A showdown involving President Biden and ex-President Trump is becoming more likely. Nothing would please either man’s supporters more.
“If the elections were conducted today, Trump would triumph by six points,” said Corey Lewandowski, a Trump ally and campaign manager in early 2016.
“Joe Biden would be my top choice” as a rival, Lewandowski said when asked about other possible Democratic nominees if Biden decides not to run again.
Biden is telling allies he is almost certain to run in 2024 if Trump does, report says https://t.co/hbvwN8OS38
— Wally Callahan (@Wally_Callahan) May 5, 2022
Democrat Dick Harpootlian, a colorful figure in South Carolina politics, joyfully dubbed the former president “crazy as a sh*thouse rat.”
Ohio and Pennsylvania
On Friday, Biden and Trump visited critical states, presenting a glimpse of a 2024 campaign.
In Ohio, Biden pushed his industrial agenda in a historically Democratic state that has recently shifted to the right.
In Pennsylvania, Trump campaigned in favor of TV personality Mehmet Oz, whom he supported in the U.S. Senate primary.
J.D. Vance, Trump’s April endorsement in Ohio’s GOP Senate primary, accompanied Trump and Oz onstage. Until the previous president endorsed Vance, he was polling in third place.
A Biden-Trump rematch will frighten many Americans.
They will recall tense public discussions, volatile presidential campaigns, and protests inspired by Trump’s phony electoral fraud allegations, culminating in the January 6 Capitol rebellion.
Looking ahead, the US may face a 2024 election in which Trump, the younger of the two contenders, will be 78. Biden would be 81.
Bookmark this one.
Joe Biden will not be the Democratic nominee for POTUS in 2024.
Donald Trump will not be the Republican nominee for POTUS in 2024.
Two much younger people will be, we shall see who they are.
— Spiro Agnew’s Ghost (@SpiroAgnewGhost) May 7, 2022
Still, voters who oppose a Biden-Trump rematch confront the same dilemma as Washington insiders: who else is likely to be their party’s nominee?
Biden appears to desire a second term.
Vice President Harris is unlikely to challenge him if he goes ahead. Harris’ path to the White House depends on whether Biden seeks a second term or if she runs in 2028.
The left may oppose Biden, but Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) has run for president twice and failed both times. Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) seems to be ruling out a 2024 presidential run.
On the political right, Trump has defied expectations, surviving the Capitol brawl without being consigned to the edges of American public life. A recent Economist-YouGov poll found that 81% of Republican voters approve of Trump.
Chances and Polls
Even Republican Sen. Mitt Romney, who voted to convict Trump after both impeachments, declared last week that Trump would “very likely” be the GOP candidate in 2024.
The thought that each man is uniquely qualified to face the other is stoking speculation of a rematch.
Trump supporters feel Biden will be weaker when defending his record. They also refer to the incumbent president’s apparent lack of enthusiasm.
Sure, a lot can happen between now and 2024. Biden or Trump may decide not to run; if they do, they will confront genuine obstacles.
Biden’s work performance received 42 percent approval, but 52 percent disapproval in a Friday FiveThirtyEight polling average.
The Economist-YouGov poll found that 40% of Americans liked Trump, while 55% disliked him. Though it’s hard to see Biden or Trump giving up now.
