February 9, 2022
Issue #2
A Student Publication of the Belmont Hill School
Possible 2024 Presidential Candidates by Brandon Li ‘26
Pete Buttigieg
Joe Biden
Donald Trump
publican party away from Trump and his brand of politics.
Being a former president with a huge name and a large following, Trump is currently the primary contender for the Republican bid in the 2024 presidential elections. However, public support for Trump has decreased considerably following his departure from the White House, and it appears that he no longer has the foothold on the Republican party that he used to have. There could be many reasons for this, although a few stand out. One possible explanation is the disappointing result of the 2022 midterm elections, in which Republican candidates underperformed. Prior to the election, polling suggested that Republicans were largely favored to control both the House and the Senate; however, they ended up only taking the House, and narrowly missed the Senate with a 49-51 split. Many attribute this loss to Trump, as they believe that he endorsed underqualified candidates in the Republican primaries, who would then go on to lose the independent vote and consequently the entire election. The midterm fiasco has been the final straw for Republican leaders, who are now looking to gradually shift the Re-
Donald Trump
summer, during which his approval ratings dropped down to 37.5% at their lowest point. Now, faced with positive midterm results and decreasing gas prices, Democrats are increasingly optimistic about a Biden run for reelection in the 2024 elections. To add to the optimism, the Biden administration accomplished a lot for both the Democratic agenda and general American objectives in 2022, which has helped to dispel earlier portrayals However, despite his recent of him as a weak leader incapasetbacks, Trump still has a lot ble of pulling political strings going for him. His cult of person- necessary to accomplish things. ality continues to attract diehard To name a few, Biden has signed Trump loyalists, and beneath the into law bills that help to reduce scandals that have tainted his imemissions, decrease gun violence, age, he still holds the populist apcodify same-sex and interrapeal that helped him ascend to the cial marriage, reduce American presidency in 2016. For Trump, dependence on semiconductors, the main challenge will now be to and prevent attempts to overturn regain the trust of independent valid election results. These results voters and convince Republican have become integral to the Biden leaders that his best interests lie administration’s public messaging with the GOP. strategy, where he presses that he can “get things done” to cast aside doubt of his capabilities as a leadJoe Biden er. A quick glance at either of his Twitter profiles can verify this. However, these doubts about his competence as president can be traced back to one unfixable problem that he will have to come to terms with – his age. He will be 82 during the 2024 campaign season, and a complete second As the incumbent, Biden would term would put him at 86 years old. With his seniority being a be the primary choice for the Democratic bid in the 2024 presi- major point of discussion, Biden dential elections. He seems to have will have to energetically persist in recovered from his slump over the his strategy of convincing voters of his competence by marketing
Ron DeSantis
his ability to accomplish things. If he does not use the rest of his term wisely, he may struggle to win back the presidency; early polling suggests that an election against Trump or DeSantis would be tight.
Ron DeSantis
Ron DeSantis, the Republican who barely scraped by in the 2018 Floridian gubernatorial election, has now exploded into the political scene and is seen as a major contender for the Republican presidential bid. He first made headlines in 2020, when he was derided for not implementing widely-accepted pandemic policy guidelines, opting instead for a more laid-back approach. One year later, he was seemingly proven right: Florida had it no worse than any other state and residents were able to enjoy relaxed restrictions. This early success has inspired DeSantis to market himself to voters as a culture warrior for conservative beliefs. Through this persona, DeSantis has quickly become a favorite among Republican leaders, who view him as the best candidate to lead the GOP out of the era of Trump. Following the coverage he received due to the pandemic, DeSantis has sought to strengthen