Updated

The New York Times has likened Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden's appearances on the campaign trail to coronavirus-affected NFL games, describing them as "quiet, eerie and almost entirely fan-free."

"There is scant physical evidence that the former vice president and Democratic nominee is in town," read a Times report published Tuesday and headlined, "When Joe Biden’s in Town, but It’s Hard to Tell".

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"His visits are scarcely publicized beforehand, logistical details are closely held and his event venues serve as much as video studios as places of gathering," the report went on. "Barely anyone is allowed near the candidate."

Noting how the Biden campaign has largely focused on online outreach in lieu of traditional door-knocking, the Times said former vice president's return to visiting battleground states has "acquired a distinctly stealthy quality."

"Mr. Biden is campaigning on the point that his dedication to staying away from his supporters is proof he cares about them — and that President Trump’s insistence on holding rallies shows he cares only about himself," the report continued.

"Still, Mr. Biden’s minimal footprint on the ground tends to stoke anxiety among Democrats that their vehicle for defeating the president has a deficit in effort and enthusiasm, especially compared with an opponent whose big-splash approach (boat flotillas, fully resumed campaign events) is anything but reluctant."

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As an example, the Times cited a Biden campaign event in Tampa, Fla., where "a loud cluster of about 50 Trump supporters" outnumbered Biden supporters "by about two to one and easily outshouted them."

"That has been virtually impossible to replicate from the tightly restricted bubble that cloisters the 77-year-old nominee. As the Democrats’ instrument of Mr. Trump’s removal, Mr. Biden is being treated as precious cargo — which itself can be disorienting," the Times described. "How do you 'bring the country together' while running a campaign that forbids nearly all togetherness? The awkwardness of this foray has been on display in recent weeks as Mr. Biden has dipped back into in-person campaigning across several battleground states."