Biden, Trump kick off first US election rematch after winning party nominations

Joe Biden and former U.S. President Donald Trump will have a rematch in the November election after winning their party nominations on Tuesday

Former U.S. President Donald Trump secured the necessary 1,215 delegates to solidify his position as the likely Republican nominee following victories in Georgia, Mississippi and Washington State Tuesday. 

President Joe Biden attained adequate delegate support to secure the 2024 Democratic nomination after prevailing in the party’s presidential primary in Georgia, surpassing the 1,968 delegate threshold for Democrats. 

This triumph merely affirmed the widely held belief that Biden would seek re-election for the presidency. 

Both candidates will formally accept their party’s nominations at the summer national conventions, during which  Trump could potentially transition from a presidential candidate to a convicted criminal. 

The outcome sets the stage for a repeat of the 2020 election this November, despite limited public enthusiasm for a rematch as indicated by polls. 

This would mark the first instance of two presidents competing directly since 1956. 

The ex-U.S. president faces indictment in four distinct criminal probes, with his initial trial, focusing on payments to a pornographic actress, scheduled to commence on March 25 in New York City. 

Unlike most sitting presidents, Biden encountered no significant Democratic rivals in his bid for re-election at the age of 81. 

He expressed gratitude for the voter support backing his re-election campaign on Tuesday. 

Before Biden’s victory, Trump remarked: “I presume he will be the nominee. I am his sole opponent aside from life itself.” 

These events unfolded shortly after Biden cautioned that “democracy is in danger,” highlighting an “unprecedented moment” in American history during his State of the Union address. 

Addressing Congress, the U.S. president criticized Trump’s foreign policy stances, involvement in the Jan. 6 Capitol incidents and the country’s condition post-COVID in a detailed hour-long speech. 

The State of the Union speech, an annual tradition where the president outlines their agenda for the year, took place in this regard. 

Source: Newsroom