On Tuesday, President Joe Biden announced his candidacy for re-election in 2024, despite being 80 years old.
In a video posted on Twitter, Biden emphasized the importance of standing up for democracy and fundamental freedoms, declaring that “this is ours.
That’s why I’m running for re-election as president of the United States. Join us. Let’s finish the job.” Despite concerns over his age, Biden currently faces no significant challenges from within the Democratic Party.
While a recent NBC News poll found that 70 percent of Americans, including 51 percent of Democrats, believe he should not run, Biden has responded by saying, “watch me.”
Over the next year and a half, Biden will have the advantages of incumbency and a united party, while Republicans are only beginning a messy primary season. Former President Donald Trump, who is currently facing criminal indictment and investigations into his attempts to overturn the 2020 election, is the overwhelming frontrunner for the Republican nomination.
Biden’s campaign is expected to focus on his policy wins at home and his leadership of an unprecedented Western alliance against Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
He will also emphasize his message of restoring an economy with a heavy focus on the manufacturing base and jobs for the middle class.
On Tuesday, he was scheduled to deliver an economic address to a union conference being held in Washington, which will focus on “how his investing in America agenda is bringing manufacturing back, rebuilding the middle class, and creating good-paying union jobs.”
While Biden’s approval ratings have not topped 50 percent for more than a year and a half, he has consistently over-delivered when it matters, and supporters say the Democratic Party’s surprisingly strong performance in the 2022 midterm elections validated the Biden brand.
Biden’s moderate, old-fashioned image may be seen as a secret weapon in an increasingly extreme era.