Photo: Susan Walsh Associated Press Until Saturday, Joe Biden's campaign was in turmoil, with his health and ability to run for a second term being questioned within his own party.
Marc-Antoine Franco Rey
Posted at 3:16 p.m. Updated at 4:03 p.m.
- United States
After the attempted assassination of Donald Trump in Pennsylvania on Saturday, United States President Joe Biden strongly condemned the act of violence and called for unity. If the event already sees the Republican presidential candidate elevated to the rank of “miracle” among his supporters, the situation also works in favor of the Democrat, in troubled waters since his poor performance in the debate, according to an expert.< /p>
Until Saturday, the campaign of the 81-year-old Democratic candidate was in turmoil, his state of health and his ability to serve a second term being called into question within his party itself.
However, the attempted murder of his rival during a speech in the small town of Butler, north of Pittsburgh, now sweeps away the uncertainties about Joe Biden's ability to govern, argues Rafael Jacob, associate researcher at the Observatory on the United States of the Raoul-Dandurand Chair.
“In the short term, it has just put the campaign on pause,” explains the expert in American politics. And that’s good for [Joe Biden] in terms of his position within the Democratic Party. »
Around fifteen Democratic parliamentarians have already openly asked the American president to withdraw from the race for the White House. And each day that passes brings him closer to the nomination convention in Chicago in August, where the Democratic presidential candidate is officially nominated for the general election, recalls Rafael Jacob.
< p>“For Mr. Biden, his number one problem, currently and for the last two weeks, was not the entire electorate, it was his party,” mentions the researcher. And there, what that actually does is that it gives him even more time. »
Mr. Jacob wonders how voices demanding the withdrawal of the outgoing president could continue to be raised in the current situation.
200% Deposit Bonus up to €3,000 180% First Deposit Bonus up to $20,000“I can't imagine that any sane Democrat is going to come out publicly in the next twelve hours and say, 'It's time for Mr. Biden to go,'” Rafael Jacob said. It wouldn't make any sense. »
If he was already skeptical of the idea that Joe Biden would withdraw, Mr. Jacob said he had “even more difficulty believing it” following Saturday's event. “I really don’t see a scenario right now in which he would withdraw as a candidate for the Democratic Party,” says the expert.
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“Uniting as a Nation”
Joe Biden told reporters Sunday that Americans must now “come together as a nation.” He also announced that he would address the nation in the evening from the Oval Office.
On Saturday, the Democrat wrote about 'there's no place for this kind of violence in America.'
I have been briefed on the shooting at Donald Trump’s rally in Pennsylvania.
I’m grateful to hear that he’s safe and doing well. I’m praying for him and his family and for all those who were at the rally, as we await further information.
Jill and I are grateful to the Secret…— President Biden (@POTUS) July 13, 2024
A “very presidential” outing, certainly, but one that was necessary, says Rafael Jacob.
“He did absolutely everything he had to do, everything he had to do as president, which was to have a message of unity, a message that unequivocally condemns what happened “, judges the expert.
Election advertisements were also removed from television airwaves in order to ease tensions, and Mr. Biden directly inquired about Donald Trump's state in what he described as “a short, but good conversation.”
According to the researcher, Joe Biden “was very very well advised to go in this direction and strike a perhaps more human note by speaking of Mr. Trump by referring to him as “Donald”.” The expert had never heard Mr. Biden speak so familiarly about his opponent.
Questions will certainly have to be asked of the American government after this assassination attempt, believes Rafael Jacob.
“What happened is not just unacceptable from a political or social point of view, it is appalling from a security point of view that something like this could have happened,” said the expert. But will this affect Mr. Biden personally ? I doubt it. »