Beautiful Virgin Islands

Friday, Feb 14, 2025

Biden v Trump: The sequel few Americans want to see

Biden v Trump: The sequel few Americans want to see

Sequels are rarely as good as the original. We can all think of a few movie follow ups that should never have been made.
American voters may have similar misgivings about the next US presidential election which looks increasingly likely to be a rerun of the 2020 contest, with the same characters in the leading roles.

Joe Biden has now confirmed he’s signed up to star for the Democrats, while Donald Trump remains the clear frontrunner for the Republican nomination.

It’s a story we have seen before and only very few people seem eager to watch again. A recent poll found that only 5% of Americans want both President Biden and former President Trump to run again and 38% want neither to run.

One of the reasons Biden is so determined to try to retain the White House is because he is convinced he is the only one who can beat Trump. We will see. What is true is that he is the only one who has beaten him.

Elections which feature an incumbent president are often seen as a referendum on the last four years. The Biden administration does have policy achievements it can point to, and its campaign slogan will be “let’s finish the job”.

But it was striking that his official launch instead attempted to frame the election as a choice — a choice between moderate and extreme, between competent and crazy. The same “battle for the soul of the nation” that was central to Biden’s pitch last time.

Donald Trump does not feature in the campaign video, but we do see scenes from the Jan. 6 riots at the Capitol as Biden warns of MAGA (Make America Great Again) extremism and the threat he says it poses to American democracy.

Over the past two years, we have heard Trump’s false claims that the 2020 election was stolen from him. If he becomes the Republican nominee in 2024, he will keep banging that drum.

Yet, repeating lies about election fraud was clearly not a winning formula last year. Most of the high-profile election-denying candidates whom Trump backed in the 2022 midterm elections fared pretty badly.

In contrast, the Democrats enjoyed much better than expected results in those Congressional elections — even keeping control of the US Senate. That performance helped to guarantee that President Biden won’t face a major challenge from within his own party.

The biggest issue that played in the Democrats’ favor was abortion. There has been a major voter backlash against the overturning of the constitutional right to terminate a pregnancy.

Two-thirds of Americans consistently tell pollsters that they think abortion care should be legal and accessible.

President Biden will return to it again and again in the 18 months before election day. In the launch video, Biden accused Republican extremists of “dictating what healthcare decisions women can make” over footage of an abortion rights protestor outside the Supreme Court.

Republicans look like the dog that finally caught up with the car it’s been chasing. After decades when they could advance anti-abortion positions without having to offer too much detail, now candidates backing abortion bans are seeing that it could hurt them electorally.

Republican-controlled state legislatures are pushing ahead with restrictive laws, but party strategists are worried about the impact at the national level.

But President Biden remains vulnerable. His approval numbers remain historically low — 42% approve of his performance, while 52 % disapprove. The only other president since Ronald Reagan to be as unpopular at this point in his first term was Donald Trump.

Whichever Republican ends up challenging Biden, it’s obvious they will portray the 80-year-old president as a doddery old man (even if Trump is only four years younger).

They will hope that a strenuous cross-country campaign leaves the president looking exhausted. He will not be able to campaign from his basement in Delaware as he did through the COVID election of 2020.

Today’s video features plenty of shots of the president looking deliberately vital and energetic — even running in one shot. But he cannot keep that up until polling day.

His opponents will also point to inflation (even if it is falling, that still means prices are rising) and to record numbers of migrants crossing the US’s southern border. Two issues guaranteed to get the Republican base riled up.

The president does not excite Democrats in the way Trump — and his main rival, Florida governor Ron DeSantis — fire up the Republican base. But they have largely accepted that Biden may be their best bet in 2024.

