Rama Krishna Sangem
US President Joe Biden has formally declared that he would be running again for the top executive post in the world’s most powerful nation in 2024 November. White House sources say, US Vice-President Kamala Harris will be his running mate again. As already former President Donald Trump has announced his candidature and well ahead of others in Republic Party, the world will see the same rivals clashing again for another bout.
The Democrat has long signalled that he will seek a second four-year term and formally launched his campaign in a video on April 25, Tuesday. He said it was a pivotal moment with freedoms and rights under threat. “This is not a time to be complacent,” he said. “That’s why I’m running”. Biden, 80, is already the oldest president in US history and would be 86 after a second full term in 2029.
He faced off against Donald Trump in 2020, defeating the Republican after promising to “restore the soul of the United States”. “When I ran for president four years ago, I said we are in a battle for the soul of America – and we still are,” Mr Biden said in the three-minute video, which shows the president meeting a diverse range of Americans, according to a BBC story.
Trump has already launched his bid for the presidency, raising the prospect of a rematch between the pair on 5 November 2024. Both are considered favourites to win their nominations. For months now, Biden has made clear that he will stand for re-election with the main question being the timing of his announcement. Biden’s confidence grew after Democats fared well in the mid-term polls to the US congress late last year.
After spending the weekend with aides at Camp David, the presidential retreat in Maryland, he opted to launch his campaign on the fourth anniversary of his 2020 announcement. Vice-President Kamala Harris, 58, will once again be his running mate. Julie Chavez Rodriguez, a senior White house Adviser, will serve as campaign manager. Harris is expected to play a major role in wooing Indian Americans and Asians to Biden’s side.
As yet Biden has no major challengers for the Democratic nomination meaning a smooth path to the candidacy is almost certain. But recent polls suggest his decision to run is a divisive one both within the party. An NBC News poll over the weekend found that 70 per cent of Americans, and just over half of Democrats, believe he should not run again, said the BBC’s Gareth Evans.
Many observers feel Biden appeared tentative when he first contested against Trump in 2020. Then, they thought, he may not seek a reelection but would be a one-term president, if elected. In that case, the baton would have been passed on to Kamala Harris, his Veep. But, as days went on, Biden grew bold and even said, “I may contest again for a second term”. Now this came true. .Under US constitution, a president can run only two terms
