Virendra Pandit
New Delhi: Joseph Robinette Biden, Junior—or Joe Biden—turned 80 in November 2022. The 46th US President has, ever since he took the oath in January 2021, repeatedly demonstrated that he has aged. He even forgot the name of his deputy, Vice President Kamala Harris. His videos went viral telling the world how he looked laconically, stumbled, or seemed to lose his way.
But all these ‘minor’ aberrations have not stopped the octogenarian US President Joe Biden from joining the race again for the White House in 2024.
In a three-minute promotional video, that began with a one-word pitch—Freedom—the Democratic leader launched his 2024 re-election bid on Tuesday.
He also gave a call for Americans to give him more time to “finish the job, less than three years after he defeated his Republican predecessor Donald Trump, now 76, to become the oldest president in US history.
Joe Biden argued that abortion rights, the defense of democracy, voting rights, and the social safety net will be among the most important issues on the ballot in 2024, the media reported.
“Every generation of Americans has faced a moment when they’ve had to defend democracy, stand up for our personal freedoms, and stand up for our right to vote and our civil rights. This is ours,” he said.
In the video, the current US President dubbed the 2024 election as a fight against Republican extremism, arguing he needed more time to fully realize his vow to restore the nation’s character.
“When I ran for president four years ago, I said we are in a battle for the soul of America. And we still are,” he said in the video, which opened with images of the January 6, 2021, insurrection by the Trump supporters at the US Capitol, and abortion rights activists protesting at the US Supreme Court.
“The question we are facing is whether in the years ahead we have more freedom or less freedom. More rights or fewer,” he added. “I know what I want the answer to be and I think you do too. This is not a time to be complacent. That’s why I’m running for reelection.”
His Vice President Kamala Harris, 58, was expected to replace Biden in the 2024 sweepstakes.
Now Biden is likely to face Republican Party’s Nikki Haley, 51, and Vivek Ramaswamy, 37, among many contenders—and don’t forget Donald Trump!