Trump shifts his attention to surging Biden, lays off Sanders

President Donald Trump’s political operation is shifting its focus to apparent Democratic frontrunner Joe Biden — and ramping up its efforts to convince Bernie Sanders’ supporters he's being robbed of the nomination.

With Biden suddenly vaulting to the front of the Democratic pack with his array of Super Tuesday wins, Republicans are intensifying their attacks on the 77-year-old former vice president. It represents a dramatic reversal: As late as last week, many in Trump’s circle were certain that Sanders would be their general election opponent and had all but written off Biden.

The turnabout could have profound implications for Trump’s political fortunes. Many of the president’s top advisers had been relishing the idea of a match-up against Sanders, a self-described democratic socialist who threatens to alienate the affluent suburbanites who decisively swung to Democrats in 2018.

“Not only has the last 96 hours brought a seismic shift in the Democrat primary but the trajectory of the general election is now completely different,” said Sam Nunberg, a former Trump aide.

The assault on Biden is partly focused on personal matters. As the results came in Tuesday evening, the Trump political apparatus amplified a message that Trump voiced at a rally earlier in the week — that Biden’s mental faculties are diminished. The Trump campaign posted a video to its Twitter account showing Biden appearing to confuse his wife and sister during a Super Tuesday rally.