Freedom

By Jeff Louderback

After months of hints and comments that he would seek a second term, President Joe Biden officially announced his 2024 reelection campaign in a video on April 25, four years to the day after he launched his 2020 presidential bid.

In the video posted early Tuesday morning Biden, 80, said: “The question we are facing is, whether in the years ahead, we have more freedom or less freedom. More rights or fewer.”

“This is not a time to be complacent … That’s why I’m running for reelection,” he said.

“We believe that everyone is equal that everyone should be given a fair shot to succeed in this country.”

In his video, while showing images of events on Jan. 6, 2021, Biden took aim at Republicans, saying, “Around the country MAGA extremists are lining up to take on those bedrock freedoms.”

Drawing on the theme of his 2020 election, Biden said: “When I ran for president four years ago, I said we were in a battle for the soul of America. And we still are.”

“Every generation of Americans have faced a moment when they have to defend democracy.”

Challenges Ahead

Unlike four years ago, when he was a former vice president running against incumbent President Donald Trump, Biden faces challenges that were not present during his initial campaign.

Biden’s handling of the nation’s economy has been a source of concern for many Americans since late 2021 because of stubbornly high inflation and ongoing recession fears.

A legal inquiry continues into Biden’s handling of classified documents from his time as vice president that were discovered at his Wilmington, Delaware, home earlier this year, following the finding of classified materials at the Washington-based Penn-Biden Center in November 2022.

The escalating crisis at the U.S.–Mexico border, the Russia–Ukraine war, and communist China’s growing influence and its potential invasion of Taiwan are among the other challenges Biden is facing.

One of his most urgent matters is the debt ceiling standoff with the Republican-controlled House of Representatives.

On April 19, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) introduced legislation to increase the nation’s debt ceiling by $1.5 trillion or until March 31, 2024, whichever comes first, in exchange for returning discretionary spending to 2022 levels, among other cuts.

The “Limit, Save, Grow Act” of 2023 is intended to ease concerns about a possible default on U.S. obligations and encourage a more permanent resolution of the debt crisis into the election season.

Biden has refused to negotiate with House Republicans over the debt ceiling.

Government spending is expected to be a widely discussed issue in both parties’ primaries and the general election.

Inflation, which reached its post-pandemic peak in June 2022 at 9.1 percent, is now at 5 percent. Yet rising interest rates implemented by the Federal Reserve to combat inflation have increased the risk of a recession, many economists believe.

Biden has approved trillions in spending since taking office. Among the legislation that he proudly publicizes are the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan, the $1.2 trillion Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, the $745 billion Inflation Reduction Act, and a $1.7 trillion government spending bill that he signed when in St. Croix in December 2022.

Republicans have long blamed this spending for the rise in consumer prices and have said since the 117th Congress that cutting spending would be a top priority for the party if they took the House.

Wes Farno, a Republican campaign strategist in Ohio, said he believes that Biden’s messaging that “all is well” will “fall flat,” and that Republicans are well-positioned to take back the White House in 2024.

“It’s absurd when he stands up there and claims that the economy is doing well and inflation is under control. Go into a grocery store and tell that to anyone picking something up off the shelves.

“Ronald Reagan once asked, ‘Are you better off today than four years ago?’ Regardless of where they stand politically, very few Americans can say ‘Yes’ to that question,” Farno said.

Approval Rating

Polling suggests that many Americans are displeased with Biden’s job performance, prefer former President Donald Trump in a head-to-head matchup, and have concerns about Biden’s age.

A Harvard Youth poll released on April 24 by the Harvard Kennedy School Institute of Politics showed that Biden’s approval rating among voters between the ages of 18 and 29 has dropped from 41 percent to 36 percent since last spring.

An April 20 Harvard-Harris poll indicated that, in a one-on-one matchup between Biden and Trump, registered voters would vote for the former president by a 45 percent to 40 percent margin.

The survey also illustrated that 67 percent of voters think Biden is “too old” to be president and 56 percent have doubts about his mental fitness for the job.

Biden ran for president in 2020 amid the COVID-19 pandemic and delivered multiple addresses from a TV studio built in the basement of his Delaware home.

Aides say that his 2024 campaign will be more vigorous, and his 2023 schedule to date is an example.

