It’s the sequel nobody’s asking for.
President Biden last month told activist Al Sharpton that he will seek a second term in 2024. According to Sharpton, Biden said, “I’m going to do it again. I’m going.”
Incumbent presidents almost always seek reelection, and Biden has never publicly suggested he is considering otherwise. But he would be 86 years old at the end of a second term, and polls of Democrats show him below 50% in hypothetical primary fields. In an August poll, 56% of Democrats said Biden should retire after 2024.
On the other side, former President Donald Trump is gearing up for a comeback attempt. Journalist Maggie Haberman, who has covered Trump for years, said this week, “The second he says he’s not, he’s irrelevant. Everyone I speak to around him says that they believe he’s going to run.”
A repeat of the nasty 2020 presidential election has little appeal to voters. According to a September Harvard CAPS/Harris poll:
- 56% of Americans don’t want Trump to run again.
- 67% of Americans don’t want Biden to run again.
Trump had a record low 41% average approval rating during his presidency. But Biden is giving him a run for his money.
It’s not surprising that a recent HarrisX poll found 60% of voters say they'd be open to a moderate independent alternative.
