U.S. President Joe Biden said at a campaign fundraiser in Massachusetts on Tuesday Eastern Time that the biggest motivation for his campaign is to confront former President Trump: If Trump does not seek to return to the White House, he may not seek re-election. Biden claimed that the reason why he insisted on running for president at the age of 81 was because former President Trump posed a serious threat to American democracy.
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Although Biden has announced that he is seeking re-election, his age has been questioned by voters - the 81-year-old Biden just celebrated his birthday last month and is now the oldest president in U.S. history.
Biden's response to this is to avoid voters' concerns about his age and shift voters' questioning eyes to his opponent.
He stressed that if Trump returns to the White House, he will dismantle American democratic institutions, roll back laws that allow more people to access health care, and impose more restrictions on abortion rights.
Biden also repeatedly mentioned a "white supremacist rally" held in Virginia in 2017 during the campaign.
In 2017, at a white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, far-right white supremacists clashed with counter-protesters, resulting in the death of a counter-protesting woman and dozens of injuries. Trump responded at the time by claiming that both sides of the conflict were "very good people."
Biden claimed that it was Trump's reaction that made him determined to run for president in 2020.
Although the U.S. Republican Party primaries are still weeks away,
Meanwhile, polls show Biden trailing Trump in a potential head-to-head showdown, in part due to concerns about his age and voter dissatisfaction with his handling of the economy.
Judging from the current support rate,
Billionaire investor Bill Ackman said last week that Biden's reputation could be damaged if he seeks re-election. Ackerman urged Biden to "step aside" and "create some opportunity for competition."
"Biden has done a lot of good things. But I don't think his legacy will be very good if he is nominated," Ackerman said.