The oldest president in US history seeks re-election after four troubled years

Joe Biden, who in January 2021 became the oldest president in United States history at 78 years and 61 days old, announced his re-election Tuesday after four years of troubled leadership.

So Biden had about three months more than Ronald Reagan when the latter ended his second term in 1989. Now, at age 80, the Scranton, Pennsylvania-born head of state has announced his intention to remain in office. until 2029.

Elected in 1972 as Delaware Democratic Senator Joseph Robinett Biden Jr. from an early age engaged in dialogue with African American communities.

The “attack” on the White House happened three times: in 1988, when it failed due to accusations of plagiarism, in 2008, when it put an end to the “perversity” of Barack Obama, and finally in 2020, which ended in victory for the incumbent President Donald Trump.

Elected alongside Kamala Harris, the first black South Asian woman to serve as vice president, Biden’s pledge was based on a return to normalcy after the pandemic and Trump. And early on, the country had a high vaccination rate, high economic growth and low unemployment, and a return to an international protagonist after the Trump administration’s relative withdrawal from world politics.

Biden’s blissful state did not last long, it ended in the summer of 2021, when Americans were surprised by the chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan and the start of a historic rise in inflation.

Since then, Biden’s popularity has declined, raising doubts among the Democratic Party, as well as the possibility of re-election.

However, the 46th U.S. President has achieved what can be considered several successes in this term, such as orchestrating a Western response to the Russian invasion – and a surprise visit to Kiev on the eve of the conflict’s anniversary – or economic and support packages to meet China.

With the announcement on Tuesday, four years after the start of the campaign that landed him in the White House, Biden is now authorized to start fundraising activities directly for his campaign, planning to dine Friday in the Northern Capital. Democratic donors and leaders of the Democratic National Committee, the party’s executive arm.

To appear on the ballot that will be presented to millions of Americans on November 5, 2024, Biden will have to outdo other Democratic candidates in the primaries. So far, the announced list includes environmental lawyer Robert F. Kennedy Jr., also known for his anti-vaccine stance, and self-help writer Marianne Williamson.

On the Republican side, in addition to former President Donald Trump, are former US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley, Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson, radio host Larry Elder and entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswami.

At this point, and almost 20 months before his current term expires, there are doubts about the direction of Biden’s leadership, though his advisers insist there won’t be major changes, but polls show the president doesn’t have much credibility with the public. .

A poll by the Associated Press and the NORC Public Affairs Research Center last week found that 26% of Americans — and only about half of Democrats — want Biden to run again. However, 81% of Democrats said they would “at least likely” support the president in the general election.