Joe Biden will seek second term if Donald Trump runs again

It is the rematch that a majority of Americans say they do not want but may eventuate judging the latest comments of these two men.

Joe Biden is still undecided about 2024 but says he can beat Donald Trump.

President Biden has signalled he will run for a second term if his predecessor stands, saying: “I believe I can beat Donald Trump again.”
Biden, who turns 80 next month and is already the oldest US president, said that he will make up his mind whether to try for another four years in the White House after the midterm elections on November 8.

Mr Trump, 76, who holds regular rallies that give the appearance of a presidential campaign, has also said he will announce his decision after the elections. Americans are voting on every seat in the House of Representatives and a third of the 100-member Senate, with Republicans likely to make gains and complicate Mr Biden’s remaining two years in office.

Trump pumps his fist after speaking during election night in the East Room of the White House in Washington in 2020. Picture: AFP

A CAPS/Harris poll last month found that 67 per cent of voters did not think Mr Biden should seek another term, while 57 per cent said Mr Trump should not run either.

Only 35 per cent of Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents want Mr Biden to run for a second term in 2024, according to an ABC News-Washington Post poll last month.

Yet American politics is stuck in limbo as the next generation of political leaders, including numerous state governors with White House ambitions, wonders whether to risk internal party warfare by preparing a challenge to Mr Trump or Mr Biden if they stand, while being forced to wait for formal announcements.

“They’re concerned about whether or not I can get anything done,” Mr Biden told CNN in a TV interview on Tuesday, when asked about his age being an impediment. “Look what I’ve gotten done. Name me a president in recent history that’s gotten as much done as I have in the first two years. Not a joke. You may not like what I got done, but the vast majority of the American people do like what I got done. It’s a matter of, can you do the job? And I believe I can.”

Mr Biden signed some heavyweight legislation this summer, including a $US738bn ($1.17bn) infrastructure package and a $US280bn investment in semiconductor production, while a record 6.6 million jobs were added last year after pandemic cuts.

However, inflation is at its highest for 40 years and a record two million migrants have been caught crossing the Mexico border this year.

Asked whether one of his calculations in deciding if he should run for re-election was whether “you think you’re the only one who can beat Donald Trump”, Mr Biden said: “I believe I can beat Donald Trump again.”

Mr Biden also defended his son, Hunter, who faces investigation and possible charges for buying a gun while battling drug addiction. US law requires gun purchasers to attest that they are not users of or addicted to illegal drugs. He said: “I love him and he’s on the straight and narrow, and he has been for a couple years now. I’m just so proud of him.”

The Times