The rumor had been circulating for weeks. It is now official. Democrat Joe Biden, 80, announced on Tuesday April 25 his candidacy for his succession to the presidency of the United States. “Let’s finish the job,” he chanted, in a video posted on Twitter, formalizing his entry into the campaign. New campaign, same tune. The American press has widely discussed his strengths, and his handicaps, the same as when he was elected in 2020.
First, age. Is Joe Biden too old? The question is again asked by part of the press across the Atlantic, while, during the previous ballot, candidate Biden had been described as “sluggish” by his opponents. “Asking the country to elect an 80-year-old man whose second term will end at 86 is a risky act that borders on selfishness”, wonders the wall street journal, in an editorial. The current tenant of the White House is the oldest president that the United States has known, recalls the newspaper.
Age, his glasses and the polls
Next, popularity. Joe Biden is ‘tremendously unpopular’, Fox New immediately inquireds, the conservative channel, which a few days ago admitted having lied to its audience during the previous campaign. Biden’s announcement is accompanied by a series of incriminating articles against the current president. One is captioned “Biden jokes that he’s a ‘very boring president,’ known only for his Ray-Ban sunglasses and chocolate chip ice cream.” A mischievous nod to his outfit which recalls the low blows of the previous election… And the campaign has only just begun.
“Biden favorite despite bad polls. How?” Explores the Los Angeles Times. While this Tuesday is also the anniversary of the announcement of his first candidacy in 2020, only 4 out of 10 Americans approve of his action, recalls the newspaper, in concert with Fox News. And to support: “Only a third think he deserves re-election”. But, unlike the pro-republican channel, the Los Angeles Times points out that these scores are neither new nor disqualifying. “Don’t judge me in absolute terms, judge me in relation to alternatives”, repeated Joe Biden in 2020.
His campaign will be a “challenge” against “Trump” and for “history”, headlines the New York Times, underlining a key promise made by Joe Biden during the first ballot: that of being a “bridge” for a new generation of Democrats. It was also one of the answers to those who found him too old. The “passing of the torch” will not be this time. In his candidacy announcement, the President of the United States portrayed himself as a general at war “for democracy” and “the soul of the country”. But “the fight is not over, he said. No question of risking erasure.
Biden with his family, Trump in front of the judges
However, in this battle, the enemy is never named, remarked on his side the washington post. Joe Biden had no word for, or against Donald Trump. However, the leader of “Make America Great Again”, beaten in 2020, is also a candidate. This Tuesday, while Joe Biden heated his supporters white, the former president appeared before 34 judges, for defamation, against a background of accusation of rape. “Show, don’t tell”, say the Americans. The power of images, in the land of Hollywood.
Beyond the scenography, why embark on the campaign so early still wonders the newspaper of Washington ? “Joe Biden had no rush to make his candidacy official. The vagueness allowed him to stay out of the fray as Republicans clash. the reasons for doing so”, analyzes the daily. And to quote former Obama campaign advice: “You shouldn’t give the impression of hesitation.” Trump, he had not trembled, last November.