‘US Election D-1’ Biden-Trump, Ex-Current Presidential Showdown for the First Time in 68 Years?

President Biden speaking at Dutch Creek Farms in Northfield, Minnesota, on the 1st. ⓒAP/Newsis

As the U.S. presidential election scheduled for November 5 next year approaches, a face-off between current President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump is becoming increasingly likely.

According to U.S. political media outlets Politico and CNN, the Democratic Party is already preparing for Biden’s re-election, while potential Trump competitors within the Republican Party have given up on the top spot, looking instead to secure the vice presidency.

Politico stated, “Trump has already established himself as the next election candidate through the House Speaker impeachment incident and re-election process. The hardliners within the Republican Party, who played a leading role in the impeachment of the Speaker, also exerted strong influence in the re-election, with Trump behind them.”

On the 4th of last month, the House of Representatives impeached former Speaker Kevin McCarthy. To fill his vacancy, Republican Representatives Steve Scalise, Jim Jordan, and Mike Johnson ran for the position. Two of the three (Jordan, Johnson) were hardliners within the party, known as ‘pro-Trump’. After several rounds of voting, Johnson, who had been considered Trump’s right-hand man, was elected Speaker. Politico described the Speaker election process as “essentially Trump pulling down the Speaker of the House and seating his own ally.”

Former President Donald Trump speaking in New Hampshire on the 23rd of last month. ⓒAP/Newsis

Despite stepping down from the presidency three years ago, Trump continues to receive overwhelming support from Republican supporters. According to a survey commissioned by CNN and conducted by SSRS, 52% of Republican supporters expressed their support for former President Trump. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis ranked second with 18%, showing a significant 34% gap with Trump, who ranked first.

The situation in the Democratic Party is not much different. Politico reported, “Currently, it is difficult to find a competitor for Biden within the Democratic Party. Progressive writer Marianne Williamson and federal Representative Dean Phillips are mentioned as potential competitors within the party, but catching up with Biden’s approval rating is virtually impossible.”

Adding, “In U.S. politics, where the re-election challenge of the incumbent president is considered an unwritten rule, challenging Biden involves taking a significant political risk. The Democratic Party is already showing movements for Biden’s re-election.”

If former President Trump and President Biden actually face off, it would be the first showdown between a former and incumbent president in 68 years. In the 1956 presidential election, President Dwight Eisenhower and former President Adlai Stevenson faced off. The incumbent Republican President Eisenhower won the election at that time.