While reestablishing American leadership, President Joe Biden has passed legacy-defining legislation. Patrick Semansky/AP
According to reports, Joe Biden will announce his re-election campaign for the 2024 presidential election on Tuesday. This announcement might pave the way for a spectacular rematch with former President Donald Trump.
If the launch happens on Tuesday, it will be precisely four years since Biden announced his bid for the 2020 presidential race. During his 2020 presidential campaign, Biden warned that the “soul” of the country was at stake following four turbulent years of Trump’s presidency.
Despite being in government for more than two years, Biden has struggled to repair the deep political and cultural divides that he feels are tearing through the fabric of American society. Nonetheless, he has managed to pass major legislative achievements that may define his legacy, while simultaneously striving to reclaim American leadership on the global arena.
After the Democrats exceeded expectations in the November midterms, Biden expressed his willingness to run for a second term. Although the question wasn’t whether he would run, but rather when and how he would announce his candidacy.
Shortly before leaving Ireland earlier this month, Biden stated that his ancestral visit to the Emerald Isle had renewed his optimism about his future accomplishments in the US. He informed the media that he had already made his decision and intended to run again. He also mentioned that he would make an announcement about it “relatively soon.”
Joe Biden with King Charles at Cop26 in Glasgow in November 2021. Jane Barlow/AP
Biden, who has a penchant for symmetry and nostalgia, seems to have approved a plan to announce his 2024 campaign through a video that highlights his vision, similar to what he did in April 2019. On Tuesday, he is scheduled to deliver a speech at the US Legislative Conference of North America’s Building Trades Unions in Washington, which is reminiscent of his first campaign event in 2019, where he spoke at a union hall in Pittsburgh.
However, much has changed since then. The pandemic, which drastically altered American life for almost three years, has subsided, largely due to the massive vaccination drive spearheaded by the Biden administration. In contrast, the loss of federal abortion protections and threats to the country’s democratic institutions have energized Democrats in key battleground elections since 2020.
Biden’s team is emphasizing the president’s historically productive first few months in office, which included the approval of a pandemic relief package that temporarily reduced child poverty, a significant investment in the country’s aging infrastructure, unprecedented action to reform the country’s gun laws, and a comprehensive initiative to address climate change, reduce healthcare costs, boost American competitiveness, and combat inflation.
Furthermore, they point to an unexpectedly successful midterm election season, which by historical standards should have been terrible for the ruling party, as proof that Biden is the best choice to lead the country for another four years.