President Joe Biden has won enough delegates to clinch the Democratic nomination for president after a number of recent primaries. The news came as former President Donald Trump also closed in on securing enough delegates for another nomination for the November ballot.
Biden won contests in Georgia, Washington and Mississippi this week. This came after Biden won all but one contest during last week’s ‘Super Tuesday’ primaries, losing only American Samoa.
The president said in a statement that he was “honored that the broad coalition of voters representing the rich diversity of the Democratic Party across the country have put their faith in me once again to lead our party — and our country — in a moment when the threat Trump poses is greater than ever.”
BREAKING: Joe Biden and Donald Trump win Mississippi presidential primaries.
Biden earned the 2024 Democratic nomination, while Trump is on pace to secure the Republican nomination. https://t.co/8gVDHoZbVE
— The Associated Press (@AP) March 13, 2024
Biden’s nomination makes him the oldest major party candidate to seek the White House at age 81.
The momentum for the president in securing the nomination also comes at a time when Biden trails Trump in most recent polls.
Biden is behind the former president both in national and state polls. As of right now, Trump is leading in most polls in states that could decide the Electoral College.
The former president currently leads in seven of nine recent polls averaged by RealClearPolitics. Trump leads by 4% in three recent polls, including the most recent Forbes/HarrisX poll. The former president leads Biden by almost 2% in national polls.
In addition, a number of recent polls have shown concern about Biden’s mental acuity and age, especially since the release of special counsel Robert Hur’s report. Hur wrote that he did not recommend charges against Biden in part due to the president’s faulty memory. Biden allegedly forgot when he was vice president and when his son Beau Biden died.
Polls have also indicated a lack of public trust in the president’s approach on a number of important issues. When placed head-to-head against Trump, poll respondents have consistently rated the former president ahead on a number of important issues, including the economy, the border, inflation and crime.
