President Joe Biden is losing a lot of support within his own party. The war in Gaza is leading to massive demonstrations across the country, mainly with progressive Democrats making themselves heard. It could hurt Biden’s re-election.
When President Joe Biden campaigns, a visit to Scranton, Pennsylvania is a regular feature. Above all, it symbolizes his place of birth and his close ties to the working class and the communities he claims to represent. Usually he is welcomed there with open arms, but this year the atmosphere is distinctly different.
Disillusioned Democrats
About 100 meters from his parents’ home, where Biden is visiting at the time, there are pro-Palestinian demonstrators. Through a megaphone, activists chanted clearly audible chants at President Biden: “Biden, Biden, you can’t hide. We accuse you of genocide.”
Six months before the election, it’s not about the president’s aging or inflation, but we’re mainly dealing with disillusioned Democrats who don’t understand why the president still unconditionally supports Israel.
Students in detention
With the exception of a few Biden fans, we often hear the same message on the street. “A lot of people from Scranton, like me, voted for Biden in previous elections. But I won’t do it this year. As far as I’m concerned, he’s not welcome here anymore,” one young Democrat tells us.
Criticism of President Biden is louder than ever in Democratic strongholds. The campuses of America’s leading universities have become hotbeds of activity since the war in Gaza. From Columbia and Yale to Harvard: Students across America head to the barricades.
Neck and neck race
If you look at the polls, you see that President Biden can’t lose voters. A sitting president has rarely been unpopular.
Even Trump scored well in his last six months before the election. The coming elections are certainly not a done deal. It promises to be a neck-and-neck race between Biden and Trump.
‘We’re totally over it’
“Joe, I campaigned for you, I fought for you, you beat me, man,” says a protester at the entrance to Columbia University in New York when asked about his position.
“If you don’t change your Israel policy, we won’t vote you back into the White House. He can’t use our tax dollars to buy bombs to drop on children in Gaza,” said another. “We want him to understand that he can’t trust us as liberals just because we’re Democrats. We’re done with that.”
Major Democrats
Under pressure from these kinds of demonstrations, Biden has been more critical of Netanyahu for his actions, but that’s not enough for many Democrats. It’s not just a few protesters. Key members of the Democratic Party also no longer want anything to do with the president.
Shatab Jaffer was the Democratic mayor of Montgomery, New Jersey. As a staunch supporter of the Democratic Party, he always stood up for his political beliefs. 3 years ago he campaigned for Biden during the previous elections but now he is shy.
Minority Support
“I believed that he would have our best interests at heart and that he would stand up for minorities. I expected him to be more human than Donald Trump, but I am very disappointed in him. He does not care about the lives and suffering of the Palestinians. What they are going through is very shocking,” she says. .
This disappointment is particularly large because Biden has been able to win previous elections with the support of a minority. Black Americans but also Americans of Arab descent. It is precisely these people he is excluding now, who are therefore at risk of staying home during the November election. If that happens, Biden could be in serious trouble. But what if Donald Trump is sworn in as the new President of the United States?
‘Very sad’
“I’ve always been committed to the Democratic Party because it has the same ideals as me, we believe in human rights,” Jafar says.
“It’s very sad, but I no longer believe that this administration will do what the Democrats want. It really depends on whether he changes his position. But if he doesn’t, I won’t vote for him.”
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