New Trump ads feature Biden falling down stairs and off his bike

The Trump campaign will run a pair of television ads late Thursday that slam President Biden’s record and his physical and mental abilities, and even ask if the Democrat “makes it four more years in the White House.”

The ads will run in swing states and Washington, D.C., during the presidential debate. Former President Donald Trump and Mr. Biden are squaring off in Atlanta in their first debate late Thursday on CNN.

“When you think about the Joe Biden you saw in the debate, ask yourself a question: Do you think the guy who was defeated by the stairs … got taken down by his bike … lost a fight with his jacket … and regularly gets lost … makes it four more years in the White House?” one 30-second ad says over clips of Mr. Biden stumbling on Air Force One and falling off his bike.

“And you know who’s waiting behind him, right?” the narrator says over a clip of Vice President Kamala Harris laughing.

The other 30-second spot is a more traditional political ad that targets Mr. Biden over price inflation and illegal immigration.

“Are you and your family safer since he became president? Is our country more secure since he became president?” the narrator says. After four years of failure under Joe Biden, it’s time to make America prosperous and strong again. Donald Trump for president — again.”

Mr. Trump is leading or tied with Mr. Biden in polling heading into the summer party conventions.

Democrats are hopeful Mr. Biden will pull ahead as the race comes into focus.

Mr. Biden has been hammering Mr. Trump as a threat to democracy, pointing to his role in whipping up supporters before they attacked the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.

The Biden campaign is leaning into Mr. Trump’s situation as a convicted felon after his hush money trial in New York with part of a seven-figure media blitz around the debate.

“The choice — a convicted criminal who’s looking out for himself, or a president who’s fighting for you,” a full-page Biden ad in USA Today says.

The Biden campaign is putting ads on the websites of Buzzfeed, CNN, El Tiempo Latino, Telemundo, TheGrio and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Also, it is projecting QR codes around the city to call attention to Project 2025, a blueprint of conservative proposals drafted by The Heritage Foundation.

The campaign is tying the project to Mr. Trump’s proposed agenda and believes voters will be turned off by proposals that would crack down on abortion, nullify Mr. Biden’s orders on climate change and reclassify thousands of government workers as political appointees.

“Project 2025 spells it out: If Donald Trump wins a second term, he’ll do everything he can to rip away Americans’ freedoms, undermine our democracy, and amass power for himself while weaponizing the government to get revenge on his opponents,” Biden spokeswoman Sarafina Chitika said. “The American people are tuning in to just how extreme and unpopular Donald Trump’s second term playbook is – and they’re ready to stop him this November.”