(Washington) Joe Biden’s withdrawal from the race for the US presidential election in November also disrupts the campaign of his Republican opponent Donald Trump, depriving him of his preferred Democratic scapegoat.
For months, Donald Trump and his allies have played on concerns about the 81-year-old president’s health, sharing videos of his every stutter, gaffe and stumble.
PHOTO BRIAN SNYDER, REUTERS
Donald Trump and Joe Biden during the debate organized by the CNN network, on June 27 in Atlanta.
“Joe the Crook was not fit to run and he is certainly not fit to hold office,” the Republican candidate said on his Truth Social network shortly after the withdrawal announcement. But the Republican, who escaped an assassination attempt, must make a strategic shift.
“This is bad news for Trump,” Henry Olsen of the conservative think tank Ethics and Public Policy Center told AFP.
President Biden had “the lowest approval ratings ever recorded in polls for a first term and is hopelessly burdened by his age,” the political analyst noted before the announcement.
It’s much better for [Donald] Trump to run against [Joe Biden] than against any other potential opponent.
Henry Olsen of the conservative think tank Ethics and Public Policy Center
While the Republican campaign has so far downplayed the chances of such a withdrawal, officials have recently been working behind the scenes on attacks targeting the Democrat’s potential replacement: his vice president, Kamala Harris.
The 59-year-old former senator from California, who became the first woman and first black and Asian person to hold the position, is expected to compete with other figures in the Democratic Party.
“No one has done worse than Kamala Harris, who has lied repeatedly, seemingly putting herself above the safety of Americans,” her campaign team recently said.
PHOTO JOHN RAOUX, ASSOCIATED PRESS
Vice President Kamala Harris
No “fundamental” change
“I’m going to run and campaign, whether it’s against him or somebody else,” Trump said, citing polls that also gave him the edge over several other Democrats.
The campaign “will not fundamentally change,” Jason Miller, one of the Republican candidate’s closest advisers, told AFP at the convention in Milwaukee.
Whether it’s Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, or another radical left Democrat, they are all responsible for the destruction of our economy and the crumbling of our borders.
Jason Miller, one of Donald Trump’s closest advisers
Voters have been telling pollsters for months that they want a younger candidate to represent them. Choosing a young Democratic governor from a key state could pose a threat to the fiery Republican, who would be 82 at the end of a possible second term.
A campaign led by Kamala Harris could also prove dangerous because she could appeal more to the female electorate, who historically vote more than men and constitute the Republican’s Achilles heel.