Biden gave a speech to the Irish Parliament on April 13, and he mentioned his age while also making the case for a second run.

“I’m at the end of my career, not the beginning,” Biden said. “The only thing I bring to this career after my age—as you can see how old I am—is a little bit of wisdom.”

“I come to the job with more experience than any president in American history,” he continued. “It doesn’t make me better or worse, but it gives me few excuses.”

Other Potential Candidates

Democrats who were considered potential contenders for the party’s 2024 presidential nomination—like Gov. Gavin Newsom of California and Gov. J.B. Pritzker of Illinois—have publicly expressed support for Biden. Other high-profile Democrats—including Gov. Phil Murphy of New Jersey, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan, and Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.)—have also voiced their backing of the president.

“Strength comes from unity. Even if some of these appointees decide to run against the president, at least the Democrats will come to the general election with a robust, transparent, and unified message,” David Carlucci, a former New York state senator who’s a Democratic political strategist, told The Epoch Times.

“This is how Democrats will win. On the other hand, as seen with the appointment of Speaker [Kevin] McCarthy, Republicans struggle immensely with their fringe members,” Carlucci added.

During its February winter meeting, the Democratic National Committee (DNC) unanimously passed a resolution declaring its “full and complete support” for a second term for Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris.

Earlier in April, Biden and the DNC announced that the 2024 national convention would be held in Chicago.

Top Democratic donors will reportedly meet with Biden in Washington this week.

“Running for the president the first time is aspirational. You can make all sorts of big bold promises,” Jen Psaki, Biden’s former press secretary, said on April 23 on her MSNBC show. “Running for reelection is when you actually get your report card from the American people.”

“Part of the case President Biden will make to the public after he announces his reelection campaign is that he needs more time to do more and build on the things he has done during his first term,” Psaki added. “That’s the message: ‘Let me finish the job I started.’”

No Democrat who currently holds an office has entered the 2024 presidential race.

On March 4, self-help author and spiritual adviser Marianne Williamson began her 2024 presidential campaign at Union Station in Washington.

Last week, before an enthusiastic crowd in Boston, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. officially announced his 2024 presidential campaign.

Kennedy, 69, is the son of Sen. Robert F. Kennedy and the nephew of President John F. Kennedy.

He is an attorney, the founder of advocacy group Children’s Health Defense, and a widely known medical freedom and environmental activist.

“I have known and liked Joe Biden for many years, but I disagree with him profoundly about issues like corporate influence in government, censorship, civil liberties, poverty, corruption, transparency, health policy, and war policy, among others,” Kennedy told The Epoch Times. “I look forward to presenting my views plainly so that the people can decide what kind of America they will live in and debating these issues with President Biden.”

As Kennedy announced his presidential campaign, a USA TODAY/Suffolk University Poll discovered that he quickly generated 14 percent support from respondents who voted for Biden in 2020. Biden received 67 percent backing while Williamson was third with 5 percent. Another 13 percent were undecided.

“In 2020, Joe Biden received more votes than any other president in U.S. history, yet the poll tells us that those same voters are open to other Democrats to wage a spirited primary,” said David Paleologos, director of the Suffolk University Political Research Center. “Kennedy, although a long shot at this point, starts in double digits and can’t be ignored.”

No Democrat Debates

On April 24, the DNC decided to forego primary debates. This drew criticism from Kennedy, who said it confirms that the nation’s elections are “rigged.”

“Americans think the entire system is rigged against them,” Kennedy told The Epoch Times’ Jan Jekielek. “And if the DNC goes through with this—its plan to not have debate—I think that will serve as … an unfortunate confirmation to a lot of Americans that the system is indeed rigged.”

If Biden wins the Democratic primary, and Trump prevails in the Republican primary, history will be made in the general election.

There has never been a rematch between the same two candidates in back-to-back American presidential elections.

NBC News released a poll on April 23 that indicated 70 percent of respondents didn’t want Biden to seek another term and 60 percent said that they don’t want Trump to run.

Trump has consistently held a significant advantage over the second most popular candidate, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, in the polls. DeSantis has yet to announce if he is running for president.

Biden can defeat Trump, Rep. David Cicilline (D-R.I.) believes.

“People recognized he was the one candidate who could defeat Donald Trump and protect American democracy,” Cicilline said about Biden. “It’s still the case.”