OPINION: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.
President Joe Biden will host a fundraiser in New York with former Presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton in March to boost contributions to his struggling re-election campaign. The trio disclosed their plans by exchanging social media posts.
The Biden campaign has not yet announced a location for the event, which is scheduled for March 28, the Associated Press noted.
“Folks – I’ll be in NYC on March 28th to support @JoeBiden. Who’s coming with me? Chip in for your chance to join,” Obama posted on X, formerly Twitter, over a picture of Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, and the hand-written message “Let’s finish the job” next to Biden’s signature.
Clinton responded ironically, “Count me in. Who else is going to be there?” and Biden answered jokingly “You guys know you can just call me next time, right?”
“Obama, Clinton, and Jimmy Carter are the only living Democratic former presidents, but the 99-year-old Carter is in hospice care at his home in Georgia. Carter’s wife, Rosalynn, died in November and her funeral was one of the rare times Biden, Obama and Clinton have appeared together prior to next month’s fundraiser,” the AP reported.
“Word of the upcoming gathering came a day before Biden headed to New York for three smaller Manhattan fundraisers. The president has intensified fundraising efforts since December. His campaign said Tuesday that January produced its highest monthly donation total since launching in April 2023, breaking monthly records previously set in December and November of last year,” the outlet added.
A new NBC News survey is horrendous news for Biden as his re-election campaign, such as it is, gets underway.
According to the poll found that Biden’s approval is at an all-time low of just 37 percent, leading a Democratic pollster to comment that the “damning” results indicate a “presidency in peril.”
Former President Donald Trump leads Biden by 5 points (47%-42%) in the national poll, but he leads by:
–23 points on mental and physical health to be president (46%-23%).
–22 points on handling the economy (55%-33%).
–21 points on dealing with crime and violence (50%-29%)
–16 points on being competent and effective (48%-32%)
–11 points on improving America’s standing in the world (47%-36%)
–35 points on securing the southern border (57%-22%).
The ongoing illegal immigration crisis has become the No. 1 issue for most GOP primary voters, according to the report, though Democrats are increasingly fed up with Biden’s lax border enforcement policies as more migrants are shipped to major cities.
“What is most concerning is the erosion of Biden’s standing against Trump compared to four years ago,” Democrat pollster Jeff Horwitt of Hart Research Associates told NBC News.
“On every measure compared to 2020, Biden has declined. Most damningly, the belief that Biden is more likely to be up to the job—the chief tenet of the Biden candidacy—has evaporated,” Horwitt continued.
The current numbers appear favorable for Trump and “difficult” for the incumbent as they enter the core of the 2024 primary season, Republican pollster Bill McInturff of Public Opinion Strategies offered.
“It is hard to imagine a more difficult set of numbers before a reelection,” McInturff told NBC News.
With 73% of registered voters expressing the belief that the U.S. is on the wrong track under Biden, the only potential positive aspect for the current president and Howitt is that there is still time to reverse these numbers.
“Biden can take solace that we are in January and not October 2024,” Howitt added. “At this stage in prior cycles, attitudes can change.”
Biden supporters might need to pin their hopes on a conviction of Trump on one of the four indictments he faces. In the scenario where Trump is convicted of a felony, Biden manages to secure a 2-point lead over Trump, although this still falls within the statistical margin of error, making it a competitive race.
The pollsters have noted a steady increase in Trump’s support on various issues:
–Border: Trump’s lead increased from 16 points in September 2020 to 35 points in January 2024.
–Economy: Trump expanded his 7-point lead in October 2020 to 22 points today.
–Crime and violence: Trump turned a 4-point deficit during the 2020 riots into a 21-point lead today, marking a 25-point swing.
–Competence and effectiveness: Trump reversed a 9-point deficit in June 2020 to a 16-point lead today, another 25-point swing.
–Mental and physical health for the presidency: Trump transformed a 1-point deficit in October 2020, when he was hospitalized with COVID-19, into a 23-point lead today.
The survey is also the latest to show Biden losing ground with younger voters who have traditionally gone for Democrats.
