Joe Biden wants to finish the job. In 2020 he saved the US from Donald Trump. 2022 saved Congress from “MAGA” Republicans. In 2024 he wants to defend the White House against both. “The question we face is whether we will have more or fewer freedoms, more rights or fewer in the coming years.” It is the central message that the US President announced on Tuesday in a three-minute video.
The announcement comes exactly four years to the day after the launch of his 2020 campaign. The symmetry is intended to paint a picture of consistent, competent leadership in the Oval Office. The appeal is, ‘Look what we’ve achieved in four years.’ At the same time, it is a warning that the “battle for the soul of the nation” is not over yet.
The video addresses many things that concern democratic voters: maintaining social security, the right to an abortion, the protection of voting rights. However, one big question mark leaves it open: Biden’s old age. Whether an 80-year-old is really the best choice as a presidential candidate is a legitimate question. But the real problem is different: the Democrats have no alternative.
No wonder the President was in no rush to announce his campaign. The unexpectedly good performance in the midterm elections has silenced his competition. Concerns about his advanced age and weak polls are brushed aside by party leaders with phrases like “age is just a number” and “he made history before.” The only ones who currently want to challenge him are self-help author Marianne Williamson and anti-vaccinationist Robert F. Kennedy Jr. – two clear underdogs.
It is his strategy, perfected over the years, of presenting himself as a bulwark against Trump that makes Biden indispensable for the Democrats. Last year he turned his anti-Trump message into an anti-MAGA warning. Looking ahead to 2024, the President is changing the tone again. “MAGA extremists” are queuing up across the country to take away basic freedoms,” he warns in his video. His attacks on Republicans bear the same handwriting as in 2020: “We can’t let this happen.”
With his candidacy announcement in the fall, Trump not only sealed the fate of the Republicans. He threw the Democrats straight into the open arms of “Uncle Joe.” For the party, the stakes are just as high in 2024 as they were four years ago. The same arguments speak for Biden as four years ago. And yet it cannot be denied that a majority of Americans are – to put it mildly – unenthusiastic about another four years of Biden.
According to a recent “NBC” poll, around 70 percent believe that Biden should not run again. Just under half of their own Democrats want to see the President on the ballot again. It’s not because they think he did a bad job. Many praise his political record: the 12.6 million newly created jobs. The historical investments in climate protection, infrastructure and healthcare. Supporting Ukraine against the Russian aggressor. And not to be underestimated: the declining inflation.
But many — particularly younger ones — Democrats fear that, in the long run, Biden will be too old to effectively rule for another four years. At 80, he is already the oldest US President in history. At the end of a second term, Biden would be closer to 90 than 80. Younger people want leadership that fits their demographics and reflects their values. Someone who is up to date – instead of someone who could soon die.
The truth is, people age at different rates. But the truth is that advanced age matters for a presidential candidate. Biden himself admitted in a recent television interview that concerns about his age are “legitimate.” His standard response is “The only thing I can say is, ‘Watch me'”. The observations paint a mixed picture: a president delivering a powerful State of the Union speech in Congress. One who stumbles over his words and the stairs of Air Force One.
It is clear that Biden’s age poses a risk in the election campaign. However, what should cause the party serious concerns is that there are no other options.
During the 2020 campaign, Biden promised he would build a bridge to the next generation of Democrats. “You are the future of our country,” he said to Kamala Harris, Cory Booker and Gretchen Whitmer, with whom he shared the stage. While many a Democrat was still hoping for a seamless transfer of power from Biden to Harris, the Vice President – also because of her office – remained pale. The president cleverly integrated younger rivals like Pete Buttigieg into his administration and kept them small. He keeps aspiring governors like Gavin Newsom, Gretchen Whitmer and Josh Shapiro at a distance.
In the video for 2024, Biden again speaks of the “moment of a generation”. But as long as the ultimate goal is to keep Trump and his “MAGA” Republicans out of the White House, the future of the younger generation will have to wait.
His strategy could definitely work – if the Republican candidate is really called Trump in the end. The 76-year-old has been charged with paying hush money to a porn star. And should there be another duel between Biden and Trump, the age of the President will no longer matter. Someone like Florida’s 44-year-old Gov. Ron DeSantis, on the other hand, could literally make Biden look old.
In the event that the President gets the chance to finish the job in 2024, he should therefore not only use his energy as a bulwark against Trump’s Republicans. If his Democrats want to keep up with the times, he should keep an old promise – and build bridges to the next generation.
