After months of hints and comments that he would seek a second term, President Joe Biden officially announced his 2024 reelection campaign in a video on April 25, four years to the day after he announced his 2020 presidential bid.
“This is not a time to be complacent. ... That’s why I’m running for reelection,” he said.
“We believe that everyone is equal, that everyone should be given a fair shot to succeed in this country.”
In his video, while showing images of the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol breach, Biden took aim at Republicans, saying, “Around the country, MAGA extremists are lining up to take on those bedrock freedoms.”
Drawing on the theme of his 2020 election, Biden said: “When I ran for president four years ago, I said we were in a battle for the soul of America. And we still are.
Challenges Ahead
Biden faces challenges that weren’t present during his first campaign, when he was a former vice president running against incumbent President Donald Trump.Biden’s handling of the nation’s economy has been a source of concern for many Americans since late 2021 because of stubbornly high inflation and ongoing recession fears.
A legal inquiry continues into Biden’s handling of classified documents from his time as vice president that were discovered at his Wilmington, Delaware, home earlier this year, following the finding of classified materials at the Washington-based Penn Biden Center in November 2022.
The escalating crisis at the U.S.–Mexico border, the Russia–Ukraine war, and communist China’s growing influence and its potential invasion of Taiwan are among the other challenges Biden is facing.
One of his most urgent matters is the debt ceiling standoff with the Republican-controlled House of Representatives.
On April 26, the House narrowly approved legislation introduced by Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) that, if enacted, would increase the nation’s debt ceiling by $1.5 trillion through March 2024, in exchange for a return in discretionary spending to fiscal 2022 levels, among other cuts. The measure passed 217-215, with four Republicans joining all Democrats in voting no.
The “Limit, Save, Grow Act” of 2023 is intended to ease concerns about a possible default on U.S. obligations and encourage a more permanent resolution of the debt crisis into the election season.
Biden has refused to negotiate with House Republicans over the debt ceiling.
Government spending is expected to be a widely discussed issue in both parties’ primaries and the general election.
Inflation, which reached its post-pandemic peak in June 2022 at 9.1 percent, is now at 5 percent. Yet rising interest rates implemented by the Federal Reserve to combat inflation have increased the risk of a recession, many economists believe.
Biden has approved trillions in spending since taking office. Among the legislation that he proudly publicizes are the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan, the $1.2 trillion Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, the $745 billion Inflation Reduction Act, and a $1.7 trillion government spending bill that he signed in December 2022.
Republicans have long blamed that spending for the rise in consumer prices and have said since the 117th Congress that cutting spending would be a top priority for the party if they gained a majority in the House.
Wes Farno, a Republican campaign strategist in Ohio, said he believes that Biden’s messaging that “all is well” will “fall flat” and that Republicans are well-positioned to take back the White House in 2024.
“It’s absurd when he stands up there and claims that the economy is doing well and inflation is under control. Go into a grocery store and tell that to anyone picking something up off the shelves.
Approval Rating
Polling suggests that many Americans are displeased with Biden’s job performance, prefer former President Donald Trump in a head-to-head matchup, and have concerns about Biden’s age.A Harvard Youth poll released on April 24 by the Harvard Kennedy School Institute of Politics showed that Biden’s approval rating among voters between the ages of 18 and 29 has dropped to 36 percent from 41 percent since last spring.
An April 20 Harvard–Harris poll indicated that, in a one-on-one matchup between Biden and Trump, registered voters would favor Trump, 45 percent to 40 percent.
The survey also showed that 67 percent of voters think Biden is “too old” to be president and 56 percent have doubts about his mental fitness for the job.
Biden ran for president in 2020 amid the COVID-19 pandemic and delivered multiple addresses from a TV studio in the basement of his Delaware home.
Aides say that his 2024 campaign will be more vigorous, and his 2023 schedule to date is an example.
Biden gave a speech to the Irish Parliament on April 13, and he mentioned his age while also making the case for a second run.
“I’m at the end of my career, not the beginning,” Biden said. “The only thing I bring to this career after my age—as you can see how old I am—is a little bit of wisdom.”
Other Potential Candidates
Democrats who were considered potential contenders for the party’s 2024 presidential nomination—such as California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker—have publicly expressed support for Biden. Other high-profile Democrats—including New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, and Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.)—have also voiced their backing of the president.“Strength comes from unity. Even if some of these appointees decide to run against the president, at least the Democrats will come to the general election with a robust, transparent, and unified message,” David Carlucci, a former New York state senator who’s a Democratic political strategist, told The Epoch Times.
“This is how Democrats will win. On the other hand, as seen with the appointment of Speaker McCarthy, Republicans struggle immensely with their fringe members.”
During its February meeting, the Democratic National Committee (DNC) unanimously passed a resolution declaring its “full and complete support” for a second term for Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris.
Earlier in April, Biden and the DNC announced that the 2024 national convention would be held in Chicago.
“Running for the president the first time is aspirational. You can make all sorts of big bold promises,” Jen Psaki, Biden’s former press secretary, said on April 23 on her MSNBC show. “Running for reelection is when you actually get your report card from the American people.”
“Part of the case President Biden will make to the public after he announces his reelection campaign is that he needs more time to do more and build on the things he has done during his first term,” Psaki said. “That’s the message: ‘Let me finish the job I started.’”
No Democrat who currently holds an office has entered the 2024 presidential race.
On March 4, self-help author and spiritual adviser Marianne Williamson began her 2024 presidential campaign at Union Station in Washington.
Last week, before an enthusiastic crowd in Boston, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. officially announced his 2024 presidential campaign.
Kennedy, 69, is the son of the late Robert F. Kennedy, the former U.S. attorney general, U.S. senator, and 1968 presidential candidate, and the nephew of the late President John F. Kennedy. He is an attorney, the founder of the advocacy group Children’s Health Defense, and a widely known medical freedom and environmental activist.
“I have known and liked Joe Biden for many years, but I disagree with him profoundly about issues like corporate influence in government, censorship, civil liberties, poverty, corruption, transparency, health policy, and war policy, among others,“ Kennedy told The Epoch Times. ”I look forward to presenting my views plainly so that the people can decide what kind of America they will live in and debating these issues with President Biden.”
As Kennedy announced his presidential campaign, a USA TODAY/Suffolk University Poll discovered that he quickly generated 14 percent support from respondents who voted for Biden in 2020. Biden received 67 percent backing, and Williamson was third with 5 percent. Another 13 percent were undecided.
No Democrat Debates
On April 24, the DNC decided to forgo primary debates. This drew criticism from Kennedy, who said it confirms that the nation’s elections are “rigged.”“Americans think the entire system is rigged against them,” Kennedy told The Epoch Times. “And if the DNC goes through with this—its plan to not have debates—I think that will serve as ... an unfortunate confirmation to a lot of Americans that the system is indeed rigged.”
If Biden wins the Democratic primary, and Trump prevails in the Republican primary, history will be made in the general election. There has never been a rematch between two candidates in back-to-back U.S. presidential elections.
NBC News released a poll on April 23 that indicated that 70 percent of respondents don’t want Biden to seek another term and 60 percent don’t want Trump to run.
Trump has consistently held a significant advantage over the second most popular candidate, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, in the polls. DeSantis has yet to announce whether he is running for president.
Biden can defeat Trump, according to Rep. David Cicilline (D-R.I.).
“People recognized he was the one candidate who could defeat Donald Trump and protect American democracy,” Cicilline said. “It’s still the case.”
