President Biden between gaffes, polls and the desire to beat Trump a second time

For months, especially since he decided to run for the White House again to “finish the job,” there has been a lot of talk in the US (and, frankly, outside of it too) about the president’s chances Joe Biden give in and step aside. Today’s news about the U.S. House Speaker’s attempt to Kevin McCarthyto initiate an investigation against them Commander in ChiefImpeaching him – over the age-old affair of meddling in his son Hunter’s business – is just the latest attempt by Republicans to get the sitting president into trouble. (Small note: The majority of votes for adoptionImpeachment proceedings There would be no such thing, and McCarthy, who was elected speaker after fifteen votes – something that had not happened in a hundred years – would have to be particularly “sensitive” to the question of “majorities” in the House of Representatives.

On the one hand, if the American justice system actually takes its course and tries to determine any responsibilities Donald Trump in the attack on the Capitol (January 6, 2021) as well as other probable crimes that could make the New York tycoon “unrunable” – this is the latest hypothesis put forward that prevents his name from appearing on the ballot – on the other hand, in Democratic House of Representatives, and not from today, has considered the possibility that the current president, at almost 82 years of age (when the presidential elections are held again), will continue to sit in the Oval Office.

The “problem” of age

The biggest doubts concern his age: he has already broken the record of oldest president in US history; If re-elected, he would be 86 years old at the end of his second term. It’s also true that it wouldn’t be such a serious scenario: Quite a few experts have pointed out that the president is in much better shape than Ronald Reagan, Franklin D. Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson were when they were in office. He himself recently answered seraphically: “They keep telling me I’m too old. I’m just smarter…“.

According to the latest CNN results (as of September 7th) only 39% of voters support the president’s actionswhile the vast majority believe that things are not going well in the United States (despite the good economic results that the Biden administration is boasting about).

Nearly half of registered voters believe that every Republican will do so Nominations his party would be a better alternative to Biden. Among those who declare themselves Democrats, Biden is suffering from a loss of confidence and widespread concern of a “personal” nature 67% were convinced that the party should elect another runner. A few weeks ago, congressman from Minnesota Dean Phillips He had broken the deadlock and declared he was ready to run in the primaries to challenge the president’s leadership. Still, barring any surprises or last-minute news, a (second) challenge to Donald Trump seems to be the most likely outcome; Result of an ideological and “epochal” clash, both between two symbols and between two “ordinary” candidates.

Actually Trump. Currently, the polls continue to give him a significant lead over all potential challengers (primarily, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis; but also his former deputy Mike Pence). For The DonaldIn short, it would not be a problem to overcome this without legal wrangling Nominations Republican. However, when looking at the challenge between the two, Biden and Trump remain essentially evenly matched. But the real point is different; and he explained it well Los Angeles Times when he wrote: “biden That’s the main reason he decided to run again he is convinced that he can defeat Donald Trump again“.

The gaffe

Then, connected to the problem of age, there is another one the other major weakness of Barack Obama’s former deputy: le gaffe. The last time was in Vietnam, where he stopped before returning to the US after the G20 summit in Delhi. Exhausted and tired after hours of political summits and flights, the head of the White House appeared at the press conference and addressed those present with the words: “Good evening everyone. It’s already evening, isn’t it? It was around the world in five days, one of my employees said to me: “You remember the famous song.” Good morning Vietnam‘?. So: Good… Evening Vietnam“. Good morning Vietnam was the expression that US Air Force DJ Adran Cronauer debuted on the US Army radio microphone during the Vietnam War. In short, not really a suitable reference for Hanoi.

And then, that amnesiaI strange gestureshands floating in the air, waiting for a pressure that never came Falls (on the steps of the plane, on the bicycle, etc.): of a president Gaffer We can definitely talk about it.

A long career full of challenges

“The 2024 election campaign should be the final act of a very long political career,” he wrote Washington Post. Just take a look at the dates: in 1972fifty-one years ago, Biden was 29 years old and was elected to the Senate for the first time; He then remained in the “upper house” of Congress for another six terms. He has run for president or vice president four times. He served as vice president during the Obama administration between 2009 and 2017. In practice, he knows a lot about battles and political challenges and is certainly not afraid of another challenge with Trump.

In the 2024 election campaign, Biden will fully concentrate on the positive results of the last few years: the fight against Covid, the economic aid implemented during the pandemic, the infrastructure modernization law, the major congressional action against the climate crisis. And then again: the good data on employment (although it rose to 3.8% in August, which also led to a fall in wages) and low inflation (around 3%). So far during his term, as he recalled last week, the United States “has created something 13.5 million jobs“. And the president’s economic policy prescription (“Investing in America and Americans”), renamed by some as “Bidenomics“, bears fruit. “It works,” as “Grandpa Joe” put it. Then why shouldn’t he try again?