President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris launched their 2024 reelection campaign on Tuesday, promising Americans once again that they will foster unity in the country after four years spent pursuing a decidedly progressive agenda characterized by unconstrained spending, lack of enforcement on the border, and the encroachment of diversity, equity, and inclusion into all areas of government.
“When I ran for president four years ago, I said we are in a battle for the soul of America. And we still are," he said in his announcement video. With the title, “Let’s Finish the Job,” the video plays clips from the January 6 Capitol Riot and pro-abortion protests at the Supreme Court following the overturning of Roe v. Wade.
Biden’s announcement comes around the same time he launched his presidential bid four years ago. Republican challengers have already begun to line up, with former president Donald Trump most prominent among them. It looks increasingly likely that the general election will be a rematch between the pair.
The president will argue he is a bulwark against a second Trump term and the damage he thinks that would cause, here in the United States and abroad. Biden will also tout the billions he has committed to infrastructure and the fight against climate change, among other things.
However, Biden will have to answer to voters on perceived weaknesses, which include his administration’s disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan, inflation, and increasing concerns about his age. Biden, 80, is already the oldest president ever inaugurated. If reelected, he will reach the age of 86 by the conclusion of a second term.
Biden has signaled for months that he plans to run for a second term, but he has been in no rush to make it official. During his recent four-day trip to Ireland, Biden signaled his announcement was forthcoming.
"I've already made that calculus. We'll announce it relatively soon," Biden said as he departed. "The trip here just reinforced my sense of optimism about what can be done."
In the background, preparations for Biden's 2024 run have been extensive within both the White House and Democratic National Committee. Anita Dunn and Jen O'Malley Dillon, two of Biden's top advisers, have been overseeing the reelection efforts in the background.
Biden’s announcement comes right before a major donor gathering on Friday. Some of the biggest donors to Biden’s 2020 campaign — that is, those who donated or raised at least $1 million — were invited to the summit in Washington, D.C., a source told the New York Times. Two governors who have previously been top Democratic fundraisers, Illinois’s J.B. Pritzker and New Jersey’s Phil Murphy, have been invited to the summit as well, the Times reported.
There has been debate within the White House on when to announce his bid. The sooner Biden announces, the sooner he can jumpstart fundraising for what may prove to be a costly race. However, Biden has relished the opportunity to portray himself as above the fray up to this point.
The announcement will be followed by a set of campaign hires that will work outside the White House. Julie Chávez Rodriguez, a senior White House adviser and the granddaughter of labor leader Cesar Chavez, is viewed as a frontrunner for the role of campaign manager.
Biden will not face an uncontested Democratic primary, which will culminate in the Democratic National Convention in Chicago next year. John F. Kennedy Jr., an anti-vaccine activist and member of the Kennedy clan, threw his hat into the ring last week and is polling in the double digits. He joins self-help guru Marianne Williamson, who also ran in the last cycle.
Aside from Trump, Republican candidates who have announced include former South Carolina governor Nikki Haley and former Arkansas governor Asa Hutchison. Senator Tim Scott (R., S.C.) recently launched an exploratory committee. Both former vice president Mike Pence and Florida governor Ron DeSantis are also widely expected to launch their own bids in the near future.
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