s also scheduled to give a campaign speech in Wisconsin on Friday and another in Pennsylvania on Sunday.

Campaign officials insist the race remains tight, despite Biden’s tough week. They describe a long election in which repeated, early ad spending is needed to break through to voters. And both they and the president have publicly rejected any suggestion that he might back down.

But they seem to recognize that changes may be needed.

In a press release announcing the $50 million ad purchase in July, the campaign said Biden would have “regular impromptu moments” this month, citing a post-debate trip the president made to a Waffle House in Atlanta as an example. caused a viral video after giving a customer a dap.