On March 5, Super Tuesday, millions of voters took to polls and cast their ballots in the primary elections. The results were clear, this upcoming election is going to be a rehash of the 2020 election as both Joe Biden and Donald Trump are on the verge of earning the majority of delegates needed to secure their status as nominees in this November’s election.
Polls conducted by The New York Times, CBS and Fox News highlighted that voters aren’t necessarily happy with options being Trump and Biden. Since taking office in January 2021, Biden’s approval and favorability ratings among voters have fallen compared to 2020 where he had a 52 percent approval rating and today only 38 percent of voters still feel that way. Trump’s ratings, on the other hand, have remained rather solid and unlike in 2016, has the majority of his party rallied around him in support.
Around 24 hours after Trump’s success during Super Tuesday, Senator Mitch McConnell announced his support and endorsement of Trump as candidate. The same man who called Trump “morally and practically responsible for the January 6th insurrection,” in addition to Former Speaker Kevin McCarthy who then went to Mar-a-Lago, Trump’s golf resort in Florida.
Although his ratings haven’t swayed immensely, one-third of Republican primary voters in both Virginia and North Carolina said they would not vote Republican in November regardless of the nominee.
Present are voters in the U.S. known as “double haters,” who are an incredibly important group as their dislike for both candidates has the potential to sway and could ultimately decide the outcome of the election. Some of them have pointed to Biden’s age as a source of his inability to properly do the job, others point to how the cost of living has increased during Biden’s term and loud criticism comes from the way he has handled and responded to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The NYT noticed that this group of double haters are made up of young and diverse voters, a key group that Biden has, in the past, relied on.
The group of double haters themselves are divided: some have said they’ll stick with Biden, voting for a third party, abstaining their vote completely and others are switching sides and going with Trump. Amongst many voters exists a collective memory loss regarding the former president and his prior term with the NYT dubbing it as “Trump amnesia, ” forgetting the awful things Trump has said, done and the lasting negative effects his presidency had on this country that we’re still dealing with today.
Voters seem to be ignoring or simply overlooking the political conditions in which Biden’s re-election campaign reflects, which are incredibly positive. His foundation for re-election should be strong considering the healthy economy and Biden is running for a position he has already held. Historically, the conditions Biden is running on for re-election tend to be favorable, and that’s before considering Biden’s adversary is accused of numerous federal crimes.
Despite these political conditions, Biden has the lowest approval rate of any president seeking re-election at this point in his presidency. On Thursday, March 7, Biden took to the stage in his State of the Union address to respond to criticisms throughout his presidential term. Biden also used the speech as an opportunity to point out the hypocrisy within the Republican party and Trump himself.
Biden opens by addressing threats to democracy both domestically and globally. He highlights the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine stating his belief that Russia won’t simply stop at Ukraine. Biden explained the only solution towards one would be if he was president pointing to a quote from Trump saying, “Putin, do whatever the hell you want,” and continued by saying he believes Trump has bowed down to Russian leaders and it’s “unacceptable.”
Next, Biden discussed the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, saying it was “the greatest threat to U.S. democracy since the Civil War” and went on to point out Trump’s hypocrisy noting, “You can’t love this country only when you win.” Biden positioned Trump as a threat to democracy in both Europe and the U.S.
After addressing Jan. 6, Biden went onto abortion and the ongoing debate surrounding it nationally, stating that “Roe. V .Wade got it right,” and how it was the Supreme Court, with justices appointed by Trump, that were responsible for overthinking it. He continues by highlighting how that decision has led to further removals of reproductive rights like the recent Alabama Supreme Court ruling. Biden then references Trump’s promise to institute a national ban on reproductive freedom, following with the question, “What other reproductive rights could he possibly take away?”
Furthermore, Biden discusses his intention to raise taxes on big corporations, calling out Trump who during his presidency cut corporate taxes. He highlights how Trump is someone who is sympathetic to big companies and corporations over young workers and working people in general.
Biden discussed immigration and highlighted how House Republicans did not back a bi-paritsan bill with “the toughest set of border security reforms we’ve ever seen.” The bill would have included hiring more border security agents, more asylum officers to get through cases faster and more immigration judges. The record of endorsement of the bill by both the Chamber of Commerce and the Border Patrol Union leads to immediate heckles towards the president by some Republicans in the audience.
In response, he continues stating that Republicans are blocking these bills because they would be good for the country but not for Trump since if these bills were passed, Trump would no longer be able to position Biden as the reason undocumented immigration has increased, which is a massive part of his campaign.
Biden ends his State of the Union address talking about his age by making light by expressing his lifetime of experience which is why he embraces freedom and democracy, his values of honesty, dignity and respect for everyone. Biden finishes his speech by noting that it doesn’t matter how old one’s age is but how old one’s ideas are to lead this country by saying, “Hate, revenge, and retribution are some of the oldest of ideas.” Without even saying Trump’s name, Biden is able to paint himself as an optimist who wants to go forward rather than Trump, someone wanting to take us backwards.
