Joe Biden’s 4 weak points that complicate his re-election plans

President Joe Biden has a year ahead of him with a heavy presidential campaign as he seeks re-election, and the prospect of facing Donald Trump again in the November election. All while, of course, attending to the affairs of the government of a nation with international obligations.

Like every candidate, Biden has strengths and weaknesses. And like every sitting president seeking re-election, his administration’s work is a letter of introduction to the voters he wants to woo ahead of the United States elections in 2024.

Biden comes up with some low points, such as the economy, which has excellent indicators, but which many voters do not perceive as such. Or the sense of anarchy over border security that Republican opposition exploits.

These are the most obvious “weaknesses” that Biden has as a candidate.

Very low unemployment. Continued economic growth. Controlled inflation. And there are no signs of a slowdown in sight. It seems paradoxical to say that the weakness for Biden is related to the economy.

With an unemployment rate of 3.7%, month after month reports show continued job generation. Furthermore, the economy is expected to grow by 2.5% during 2023. And inflation, which skyrocketed with the pandemic, has been contained in a relatively short time, with the consumer price index falling from a peak of 9.1% in June 2022 to 3.4% currently. All without reaching the dreaded recession with which they had warned

So what is Biden’s problem? The thing is that even though the most important economic indicators are super positive, the general public doesn’t perceive it that way. And that’s a perception that Republicans exploit ahead of the campaign.

A paper published by the Pew Research Center in January shows that Americans’ views on the economy show signs of improvement. 28% of respondents “rated the economic condition as excellent or good, an increase of 9 percentage points from April.” But the same poll shows “only 33% of Americans approve of Biden’s performance.”

What is the explanation behind people’s inconsistent dissatisfaction? The Brookings Institute think tank organized the possible explanations into three groups. The first has to do with the perception of future economic opportunities: low confidence in the prospects, including higher price levels due to post-pandemic inflation, lack of affordable housing and concerns about the impact of artificial intelligence on jobs. .

Another group links it to non-economic concerns, such as wars, political conflicts or mass shootings. And the third group relates to perceptions of the economy influenced by news sources with negative or alarm biases.

And for Biden, the connection between what consumers feel and the actual state of the economy could be key when it comes to winning re-election.

The issue of immigration and border security is rising to the top of the list of issues that concern voters thinking about presidential elections. In fiscal year 2023, migrant encounters at borders broke records, according to Border Patrol data.

Meanwhile, Biden has to deal with the discomfort created by Democratic state and local administrations. The governor of Texas, Republican Greg Abbott, on buses sending large flows to cities such as New York or Chicago.

The migration problem is now affecting cities that do not have the infrastructure to receive thousands of people coming from the southern border. Republicans call the situation the “Biden border crisis.”

In this context, Trump has doubled down on his anti-immigrant rhetoric that worked for him in the 2016 election. Weeks ago he said undocumented immigrants “They poison the blood of our country”, A phrase that echoes Adolf Hitler’s words regarding the Jews in Europe.

Polls show immigration is a weak issue for Biden, who has just 18% approval on the issue, according to recent polls. ABC News.

When he won in 2020, Biden was the oldest president-elect in US history. How old will President Biden be when he serves a second term if re-elected? 86 years old. The Democrat is 81 years old and this math worries his constituents deeply.

A potential rematch with Trump, the 77-year-old favorite for the Republican nomination, will once again pit the election between two older men. However, it is Biden’s age that causes the most concern among voters, including Democratic voters who say they will vote for him.

Biden has addressed the topic of his age with humor on several occasions, while his administration has highlighted his vast experience in Washington’s political arena. However, opinion polls show that a majority of Americans believe he may be too old for re-election.

A recent survey of ABC News And The Washington Post showed that 74% of respondents believe Biden is too old to run for a second term, while 50% think the same about Trump.

Trump has repeated several times during the election campaign that there would have been no war between Russia and Ukraine if he had been president, and Israel’s current offensive in Gaza began after the June 7 attack by the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas. Neither would have happened. October.

A survey published by The New York Times/Siena College December shows that voters generally disapprove of Biden’s handling of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict: 57% of those surveyed disapprove of Biden’s handling and only 33% approve.

The survey shows Worrying fact for Biden’s re-election aspirations: that among voters aged 18 to 29, traditionally more inclined to be Democrats, Nearly three-quarters disapprove of the way the president is handling the conflict in Gaza.

This is a more complex area of ​​Israel’s current military operations in Gaza, which some describe as ‘genocide’. The fact that the White House continues to offer its unconditional support to the Israelis and is not pushing for a cease-fire is a major issue among those who are disappointed with Biden’s position.