OPINION: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.
Republicans are more excited about former President Donald Trump returning to the White House than Democrats are about President Joe Biden serving another four years in office.
According to a recent Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research survey, 54% of Republicans surveyed said that they would be “excited” about a second term of a Trump presidency.
When it came to Biden winning the rematch between the incumbent White House president and his predecessor in November’s presidential election, just four out of ten Democrats expressed the same sentiment.
According to the poll, seven out of ten Democrats said they would feel “angry” or “fearful” if Trump were to win the presidency.
If Biden were to defeat Trump for the second time in a row, 56% of Republicans expressed the same sentiment.
Both enthusiasm for and distaste for the two front-runners in a race that polls predict will be very close will probably be important catalysts for igniting the Republican and Democratic bases.
With less than seven months until Election Day on November 5, Trump has an early advantage in public opinion surveys, which he holds in the majority of national surveys as well as in numerous polls in five of the six crucial battleground states where Biden defeated Trump by a narrow margin to win the 2020 presidential election.
But Biden currently has the advantage in another crucial metric: fundraising.
In terms of style and manner, as well as positions on important issues like the economy, immigration, abortion, foreign policy, the war in Ukraine, and America’s future role abroad, the Biden-Trump rematch presents sharp contrasts.
Even after his recent spirited State of the Union speech, 81-year-old Joe Biden—who four years ago made history as the oldest American president ever elected—will continue to be questioned about his physical and mental stamina.
In addition, the president must demonstrate his ability to inspire younger voters, progressives, and important Democratic base constituents like Black and Latino Americans. In addition, Biden is dealing with primary ballot box protests resulting in “uncommitted” votes due to his endorsement of Israel in its conflict with Hamas in Gaza.
There are a lot of issues facing the former president as well.
With four major trials and 91 indictments overall, Trump—who made history last year as the first president or former president to face criminal charges—now faces federal cases about his attempts to rig the 2020 presidential election and his handling of classified documents. Trump is also appealing a significant civil fraud judgment. He’ll have to balance his time on the campaign trail with his court appearances.
In addition, the 77-year-old Trump will have to win over a substantial portion of Republican voters who supported Nikki Haley during the GOP primary.
Before she halted her White House campaign earlier this month, the former governor of South Carolina and ambassador to the United Nations was Trump’s final opponent. Haley’s endorsement is drawing attention to Trump’s shortcomings among highly educated and suburban voters.
Further complicating matters, there won’t be a two-candidate contest in the presidential rematch between Biden and Trump.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a former Democratic candidate who is now running as an independent, is trying to get his name on state ballots all over the nation. As the scion of the illustrious Kennedy political dynasty and a longtime environmental activist and vaccine skeptic, Kennedy is commanding double digits in numerous general election polls.
Jill Stein, the Green Party candidate, and Cornell West, the progressive independent candidate, are polling in the single digits. Furthermore, the centrist organization No Labels is proceeding with its preparations to possibly introduce a third-party “unity” presidential ticket.
Though they were largely absent from the 2020 presidential contest, independent and third-party candidates were present during Trump’s 2016 contest against Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton. They might also do so in 2024.
