A defiant Biden borrows some tactics from his rival as he tries to put debate debacle behind him

NEW YORK (AP) — He’s calling in to his favorite morning cable news show, bashing the “elites” of his party and dismissing unfavorable polls. He’s even talking up his crowd sizes.

As an increasingly defiant President Joe Biden rejects calls to step aside after a disastrous debate performance, he’s been embracing some of the tactics used by a man he calls a mortal threat to democracy: his rival, former President Donald Trump.

Trump has weathered a seemingly never-ending list of controversies, from the Access Hollywood tape that threatened to derail his candidacy weeks before the 2016 election, to his two impeachments, four indictments and conviction on 34 felony charges for falsifying business records. Through it all, Trump has developed a well-worn playbook for confronting allegations. He aggressively denies any wrongdoing. He lashes out at his detractors. And he often disputes what people have seen with their own eyes.

To be clear, there are significant differences between the men’s approaches. Unlike Trump, Biden has repeatedly acknowledged his poor debate performance, saying he had a bad night. Instead of publicly blaming his advisers, he’s said, “Any mistake made is my fault.”