It could be the clash of the senior citizens next year, as Donald Trump looks like the presumptive nominee for the 2024 Republican nomination. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is the only candidate who could theoretically usurp the former president in the primary, but that remains to be seen. His campaign has been stuck in neutral, though that’s not DeSantis’ top concern right now. His principal focus is on recovery efforts after Hurricane Idalia swept through the state. Emergency services have quickly responded to those in need; even CBS News admitted it. Maui officials should take notes—this is how you do disaster response.
Yet, DeSantis’ camp underestimated the grip Trump has on the party. Despite some early polls of supposedly Republican voters wanting to move on from Trump, the past few months have proven that assumption was a mirage. Trump has left an indelible mark on the GOP, and it’s not going away.
Biden and Trump both have political baggage that could fill a fleet of B-52 bombers. Trump has been indicted four times. Joe Biden is coming under more scrutiny concerning the government access deals his son Hunter made with sleazy oligarchs, which enriched the family, most likely even the president himself. It wouldn’t be shocking—and there’s enough for House Republicans to launch impeachment proceedings. One will be in court, the other trying to survive impeachment hearings—both will be on trial in the court of public opinion.
With a Biden-Trump rematch looming, the Associated Press did a word association poll between the two men. It was brutal. Biden is “old,” while Trump is “corrupt.” Those are the two main words used to describe the men with voters. I couldn't care less if this cancels each other out in a character debate. It’s a neutral cesspool now. This race is going to get ugly (via AP):
President Joe Biden is “old” and “confused,” and former President Donald Trump is “corrupt” and “dishonest.” Those are among the top terms Americans use when they’re asked to describe the Democrat in the White House and the Republican best positioned to face him in next year’s election.
Unflattering portraits of Biden and Trump emerge clearly in a new poll by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research, which asked an open-ended question about what comes to mind when people think of them.
For Biden, the largest share of U.S. adults — including both Democrats and Republicans — mentioned his age. At 80, Biden is just three years older than Trump, but many Americans expressed real concerns about his ability to continue as president.
[…]
A deeper look doesn’t improve things much for Biden or Trump. And while many of the criticisms reflect a familiar partisan divide, the poll shows neither man is immune to criticism from within his own party.
“He looks like he needs to be someone’s kindly grandpa on the arm, not someone at the wheel of power,” Justin Campbell, a 27-year-old Democrat and security guard in the Brookhaven area of Mississippi, said of Biden. He was even more negative about Trump, though, saying that the former president “acts like a kindergartner when people tell him ‘no.’”
Campbell suggested that Trump reads so little about policy and national security that he might be “functionally illiterate.” He said he plans to vote for Biden next year and, “I eagerly await Donald Trump being in jail.”
[…]
Such sentiments were common. Fully 26% of respondents use words like “old” or “outdated” to describe Biden, and another 15% mention things like “slow” and “confused.”
Another 10% give generally negative comments about the president, and 6% use words like “corrupt” and “crooked.” Just 6% offer words like “president” and “leader,” and 5% use those like “strong” and “capable” — the top positive comments made about Biden.
Biden’s age was referenced frequently even among Democrats, 28% of whom mention it — a significantly higher percentage than those who point to the presidency or leadership (11%) or strength and capability (11%).
Trump’s negative comments center not on age but on his moral standing and conduct, along with things like “loudmouth” and “angry” (6%), “crazy” and “dangerous” (6%) and “narcissist” (6%). Some 5% use words like “strong” and “capable.”
Both men are also unpopular: “62% of Americans say they have an unfavorable opinion of Trump; 52% say the same about Biden.”
Politics is the organization of our animosities. Let the hate flow and the rage permeate. Now, the other question is, do we think Biden will be the nominee in 2024? There’s chatter of a replacement theory at the top of the Democratic ticket, especially since recent weeks have shown Biden doesn’t have the stamina or mental bandwidth to do the job.
Join the conversation as a VIP Member