Washington Joe Biden is among friends at his first public speech after announcing his inauguration for re-election. “It’s so nice to see you guys. Man, that feels good,” he says on stage in the ballroom of Washington’s Hilton Hotel, not far from busy Dupont Circle.
Several thousand people have gathered for the annual conference of the workers’ association NABTU (North America’s Building Trades Unions), which represents 14 unions. The event has little to do with the glamor of top political establishments, with cola cans and water cups piling up in the rubbish bins.
But Biden seems to have had exactly that in mind for his first appearance as a re-election campaigner: a black bread appointment where he can speak to his base and celebrate his billions in investments in manufacturing.
The audience calls out “Let’s go, Joe!” and “Four more years”. “Sleepy Joe”, as his critics call him, is nowhere to be seen that day, Biden seems relaxed and determined. “You and I are changing things for the better, and doing it in a big way,” Biden says, raising a fist in the air. “We are on the threshold of a revolution!”
The US Democrat, that is an early core message of his fight for the presidency in 2024, wants to make his party the undisputed representative of the interests of workers and the middle class again. The trillion packages for infrastructure, green technologies, chips and manufacturing are “the most significant investments in the history of the world,” said Biden.
“What is supply chain? Even very smart people had no idea”
But are the political achievements so far sufficient to secure him a second term? Finding his followers: absolutely. “He’s the only US president I can remember who wants to strengthen unions,” said Frank Ademonis, president of the Boston Plumbers’ Association. “I believe him. All the investments in electric cars, semiconductors and manufacturing create jobs, which is good for our country.”
On stage, Biden quoted newspaper articles from the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal and Fortune. The media would credit him with helping America make a “comeback in the manufacturing business,” the president said. He highlighted one article in particular. It said that Biden had fulfilled what Trump had promised, the President proudly declared.
A lot has happened since the pandemic and the change of power in the White House. “Two years ago, everyone gave me weird looks when I talked about supply chains. What are supply chains? Even very smart people had no idea.” There is laughter in the rows of chairs in the hall. But that’s over, says Biden. “We make American products, by American workers, with American materials.”
In fact, Biden can point to some successes. The US job market recovered rapidly after the pandemic, and the unemployment rate is at its lowest level in decades. Tens of thousands of manufacturing jobs are added almost every month, data from the Labor Department shows.
However, this is not reflected in the approval ratings for Biden, probably also because inflation is a burden on many US citizens. In polls, his popularity fluctuates at around 42 percent, and almost half of Democratic supporters are skeptical about Biden’s renewed candidacy – also because of his age. At the end of a second term, Biden would be 86.
Republicans call for Biden memory test
Meanwhile, the Republicans are on the attack, because the US election campaign has officially started with Biden entering the race. “ALARM!” read a text message from presidential candidate Nikki Haley’s fundraiser on Tuesday. “Biden is running for re-election. Should he take a memory test? Vote: yes or no”.
The head of the Republican umbrella organization Republican National Committee, Ronna McDaniel, warned against another term for Biden. If he gets this, inflation will increase. In addition, there will be more crime, families in the United States are worse off, said McDaniel.
“He’s the worst US President ever,” said Donald Trump, giving Biden a new nickname: “Hopeless Joe.” Despite a criminal trial and possible further charges, the ex-president has a good chance of becoming the Republican candidate again – then he would challenge Biden, and both would be in direct competition, as they were in 2020.
Meanwhile, another potential Republican nominee, Ron DeSantis, is gearing up for the presidential race. The Florida governor is due to announce his campaign in the spring and is traveling the world this week, visiting Israel, Japan, South Korea and Britain.
In Japan, he was personally received by Premier Fumio Kishida, which is rather unusual for a US governor. The meeting shows that US allies are already eyeing the 2024 elections and taking DeSantis seriously as a contender for the White House.
More: Fox News separates from TV populist Tucker Carlson – share price collapses