In a candid revelation at a Boston fundraiser on Tuesday, President Joe Biden indicated that he might have considered stepping down after one term if former President Donald Trump was not a contender in the upcoming election.
"If Trump wasn't running, I'm not sure I'd be running," the 81-year-old president confessed to a gathering of Democratic donors, adding, "But we cannot let him win.".
This statement offers a stark self-evaluation of the implications of Biden's age. Already the oldest president in history, Biden would be 86 by the end of a potential second term in January 2029.
Critics frequently point out instances where Biden appears disoriented or shares inaccurate recollections. Moreover, several polls conducted this year reveal that approximately two-thirds of voters harbor concerns about Biden's mental sharpness.
Trump, 77, is currently the favored candidate for the Republican nomination. Polls suggest he could potentially outperform Biden, largely due to economic pessimism tied to soaring inflation and interest rates. The RealClearPolitics average of recent national polls indicates Trump leading with 46.7% support, compared to Biden's 44.7%.
Swing-state polling released last month by the New York Times also places Trump ahead in key battlegrounds, including Arizona, Georgia, and Pennsylvania. However, Trump's campaign could be affected by his upcoming trials in four criminal cases.
His first trial, scheduled for March in Washington, involves federal charges of unlawfully attempting to overturn his 2020 election defeat. Later that month, he is due in Manhattan for a trial on charges of falsifying business records related to hush money payments during the 2016 campaign.
Trump's federal trial for allegedly mishandling national security documents is set to commence in May, and his trial in Georgia on state charges related to challenging the election results there is tentatively slated for August.
Biden also faces potential challenges, including the possibility of impeachment by the House of Representatives for alleged corruption linked to his son Hunter Biden and brother James Biden's dealings in countries such as China and Ukraine.
A successful impeachment vote would mark a rare stain on Biden's presidency, making him the fourth president in US history to receive such a censure, following Trump, Bill Clinton, and Andrew Johnson.
Although Biden would likely be acquitted by the Democrat-controlled Senate, his trial in the upper chamber would involve a public presentation of evidence that could damage his standing. An October poll by The Associated Press revealed that a significant 68% of the public already believes that Biden acted illegally or unethically concerning his son's businesses, including 40% of Democrats.
Hunter Biden, 53, also faces a potential trial on federal gun charges in Delaware. Additionally, a Los Angeles grand jury is considering possible federal tax charges that could implicate his father, especially if the first son is indicted for alleged violations of the Foreign Agents Registration Act as a result of introducing colleagues to his father and other Obama-Biden administration figures.
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