During the early stages of campaigning for the early primaries in the small states it's supposed to be fun and loose. Not for everyone. Joe Biden uses a teleprompter to avoid gaffes and lose his spot at the 2020 front-runner and also to help keep him on message.
While in New Hampshire and appearing in front of a crowd of 400 people, the teleprompter was rolled out despite him appearing in such an intimate gathering.
Instead of script, the teleprompter provided a speech outline. It didn't go seamlessly as the prompter operator struggled to determine which point needed to be hit next. During the downtime Biden made an anecdote or took pot shots at President Trump about his foreign relations.
Joe Biden Uses a Teleprompter in an Intimate Setting
https://youtu.be/nN86V8_QyBM
So in order to avoid disaster Biden has implemented the strategy of speaking less.
Several times Biden protected himself from staying on a specific topic too long. At one point he said, "I could go on, but I won't." Another time he said, "I'm sorry to go on."
More on the story from the Washington Examiner:
Nevertheless, throughout his first campaign trip through New Hampshire Monday and Tuesday, Biden made himself accessible to attendees at campaign events while successfully avoiding gaffes and missteps. Biden spoke at the Hampton event without notes and answered a half-dozen questions from the audience.
Things weren't always smooth sailing.
Someone in Hampton knocked over and broke a glass while those in the mob of attendees and the press moved tables and stood on chairs to get a glimpse of Biden as he pressed the flesh for 40 minutes. His staffers remained close by through the ruckus, collecting notes and gifts that attendees brought to give to Biden and taking down their contact info so his campaign could follow up on questions. They did not appear to intervene between Biden and attendees, besides helping to clear pathways and keeping the candidate on schedule.
Biden’s composure is a change from missteps in his previous bids for president. When he launched his 2008 presidential campaign, he immediately faced scrutiny for calling Barack Obama "the first mainstream African American who is articulate and bright and clean and a nice-looking guy."
This is because of a long history of saying the wrong thing. Back in 1998 told a voter he has a higher IQ than they do.
Another time, back in 2010, he was caught on a hot mic saying the Affordadable Care Act being signed by Obama was a "big f***ing deal."
