Washington — Thirty-five years after he first announced his intention to run for president in 35, US President Joe Biden has officially declared his 1988 election and called on American voters to re-elect him again to "save democracy."
Biden's announcement came in a 3-minute video message that included his achievements and the threats he sees as looming over America. Notably, the video opened with images of supporters of former President Dutald Trump storming the Capitol on January 6, 2021, and images of demonstrations in support of abortion rights in front of the US Supreme Court.
"When I ran for president four years ago, I said we were in a battle for the soul of America, and we still are," Biden said.
Age crisis
The former Biden enters despite his low approval ratings and reaching below 40%, at a time when he did not achieve much success in the economy after the United States was hit hard by the outbreak and spread of the "Covid-19" virus and the subsequent wide lockdowns.
But the most exciting point is that only 47 percent of Democrats want to see Joe Biden on the ballot in 2024, according to the latest Associated Press poll. That's not because they think he's done a bad job in office, but because many Democrats, especially younger ones, worry that he'll simply be too big to be effective in a second term, which will end when he's 86.
In the current Senate, the average age is 63.9 years, and in the House of Representatives, the average age is 57.5 years, while the average age in the United States is only 38.8 years.
Because of the Democratic Party's strict nature, the candidates who competed for the party ticket in the 2020 election are not expected to challenge President Biden this time, including Senators Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota, Bernie Sanders of Vermont, Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and Cory Booker of New Jersey, as well as Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg.
Trump's Ghost
The replay of the 2020 election battle between Biden and Trump is a nightmare for the majority of Americans. Trump currently appears to be the frontrunner in the Republican primary race, but Trump's strength within the Republican Party is also the primary rationale for Joe Biden's campaign, as the Democratic Party establishment believes that Biden is the Democrats' best bet to prevent his predecessor from winning a second term that will certainly be more extreme than the first.
Democrats hope to appeal to independent swing voters by portraying Biden as a strong barrier against the extremism of the Trumpian trend (Maga) within the Republican Party. Biden plays on the narrative that "Trump has doubled down on his threat to American democracy."
At his first campaign rally in Waco, Texas, last month, Trump warned that "either the deep state destroys America or we destroy the deep state." So far, no potential Republican rival has been able to attack Trump over the criminal charges he faces, a factor that adds to the belief of many Democrats that he will win the Republican nomination.
Sad days
Before U.S. voters go to vote in the 2024 election, unexpected turns could dramatically change the electoral landscape. Biden's health and age could affect his eligibility to run and debate against Trump, and criminal charges could prompt Trump to change the landscape.
However, circumstances evoke a unique presidential race that reflects the polarization and instability of U.S. politics, and the 2024 election is likely to challenge the strength of U.S. political institutions.
Some considered Biden's candidacy, and Trump's candidacy before him, "sad days for American democracy" as it prevented a new generation of politicians from stepping up to raise the flag of the Republican and Democratic parties.
Surprisingly, the same motive used to justify Biden's 2020 candidacy – Trump's threat to America's democratic institutions and values – will be the basis for his re-election bid. Biden attacked the radicalization of Trump supporters, a strategy that worked in November's midterm elections.
Exploiting the Chaos of the Alternative
President Biden mixes when talking about his presidential campaign, saying, "Don't compare me to gods and prophets, compare me to the alternative." That may have made sense in the 2020 election, but that won't be enough as he seeks a second term, in which Biden must defend his presidential record and convince voters that they are better off than they were when he took office.
Biden's team believes in the power of comparisons with Trump, who turns 80 in his second term. Biden will argue that Americans cannot afford the chaos that prevailed the last time Trump was in the White House.
Ultimately, Biden knows that his fate will return to the same swing states that put him in office by narrow margins, including Wisconsin, Georgia, Arizona, and Pennsylvania.
Democrats are putting their trust in the numbers supporting President Trump's negative legacy in these crucial states, but it would be an unpleasant surprise if Republicans succeed in fielding a candidate other than Trump who turns the tables on Democrats' hopes and on President Biden's dreams.