Joe Biden's announcement for an official run at reelection in 2024 is serving as the most recent indicator of unity within the Democrat party, in spite of the president’s low approval rates.
Top Democrat politicians, both incumbent and formerly in office, shared messages of support for Biden's official campaign launch, which kept Vice President Kamala Harris on the ticket.
Yet, a new poll released on Sunday by NBC puts a majority of Americans, including 51% of Democrats, saying they don't think Biden shouldn't be the next U.S. president.
The president's age is a major issue of concern for detractors, who point out that he would be 86 years old by the end of a second term.
On the Republican side of the spectrum, a separate survey from last week is showing that former president Donald Trump was leading the pack with a majority of support from Republican primary voters, hinting at the possibility of Trump and Biden running against each other for the second time in a row.
Biden’s Primary Competitors Agree to Disagree: Environmental lawyer Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who announced last week that he's also running for president in 2024 as a Democrat, said on Tuesday that he and Biden "differ profoundly on fundamental issues such as corporate influence in government, censorship, civil liberties, poverty, corruption and war policy."
"I look forward to engaging him in debates and town hall meetings, in a primary election that is honest, civil and transparent," he added.
Presidential primaries will run from February 2024 to June 2024, giving the current candidates about a year of campaigning until parties choose their official candidates. Meanwhile, there are still over one and a half years left of Biden's current term in office, which could make or break his future success at reelection.
Author and presidential candidate Marianne Williamson said that the president's campaign announcement "was concerning."
She criticized Biden for "his refusal to fight for a higher minimum wage, permanentize the child tax credit, or side with railroad workers trying to negotiate for sick pay," calling the current administration's efforts to fight the climate crisis as "tepid."
Key Democrats React: Reactions on the president’s announcement from top Democrats reflect the party's willingness to stay united in spite of Biden's low approval ratings.
Former President Barack Obama said he's proud of what Biden and his administration have accomplished.
"He's delivered for the American people — and he'll continue to do so once he's re-elected," wrote Obama on Twitter.
Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton also expressed public support for Biden's campaign.
"Joe and Kamala are the best people for the job of defending our democracy, fighting for our rights, and making sure everyone has a fair shot," she said on Twitter.
Sen. Elizabeth Warren expressed support for Biden, saying that he and Harris "are in this fight to protect our freedoms, defend our democracy, and put our government on the side of working people."
By mid-day Tuesday, there were some Democrat politicians, including Rep. Nancy Pelosi, Sen. Joe Manchin and Sen. Chuck Schumer, who have not shared public statements about Biden's announcement.
What Top Republicans Are Saying: Trump issued a statement about Biden's campaign launch, saying that there has never been a greater contrast between two successive administrations in all of American history.
"Ours being greatness, and theirs being failure," he said. “With such a calamitous and failed presidency, it is almost inconceivable that Biden would even think of running for reelection.
Kevin McCarthy, Speaker of the House and Republican representative, criticized Biden for being focused "on his own political future today" instead of "the future of America."
"Biden should have announced he will finally come to the table and negotiate a responsible debt limit increase to avoid the first default in our history,” McCarthy wrote on Twitter.
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