United States president Joe Biden on Tuesday, 25 April, announced that he will be running for the office of President of the United States in the 2024 elections.
"Every generation has a moment where they have had to stand up for democracy. To stand up for their fundamental freedoms. I believe this is ours. That’s why I’m running for reelection as President of the United States. Join us. Let’s finish the job," Biden tweeted.
The announcement came on the fourth anniversary of the 80-year-old's first successful presidential bid, launched on 25 April, 2019.
Biden made the announcement in a video released by his new campaign team and says that it it his job to defend America's democracy. The three-minute-long clip opened with visuals of the 6 January 2021 attack on the US Capitol by former President Donald Trump's supporters
"When I ran for president four years ago, I said we're in a battle for the soul of America, and we still are...This is not a time to be complacent. That's why I'm running for re-election," Biden said.
"Let's finish this job. I know we can," he added.
While a poll by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research said that close to 80 percent Democrats would back Biden if he were to run against a Republican candidate, but Biden faces extremely low approval ratings despite a significant legislative record. Moreover, he has been subject to persistent questions about his age, being the oldest person to hold the president's office in US history.
He also described Republican platforms as serious threats to America's freedom and democracy, and pledged to fight off efforts to limit women's access to healthcare, cancel social security and ban books, while blasting "MAGA [an acronym for Trump's 'Make America Great Again' slogan] extremists."
“Around the country, MAGA extremists are lining up to take those bedrock freedoms away. This is not a time to be complacent. That’s why I’m running for reelection.”
While Biden faces a few candidates for the Democratic nomination, such as self-help guru Marianne Williamson and anti-vaccine activist Robert Kennedy Jr, his road to becoming the Democratic candidate for the 2024 Presidential election seems clear.
However, Biden faces a tougher fight with former President Donald Trump during the election, after Trump announced his candidacy a few weeks ago.
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