Possible Biden-Trump rematch in a vastly different political and economic landscape

THE worst-kept secret (if it can even be called a secret, that is) in Washington was finally out on Tuesday (Apr 25) when US President Joe Biden formally announced that he will seek re-election next year.

The man who will turn 81 in a few months’ time declared that he wants to “finish this job” of rebuilding the economy and uniting the nation. Biden, who’s not expected to face a major challenge for the Democratic Party nomination, is headed towards a likely rematch at the polls with 76-year-old Republican frontrunner Donald Trump, whom he defeated at the last election in 2020.

Thus will begin yet another US election campaign season. The battle for the White House takes place amid a political, economic and social landscape that is vastly different from what it was just three short years ago. The world’s largest economy is still dealing with the effects of a 40-year high in inflation that continues to hurt millions of Americans hard in the pocket. The Covid-19 pandemic began in early 2020 and was a dominant theme of the last election, with the death toll in the US at over 1.1 million and counting.