OPINION:
The 2024 presidential election will be an issues-based campaign whether President Biden likes it or not.
Mr. Biden can try desperate tactics like taunting former President Donald Trump and foolishly threatening to go for his jugular while trying not to fall over, but Americans won’t be distracted from the mess he’s made. Bad Biden policies will be the dominant factor for the next eight months because this race is about which candidate the voters can depend on to address the foreign policy failures, border catastrophe and economic malaise that this president created.
This is precisely the reason Mr. Biden is trailing Mr. Trump in both national and state polls. It’s simply a matter of common sense to understand that the person responsible for open borders, skyrocketing costs, and a chaotic foreign policy can never be trusted with four more years.
There are many similarities between the disastrous presidencies of Jimmy Carter and Mr. Biden. During Mr. Carter’s one term in office, our country suffered from a crisis of confidence just like today. During Mr. Carter’s 1980 reelection campaign, America’s economy was in horrible shape, and we were getting our clocks cleaned on the world stage by the Soviet Union and Iran.
In that election, voters soundly rejected the idea of giving Mr. Carter another four years to figure it out. There was a sense of urgency to solve our problems, just as there is today. And there’s no one better at finding solutions and getting things done fast than Mr. Trump. Moreover, Mr. Trump has a four-year record of accomplishment on these very issues.
The 2024 election will be fought and won in many of the battleground states we have grown accustomed to over the past few presidential campaigns. Whoever wins the 77 electoral votes in the six swing states of Pennsylvania, Georgia, Arizona, Nevada, Wisconsin and Michigan will almost certainly carry the day.
Because of Mr. Biden’s horrendous policies, however, Minnesota’s 10 electoral votes will also be in play. First, in 2016, Hillary Clinton carried Minnesota by just 44,000 votes against Mr. Trump even though he barely campaigned there. And the fact that a whopping 18.9% of voters chose “Uncommitted” in Minnesota’s recent Democratic presidential primary could be a sign of things to come. The Muslim American community’s opposition to Mr. Biden’s foreign policy in the Middle East will be a huge factor in Minnesota.
In the 1992 presidential election, businessman Ross Perot received nearly 24% of the vote in Minnesota, which allowed Democratic challenger Bill Clinton to win the state decisively over President George H.W. Bush.
This year, independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr., an environmental lawyer and a member of the famous Democratic political family, will almost certainly be on the ballot in Minnesota, siphoning votes from Mr. Biden, the unpopular incumbent.
No one knows for certain how many votes Mr. Kennedy will get in Minnesota. Still, it’s a state that elected third-party candidate and former professional wrestler Jesse Ventura governor in 1998 with just 37% of the vote. If the stars align and Mr. Trump goes on offense across the Rust Belt, the Land of 10,000 Lakes could turn red.
The bottom line is that with less than six months until general election ballots are mailed out in some states, the wind is at Mr. Trump’s back, and he should lean into these very states just like in 2016.
According to recent polling, because of the former president’s term in office and the bona fides of the America First agenda, the Trump coalition may very well be expanding right before our eyes. Against Mr. Biden, Mr. Trump is attracting the support of 51% of voters under the age of 30, 48% of the Hispanic vote, and 28% of the African American vote. These numbers pose a mortal threat to Mr. Biden’s wobbly candidacy.
President Biden’s “approval” ratings on issue after issue are badly upside down. On immigration, 66% disapprove of the job Mr. Biden is doing, compared with only 31% who approve. This makes sense when you consider that upon taking office, Mr. Biden deliberately opened the border through executive actions that paved the way for the current disaster.
In the economy, 62% of those polled disapprove of Mr. Biden’s performance, compared with just 37% who approve. Once again, Mr. Biden’s agenda is to blame. This president’s irresponsible federal spending policies caused an inflation crisis for which he now has no answer.
And on the war in Israel, 65% disapprove of what Mr. Biden is doing in response to that critical foreign policy concern, while only 31% approve. These abysmal numbers are due to Mr. Biden’s attempts to appease his radical left-wing base who oppose Israel even though Hamas terrorists attacked that country on Oct. 7.
By contrast, Mr. Trump’s successful record on these issues is clear. When it comes to border security, Mr. Trump talked the talk and walked the walk for four years. His policies on the border were effective because they prioritized the safety and security of Americans. In terms of the economy, Mr. Trump enacted pro-growth policies that created hope, growth and opportunity for all. Gasoline prices were lower, grocery costs were normal, our country was exporting energy, and a sense of optimism was in the air. He did it as the 45th president, and he’ll do it again as the 47th president.
In foreign policy, Mr. Trump was about peace through strength, and it worked to perfection. Russia was kept in check, China was called out, bad actors in the Middle East were eliminated, and America was standing shoulder to shoulder with our great ally Israel. This is the foreign policy that America needs.
At the end of the day, the 2024 election will be a binary choice between the successful policies of Donald Trump and the failed policies of Joe Biden. The contrast could not be clearer.
• David N. Bossie is president of Citizens United and served as deputy campaign manager for Donald J. Trump for President.
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