Former Vice President Joe Biden addressed a crowd of 771 people among 365 cars at a drive-in rally in Atlanta, Georgia, on Tuesday, making it “easily the largest event of the general election” for him, according to one reporter.
For comparison, an estimated 75,000 cars rallied for President Donald Trump in Miami last week.
Biden had an unusually busy day Tuesday, first addressing a small audience confined to individual, socially distant circles in Warm Springs, Georgia; and then addressing the drive-in event in Atlanta as part of a last-minute pitch for the Peach State.
Biden has spent many days in September and October at his home in Wilmington, Delaware, “calling a lid” — ending any availability to the press — by mid-morning.
He has sold his avoidance of crowds as a deliberate strategy to model responsible behavior during the coronavirus pandemic, and to provide a contrast to President Donald Trump’s large events.
That has not prevented coronavirus from spreading at Biden campaign events. The State of Minnesota has traced several coronavirus cases to Trump campaign events — and one to a rally for Biden on September 18.
Even during the primary, however, Biden was not a large draw. In Charleston, South Carolina, just days before the state’s crucial primary at the end of February, Joe Biden barely managed to fill half a gymnasium. He went on to win the primary — his first-ever primary victory, and a decisive step toward winning his party’s nomination.
Biden introduced himself at the rally as “Jill Biden’s husband” and “Kamala’s running mate,” referring to Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA).
Joel B. Pollak is Senior Editor-at-Large at Breitbart News and the host of Breitbart News Sunday on Sirius XM Patriot on Sunday evenings from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET (4 p.m. to 7 p.m. PT). His newest e-book is The Trumpian Virtues: The Lessons and Legacy of Donald Trump’s Presidency. His recent book, RED NOVEMBER, tells the story of the 2020 Democratic presidential primary from a conservative perspective. He is a winner of the 2018 Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. Follow him on Twitter at @joelpollak.