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Joe Biden wants to remind 2024 voters of a record and an agenda. Often it's Donald Trump's

President Joe Biden delivers remarks on his "Investing in America agenda" at Gateway Technical College, Wednesday, May 8, 2024, in Sturtevant, Wis. (AP Photo/Morry Gash) President Joe Biden delivers remarks on his "Investing in America agenda" at Gateway Technical College, Wednesday, May 8, 2024, in Sturtevant, Wis. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)
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Seattle, Wash. -

U.S. President Joe Biden is running for reelection on a record and an agenda -- often Donald Trump鈥檚.

In a hotel ballroom in Seattle, at fancy homes in California and at stops in Illinois and Wisconsin over the past week, Biden has been betting that reminding voters about Trump's presidency and highlighting his Republican opponent's latest campaign statements will work to the Democrat's advantage.

At a Seattle fundraiser Friday night, Biden brought up Trump's recent interview with Time magazine in which Trump said states should be left to determine whether to prosecute women for abortions or to monitor their pregnancies.

鈥淚 really urge you to read it,鈥 Biden said.

Biden, who had another Seattle fundraiser scheduled for Saturday before returning to the East Coast, has plenty of other Trump material to draw from, too.

The president highlights how Trump has promised, if elected, to be 鈥渁 dictator on Day 1鈥, how he has suggested the United States would not necessarily defend allies from aggression and how he has pledged to 鈥渢otally obliterate the deep state鈥 in the federal bureaucracy, which he blames for blocking his first-term agenda.

鈥淎nd he said a whole lot more,鈥 Biden said during a Chicago appearance. 鈥淏ut the bad news is he means what he says. He means what he says. Unless you think I鈥檓 kidding, just think back to the 6th of January. This guy means what he says,鈥 referring to the riot at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.

Biden wants the 2024 election to be a referendum on Trump's record and plans, but he also wants voters to look favorably on his own policies and actions.

Biden and his allies think the country needs reminding about Trump's tenure and his outlandish and often concerning statements, particularly because the Republican is no longer ubiquitous on X, formerly Twitter, nor is he in front of television cameras as often as he once was.

鈥淐haos is nothing new for Trump,鈥 Biden said in Chicago. 鈥淗is presidency was chaos. Trump is trying to make the -- the country forget about the dark and unsettling things that he did when he was president. Well, we鈥檙e going to not let them forget.鈥

Biden frequently highlights Trump's efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election and how he stood by when supporters violently stormed the Capitol as Congress met to certify his loss to Biden. He also points to Trump separating children from their families at the U.S.-Mexico border, tax cuts the Republican pushed through that benefited corporations and the wealthy and his repeated efforts to overturn the Affordable Care Act.

Biden's barbs have been getting sharper of late.

He opened his Seattle fundraiser on Friday night by telling donors, 鈥淭hank you for the warm welcome. Please keep it down, because Donald Trump is sleeping. Sleepy Don.鈥 That was a riff off of news reports that the former president has dozed off during his criminal trial in a New York courtroom. Trump has pleaded not guilty to charges in a hush money scheme to illegally influence the 2016 presidential election.

Biden also talks about Trump鈥檚 admiration for Russian President Vladimir Putin and his self-described 鈥渓ove letters鈥 with Kim Jong Un, the authoritarian leader of North Korea.

Biden frequently jabs at Trump for wondering aloud during the COVID-19 pandemic whether disinfectants could be injected or ingested to fight the virus. 鈥淭hat bleach he didn鈥檛 inject in his body; he just put it in his hair,鈥 Biden says to laughter every time. 鈥淏ut, look, he鈥檚 got more hair than I do.鈥

Trump's campaign said in a statement that 鈥渢heir records speak for themselves. President Trump created the most secure border in history and peace in the world. President Trump was the first president in modern history not to enter the U.S. in any new wars. Joe Biden鈥檚 weakness has led to wars in Ukraine and the Middle East, an immigrant invasion of our border, anti-Semitic protests on our college campuses, and crime and chaos in every American city.鈥

Trump doesn't hesitate to criticize Biden and his policies. Trump is spending much of his time lately sitting in court. But before and after the proceedings, he often stands in front of cameras outside the courtroom and goes after Biden.

At a recent Wisconsin rally, Trump mentioned Biden within the first 2 1/2 minutes of his speech and referenced the president or his administration more than 60 times during his remarks.

Trump's criticism often takes a dark turn. Last weekend, he told donors at his Florida resort that Biden was running a 鈥淕estapo administration."

The Gestapo was the secret police force of the Third Reich that squelched political opposition generally and, specifically, targeted Jewish people for arrest during the Holocaust. Trump鈥檚 unfounded comparison to Nazi-era tactics is part of his effort to deny and deflect the charges against him, most notably his effort to overturn Biden鈥檚 2020 victory.

Biden's strategy is a gamble. Voters are divided in their views of both men's presidencies.

An April poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research found that nearly half thought Trump鈥檚 presidency hurt the country on voting rights and election security, relations with foreign countries, abortion laws and climate change. But more than half of U.S. adults thought Biden鈥檚 presidency hurt the country on cost of living and immigration.

For all his criticism of Trump, Biden does get around to talking about his agenda and accomplishments. He tells supporters about his work to boost the economy and to bring the country out of the pandemic. He discusses his support for abortion rights even as he highlights how Trump has taken credit for the overturning of Roe v. Wade in part because of his Supreme Court nominations.

鈥淔olks, the choice is clear,鈥 Biden told supporters recently in the nation's capital. 鈥淒onald Trump鈥檚 vision of America is one of revenge and retribution.鈥

鈥淚鈥檝e never been more optimistic about America鈥檚 chances,鈥 he went on. 鈥淣ot because I鈥檓 president, because of the state of the moment. The world needs us.鈥

Long reported from Washington. AP White House Correspondent Zeke Miller in Washington contributed to this report.

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