Washington: US President Joe Biden on Tuesday announced his re-election bid ending months of speculations regarding his future plans. He released a video titled Freedom which montages of the January 6 Capitol Hill riots and abortion rights protests and said that he is fighting for “more freedom, more rights”.
“MAGA extremists are lining up. Cutting Social Security that you’ve paid for your entire life while cutting taxes for the very wealthy. Dictating what health care decisions women can make, banning books, and telling people who they can love. All while making it more difficult for you to be able to vote,” Biden says in his video.
“When I ran for president four years ago, I said we are in a battle for the soul of America. And we still are. 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 re-election,” Biden adds.
Biden put forward the idea through his campaign announcement video that his administration has more to offer to the American people.
The video and the announcement will likely jolt the Republican camp which remains undecided on backing former president Donald Trump, who enjoys the support of several factions of the GOP but that equation could change if Florida governor Ron DeSantis decides to enter the fray.
The Guardian in its report pointed out that the US president, known for being nostalgic, chose to launch his campaign on the fourth anniversary of his return to politics in 2019.
Meanwhile, vice-president Kamala Harris, also announced that she is running for reelection and will be Biden’s running mate again.
The Guardian report also pointed out that Biden chose to wait until he completed his ancestral tour of Ireland. After his trip ended he said that the visit renewed his “sense of optimism” and empowered him to accomplish more back home, in the US.
He teased reporters and said his plan was to “run again”. Biden also teased reporters on Monday and asked them to “stay tuned”.
Even though Biden’s team will be concerned with the low approval ratings and concerns about his age – he will be 86 before his second term finishes – his signing and passage of the Infrastructure Act, overseeing Democrats perform better than expected in the 2022 midterm elections and achievements on climate and health and social justice is expected to give him a boost as he enters the 2024 campaign cycle.
However, his signing of the American Rescue Plan which delivered financial help to households still struggling under the weight of the Covid pandemic, and the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act which is the major first major federal gun safety bill signed into law in nearly three decades is expected to give a major boost to his reelection chances, the Guardian said.
The report also pointed out that the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law which promises better roads, bridges, and broadband access in the next few years, and his promises on climate change and healthcare will also hand him a major advantage ahead of the elections next year.
