on Tuesday formally announced that asking voters to give him more time to B次元官网网址渇inish this jobB次元官网网址� and extend the run of for another four years.
Biden, who would be 86 at the end of a second term, is betting and more than 50 years of experience in Washington will count for more than concerns over his age. He faces a smooth path to winning his partyB次元官网网址檚 nomination, with no serious Democratic rivals. But heB次元官网网址檚 still set for a hard-fought struggle to retain the presidency in a bitterly divided nation.
The announcement, in , comes on the four-year anniversary of when Biden in 2019, promising to heal the B次元官网网址渟oul of the nationB次元官网网址� amid B次元官网网址� a goal that has remained elusive.
B次元官网网址淚 said we are in a battle for the soul of America, and we still are,B次元官网网址� Biden said. B次元官网网址淭he question we are facing is whether in the years ahead we have more freedom or less freedom. More rights or fewer.B次元官网网址�
While the prospect of seeking reelection has been a given for most modern presidents, thatB次元官网网址檚 not always been the case for Biden. A have indicated they would prefer he not run, in part because of his age B次元官网网址� concerns Biden has called but ones he did not address head-on in the launch video.
Yet few things have unified Democratic voters like the prospect of Trump returning to power. And BidenB次元官网网址檚 political standing within his party stabilized after Democrats notched a stronger-than-expected performance in The president is set to run again on the same themes that buoyed his party last fall, particularly on preserving .
B次元官网网址淔reedom. Personal freedom is fundamental to who we are as Americans. ThereB次元官网网址檚 nothing more important. Nothing more sacred,B次元官网网址� Biden said in the launch video, depicting Republican extremists as trying to roll back access to abortion, , limit voting rights and they disagree with. B次元官网网址淎round the country, MAGA extremists are lining up to take those bedrock freedoms away.B次元官网网址�
B次元官网网址淭his is not a time to be complacent,B次元官网网址� Biden added. B次元官网网址淭hatB次元官网网址檚 why IB次元官网网址檓 running for reelection.B次元官网网址�
As the contours of the campaign begin to take shape, Biden plans to campaign on his record. He spent his first two years as president combating the coronavirus pandemic and pushing through major bills such as and legislation to promote high-tech manufacturing and climate measures. With Republicans now , Biden has shifted his focus to implementing those massive laws and making sure voters credit him for the improvements.
The president also has multiple policy goals and unmet promises from his first campaign that heB次元官网网址檚 asking voters on giving him another chance to fulfill.
B次元官网网址淟etB次元官网网址檚 finish this job. I know we can,B次元官网网址� Biden said in the video, repeating a mantra he said a dozen times during his in February, listing everything from passing a ban on assault-style weapons and lowering the cost of prescription drugs to codifying a national right to abortion after the Supreme CourtB次元官网网址檚 ruling last year .
Buoyed by , Biden plans to continue to cast all Republicans as embracing what he calls B次元官网网址� a reference to TrumpB次元官网网址檚 B次元官网网址淢ake America Great AgainB次元官网网址� slogan B次元官网网址� regardless of whether his predecessor ends up on the 2024 ballot.
In the video, Biden speaks over brief clips and photographs of key moments in his presidency, snapshots of diverse Americans and flashes of outspoken Republican foes, including Trump, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, and Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia. He exhorts supporters that B次元官网网址渢his is our momentB次元官网网址� to B次元官网网址渄efend democracy. Stand up for our personal freedoms. Stand up for the right to vote and our civil rights.B次元官网网址�
Biden also plans to point to his work over the past two years shoring up American alliances, leading a global coalition to support UkraineB次元官网网址檚 defenses against RussiaB次元官网网址檚 invasion and . But public support in the U.S. for Ukraine has softened in recent months, and some voters question the tens of billions of dollars in flowing to Kyiv.
The president faces lingering criticism over his administrationB次元官网网址檚 after nearly 20 years of war, which undercut the image of competence he aimed to portray, and heB次元官网网址檚 the target of GOP attacks over his immigration and economic policies.
As a candidate in 2020, Biden pitched voters on his familiarity with the halls of power in Washington and his relationships around the world. But even back then, he was acutely aware of votersB次元官网网址� concerns about his age.
