Though it’s more difficult to play now that Trump is in power and some voters have fond recollections of the last president’s turbulent era, Vice President Joe Biden is trying to frame the 2024 election as a referendum on Trump.
While his criminal trial in New York provides further evidence of his allegations of political persecution, the presumed GOP nominee is making headway in rallying the Republican Party behind him. His former attorney general, William Barr, who had previously stated that Trump had no business being in the Oval Office, now told AWN that he would support him. On Sunday, the former president spent several hours meeting with Ron DeSantis, the governor of Florida and a former opponent of his in the GOP primary. Meanwhile, a new AWN poll suggests that Biden is still having issues with important parts of his own coalition, such as younger people.
With just over six months to go until the election, the unpredictable political atmosphere is posing a number of challenges to the two defective contenders, and it is difficult to predict which issues will determine the outcome in November. In the midst of rising student protests over Israel’s assault in Gaza and persistently high inflation, these concerns cover a wide range, including voters’ disillusionment with the economy, abortion rights, and Biden’s leadership on important domestic and international matters.
Not to mention the extraordinary spectacle of the future president-elect trying to make a historic comeback after his unsuccessful attempts to reverse the 2020 election and remain in power while facing several criminal indictments, including a Manhattan hush money case that might have a jury verdict within weeks.
Even while Trump is becoming more worried about Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s run, the effect on his race is yet unknown.
As time passes, the mayhem that was Trump’s Oval Office becomes less striking.
Biden is reportedly under intense pressure to remind people of the chaos of Trump’s one term, which ended during his unpredictable leadership in a once-in-a-century pandemic but, to some, seems to have been mostly an economic stability period, according to an AWN poll that was issued on Sunday.
Among all Americans, 55% consider Trump’s presidency a success and 44% consider it a disaster. In contrast, 55% of Americans thought Trump’s presidency was a failure in a poll conducted shortly before he left office and days after the assault on the US Capitol on January 6, 2021. While 39% think Biden’s administration has been effective so far, 61% think it has been a failure.
The results highlighted the flipped dynamic that the president faces in his bid for reelection. From his vantage point as an opponent four years ago, he could criticize Trump’s tenure in government. With “hope over fear, facts over fiction, fairness over privilege,” the nation would “overcome this season of darkness,” according to Biden. Even while Trump has his own problems, he can use Biden’s problems in office to his advantage and try to turn the election into a traditional referendum on the incumbent. During his few absences from his Manhattan trial, the former president practically daily portrays an image of a nation in decline, lost and confused in a world becoming blind.
At this very moment, the economy is crumbling. You can see it now; there has been very little progress, and things will only get worse. There has been a widespread closure of college campuses due to the rising cost of oil. Friday, he declared, “Our country is going to hell.”.
While it is lower than it was throughout Trump’s presidency, inflation is still greater than it was at its height. A lot of people are sick of paying excessive costs, therefore it was a great strategy for the former president to use. An even more dismal 39% approve of Biden’s handling of inflation, according to the AWN poll. His approval rating on the economy is 34%. Voters also report that economic issues play a bigger factor in their decision-making process this election compared to the last two.
However, there are more weak spots in the president’s character. His leadership on the matter is being criticized by 71% of the population, who are unhappy with his handling of the Israeli attack in Gaza. His 81% disapproval rating among those under the age of 35 about the war is a red flag among a demographic that is important to the Democratic coalition.
This data helps to clarify why Republicans are bringing attention to the protests taking place on college campuses. When it comes to supporting Israel’s fight against Hamas, the GOP is mostly in agreement. The problem, however, drives a wedge between Democrats and might dampen support for Biden among critical voting blocs in areas where the outcome could hinge on the outcome of the election. House Speaker Mike Johnson recently went to Columbia University and demanded the deployment of the National Guard to disperse demonstrations, continuing Republicans’ efforts to make the president look even more weak on the matter. At least one Jewish student has reported experiencing antisemitic insults and threats at one of the campus protests this past week.
On Sunday, Biden spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over the phone, reiterating his opposition to a planned Israeli incursion into Rafah in Gaza, as he attempts to navigate the conflict between his political interests and his support for Israel. Opponents of the effort to apprehend Hamas militants are concerned that it may result in significant civilian casualties. In this case, Biden’s political vulnerability at home due to the crisis would be further exacerbated.
Trump will meet with DeSantis
Opinion polls can only capture the moment in time when they are taken.
In a head-to-head confrontation, registered voters’ support for Trump (49%) and Biden (43%), as measured in AWN polls from January, is not considerably different. The contest is statistically tied, according to the majority of polls. On Sunday, CBS News released polls showing that Trump is level with Biden in Wisconsin, Michigan, and Pennsylvania, three crucial swing states that might determine the outcome of the election. Following Trump’s 2016 triumph against Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton, Biden took all three in 2020.
Despite being confined to a Manhattan courthouse four days a week as his hush money trial plays out, some Republicans now believe the election dynamics favor Trump. Regarding these legal issues, your poll tells me all I need to know about Trump. Republican senator from South Carolina and a strong admirer of the former president, Lindsey Graham, told AWN’s Dana Bash on Sunday’s “State of the Union” that people are focusing on their own issues rather than Trump’s legal troubles.
Even though thousands of GOP primary voters are still supporting former South Carolina governor Nikki Haley, who withdrew in March, the AWN poll indicates that the majority of Republicans are rallying around Trump. It would appear that the former president has greater influence among his party than Joe Biden does. The study found that although 92% of Republicans think Trump has been successful in office, only 73% of Democrats feel the same way about Biden. Also, 91% of Republicans back Trump, but 85% of Democrats back Biden.
The ability to subdue GOP opponents and make any Republican who aspires to a political career or even just a place in the party submit to his authority has been a defining feature of Trump’s political success. The fact that DeSantis, who had previously criticized Trump before deciding to stop his primary campaign, had breakfast with the former president on Sunday is another evidence of this trend, according to AWN’s Kristen Holmes and Kit Maher.
Former president’s attorney general says he’ll vote for Trump in astonishing interview with AWN’s Kaitlan Collins last week. Barr disagreed with Trump’s assertions about 2020 election fraud, when the president sought to steal the presidency, and instead blamed Biden and progressives, who he said wanted to dictate “people what kind of stoves they can use and what kinds of cars they have to drive,” for being a bigger danger to democracy than Trump. Those are the dangers to democracy, you know.
In addition, Chris Sununu, the governor of New Hampshire, has endorsed Haley but has criticized Trump in the past, calling him a loser and an extremist. Sununu had already stated before his candidate withdrew that he would support Trump if nominated, regardless of his criminal record.