Biden’s announcement took some time. Many political analysts expected the incumbent president to announce his re-election bid in February.
Kamala Harris will be Biden’s running mate in 2020. Harris, 58, is seeking his second term as vice president.
Biden made his announcement via video message exactly four years after running for office in the 2020 election. In the video, Biden lashes out at former President Donald Trump. He stood for election in November for next year’s election.
In the video, the sitting president speaks out against so-called MAGA Republicans. “MAGA” refers to the Make America Great Again slogan that Trump (successfully) used in 2016. Biden is approaching next year’s election as a “battle for the soul of our country.”
Biden championed multibillion-dollar reforms
Biden has had some big wins in his first term as president. He was given billions in infrastructure, climate and health care reforms by the US Congress. His government took a decisive stand in the Ukraine war.
The Democratic Party’s losses in midterm elections late last year were also limited. Democrats lost just nine seats in the House of Representatives under Biden.
The loss is smaller than the first-term losses of his predecessors, Trump (40) and Barack Obama (63). Contrary to expectations, Democrats in the Senate managed to retain their majority.
Critics doubt Biden is even sharper
The president also gets a lot of criticism. Although less so than Europe, the United States also experienced economic problems after the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Many Americans blame the Biden administration for increasing their cost of living.
The chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan and the migration crisis along the US southern border are other headaches that have plagued the president.
According to the average Many polls 53 percent of Americans currently have an unfavorable view of Biden. 43 percent are positive about him.
Voor veel Democraten is Biden de ‘veilige keuze’
Het is niet dat het de Democratische Partij helemaal aan jong talent ontbreekt. Maar de Democraten zien de bui al hangen: de verkiezingen van volgend jaar zouden best weer een strijd tegen Donald Trump kunnen worden. Biden heeft al eens bewezen Trump te kunnen verslaan.
Daar komt bij dat de zittende president vaak een voordeel heeft aan het einde van zijn eerste termijn. Kiezers zijn dan meer geneigd hem een kans te geven ‘de klus af te maken’.
Ondanks zijn gevorderde leeftijd en zijn matige populariteit, zien veel Democraten Joe Biden als de veilige keuze voor 2024. Biden is het daar zelf duidelijk mee eens.
Biden’s age is also a concern
At the start of a possible second term, Biden will be 82. He is already the oldest president of the United States. Because of his advanced age, many voters, including Democrats, doubted Biden’s ability to hold the heavyweight post for another four years.
Biden regularly makes mistakes, mixes things up and looks confused during speeches. On the other side of the coin, he was known for slips of the tongue and mistakes throughout his political career.
Despite much speculation about Biden’s mood and grateful Republican attacks, there is little to say about whether he can last another four years in office.
A new war with Trump is possible
As an incumbent president, Biden seems certain to be the Democratic nominee in any event. There are no serious signals within the party that others want to take him on.
It is not yet known who his Republican opponent will be. A new war with Trump could follow, a repeat of the 2020 election. Then Biden defeated the incumbent president.
A repeat of such a fight would not inspire much enthusiasm among the electorate. Polls show that voters of both parties prefer younger candidates.