USA: Joe Biden candidacy expected on Tuesday

The suspense is coming to an end. Brushing aside concerns raised about his age, Joe Biden is due to announce on Tuesday that he will run for a second term as head of the United States. “I told you I intended to introduce myself, I will update you very soon,” the 80-year-old leader said on Monday, fueling the rumors. For a week now, the whole of Washington has been buzzing with rumors around this candidacy – an open secret – which can be made into a video.

If this particular Tuesday is chosen for the announcement, it is far from trivial. The date will mark the fourth anniversary of Joe Biden’s last campaign entry, when a Democrat launched the battle for the “soul of America” ​​and stripped Donald Trump of a second term. If the polls are confirmed, there will be a “remake” of the duel between the two men. Therefore, the announcement of a new candidate on this day would be a strong symbol.

In “good health” despite his age

There are no campaign events on the official Tuesday program released by the White House. But the president has to speak out on what is likely to be one of his keynotes as a candidate: how to bring “manufacturing jobs” back to the United States and “rebuild the middle class.” Since the beginning of the year, Joe Biden has been hammering out his desire to restore his “dignity” in a “forgotten” people’s America, alarmed by globalization that Donald Trump has been able to seduce in part.

To a White House resident, it may seem like he has the statistics: American presidents routinely run for re-election and are most likely to be re-elected. But Joe Biden, at his age, is defying historical precedent. If re-elected, he will end his second term at the age of 86.

In November 2021 and again in February 2023, the manager underwent medical examinations which found him to be in “good health”. But he, already prone to slip-ups and whose appearance has been unmistakably marked by years, exposes himself to a spate of Republican attacks on his mental acuity.

What is the outcome against someone other than Trump?

His 76-year-old predecessor, Donald Trump, who is indicted in a New York court, is not much more enthusiastic than his candidacy, according to polls. So the Democrat believes that if he once defeated his Republican predecessor, a divisive figure par excellence, he can do it again, highlighting his good-natured personality and his unifying agenda.

Anticipating his rival’s announcement, Donald Trump on Monday criticized the current president’s record. “You can take five of the worst presidents in American history and together they wouldn’t do as much damage to our country as Joe Biden did in just a few years,” the Republican billionaire said in a statement.

The big unknown remains: what would be Joe Biden’s chances if he faced a younger opponent in November 2024? Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, a 44-year-old rising star on the far right, is widely known. But he hasn’t announced himself yet.