Biden Targets Next Week For Potential Reelection Launch

President Joe Biden may announce his reelection campaign on Tuesday, according to his advisors and people familiar with the matter. The announcement is expected to come in the form of a video, a throwback to former President Barack Obama‘s campaign in 2011.

Biden will be 82 years old in 2024, making him the oldest president to run ever. He would be 86 when leaving office.

Democrats are split on Biden’s decision to run for reelection. On one hand, many view his old age and inability to generate enthusiasm as a continued liability. Others believe that Biden remains the strongest choice—citing Democrats’ unexpected resilience in the 2024 midterm elections and his original defeat of former President Donald Trump.

Biden and his team will likely boast about the president’s accomplishments so far—namely COVID-19 economic relief, infrastructure, assistance to Ukraine and a strong job market.

The campaign will also look to downplay Biden’s weaknesses, such as high inflation, the botched Afghanistan withdrawal and his old age.

The president already has two challengers for the Democratic nomination so far, author Marianne Williamson and Robert F. Kennedy Jr., an environmental lawyer and anti-vaccine activist.

Neither are expected to be serious contenders for the nomination, despite Williamson’s association with the more competitive 2020 Bernie Sanders campaign and RFK Jr.’s unique political identity and legacy name.

Expected to cruise through the Democratic primary, Biden will face the Republican nominee—who is more than likely to be Trump.

Trump is far ahead of all other Republicans—both officially announced candidates and those who are expected to soon join the race. Recent polling suggests that even Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who is commonly believed to be Trump’s most viable Republican threat, has been losing ground.

Much of Biden’s agenda in 2024 will likely be out of his control since the president’s party no longer controls the House of Representatives, and therefore is severely limited in his ability to enact strong legislation.

It is also impossible to predict the state of issues such as inflation or the Ukraine War come November 2024, both of which are large components of Trump’s rhetoric and political case against the Biden administration.

Article by Jakob Mieszkowski-Lapping