Get Ready for Groundhog Day: Joe Biden vs. Donald Trump, Round 2: Joe Biden officially announced his bid for re-election yesterday, making a repeat of the 2020 Trump-Biden match-up almost inevitable. Americans will once again be subject to two old men duking it out for the top spot in the nation.
It’s a sequel many of us would rather not buy a ticket to and a sure-fire way to ensure this country continues on a path toward tanking at the global box office. Because Trump is the only way Biden wins.
Democrats and the Options
Any other Republican in the race would beat Joe Biden singlehandedly, and Democrats have no other viable option for the ticket.
Let me rephrase that – they have no other viable option that will tow the progressive establishment line other than Biden.
Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. may be a strong contender. Still, given he has described Tucker Carlson as “breathtakingly courageous” in the wake of his departure from Fox, he’s not exactly the spokesperson the far left wants.
Much like Bernie Sanders, the DNC would never let RFK, Jr. win the primary. He speaks out against orthodox narratives around controversial issues such as vaccinations, Ukraine, and the “corrupt merger between state and corporate power,” just as Carlson did.
If that’s enough to get a conservative fired, you can bet RFK, Jr. will feel the full wrath of the establishment elite. The truth makes strange bedfellows.
Trump and Biden: Too Old to Run?
Biden is Democrats’ safest, if not best, bet, despite the fact the man can barely string cohesive sentences together or walk without assistance.
This is in no way meant to be disrespectful. Biden is simply displaying the natural cognitive and physical decline of age. The man currently at the helm of one of the world’s superpowers should be sleeping in until at least 9 am, getting ready for a round of golf or maybe some Sudoku puzzles, napping by 3 pm and headed to dinner by 5.
He should be enjoying the last decade or so of his life with those who care about him, not making existential decisions on the trajectory of this nation as a puppet for a political party, particularly at a time when the US’s position on the world stage is becoming, like him, increasingly fragile.
Trump is no spring chicken, either. He will be 78 by the time the 2024 elections roll around. He may be a more vital, robust, and feisty senior than Biden, but he’s senior, nevertheless.
Nikki Haley is right. It’s time for a new generation of leaders. At the very least, both men should be subject to a competency test, although it’s apparent that Biden would not be up for the challenge. His presidential campaign announcement came not via an appearance in front of a cheering crowd, dancing and enthusiastically riling up his base.
Rather, it presented him in a produced, polished, and highly edited video that featured VP Kamala Harris over ten times; an early warning that the four years after the next election could be worse than anyone imagined.
The Alternatives
Although Ron DeSantis is the only true contender, any other Republican candidate other than Trump could beat Biden with their hands behind their back – Nikki Haley, Vivek Ramaswamy, and even Mike Pence, while notably conservative, all have enough credibility, intelligence, and yes, youth (even at 64, Pence seems sprightly compared to Trump and Biden), to capitalize on the 50-59% of those disapproving of Biden’s leadership.
However, because most consider DeSantis the only viable alternative to Trump, he and Trump have been pitted against Biden in the polls. And he consistently beats Biden by a margin of 2-3 points and up to 6 in battleground states such as Arizona.
Contrast that to a Biden victory against Trump in both Arizona and Pennsylvania, as well as some national polls.
A Negative Vote
It becomes clear that in a Trump-Biden matchup, votes won’t necessarily be for Biden, but against Trump, just like in 2020, particularly amongst a certain swath of voters that tend to tip the scales: upper-class white women.
Even some of the conservative leaning amongst this electorate cannot stomach a Trump win. Add that to the list of “never Trumpers” and those with “TDS,” and Biden has a path back to the White House despite the state of the economy, the destruction of meritocracy, disastrous foreign policy, and his up to 60% disapproval rating.
It is a sad but true commentary on our current culture that people are more motivated by hatred than they are any other desire. It is a powerful force that often hijacks the part of the brain responsible for rational decision-making and critical analysis.
Yet, Trump ignites this very response from many and Democrats need him because he’s the only Republican Biden can beat. While Groundhog Day is a great movie, it’s a nightmare to live out in real life. Conservatives need to remember this come primary election time.
About the Author
Jennifer Galardi is the politics and culture editor for 19fortyfive.com. She has a Master’s in Public Policy from Pepperdine University and produces and hosts the podcast Connection with conversations that address health, culture, politics and policy. In a previous life, she wrote for publications in the health, fitness, and nutrition space. In addition, her pieces have been published in the Epoch Times and Pepperdine Policy Review. You can follow her on Instagram and Twitter.
