Biden, here we go.

Original Luzi Lee Joon Renzhong Global Times

US President Biden began his campaign for the 2024 general election.

On January 5, local time, US President Biden began the first stop of his 2024 general election in Pennsylvania. Agence France-Presse said that Biden violently attacked former President Trump in the first campaign and compared it with the Nazis, saying that it posed a threat to American democracy.

Biden gave a speech in Pennsylvania on the 5th.

According to the report, the 81-year-old Democrat’s support rate at this stage of his term is the worst among modern presidents, and he either lags behind Trump or keeps pace with him in the polls. For months, Democrats have been calling on Biden’s campaign team to take action as people are increasingly worried about the US economy and Biden’s age.

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The US media is worried that this year’s election will "repeat the same mistakes."

"One riot, two narratives." The Associated Press said on the 5th that as the United States entered the 2024 election year, both current President Biden and former President Trump used the riots on Capitol Hill on January 6, 2021 to issue political battle slogans to voters-according to the existing polls, they are most likely to become presidential candidates of both parties, and the confrontation in 2020 may be staged again. Today, three years ago, the scene of violence and chaos staged by the so-called "beacon of democracy" shocked the world. Now the country still seems to be deeply divided and hostile: threats against public officials are unprecedented; More than a dozen state capitol buildings have just experienced a "bomb threat", although it was a false alarm. The American Vox website says that the threat of violence has become a part of the American political system. Against this background, the American Institute of Foreign Affairs listed domestic terrorism and political violence as the biggest concern of the United States this year for the first time in its annual risk assessment report.

Police patrol outside after the Mississippi Capitol received a bomb threat on the 3rd. (vision china)

American think tanks list domestic terrorism and political violence as the primary risks.

On the 4th local time, the Institute of Foreign Affairs of the United States released the "Prevention Priority Survey in 2024", which assessed 30 ongoing conflicts and potential conflicts, and divided them into three levels according to the probability of occurrence and the degree of impact on American interests. Since the publication of this report 16 years ago, the American Institute of Foreign Affairs found for the first time that foreign policy experts are most worried about domestic terrorism and political violence caused by political polarization, "especially before and after the 2024 general election". This "conflict" is included in the first-level risk and marked as "high probability of occurrence and great impact". It is worth noting that the cover photo of this report features a group of extreme right-wingers, wearing face towels and holding the American flag, marching in Washington, D.C..

"Violent activities are quietly changing American politics and affecting the 2024 election." The Vox website in the United States recently published an article saying that the threat against public officials has risen to an "unprecedented" number throughout the United States, and as many as 83% of the respondents are worried about the risk of political violence in the United States. According to CNN, from 2021 to 2023, there were 9,600 cases, 7,500 cases and 7,300 cases of threats or "worrying remarks" directed against members of Congress (as of last November). Under Trump and Biden, 82 cases of threatening Republican officials and 80 cases of threatening Democrats faced federal charges. However, Republican members seem to be more vulnerable to attacks from both sides, and Trump supporters accuse some people of being "just nominal Republicans".

CNN said that the U.S. federal government has begun to consider what kind of situation it will face this year. Congressional Police Commissioner Manger said, "There are too many hatred and unkind remarks on social media and against elected officials." Several unexpected events in 2023 may be a harbinger, for example, the offices of two Republican congressmen received death threats in November. In the same month, the staff of several state election offices received suspicious letters.

According to Washington post, on January 3rd, the staff of parliament buildings in more than a dozen federal states received bomb threats, which led to the evacuation of some parliament buildings and disrupted government affairs. However, no explosives were found in the end, and the FBI quickly called these threats "pranks". Recently, a number of public officials have also received "false alarm" calls. A Georgia official believes that the purpose of this farce is to split Americans. "The perpetrators hope that the left will accuse the right wing and the right wing will accuse the left wing, further aggravating differences and normalizing potential violence."

Biden’s advertisement focuses on opposing "extremism"

Today marks the third anniversary of the riots on Capitol Hill. According to Agence France-Presse reported on the 5th, Biden’s first presidential campaign TV advertisement focused on opposing "extremism". "Everyone is asking, how can we maintain our democracy?" The 81-year-old democratic president said in the advertisement that something dangerous is happening in the United States, and "there has been an extremist movement that does not agree with our basic democratic beliefs." In the one-minute advertisement, Biden did not mention Trump’s name, but the picture repeatedly played the picture of the mob holding the slogan supporting Trump on January 6, 2021 and they erected the gallows in the Capitol. "The advertisement is a very real reminder that this election may determine the fate of American democracy." Biden campaign manager Rodriguez said in a statement.

According to the Associated Press, on the occasion of the 3rd anniversary of the riots on Capitol Hill, Trump will hold two campaign rallies in Iowa on the 6th, and Biden plans to visit nearby Fort Ji Gu, Pennsylvania the day before. Trump called January 6, 2021 "a beautiful day" and described those who were imprisoned for participating in the riots as "great patriots." Trump believes that the federal charges against him and the disqualification of the primary election in the presidential election party by Colorado and Maine show that Democrats are trying to weaken American values. Members of the Trump campaign team said that Biden and his allies posed a "real threat" to democracy.

Biden has repeatedly made a fuss about this topic. The Associated Press said that on January 6, 2022, he made a speech in the National Statue Hall of the Capitol, suggesting that Trump and his supporters "inserted a knife in the throat of the United States." On this day in 2023, Biden awarded 14 presidential medals in recognition of their work in protecting the Capitol during the riots.

"The ghost of January 6th haunted in 2024"

The Associated Press said that this debate about who is more harmful to the United States may reflect a deeper problem. "No matter what the reality is, when both sides say that the other is a threat to democracy, it is a sign that democracy is being weakened." Professor Daniel Ziblatt of Harvard University said.

"The ghost of January 6 haunted in 2024." The US "New Yorker" published an article on the 4th, saying that one of Biden’s challenges is to reawaken voters’ heartfelt anger over this riot. But there is a risk that Americans will realize that the general election in 2024 may be a repeat of the general election four years ago. The scene of Biden and Trump’s confrontation again emphasizes to people that the United States is still mired in division and hostility in that unpleasant year. Who really likes to see this situation? No country wants to enter a cycle of bad luck.

According to USA Today reported on the 5th, the poll data sent a warning signal for the situation after the 2024 general election. Trump’s supporters generally accept the former president’s allegations of fraud in the 2020 general election, and they are prepared to believe such allegations again in 2024, which laid the foundation for potential protests. If Trump loses the election, the situation may be even worse, and the country may repeat the same mistakes.

Lee Joon, a special correspondent of Global Times in the United States ● Lu Zi is heavy.

Audit | Lu Changyin

Editor | Yu Zemiao

Proofreading | Liu Yang

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Original title: "Biden, here we go"

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