US President Joe Biden formally announced on Tuesday that he is running for presidential reelection as Democrat against Republican Donald Trump, asserting his commitment that his age will not be stopping him to lead the administration.
Biden, 80, announced his bid through a video framing next year’s election as a contest against Republican extremism, implicitly arguing “he needed more time to fully realize his vow to restore the nation’s character”.
The campaign announcement marks the fourth anniversary of the president’s first successful presidential campaign launched on April 25, 2019.
Vice-President Kamala Harris — a historical woman to be the first VP and a person of colour — will be running again with him for her incumbent post, she also announced.
In a video, the Democratic presidential nominee said: “When I ran for president four years ago, I said we are in a battle for the soul of America. And we still are.”
“Freedom. Personal freedom is fundamental to who we are as Americans. There’s nothing more important. Nothing more sacred,” Biden said in the video.
“The question we are facing is whether in the years ahead we have more freedom or less freedom. More rights or fewer,” Biden said in voiceover narration with images of the Capitol Hill incident, and people protesting before the Supreme Court over abortion rights.
“I know what I want the answer to be and I think you do too. This is not a time to be complacent. That’s why I’m running for reelection,” he said.
His formal announcement has ended the lingering doubts about his rematch with his rival former president Donald Trump — who has been facing more than 34 criminal charges.
Biden is launching his reelection campaign with a significant record of legislation but low approval ratings — a problem that his advisers were unable to solve. Moreover, he is also been facing questions about his age as he is the oldest president of the US in history.
Biden will make his best efforts to restore the country’s character and prevent Donald Trump from taking the Oval Office again. The themes upon which he will be garnering support from his country’s people will be the same — making an appeal to the nation’s ideals.
In a warning, his video also announced against “MAGA extremists” who Joe Biden says are “dictating what health care decisions women can make, banning books, and telling people who they can love.”
He went on to narrate: “Every generation of Americans has faced a moment when they’ve had to defend democracy. Stand up for our personal freedoms. Stand up for the right to vote and our civil rights. And this is our moment.”
His campaign will also rest on promoting his achievements in his first two years in office alongside a widely used argument that he needs more time to finish the job.
He said: “I know we can.”
Biden years
There are no major contenders from the Democratic party and Biden has apparently the upper hand. Only two people from his party are in the fray: author Marianne Williamson and anti-vaccine activist and environmental lawyer Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
Biden’s presidential years have been marked by key events for his colossal policy agenda, including successfully pushing forward and compromising on a broad set of legacy-making, high pricetag priorities with Congress that addressed funding for the COVID-19 pandemic, rebuilding the nation’s infrastructure, bolstering domestic semiconductor chip production, and addressing climate change, according to CNN.
Biden also endeavoured to reverse Trump’s conduct of diplomacy through a pure nationalistic lense and recommitted itself to global agreements and partnerships with allies.
Joe Biden has been able to achieve “a mass vaccination campaign, legacy-defining policy achievements on climate and health and the appointment of Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson” — the first Black woman to serve on the US supreme court.
However, several challenges — sometimes outside of federal control – along with admitted administration fumbles attracted Republican criticism and contributed to low national approval ratings throughout Biden’s time in the White House.
There was a hasty Afghanistan withdrawal, struggles with border policy, changes in global energy prices, missteps with longstanding allies, inflation and student debt, surrounding Biden.
His family has also been under scrutiny by Republican lawmakers.
In the foreseeable months, Biden is under stress to hold talks with Republican legislators to increase national borrowing in order to prevent default.
From the Republican side, apart from Trump, the number of contenders continues to increase. A former South Carolina governor and Trump’s former UN secretary Nikki Haley, joined the race, while Senator from South Carolina Tim Scott also scrambled his resources to run.
Ron DeSantis, the Florida governor, is also likely to declare his candidacy in the coming months. Trump’s vice president Mike Pence, is also intending to launch his presidential bid.