The US election in the fall is likely to see another duel between President Biden and his predecessor Trump. Both secured enough delegate votes in the primaries to be able to run for their parties.
US President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump have won enough delegates in the ongoing primaries to seal their respective parties’ nominations for the November 5 presidential election.
With the first primary election results from the US state of Georgia, Biden exceeded the required number of 1,968 voters, ahead of the results from Mississippi, Washington, the Northern Mariana Islands and Democrats living abroad, said the data company Edison Research.
Hours later, Trump also reached the 1,215 voters needed for the Republican presidential nomination. The votes in Georgia, Hawaii, Mississippi and Washington involved a total of 161 voters, Trump needed 139.
Biden warns of destruction of democracy
“Voters must now decide the future of this country: Will we stand up and defend our democracy or will we allow others to destroy it? Will we restore the right to choose and protect our freedoms or will we allow that extremists are taking them from us?” Biden said after the results were announced.
In a video posted on social media, Trump said there was no time to celebrate. Instead, he is focused on beating Biden, whom he described as the “worst” president in US history. “We will close our borders. We will do things no one has seen before. And we will make our country’s economy the best in the world,” Trump announced.
After the outcome of the primaries on Tuesday, the Republican Party congratulated Trump on his success. “Congratulations, President Trump,” the party wrote in the short message service X – and also took up Trump’s campaign slogan “Make America Great Again!” (Make America Great Again) on.
The November election is heading towards the first rematch of a duel for the White House with the same candidates in almost 70 years. The last remake of a presidential election was in 1956, when Republican President Dwight D. Eisenhower defeated former Illinois Gov. Adlai Stevenson, a Democrat, for a second time.
Trump dominated primaries – despite judicial problems
Since his last intra-party rival Nikki Haley dropped out of the race after Super Tuesday last week, Trump has effectively been the Republican presidential candidate. The 77-year-old, who remains very popular with the right-wing base, had clearly dominated the Republican primaries since they began in January, despite his massive judicial problems. His challengers – including Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis – gave up one by one.
For the Democrats, the outcome of the primaries was almost certain from the start: Biden had no serious competitors from his own ranks, although many Democrats consider the 81-year-old to be too old to run again. Biden thanked Democratic voters in a statement for trusting him to “lead our party – and our country – again.” He warned that Trump posed a greater “danger” than ever before.
Formal nomination in summer
The primaries last for different lengths for Democrats and Republicans: for the Republicans it ends at the beginning of June, the last votes for the Democrats take place on June 8th. in the Virgin Islands and Guam.
The presidential candidates will be chosen at the nomination party conventions in the summer. The Republican convention takes place in July in Milwaukee and the Democratic convention in August in Chicago. At conventions, delegates typically have to abide by the voting results in the primary election and cannot simply vote for another candidate.
Claudia Sarre, ARD Washington, tagesschau, March 13, 2024 5:10 a.m