NEW YORK • Mr Joe Biden's presidential campaign installed a television studio in his basement over the weekend so the Democratic front runner could demand bolder action from President Donald Trump on the coronavirus crisis and speak directly to the country.
But when he delivered his debut speech on Monday morning, major cable news networks broadcast a coronavirus briefing by New York Governor Andrew Cuomo instead.
It was yet another sign of the upheaval that the pandemic has wrought on a presidential campaign that just a week ago seemed to be moving full steam towards a Nov 3 general election match-up between Mr Biden and Mr Trump.
Instead of the former vice-president wrapping up the Democratic Party's nomination, the coronavirus has threatened to blunt Mr Biden's momentum by postponing state nominating elections and indefinitely halting in-person campaign events and fundraisers.
By contrast, Mr Trump, who had initially played down the virus' impact, has used his daily televised White House briefings on the crisis to project optimism about getting the pandemic under control and grab media attention.
The turn of events is forcing the Biden campaign to recalibrate quickly to find new ways to connect with voters and donors.
"You're not going to have high-dollar donor parties," said Mr Ed Rendell, the former Pennsylvania governor and Democratic National Committee chairman, who supports Mr Biden. "That's going to hurt."
Before the pandemic upended American life by shutting down a large swathe of the economy and curtailing social activity, Mr Biden's campaign crowds were growing larger. Donors once cool to his candidacy rushed to make contributions.
He had hired a new campaign manager and was thinking about running mates. With decisive wins in a series of state Democratic nominating contests through last Tuesday, he expanded his lead over Senator Bernie Sanders.
Although he was holding calls with reporters, donors and advisers from his Delaware home, Mr Biden's lack of a public event for several days meant he all but disappeared from television.
After seeking advice from donors on how to improve Mr Biden's digital presence, the campaign is boosting his appearances from his in-house studio.
However, Mr Biden's name recognition from decades in public life will help him stay relevant in the absence of regular TV coverage, Mr Rendell said.
Several of the campaign's videos in recent days, including Monday's speech, were widely viewed online.
Still, there were growing pains.
On Monday, Mr Biden looked off to the side of the camera for a cue to start speaking and then gestured with his hand during the speech in apparent guidance to a teleprompter operator.
His campaign is also reaching out to consultants and other fundraising experts to seek ideas on how to raise money while people are stuck in their homes, according to a person familiar with the efforts.
One idea being considered is "relational organising". The plan relies on supporters to host virtual fundraisers, hoping to collect small-dollar donations from friends, neighbours and other people in their network.
Mr Biden's campaign is also in talks with third parties about how it can expand its digital operations, according to another person familiar with the matter. "You're going to be seeing a lot more of me on television and on - excuse me, teleconferencing - as well as online," Mr Biden told donors on Sunday.
Mr Biden's supporter and former Paramount Pictures boss Sherry Lansing said all kinds of fundraising events were going to become more difficult as people focus their charitable donations on coronavirus causes and as the faltering economy cuts into incomes.
Ms Lansing said something would be lost by not having in-person events, such as the fundraiser she hosted earlier this month when dozens lined up to take pictures with Mr Biden. "There's nothing that can replace face-to-face human contact," she said.
REUTERS
