As this year’s U.S. presidential race begins in earnest, U.S. President Joe Biden is putting the issue of ‘abortion rights’ at the forefront of his presidential campaign. As the effect of ‘Bidenomics (President Biden’s economic policy)’, which was promoted with great effort, was lackluster, the right to abortion, which was considered the biggest issue of the presidential election from the beginning, was raised.
On December 30th last year (local time), the White House released a video on social media in which Vice President Kamala Harris announced plans to tour the ‘Fight for Reproductive Freedom’. Vice President Harris said, “I will begin my trip from Wisconsin. We will build a coalition to fight against attacks that violate our rights to our bodies and lives.” Starting with key battleground states such as Wisconsin, which will determine the outcome of this year’s presidential election, Vice President Harris and others plan to go on a campaign tour that puts abortion rights at the forefront.
The Biden administration mobilized all key members of the cabinet in the second half of last year to promote Bidennomics. The intention was to raise President Biden’s approval rating by intensively promoting economic achievements through the Semiconductor Act and the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). However, as his approval rating actually took a step back and fell to the worst among presidents seeking re-election in history, he brought up the issue of abortion rights again.
There is an analysis that the issue of abortion rights could be the ‘last card’ that will turn the tide for President Biden, who is losing in a virtual confrontation with major Republican candidates, including former President Donald Trump. With the Supreme Court ruling to abolish abortion rights in 2022, the Republican Party has begun pushing for abortion ban laws in each state. Most Republican candidates, including former President Trump, have expressed a principled stance in favor of banning abortion.
However, the Republican Party faced strong public opposition to banning abortion. Following the failure of the initially expected ‘Red Wave’ (Republican landslide victory) in the 2022 midterm elections, they also suffered successive defeats in last year’s midterm elections in Virginia.
The Biden administration previously announced measures to strengthen environmental regulations on the 29th, including revising energy efficiency standards for home appliances such as refrigerators and air conditioners. Despite opposition from the Republican Party, the government pushed ahead with environmental policies that were highly popular among Democratic-leaning young people. It is pointed out that this is a move conscious of the recent decline in the approval ratings of young people and people of color, which were the driving force behind President Biden’s victory in the last presidential election. When asked by a reporter on the 30th about his wish for the New Year, President Biden expressed his strong will for re-election, saying, “I will return (as president) next year.”
Meanwhile, in a New Year’s message posted on social media that day, former President Trump claimed a conspiracy theory that the record-breaking surge in illegal immigrants could lead to ‘election fraud.’ He said, “I want to say an early New Year’s greeting to ‘Crooked Biden’ and radical left groups who are destroying the United States. They are allowing illegal immigrants to enter the country and trying to register them as voters for the 2024 presidential election.” He said.
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Source: Donga
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.