Will History repeat itself in 2024?

- Elizabeth K. (opinion)

As the saying goes, the early bird gets the worm, and it seems Joe Biden is not wasting any time during his first few weeks in office. In his first official press conference held Thursday, March 25th, Biden stated that he expected to run for re-election in 2024. Donald Trump, his predecessor, has also shown interest in running again, having been defeated by Biden in the last election. So how probable is it that in 2024 we relive the nightmare that was the 2020 presidential election?

Anyone and everyone knows the suspense-filled show that was the last presidential election. The winner was called by the media 4 days after polls closed, following many sleepless nights and endless false allegations of fraud supposedly being facilitated by mail in voting. Yet it would seem that a similar scenario is not only possible but likely for 2024.

But just how likely is it? Biden was explicit in his response, not bothering to mask the words that would essentially bind him to the 2024 election (his exact words were ”My plan is to run for reelection”), whilst Trump has only toyed with the idea in public. Nevertheless, sources claim there isn’t really doubt about it, and that it’s simply a matter of time before he announces his candidacy. This leads to the inevitable question: who are Americans going to be voting for 4 years from now, and will new ballots need to be drafted at all? Many Americans had hoped that Biden’s victory would symbolize a turning point in American democracy, after 4 years of Donald Trump’s presidency, rejecting once and for all his policies and manner of governing.. The question is what could be the effects of a return of Trump to the White House, with a potential new popular backing. What could such a thing mean for the future of American democracy?

The United States of America was built on a basis of racial diversity, which seems to be out of fashion. After one black President, Barack Obama served two terms, and a female Presidential general election candidate, Hillary Clinton, it seems the country has decided to backpedal. No substantial female candidate was considered to have an actual shot at the Presidency in 2020, the one who did arguably make it, Kamala Harris, had to take the back seat to Joe Biden, becoming Vice President. How many more old white men are going to rule the United States of America, a country with an 18% Hispanic population, 12,2% African American population, and 50,8% of women, before the chain, perpetuated for centuries, breaks?

Either way, my bet is that 2024 will be a copy-paste of the 2020 election, with Joe Biden securing the nomination from the Democratic Party and Donald Trump being welcomed back with open arms by most of the Republican Party.

Current US President Joe Biden

(wikimedia.commons.com)

“Biden was explicit in his response [...] whilst Trump has only toyed with the idea in public.”

(wikimedia.commons.com) Former US President Donald Trump