And the Biden campaign seems to think that the prospect of Donald Trump returning to the White House is still the most effective way to drive up turnout among Democrats and independents. After all, it worked last time, and they will hope the result in a potential sequel is the same.
Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
Brand Finance Unveils its Rankings of the Best CEOs for 2025: Satya Nadella Takes the Lead
Steering Through the Updated Chain of Command at the European Commission
Parliamentarian Advocates for Preservation of AI Liability Directive
Mark Rutte Calls on NATO Allies to Increase Defence Expenditure
Dresden Marks the 80th Anniversary of the World War II Bombing
Global Community Pledges to Assist Syria's Political Transition
EU Activates €200 Billion for AI Investment and Introduces €20 Billion Fund for Gigafactories
EU Recognizes Difficulty in Closing the USAID Funding Shortfall Due to Stalled US Aid
Commission President von der Leyen Not Present at Notre Dame Reopening Due to Last-Minute Cancellation
EU Establishes Disinformation Code for Online Platforms, Leaving Out X
EU Lags in Enforcing Essential Cybersecurity Directives
EU Under Fire for Streamlining Discussions on Corporate Sustainability Reporting
Shein Receives Further Information Request from EU During Ongoing Investigation
European Commission Initiates Investigation into Shein While Focusing on Chinese E-Commerce Regulations
Trump's special envoy for hostage affairs cautions Hamas against challenging Trump before Saturday's deadline.
Ukraine Confirms Territorial Loss in Russia's Kursk Region
Trump Declares Reciprocal Tariffs as Trade Conflict Intensifies
California Congressman Robert Garcia's Threats of Utilizing Weapons Against Elon Musk
Trump and Putin Address Ukraine Peace Negotiations in Response to Worldwide Reactions
Honda and Nissan Conclude Merger Talks
New York Fashion Week Highlights Iconic Returns and Emerging Talents
Trump Proposes Including Ukraine in Peace Talks to Settle the Conflict
Trump Supports Russia's Reinstatement in G7 Amid Continuing Diplomatic Strains
Zelensky Warns Against Placing Trust in Putin as Peace Negotiations Progress
MI5 Acknowledges Submitting False Evidence in Court Concerning Neo-Nazi Informant
Trump Asserts BRICS 'Is No More' in Light of Tariff Threats.
UK Introduces New Citizenship Restrictions for Refugees Who Arrive Illegally
Stoke-on-Trent Schools Face 'Astronomical' Repair Costs Amid PFI Contract Challenges
Employment Tribunal Reviews Use of Female Changing Room by Transgender Doctor
Projected Costs and Funding Dynamics of the NHS: An In-Depth Analysis
Scrutiny Over Rachel Reeves' Career and Expenses Claims Ahead of Ministerial Role
Sue Gray Introduced as Baroness Gray of Tottenham in the House of Lords
Fire Engulfs Primary School in Wales, Leading to Evacuations
Two British citizens apprehended in Iran amidst rising tensions.
Inquest Reveals Manipulation and Harassment Faced by Soldier Before Death
UK Economy Registers Unexpected Growth in Final Quarter of 2024
Ukraine's Role Central to Peace Negotiations, Asserting Global Sentiment
Winter Pressures Unfold at Royal Free Hospital Amid NHS Strain
Rachel Reeves's CV and Expenses Scrutiny Following BBC Investigation
Trump's Tariffs Loom Large Over Significant German Trade Exhibition
President Trump Resolves Legal Disputes with X and Meta Regarding Social Media Bans
OpenAI Modifies Approach in Response to Increasing AI Competition
Amazingly Good News for USA and the World: Gabbard Confirmed as U.S. Intel Chief in Latest Victory for Trump!
UK Business Leaders Expect Profit Increase Despite Regulatory Crackdown on the Shadow Economy
Trump Discusses NATO Membership for Ukraine During Diplomatic Negotiations
Trump Declares Upcoming Meeting with Putin in Saudi Arabia Amidst Ukraine Crisis
Israel Warns of Military Action While Hostage Negotiations with Hamas Continue
2024 Sees a Record High of Journalists Killed, CPJ Report Reveals
Trump and Putin Engage in Phone Conversation During Ukraine Conflict, Peace Talks Commenced
Climate change presents considerable threats to cocoa production worldwide.
×