B次元官网网址淟ook, I view myself as a bridge, not as anything else,B次元官网网址� Biden said in March 2020, as he campaigned in Michigan with younger Democrats, including now-Vice President Kamala Harris, Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey and Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. B次元官网网址淭hereB次元官网网址檚 an entire generation of leaders you saw stand behind me. They are the future of this country.B次元官网网址�
Three years later, the president now 80, Biden allies say his time in office has demonstrated that he saw himself as more of a transformational than a transitional leader.
Still, many Democrats would prefer that Biden didnB次元官网网址檛 run again. A from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research shows just 47% of Democrats say they want him to seek a second term, up from 37% in February. And BidenB次元官网网址檚 verbal B次元官网网址� and occasional physical B次元官网网址� stumbles have become fodder for critics trying to cast him as unfit for office.
Biden, on multiple occasions, has , saying simply, B次元官网网址淲atch me.B次元官网网址�
During in February, his physician, Dr. Kevin OB次元官网网址機onnor, declared him B次元官网网址渉ealthy, vigorousB次元官网网址� and B次元官网网址渇itB次元官网网址� to handle his White House responsibilities.
Aides acknowledge that while some in his party might prefer an alternative to Biden, there is anything but consensus within their diverse coalition on who that might be. And they insist that when Biden is compared with whomever the GOP nominates, Democrats and independents will rally around Biden.
For now, the 76-year-old Trump is the favorite to emerge as the Republican nominee, creating the potential of a historic sequel to . But Trump faces significant hurdles of his own, including the designation of being the first former president to . The remaining GOP field is volatile, with DeSantis emerging as an early alternative to Trump. DeSantisB次元官网网址� stature is also in question, however, amid questions about his readiness to campaign outside of his increasingly Republican-leaning state.
To prevail again, Biden will need the alliance of young voters and Black voters B次元官网网址� particularly women B次元官网网址� along with blue-collar Midwesterners, moderates and disaffected Republicans who helped him win in 2020. HeB次元官网网址檒l have to again carry in the Upper Midwest, while protecting his position in Georgia and Arizona, longtime GOP strongholds he narrowly won last time.
BidenB次元官网网址檚 reelection bid comes as the nation weathers uncertain economic crosscurrents. after hitting the highest rate in a generation, but unemployment is at a 50-year low, and the economy is showing signs of resilience despite Federal Reserve interest rate hikes.
B次元官网网址淚f voters let Biden B次元官网网址榝inish the job,B次元官网网址� inflation will continue to skyrocket, crime rates will rise, more fentanyl will cross our open borders, children will continue to be left behind, and American families will be worse off,B次元官网网址� Republican National Committee Chair Ronna McDaniel said in a statement.
Presidents typically try to delay their reelection announcements to maintain the advantages of incumbency and skate above the political fray for as long as possible while their rivals trade jabs. But the leg up offered by being in the White House can be rickety B次元官网网址� three of the last seven presidents have lost reelection, most recently Trump in 2020.
BidenB次元官网网址檚 announcement is roughly consistent with the timeline followed by then-President Barack Obama, who waited until April 2011 to declare for a second term and didnB次元官网网址檛 hold a reelection rally until May 2012. Trump launched his reelection bid on the day he was sworn in in 2017.
Biden is not expected to dramatically alter his day-to-day schedule as a candidate B次元官网网址� at least not immediately B次元官网网址� with aides believing his strongest political asset is showing the American people that he is governing. And if he follows the Obama playbook, he may not hold any formal campaign rallies until well into 2024.
On Tuesday, Biden named White House adviser to serve as campaign manager and who ran Sen. Raphael WarnockB次元官网网址檚 reelection campaign in Georgia last year, to serve as principal deputy campaign manager. The campaign co-chairs will be Reps. Lisa Blunt-Rochester, Jim Clyburn and Veronica Escobar; Sens. Chris Coons and Tammy Duckworth; entertainment mogul and Democratic mega-donor Jeffrey Katzenberg; and Whitmer.
On the heels of the announcement Tuesday, Biden was set to deliver remarks to union members before hosting South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol for at the White House. He plans to meet with party donors in Washington later this week.
B次元官网网址擹eke Miller, The Associated Press
READ MORE:
