Joe Biden's Withdrawal and Its Impact on the Presidential Race
Joe Biden's decision to withdraw from the US presidential election race next November will significantly influence the campaign of his Republican opponent, Donald Trump, who has long considered Biden his preferred Democratic target.
For months, Trump and his allies have focused on concerns about the 81-year-old outgoing president's health, frequently sharing videos highlighting Biden's stutters, errors, and stumbles.
Shortly after Biden's withdrawal was announced, Trump stated on his social network, Truth Social, “Joe Biden was not qualified to be a presidential candidate, and certainly not fit to serve.” Despite this, Trump, who has survived an assassination attempt, must now make a strategic shift.
Henry Olsen of the conservative Ethics and Public Policy Center remarked to Agence France-Presse that “this is bad news for Trump.”
Before his withdrawal, Biden “had the lowest level of approval ever recorded in opinion polls for a first term, and his enactment is an obstacle that cannot be overcome,” Olsen noted. He added, “It is better for Trump to run against him than against any other potential competitor.”
While the Republican campaign has downplayed the likelihood of Biden's withdrawal, its officials have recently been strategizing on how best to attack the alternative Democratic candidate: Vice President Kamala Harris.
Kamala Harris, the 59-year-old former senator from California, who became the first woman as well as the first Black and Asian American to hold the position of Vice President, is expected to compete with other Democratic figures for the nomination.
On Sunday, Trump’s campaign team criticized Harris after Biden endorsed her to run for the Democratic Party, claiming she would be “worse” than Biden.
“Harris will be worse for our people than Joe Biden,” the campaign said in a statement. “Harris has been the main enabler of Corrupt Joe all this time. They have each other’s records, there is no difference between the two.”
In contrast, Harris praised Biden's “patriotic” decision not to run. She stated, “I am honored to have the President’s endorsement, and my intention is to earn and win this nomination... I will do everything in my power to unite the Democratic Party - and unite our nation - to defeat Donald Trump.”
Constancy of Strategy
“I’m going to run and campaign, whether it’s against him or anyone else,” Trump said recently, referring to polls that favored him against many other Democrats.
Jason Miller, one of Trump’s closest advisors, told Agence France-Presse during a Milwaukee conference that the campaign “will not fundamentally change.”
“Whether it is Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, or any other far-left Democrat, they are all responsible for the destruction of our economy and the collapse of our borders,” Miller added.
Voters have indicated in opinion polls for months that they prefer a younger candidate. Thus, choosing a young Democratic governor from a key state could pose a threat to Trump, who will turn 82 at the end of a possible second term.
Kamala Harris's candidacy may also pose a risk as she might attract more female voters, who historically vote more than men and represent a challenge for the Republican Party.
Cultural Clash
Harris’s nomination would allow Democrats to redefine this presidential campaign, at the party’s convention in August, as a clash between two contradictory cultures.
If nominated, Harris, a former prosecutor, would face the first president to be convicted in a criminal trial in the history of the United States, who is also being pursued in other cases.
Additionally, Harris has championed abortion rights in the Biden administration, a controversial issue that previously harmed the Republican Party at the ballot box.
A recent opinion poll showed that Harris would perform better than Biden against Trump in Michigan and Pennsylvania, two crucial states.
However, as the sitting vice president, Harris will be scrutinized for the same record as Biden, particularly on immigration issues.
Several rising stars in the Democratic Party have been mentioned as possible replacements for Harris, including governors Josh Shapiro (Pennsylvania), Gretchen Whitmer (Michigan), and Gavin Newsom (California).
Regardless of who the Democratic candidate is, they will not escape Trump’s fierce attacks.
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