Headline RoundupOctober 21st, 2020

Biden Ad Criticizing Trump's Virus Response Sparks Controversy, Divided Coverage

Campaigns, Elections, 2020 Election, 2020 Election Fact Checking, Joe Biden, Campaign Rhetoric

Summary from the AllSides News Team

Joe Biden's campaign aired an advertisement Sunday on CBS featuring a Michigan bar owner who blamed his venue's struggles on President Donald Trump's management of the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic. The bar owner, Joe Malcoun, is reportedly also an angel investor and former technology executive who has made contributions to Biden's presidential campaign. Malcoun's background was a focus of prominent coverage from right-rated outlets, who highlighted his donations to Biden's campaign and apparent wealth and framed the ad as dishonest. The ad was covered less by left- and center-rated outlets; those that did report on it usually concentrated on its overall sentiment. Some focused on the fact that the hip-hop group Beastie Boys licensed their music to Biden's campaign, the first time they'd ever done so for a political ad; others focused on criticism directed at Malcoun on Twitter that was unrelated to his background.

Featured Coverage of this Story

From the Right

Biden Ad Portrays Wealthy Tech Investor as Struggling Small Business Owner

Washington Free Beacon

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Washington Free Beacon

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The struggling Michigan bar owner at the center of a Joe Biden campaign ad is actually a wealthy tech investor whose startup was seeded by a large family inheritance.

The ad, which the Biden campaign released Thursday, identifies Michigan entrepreneur Joe Malcoun as co-owner of the Blind Pig, a bar and live music venue in Ann Arbor, Mich.

Malcoun blames the bar's misfortunes on "Trump's COVID response," warning that unless voters elect Biden, "a lot of restaurants and bars that have been mainstays for years" will not survive.

But Malcoun...

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From the Left

Biden focuses on shuttered bars and clubs in a new ad faulting Trump

New York Times (News)

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New York Times (News)

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Joseph R. Biden Jr. is flipping the script on President Trump, who has tried to frame the election as a choice between keeping the economy open or returning to coronavirus lockdowns under Democrats.

The plight of bars and clubs, many of which remain shuttered and are struggling for survival in the pandemic, is the focus of a new television ad that the Biden campaign aired on CBS on Sunday during an N.F.L. game.

They are places like the Blind Pig in Ann Arbor, Mich., which has been a magnet for...

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From the Right

Biden ad depicts struggling bar owner — turns out he's a wealthy investor who donated thousands to Biden campaign

Washington Examiner

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A Biden campaign ad depicting a Michigan bar owner struggling with the coronavirus pandemic is being criticized after it was revealed that the man featured is actually a wealthy tech investor who donated thousands to Joe Biden’s campaign.

Joe Malcoun, the co-owner of The Blind Pig bar featured in the ad, is a prominent “angel investor” in several Michigan tech companies and donated $5,000 to the Biden campaign in July, Fox News reported. He has also been a vocal supporter of Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s lockdown policies, saying in April...

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