On Tuesday, US President Joe Biden is anticipated to officially declare his bid for re-election for a second term while pleading with voters to grant him more time to “finish the job”.
Four years ago today, he declared his first run for the presidency, promising to restore the “soul of the nation” amid the unrest caused by the controversial administration of then-president Donald Trump. Today, he announced his candidacy for the 2024 election.
Biden, who would be 86 at the end of a second term and is already the oldest president in history, is hoping that his record in Congress and his more than 50 years of experience in Washington, D.C., would outweigh any age-related worries.
A sizeable portion of Democratic voters have expressed a preference that he not run, in part due to his advanced age, which Mr. Biden himself has called “totally legitimate” worries.
However, few factors have brought together Democratic voters more than the possibility of a Trump presidency and the fact that Mr. Biden’s position has stabilized within his party after the Democrats outperformed expectations in the midterm elections last year.
Although Mr. Trump, 76, is the favorite to become the Republican nominee, he still has a lot to overcome, including the distinction of becoming the first president to be charged with a crime.
Despite concerns about his readiness to run outside of his increasingly Republican-leaning state, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has emerged as an early alternative in the unpredictable remaining Republican field.
Encouraged by the midterm results, Mr. Biden intends to keep portraying all Republicans as supporting what he terms “ultra-MAGA” policies, which is a reference to Mr. Trump’s “Make America Great Again” slogan, regardless of whether his predecessor appears on the 2024 ballot.
He has been putting his campaign themes to the test for the past few months, portraying Republicans as pushing for tax cuts for businesses and the rich while attempting to reduce the safety net.