Why Biden Needs Trump In Order To Win A Second Term

Despite the president's mixed ratings, and polls showing most US voters want neither candidate to run again, there's room for optimism, say Andrew Feinberg and John Bowden

- Andrew Feinberg and John Bowden

Joe Biden unveiled his 2024 re-election campaign yesterday four years to the day since he launched his successful bid to knock Donald Trump out of the White House. In a three-minute video, the 46th president of the United States revisited the theme that powered his successful 2020 run, saying the contest remained a “battle for the soul of America” and to protect personal freedoms from pro-Trump “extremists”.

Mr Biden, who would be 86 at the end of a second term, is hoping the threat posed by right-wing Republicans will count for more among divided voters than concerns over his age. “The question we are facing is whether, in the years ahead, we have more freedom or less freedom, more rights or fewer – I know what I want the answer to be,” he said, as images of the 6 January attack on the Capitol played on the screen.

He said his opponents were “dictating what healthcare decisions women can make, banning books, and telling people who they can love ... all while making it more difficult for you to be able to vote,” adding: “This is not a time to be complacent.” Mr Biden also exhorted Americans to visit his new-look campaign website, and closed by repeating a line that he unveiled in this year’s State of the Union address: “Let’s finish the job.”

Mr Biden’s announcement had been widely expected for months. Aides attributed the delay to his natural reticence over big decisions, as well as the lack of significant opposition in his own party and the general dysfunction on the Republican side, which together have increased the prospect of a rematch between Mr Biden and Mr Trump.