Analysis: It’s not 2020 anymore. Biden’s re-election campaign faces new challenges

No basement campaign this time.

President Joe Biden faces fresh obstacles as he prepares for a tough re-election campaign in 2024.

Democrat Biden says he is running again and may announce via video on Tuesday.

As COVID-19 wreaked havoc on American life, including his 2020 election campaign against Republican President Donald Trump, Biden kept a low profile.

Trump still spoke at major rallies, but Biden performed much of his campaigning from the basement of his Wilmington, Delaware, home to avoid crowds and the illness.

This time, it will. Traditional campaign stops at cafes, factories, and union halls with handshakes, selfies, and crowds will replace the aversion to public events.

The Chicago Democratic convention will be in-person. Biden, the oldest U.S. president at 80, will work while arguing for four more years.

Age factor Republicans will look for signs of a reduced schedule to show that Biden is less suitable for the campaign road and the White House.

“It’s quite shocking that Biden thinks he would be able to fill a second term, let alone the rest of this term,” said Republican strategist Scott Reed.

Trump, the GOP frontrunner, is 76.

Biden’s response to questions about his age and re-election has been “watch me,” and the White House appeals to his legislative record as proof of his efficacy.

“An extensive travel schedule is not the measure of a candidate’s ability to do the job,” said Democratic strategist Karen Finney. Republicans will always raise his age. We know. Thus, the question is how to best contact Americans. There may be additional developments as well as in-person events and travel.

Campaign reinvented
As COVID-19 spread, Biden campaign staff revamped his 2020 campaign.

Star-studded virtual fundraisers without travel were successful.

Other modifications, such as a months-long ban on door-knocking by campaign workers and Biden’s frequent appearances in his basement, were more unpopular.

Meg Bostrom, co-founder of Topos Partnership, a strategic communications agency, said Biden may benefit from being out more than in 2020.

“Look at the State of the Union.” I’ve never seen better. She stated Republicans heckling him lit him up. In February, Biden debated Republicans.

However, the current president’s economy may derail his candidacy.

“The allure for voting for Biden in 2020 was sort of the quaint notion of getting back to normal,” Republican strategist Ford O’Connell said of Trump’s upheaval.

“The problem for Biden is that he’s been in power… and things are anything but normal, especially when it comes to the economy and inflation.”
Recession worries

After nationwide shutdowns, Biden gained office in January 2021 while COVID vaccines were being distributed, and economic conditions stabilized. The US has 3.2 million more jobs than pre-pandemic.

However, Americans fear a recession, and Biden may be on the wrong side of an economic cycle heading into 2024, with unemployment likely to climb as economy slows, interest rates high, and inflation possibly above pre-pandemic levels.

Trump, who has announced his re-election bid and could face Biden again, is likely to hold many major rallies to invigorate his base.

He must first win a potentially brutal Republican primary campaign, which Biden, as an incumbent without major party opposition, will not have to do.

We don’t need hellfire. Democratic strategist Joe Lestingi remarked, “No rah-rah rallies.” “We need the strength and conviction of our values and a steadiness not to move on them.”

He thought Biden would give stability.

Lestingi stated, “I think he’ll get out more,” praising Biden’s “retail” politics. “If you get an opportunity to be with him in a small intimate setting, he can make a real big difference.”