Ex-President Trump has again run for the US Republican candidacy. The election is still two years away, but successor Biden is reacting publicly. The current President sees himself as a bulwark against extremes.
No, US President Joe Biden has not yet commented on whether he intends to run for re-election. No, it is not yet clear whether his predecessor Donald Trump will actually become the opposition Republican candidate. But it doesn't stop either of them from attacking each other two years before the US presidential election.
With Trump, that's hardly a surprise. For example, because he had to justify his application. He talked about selfless service to the country - under Biden it would be so bad for the United States. Trump is also the potential challenger, still struggling, humbled by his 2020 election defeat. Biden would not have needed to tackle him at this point. But he and the White House are already trolling Trump.
In the congressional elections a few weeks ago, the "red wave" hoped for by Republicans did not materialize, Biden's Democrats did much better than poll results indicated and both party leaders had expected. Since then, Biden's government has been very confident in pointing out what it has achieved so far - and hinting at what a renewed Trump presidency could mean.
At a post-election Thanksgiving event, Biden said mockingly, "The only red wave will be if our German shepherd, Commander, knocks over the cranberry sauce on the table." In addition, the White House issued bullet points for possible "conversations with your uncle". Included is a list of Biden's accomplishments, which also emphasizes working with Republicans. Members of Congress from the other party also called it "EXTREME": They would want a nationwide ban on abortion, cut welfare programs and suspend anti-inflation legislation.
All of this is embedded in the strategy of aggressively targeting extreme Republicans for their positions. After all, this contrast brought about success in the last two elections. It had already become clear in 2020 that a decision between the state leader Biden and the blustering Trump would give the Democrats an advantage at the polls. Quite a few Republicans said about the results of this November election that Trump had lost three elections in a row since the 2018 midterm elections.
For the Democrats, this is confirmation that the way Biden presented himself in a direct duel with Trump in 2020 still works: as a bulwark against extremists and as a decent person who, despite major political differences, can push through important legislative projects. With the Republicans just barely winning a majority in the House of Representatives, right-wing MPs like Marjorie Taylor Greene are likely to receive even more attention in the future. The votes of individual Republicans are becoming more important, they are gaining more influence in Congress.
Trump is still the most influential face among Republicans, having recently supported hundreds of politicians at state and state level in their election campaigns. But in key races, his candidates went away empty-handed. When Trump invited to his residence in Mar-a-Lago shortly after the election and announced his renewed application there, pregnant with meaning, the White House also put a selective reference from the previous government online. It was the prelude to repeated taunting references and warnings about Trump.
When the ex-president met with Ye, aka Kanye West, in Florida last week, it was a sign of old solidarity. Ye had recently come under public criticism for anti-Semitic comments and had lost a lot of support. He brought friends to Trump's estate, including Holocaust denier Nick Fuentes, which the landlord said he had no idea about. The meeting became an own goal for Trump.
Some say Ye deliberately duped Trump publicly on the advice of his right-wing political adviser Milo Yiannopoulos, who is said to be anti-Trump. The ex-rapper wants to become president himself and suggested Trump to run as his vice president in the primaries. "The master troll was trolled," one of his advisers told NBC News, who asked to remain anonymous for fear of Trump's revenge.
Biden said when journalists asked him what he thought about the meeting: "They don't want to know". The deputy spokesman for the White House, however, commented very clearly: "Bigotry, hatred and anti-Semitism have no place in America - including Mar-a-Lago," he said. "Holocaust denial is disgusting and dangerous, and it must be clearly condemned."
Such statements will not be made without Biden's consent. The president spoke to historians and advisors about extremist tendencies earlier this year, Politico quotes one of his advisors as saying: "To pretend that these dangers don't exist would only make them greater." The Democrats are thus getting involved in the constant election campaign to a certain extent - a trademark of Trump when he was still in office. He just kept holding public events, where he assured the loyalty of his followers. He almost constantly attacked his political opponents. Even in your own party.
So the Democrats have already agreed on a tactic against Trump and his supporters. It's not up to them whether they can stick with it. Should the Republicans agree on another candidate in a primary campaign, they would be forced to reorient themselves. Biden's arguably greatest asset - that he's not Trump - would be gone.
