Biden: 'No Labels' Presidential Run Would Help Trump

Facts

• In an interview published Sunday, Pres. Joe Biden described the possibility that the organization 'No Labels' might put forward a third-party presidential candidate in 2024 as 'a mistake' that would 'help the other guy' — meaning former Pres. Donald Trump, the leading contender for the Republican presidential nomination.¹
• This comes as former Sen. Joe Lieberman, the founding chair of No Labels, said in late August that his organization didn’t want to be a 'spoiler' but would launch a third-party bid if there was a 'realistic chance to win' in light of polls showing a lack of confidence in the two major political parties.²
• Among those who could be tabbed as No Labels’ candidate is Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va), who in July appeared at a No Labels event and hasn’t ruled out a third-party bid.³
• Moderate Larry Hogan has also been rumored as a potential presidential candidate for No Labels. While third-party candidates rarely get more than one percent of the vote, polls suggest that an alternative candidate may help Trump.⁴
• Last month, the powerful network of liberal donors Democracy Alliance revealed it was warning major political donors to stay away from No Labels because of the likelihood the group could tilt the election away from Biden toward Trump.⁵
• Meanwhile, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the nephew of late Pres. John F. Kennedy, will reportedly abandon his primary challenge to Biden for the Democratic nomination later this month and announce his independent bid for president.⁶

Sources: ¹ProPublica, ²FOX News, ³Bloomberg, ⁴Daily Mail, ⁵Politico and ⁶Reuters.

Narratives

• Democratic narrative, as provided by Guardian. The upcoming election is more than a choice between the two major political parties' candidates, it’s a vote to save democracy from what Trump and his allies might do to US institutions. Third-party candidates will only shift a close election away from Biden, despite those parties sharing some positions with Democrats. Everyone who opposes Trump must unite behind Biden.
• Republican narrative, as provided by Breitbart. The Democratic Party is in a full-court press to stifle the No Labels Party out of a paranoid fear that it will tilt votes from Biden to Trump in 2024. The Democratic Party preaches about democracy, however, these moves are ironically deeply authoritarian. The Democratic Party is actually looking at the wrong part of the equation when it comes to 2024 and is largely ignoring Trump's surging poll numbers.
• Narrative C, as provided by Spiked. A third-party candidacy could be just what the US needs in light of the unpopularity of the two major parties and their likely nominees. If Democrats and Republicans aren’t going to address the major issues of our times, there’s room for a third party to attract independents, disappointed members of the two major parties, and young voters just getting into politics to save the country.

Predictions