Joe Biden thriving but Donald Trump may triumph, says Arthur Sinodinos
Joe Biden is ‘at the top of his game’ but will most likely face an uphill battle to win a second term against a resurgent Donald Trump, says Arthur Sinodinos.
US President Joe Biden is “at the top of his game” but will most likely face an uphill battle to win a second term against a resurgent Donald Trump at the 2024 general election, according to Australia’s ambassador to Washington.
On the eve of the US midterm elections, Arthur Sinodinos told News Corp’s inaugural BEYOND’23 conference in Sydney on Tuesday that while he had been impressed by Mr Biden during his first two years in the White House, he thought Mr Trump could reclaim the presidency should he opt to run.
“At the moment, Trump commands at least 35 per cent of the Republican base of voters in primaries, so he is most likely to get (the party’s nomination).
“No one is a serious challenger, apart, potentially, from for Ron DeSantis. I think (Trump) genuinely does want to run.”
Asked directly if he thought Mr Trump could win the 2024 election, Mr Sinodinos said: “Absolutely.”
But Mr Sinodinos also lavished praise on Mr Biden, saying he was an incredibly hardworking leader who remained intellectually sharp.
Recalling Mr Biden’s performance at the recent Pacific Island Summit in Washington, Mr Sinodinos said the US President was on “top of his game” — fully engaged on all the relevant issues, charismatic and energetic.
“Just from my observations of him, on the number of times I’ve seen him, this bloke knows what he’s doing,” Mr Sinodinos said of Mr Biden.
“I don’t think he’s a dodderer. It’s a great narrative for some of the Republicans to run but I don’t think it’s a fair narrative.”
Mr Sinodinos said that irrespective of the outcome of the midterm elections, Australia and the US would remain in lock-step.
“Either way, I think we’re in good hands. And frankly, it’s not just because the (US) likes us. It’s because they see the track record of what Australia has done to stand up for itself,” he said.
“The relationship … has always been strong but recent geo-strategic circumstances are bringing us even closer together. There is very strong affection for Australia (in the US) — there’s admiration for the way we have stood up to issues around trade and economic coercion, and the fact that on defence we’re spending more.
“The AUKUS thing went down a treat in the Congress; the enthusiasm we found for AUKUS was just incredible.”
Further highlighting the strength of the alliance, Mr Sinodinos referenced recent remarks about Australia by former US secretary of state Condoleezza Rice.
“A little while ago, Condi Rice was asked who is America’s best ally, and she said Australia. Because, she said, when something happens, they say ‘we’ve got this’.
“We roll up our sleeves and we get on with it. And the relationship in Washington, in many ways, is frictionless. That’s how many of them describe it, not because we agree with them on everything. The reality is that the reason we get on is essentially because we have very similar values and interests.”
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