“The question is whether we will have more freedom or less freedom, more rights or less in the coming years,” Biden said in the three-minute video. He knows what answer he and the US citizens want.
Biden warned that “Maga extremists” want to restrict citizens’ liberties, cut social spending, curtail abortion rights, make it difficult for people to vote and tell people “who they can love.” Maga is short for Trump’s “Make America Great Again” campaign slogan and is used by Biden and many Democrats to describe the right-wing Republican wing.
In an acclaimed speech at a union event on Tuesday, Biden, who wants to campaign with his Vice President Kamala Harris, also discussed his economic policy. He wants to “rebuild America” and, among other things, introduce a minimum tax for billionaires.
Biden’s renewed candidacy for the presidency was expected, but met with little enthusiasm from voters. The incumbent is already the oldest president in US history and would be 86 at the end of a possible second term. Many US voters are therefore critical of the president’s re-election.
According to a poll published by the US broadcaster NBC on Sunday, 70 percent of those polled believed that Biden should not run again. Among the supporters of his Democrats, it was 51 percent. Of those voters who oppose running again, nearly half cite Biden’s advanced age as an important reason for their opinion.
Biden’s spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre dismissed concerns about the president’s age on Tuesday. Biden has had a string of victories and delivered on campaign promises as president, she said.
In the US, there is a tradition of presidents running for re-election, and the Democrats are largely united behind Biden. Biden need not fear serious challengers within the party for the primaries for the Democratic presidential candidacy. So far, only two outspoken outsiders – anti-vaccine Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and self-help author Marianne Williamson – have said they intend to run for the Democratic presidential nomination.
The 76-year-old Trump is currently the clear favorite for the Republican candidacy. The applicants include former US Ambassador to the UN, Nikki Haley. It is also expected that arch-conservative Governor Ron DeSantis – Trump’s most dangerous rival – and ex-Vice President Mike Pence will enter the race.
Republicans sharply criticized Biden after announcing a renewed presidential candidacy. “Biden is so disconnected from reality that after creating crisis after crisis, he believes he deserves another four years,” said party leader Ronna McDaniel. If voters let him “finish the job,” it will lead to higher inflation, more crime, more drug problems and a worse situation for families.
The Republicans also released a video created by artificial intelligence that depicts horror scenarios in the event of Biden’s re-election – including a Chinese attack on Taiwan. Trump said in an online video that Biden had caused massive “damage” to the United States as president.
The primary elections will start early next year, and the presidential election will then take place in November 2024. Recent polls are currently predicting a very close race in both a Biden-Trump duel and a Biden-DeSantis duel.