President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump have officially clinched their respective parties' nominations for the 2024 presidential election, setting the stage for a rematch that many Americans had anticipated but few had desired. The two candidates surpassed the delegate thresholds needed for nomination on Tuesday night, following primary contests in Georgia, Mississippi, Washington, and the Republican caucuses in Hawaii.
According to the Associated Press, Biden secured 2,107 pledged delegates, surpassing the 1,968 required by the Democratic Party. Trump, needing 1,215 for the Republican Party's nomination, had secured 1,241 bound delegates. Neither candidate faced significant competition, with only former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley, who dropped out of the race last week, gaining more than a handful of delegates at 94.
The result sets the United States up for a replay of the contentious 2020 election, the results of which have been repeatedly and falsely challenged by Trump. This will be the first rematch in a U.S. presidential election in 70 years.
Trump acknowledged the primary result on Truth Social, calling it a "great honor" to represent the GOP while simultaneously attacking his opponent, referring to him as "crooked Joe Biden" and likening the U.S. under his leadership to a "Third World Country." Biden, on the other hand, posted on X (formerly Twitter), "Let's go," accompanied by a video in which he states, "This is a time of choosing. So let us choose the truth."
Despite the inevitability of the rematch, a Reuters/Ipsos poll published in January indicated that most American voters are not enthusiastic about the prospect. The nationwide poll of 1,250 U.S. adults revealed that 70% of respondents, including half of the Democrats, believed Biden should not seek reelection. Similarly, 56% of respondents, including a third of Republicans, said Trump should not be seeking reelection either, per the CNN.
The age of the candidates is a key factor in explaining their unpopularity, according to the poll. Biden, at 81, is the oldest president in U.S. history, while Trump, at 77, would be the second oldest if he were to win office again. The poll found that three-quarters of voters see Biden as too old for the job, including half of Democrats, and half of voters think Trump is too old, including a third of Republicans.
Both candidates face a broader range of hurdles beyond their age. Trump is battling the fallout from his tumultuous first term, his alleged offenses in seeking to overturn his 2020 defeat to Biden, and the 91 criminal charges he currently faces, according to Buisness Insider. The 2022 Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, which was backed by Trump and the justices he appointed, could also damage his reelection chances, particularly among female voters.
Biden, meanwhile, is facing mounting unpopularity over his migration policies and sharp divisions over his handling of the Israel-Hamas war. Crime is another sore point, and voters are, at best, uncertain about his handling of the economy.
Michael J. Boskin, professor of economics at Stanford University, noted in a Project Syndicate article that even the most committed Democrats and Republicans seem uninspired by the rematch. "Trump also has a loyal, energetic base, whereas Biden's re-election bid generates almost no enthusiasm, even among Democrats. Still, many Americans strongly oppose a second Trump term, and more than 20% of those who voted in the Republican primaries say they won't vote for Trump," he said.
As the United States looks ahead to the 2024 presidential election, the challenges facing both candidates are numerous and complex. The lack of enthusiasm among voters, coupled with the candidates' advanced age and the controversies surrounding their respective campaigns, suggests that the road to the White House will be a difficult one for both Biden and Trump. The outcome of this rematch will depend on how effectively each candidate can address these challenges and appeal to an increasingly divided and disillusioned electorate.
