LOS ANGELES.–President Joe Biden, 81, has reprised his 2020 presidential campaign, demonizing former President Donald Trump as a threat to U.S. Democracy. Whether Biden’s strategy works like it did in 2020 is anyone’s guess. Biden’s 72-year-old wife, Jill, has taken on a more visible role in highlighting Trump in picking at least three Supreme Court Justices who voted to end 1973 Roe v. Wade, the once a landmark ruling legalizing abortion in the United States. Since the Supreme Court ended Roe v. Wade June 24, 2022, Democrats seized the opportunity to go after suburban soccer moms, a demographic 77-year-old President Donald Trump had trouble with in 2020. Trump’s biggest challenge in 2020 was the distorted perception that he didn’t do enough to contain the growing Covd-19 pandemic that was killing thousands of America in 2020, ending up killing 1,184,042.
No one can underestimate the blame Democrats and the press put on Trump for growing Covid deaths in 2020, eventually upending his presidency, handing Biden his first term in office. Trump can thank Washington Post Journalist Bob Woodward who used all his Watergate-fame credibility to discredit Trump. Woodward worked closely with another Democrat hack, former head of National Institutes of Health Allergy and Infections Disease Chief Dr. Anthony Fauci. Despite heading up Trump’s Coronavirus task force, Fauci worked assiduously to undermine Trump’s 2020 reelection campaign. Woodward actually interviewed Trump in early 2020 for his book, “Rage,” said Trump didn’t take the Covid-19 crisis seriously, causing untold numbers of U.S. deaths. Woodward interviewed Trump when there were only a few cases of Covid-19 and no deaths from the disease.
When Biden was inaugurated in 2021, 66% of of California voters had a favorable rating of him, only 45% view Biden favorable today. Only 7% of Californians had an unfavorable view of Biden in 2021, now 26% view him ufavorably, largely because of his track record on the economy and foreign policy. Biden isn’t likely to lose California, a strongly blue state, to Trump in 2024, but the erosion of support directly relates to perceptions that Biden is too old for a second term. Recent polls show that 70% to 80% think that Biden should not run again. When Special Counsel Robert Hur released his report Feb. 5 showing that Biden has a failed memory it just corroborated what voters had already known about Biden. Since then, the White House has spent much of its time challenging Hur’s report, telling voters that Biden is in great shape, ready to serve another term.
Mark Decamilla, director of the Berkeley IGS poll, said there are growing concerns about Biden’ appeal to youthful voters. “The younger voters are a key segment in this election,” Decamilla said, reporting about a30% drop in Biden’s approval with the young demographic. Decamilla thinks that young voters may not turn out to vote in November from voter apathy. Biden’s national low approval ratings at 39% don’t look to improve between now and the November vote. When it comes to swing states, Biden’s low approval ratings especially with young voters could make the difference in electing Trump, largely because of Biden’s track record over the last three years. With no race riots or Covid to blame Trump, Biden runs for his his track record in November. White House officials like to point out that only four years separates Trump and Biden in age.
Unlike 2020, Biden now has a track record of inflation ravaging the economy, something hurting overall consumers, paying higher prices for basic commodities like gas and groceries, not to mention the lack of affordability in big ticket items like cars and homes. Bien has trouble relating to young audiences that sees him too often tripping or, worse yet, face-planting or struggling to explain himself coherently. Biden’s handlers, like his wife Jill or Sister Valerie Owens, seek to redirect public perception to the abortion issues, made more difficult because the Trump-backed Supreme Court ending Roe v. Wade. Trying to pin the abortion issue on Trump won’t carry the same weight at Covid in 2020, when many Americans panicked as the death rate began to soar. Trump was harmed in 2020 by Democrats and the press blaming Trump for race riots around the country.
Unless there’s a big change in the U.S. economy with the Federal Reserve Board slashing today’s high interest rates, Biden isn’t likely to get much bump in the polls. Whether admitted to or not, the Ukraine War looms over everything, fueling inflation and stirring up anxiety about WW III or nuclear war. Biden said in 2022 that he would commit U.S. troops to defend Taiwan in the event of a Chinese takeover. Biden said if elected to a second term, he would support Ukraine for the foreseeable future. Hungarian President Viktor Orban, 60, said the only hope of ending the destructive Ukraine War is to elect former President Donald Trump. Biden’s strategy of trash talking Trump won’t work this time around, largely because he put up an unfavorable track record turning off large swaths of American voters. Trump looks like he’s hitting his stride on the campaign trail heading into Super Tuesday.
About the Author
John M. Curtis writes politically neutral commentary analyzing spin in national and global news. He’s editor of OnlineColumnist.com and author of Dodging The Bullet and Operation Charisma.
