Biden 'Not Sure' He'd Be in 2024 Race if Trump Wasn't Running

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Facts

  • US Pres. Joe Biden said that he may have decided against running for a second term if former Pres. Donald Trump wasn't running for president in 2024. At a campaign fundraiser outside Boston on Tuesday, Biden said, 'If Trump wasn't running, I'm not sure I'd be running.'1
  • Biden returned to the White House Tuesday night, where reporters asked him if he would exit the race if Trump drops out. He told reporters, “No, not now.”2
  • The 81-year-old has faced questions from both sides of the political aisle about his age and mental capacity. While many voters report dissatisfaction with Biden’s administration and are worried about his age, the president believes that he has the best chance of defeating Trump in 2024.1
  • Biden is ramping up his fundraising efforts as he headlined three fundraisers in the Boston area Tuesday with four more events scheduled before Monday. Singer James Taylor performed at one of the Boston events, with tickets costing up to $7.5K. The Biden campaign received millions of dollars between Tuesday’s events.3
  • Biden focused his campaign speeches on the threat of a second Trump presidency, saying, “We cannot let him win.” While neither Trump nor Biden has secured their party’s nomination, both are on track to face off in a rematch of the 2020 presidential election. Biden will head to California to hold events with celebrities and politicians such as Steven Spielberg, Barbra Streisand, and Nancy Pelosi.4
  • Meanwhile, at a town hall hosted by Fox News’ Sean Hannity, Trump predicted that Biden wouldn't be the Democratic nominee, citing questions about his mental and physical health.5

Sources: 1Reuters, 2NBC, 3CNN, 4Fortune and 5WION.

Narratives

  • Republican narrative, as provided by PJ Media. If Joe Biden weren’t destroying the US at the behest of the Democratic Party, it would be hard not to feel bad for him. While his handlers have done their best to shield him from the public for the last three years, it's becoming increasingly clear that Biden isn't fit to serve as president — a reality that his most recent comments seem to have acknowledged.
  • Democratic narrative, as provided by The New Republic. Biden's comments weren't an admission that he isn't qualified for the race but rather were meant to stress the direness of a Trump win. The former president’s ineptness knows no bounds, as evidenced by his latest jokes regarding Biden's health. Trump doesn't possess the temperament to be president — and Biden is the best candidate to face off against him.
  • Narrative C, as provided by Esquire. Americans have made great progress in opposing discrimination upon characteristics such as race, gender, and sexual orientation, yet many people seem to be just fine with blatant ageism. At every turn, older politicians on both sides are heavily scrutinized after every slip-up, as the media calls for them to retire. The fact is that many of these 70-plus-year-old politicians are wiser and more effective than their younger counterparts, and America's political system desperately needs seasoned leadership.

Predictions