US ELECTIONS 2024
US President Joe Biden secured the Democratic presidential nomination on Tuesday with decisive victories in the Georgia and Mississippi primaries, overcoming concerns about his leadership within his own party as the 2024 presidential race moves toward a rematch of the election. generals that many voters do not want.
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Donald Trump is also on track to secure his party's nomination despite his serious political and practical responsibilities. The former Republican president, accused in four cases of serious crimes, also won in Georgia and Mississippi, but barely reached the threshold necessary to win the GOP nomination, as votes are still being collected throughout the state of Washington and Hawaii.
There is no longer any doubt that the fall general election will include a rematch between two flawed and unpopular presidents. And that rematch, the first between two U.S. presidents since 1912, is sure to deepen the nation's political and cultural divisions during the eight months of fighting ahead.
In a statement, Biden celebrated the nomination and called Trump a serious threat to democracy. Trump, Biden said, “is waging a campaign of resentment, revenge and retaliation that threatens the very idea of America.”
“I am honored that the broad coalition of voters who represent the rich diversity of the Democratic Party across the country has put their faith in me once again to lead our party – and our country – at a time when the threat that Trump poses is getting bigger, bigger than ever,” he added.
On the eve of Tuesday's primaries, Trump acknowledged that Biden would be the Democratic nominee, even as he unleashed a new attack on the president's age. “I guess he's going to be the nominee,” Trump said of Biden on CNBC. “I am his only opponent besides life, life itself.”
The challenges of Biden and Trump
Despite their harsh words, both Biden and Trump are grappling with glaring flaws.
Trump faces 91 felony charges in four criminal cases related to his handling of classified documents and his attempt to overturn the 2020 election, among other alleged crimes. He also faces increasingly pointed questions about his political plans and his relationships with some of the world's most dangerous dictators. Meanwhile, Trump met privately on Friday with the Hungarian prime minister, Viktor Orbánwho has set back democracy in his country.
Biden, 81, is working to assure a skeptical electorate that he is still physically and mentally capable of thriving in what is considered the most important job in the world.
He is also grappling with dissent within his party's progressive base, which is furious that he has not done enough to stop Israel's war against Hamas in Gaza. Last month in Michigan, a protest related to the “uncommitted” vote attracted more than 100,000 votes and in fact won two Democratic delegates.
![In this combination of photos, President Joe Biden, left, speaks on August 10, 2023 in Salt Lake City, and former President Donald Trump speaks on June 13, 2023 in Bedminster, New Jersey.](https://s.france24.com/media/display/6d6b5ba4-db74-11ee-a40c-005056bf30b7/AP24057625752113-1.jpg)
Ahead of Tuesday's vote, several lawn signs across Seattle urged primary participants to also vote “without compromise,” with some signs reading: “Over 30,000 dead. Vote for ceasefire by Tuesday.” March 12″.
Moments after Bella Rivera, 26, dropped off her ballot in a mailbox in Seattle, she said they hoped voting “without compromise” would serve as a wake-up call for the Democratic Party.
“If they really want our votes, if they want to win these elections, they will have to show a little more support for Palestinian liberation, that is something very important to us, and stop funding Israel,” said Rivera, a preschool teacher.
Trump, steps away from achieving the nomination
Meanwhile, Trump is on track to win the number of delegates needed to clinch the Republican nomination.
He gained 11 additional delegates ahead of Tuesday's primary, when the Texas Republican Party announced it would award the state's 161 delegates to the former president, based on last week's primary results.
The Texas Republican Party had planned to award 11 delegates at the party's state convention in May, but national party rules require that delegates be awarded based on the presidential primary, which Trump won in a landslide.
That left Trump just 126 delegates shy of the 1,215 needed to win the Republican nomination. There are 161 Republican delegates up for grabs Tuesday in Georgia, Mississippi, Washington state and Hawaii.
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