Joe Biden has a secret weapon to stop another disastrous Trump term. Will he use it?

Nan Whaley served as the 56th mayor of Dayton, and as the 79th president of the U.S. Conference of Mayors. Gevin Reynolds served in the Biden-Harris White House from 2021 to 2023, including as a speechwriter to Vice President Kamala Harris.

A recent Gallup poll revealed something quite concerning: most Americans do not trust the federal government.

Among other results, a mere 37% of Americans trust the federal government a “great deal” or a “fair amount” to handle domestic matters.

As two institutionalists – one a former mayor, the other a former appointee in the Biden-Harris White House – we cannot overstate the significance of this issue.

These results show that the American people fundamentally do not trust their leaders to solve their problems. In fact, Americans’ current trust in the federal government is 15% lower than its historical average. After four disastrous years of the Donald Trump presidency and continuing GOP chaos in Congress, can we really be surprised?

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Fortunately, the survey was not all bad news.

Who do Americans trust?

Americans do trust one level of government, and overwhelmingly so: local government.

It might be because the visibility of local leaders in church pews and grocery store check-out lines gives folks the perception that their leaders know and care about them, and that they are working to address their needs.

They also might view local government as being smaller, more nimble, and thus better able to solve their problems.

When one of us served as mayor of nearby Dayton, we delivered high quality pre-school for every three- and four-year-old while showing up to the front lines of mass shootings and natural disasters.

Still, mayors have to make sure the potholes are filled and the snow is plowed. And every day, America’s mayors are getting it done.

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Going local can help Biden

As we approach 2024, President Joe Biden can leverage the trust folks have in local government to win re-election and rebuild trust in the federal government.

Ironically, it is the federal government that helps enable much of the success of local governments.

The federal government provides crucial funding for public works projects, local law enforcement, public schools, healthcare and social services, and disaster response. These all contribute significantly to the vitality of a community.

The Biden-Harris administration in particular has helped accelerate the growth and prosperity of cities and towns across the country. A massive investment in fixing roads, bridges, and potholes.

The first gun safety bill in decades. A nearly $2 billion increase in funding for schools that need it most. Historic investments in small businesses and the community banks that fund them. Medicaid expansion to keep rural hospitals open, life-saving pandemic recovery support, and a generational investment in climate to future-proof vulnerable communities.

How local leaders help Biden and Harris

As he hits the campaign trail, Biden should team up with local leaders to highlight this work. He should continue traveling to cities and towns, meeting with local leaders and showing the results of federal money hitting the streets.

He should encourage local leaders to speak up about this work with every opportunity they get. And he should collaborate with local leaders to engage their communities – in print, by co-authoring op-eds in local newspapers, and online, by joining them for social media takeovers.

This outreach will help build support for the Biden-Harris ticket.

Polls have shown that marquee accomplishments, such as the Inflation Reduction Act, are politically popular. They’re just virtually unknown. The President can change that by meeting folks where they are via the platforms and popularity of local leaders, and by pointing to the difference these wins are already making in their everyday lives.

This is about more than just winning an election

But Biden has an opportunity to do more than just win re-election. Leveraging the power of local government to break through to the American people will help rebuild trust in the federal government. Folks hearing from trusted local voices that the federal government has been behind so much of this good work will help dispel contrary notions about its ability to deliver for the American people.

Some will say it’s not that easy.

Of course, rebuilding trust does not occur overnight. But having local voices join with this President to tell stories of what the federal government is doing for them will help start to change minds over the long-term – especially if these efforts are sustained. As with anything, the more folks see, the more they will believe.

As the election cycle picks up, local elected leaders will be key validators for the Biden-Harris ticket – as educators, explainers, and energizers – just as they were in 2020.

But seizing this opportunity to engage strategically with local leaders will pay dividends far beyond this election. Our democracy is only as strong as people’s trust in our institutions. Rebuilding trust in the federal government is therefore essential to the preservation of our democracy. We believe President Biden is up to the task.

Nan Whaley served as the 56th mayor of Dayton, and as the 79th president of the U.S. Conference of Mayors. She was the first women to be nominated to be Ohio's governor by a major party.

Gevin Reynolds served in the Biden-Harris White House from 2021 to 2023, including as a speechwriter to Vice President Kamala Harris.

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Joe Biden can win reelection with secret local weapons