“The question we are facing is whether in the years ahead we have more freedom or less freedom. More rights or fewer.
“I know what I want the answer to be and I think you do too. This is not a time to be complacent. That’s why I’m running for re-election.”
It’s a bold and risky move on several fronts. After all,Biden is already the oldest president in American history,and the first octogenarian to lead the most powerful country in the world.
The previous oldest president was Ronald Reagan,who left office at the age of 77. If Biden were to win in 2024,he would be 82 years old at his inauguration and 86 at the end of a second term.
Supporters and those who have dealt with him up close insist he remains sharp and intellectually engaged. Australia’s former US ambassador Arthur Sinodinos,for instance,told this masthead in an exit interview last month:“I’ve seen him conduct two-hour briefings with leaders,like at the Pacific Island summit,and he is totally in control and on top of his brief.”
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“For someone who people keep underestimating,look at what happened in the midterms. Look at what’s happened in terms of passing bipartisan legislation.”
But Biden’s age has nonetheless become an uncomfortable issue for some party insiders,who note his tendency to make gaffes,lose his train of thought,or struggle with names and teleprompters.
Much has also changed since the last election,when the pandemic allowed Biden to campaign remotely from his home in Delaware – and even then,he was accused by adversaries of “hiding in his basement” to avoid scrutiny about his fitness for office.
This time,his schedule is likely to be far more bruising,and every stumble – verbal or physical – will be used as fodder by conservatives to push the narrative that the president isn’t up to the task.
Biden’s election bid comes in the face of ongoing economic uncertainty. While US unemployment is at a 50-year low and inflation is cooling,interest rates remain high and the cost of goods including food and furniture,rent and fuel remains a dominant reason voters continue to rate Biden’s performance poorly.
As of April 24,only 42.5 per cent of Americans approved of his job as president,according to polling analysts FiveThirtyEight. Trump,by comparison had a 41.3 per cent approval rating at the same time in his campaign cycle while former president Barack Obama recorded 45.1 per cent.
If the economy falls into recession or prices spike again,Biden could struggle to make the case that his policies have helped Americans through the difficult post-pandemic recovery.
And then there are other unpredictable factors weighing on Democrats’ minds. How will the federal and congressional probes into the business ventures of the president’s son Hunter Biden,or the investigation into Biden’s handling of classified documents,loom over a potential second term?
What happens if Trump doesn’t win the Republican nomination,and the party chooses someone who may be more palatable to voters in a general election,such as Virginia governor Glenn Youngkin,former vice-president Mike Pence,or Florida Governor Ron DeSantis,all of whom are considering entering the race?
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And what if another serious Democratic challenger emerges? This seems highly unlikely as the president has the advantage of incumbency,and so far,his only primary rivals are long-shots:self-help author Marianne Williamson and anti-vaccine activist Robert F Kennedy jnr,the son of former senator Robert F Kennedy and nephew of former president John F Kennedy.
But US politics is unpredictable.
For now,the 2024 campaign has begun in earnest and so far,it’s looking a bit like 2020. As Biden sees it,there is still much to do:on the economy,gun reform,abortion rights and democracy.
“Let’s finish this job,” he said. “I know we can.”
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