Biden announces his candidacy for president again, citing Trump as reason
Joe Biden fears a threat to democracy in the event of Donald Trump's victory (photo: Getty Images)
President of the United States Joe Biden stated that he would likely not have run for a second presidential term if Donald Trump had a chance to lead the country again. According to Biden, the former president poses a serious threat to American democracy, according to Bloomberg.
"If Trump wasn’t running, I’m not sure I’d be running. But we cannot let him win for the sake of our country," said U.S. President Joe Biden to donors during a fundraising event in Massachusetts.
Joe Biden has faced persistent voter doubts about his decision to run for another four years due to his advanced age. The White House leader sought to ease these concerns by stating that Trump would undermine democratic institutions in the U.S., repeal laws allowing more people to access healthcare, and impose additional restrictions on abortion.
At the same time, the current U.S. president has repeatedly claimed that his decision to run for president in 2020 was prompted by his reaction to the 2017 white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia. After the killing of one of the protesters, Trump stated that there were very fine people on both sides of the demonstration.
The oldest president in history
Joe Biden celebrated his 81st birthday last month and is now the oldest president in U.S. history. Allies and those who interact with him consider it inappropriate to focus on Biden's age and health, emphasizing that he is sufficiently healthy to perform his duties. They point to his work schedule and physical exercises prescribed by the White House physician.
The President insists that he is ready to serve another term, often attempting to lighten concerns about his age with humor. At a fundraising event on Tuesday, December 5, Joe Biden joked about being eighty.
"It’s hell turning 40 twice," he said.
As 77-year-old Donald Trump leads by a significant margin in the Republican Party's primaries, Biden increasingly targets his predecessor, considering him a de facto nominee for the country's leadership.
"This attention is also heightened against the backdrop of polls showing Biden trailing Trump in a potential face-off, partly due to concerns about the president's age and how voters perceive his handling of the economy. Prominent Wall Street leaders have also expressed concerns about the prospect of a Biden-Trump rematch in November 2024 and are keeping an eye on other candidates who could, in the eleventh hour, change the course of the race," Bloomberg reports.
Alternative candidates
Last week, billionaire investor Bill Ackman stated that Joe Biden risks damaging his reputation if he runs for a second term and urged him to "step aside" and create an opportunity for some competition.
Ackman mentioned that he is keeping an eye on Minnesota representative, 54-year-old Dean Phillips, who has a good chance of competing with Biden for the Democratic Party's nomination.
"Biden’s done a lot of good things. But I think his legacy will not be a good one if he is the nominee," Ackman said in an interview with Bloomberg Television.
On the other hand, JPMorgan Chase & Co. CEO Jamie Dimon is convinced that voters should support the former 51-year-old governor of South Carolina, Nikki Haley, as an alternative to Donald Trump among Republican candidates.
"Even if you’re a very liberal Democrat, I urge you, help Nikki Haley too," Dimon said at the New York Times Dealbook summit last week.
Presidential elections in the United States of America
The next U.S. presidential elections are scheduled for November 5, 2024.
Key Democratic candidates for the elections include the incumbent U.S. President Joe Biden, 2020 presidential candidate Marianne Williamson, and House Representative Dean Phillips.
From the Republican Party, eight politicians are vying for the elections, including former U.S. President Donald Trump and former U.S. Ambassador to the UN (2017-2019) Nikki Haley.
According to Reuters, Democrats do not have a Plan B in case Joe Biden decides not to participate in the upcoming race. The publication is convinced that Biden should go for a second term, even in the face of declining approval ratings.
Meanwhile, the President of the Republic of Srpska, Milorad Dodik, has declared readiness to declare the region's independence from Bosnia and Herzegovina if Donald Trump is elected President of the United States in the 2024 elections.
