Joe Biden has officially launched his re-election bid for 2024.
Biden, who would be 87 at the end of a second term, launched a campaign video this morning in which he said: “Let’s finish the job.”
He’s framing the election as a choice between progressivism, democracy and liberty on one side and “MAGA extremists” on the other.
Surprisingly – and depressingly for many Americans – the most likely match-up in 2024 is Biden vs Trump, round two.
Betting markets put Trump’s chances of securing the Republican nomination at 65%, well ahead of Florida governor Ron DeSantis on 22%. Nikki Haley, former US ambassador to the UN under Trump, and outsider Vivek Ramaswamy, an entrepreneur, have also declared for the Republican nomination, though their chances of securing it are slim.
In a weird way, this might suit Biden just fine. The latest NBC polling found that while Biden’s approval rating has dropped to 41% among all adults, and 30% among independents, he’s still more popular than Trump.
Thirty-eight percent of Americans view Biden in a positive light, while 48% have a negative impression of the president (-10 net rating). That compares to Trump’s 34% positive, 53% negative score (-19).
It remains to be seen how Trump, if he is nominated, will fare without one of his chief attack dogs fighting his corner. Fox News host Tucker Carlson has left the network today, with the LA Times reporting that the decision to sack Carlson came from Fox’s owner, Rupert Murdoch.
Carlson is America’s highest rated TV host, credited with setting the agenda for US conservatives.
But Murdoch is thought to have been concerned about Carlson’s embrace of the idea that the January 6 Capitol riot was instigated by the US government.
It comes just days after Fox News settled a defamation lawsuit from the voting machine company Dominion over Fox’s claims that its machines were rigged against Trump in the 2020 election.
If Trump does join Biden on the ballot paper, 2024 is set to be a through-the-looking-glass re-run of one of the most controversial elections in American history. Hold onto your hats.
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