By Caitlyn Meisner | Copy Editor
President Joe Biden announced his 2024 bid for the presidency Tuesday, which caused many students on Baylor’s campus to share their concern over the current president’s age and mental state.
Biden announced his candidacy through a three-minute video montage of him and Vice President Kamala Harris speaking with constituents.
This was juxtaposed with with clips of “MAGA extremists” — former President Donald Trump, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene — and some of the policies they’ve pushed, including banning books, anti-abortion legislation and cutting social security.
Biden opened the video with mentions of personal freedom, which he said is “fundamental to who we are as Americans.”
He said when running four years ago, the United States was in a “battle for the soul of America,” and the country is still fighting that battle today. Biden said the No. 1 priority and question for the future is whether the country has more or less freedom and rights.
“This is not a time to be complacent,” Biden said in the video. “That’s why I’m running for reelection: because I know America. I know we’re good and decent people. I know we’re still a country that believes in honesty and respect. … That we’re a nation where we give hate no safe harbor.”
As the voiceover continues, Biden is seen making speeches, meeting with his Supreme Court nominee Kentanji Brown Jackson, signing legislation, walking across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Ala., and conversing with the labor force in the U.S.
“Every generation of Americans have faced a moment when they have to defend democracy, stand up for our personal freedom,” Biden said. “This is our moment.”
As the video finishes, a handwritten message is emblazoned across the screen: “Let’s finish the job!”
Los Angeles first-year masters student Cathleen Scura said she supports any candidate who is best suited for the job or the greatest likelihood of success and said Biden isn’t doing so.
“He ran on a platform of reuniting the right and left to some level of moderation because the previous president was so divisive,” Scura said. “If anything, he’s driven it further apart. It doesn’t matter to me how old they are, what color they are, what their background is. I would like to see someone in the presidency who is selfless.”
Many Americans have expressed concern over President Biden’s age, as he is currently 80 years old. If reelected, Biden will be 82 years old at the January 2024 inauguration.
Austin senior Abigayle Hoeft said while she wasn’t surprised at Biden’s announcement, she was disappointed.
“It’s unfortunate because I think he’s putting himself before the country,” Hoeft said. “He’s not really considering what [Americans] need … right now. It’s unfair.”
Hoeft said Biden’s age poses a great risk to American stability.
“It puts us in an unstable position because we’re counting on one individual to not die,” Hoeft said. “He could possibly even begin to experience symptoms of dementia [or] he could just naturally pass away. Then that leaves us swearing in a new president halfway through term.”
Both Scura and Hoeft said they would prefer other candidates in the Democratic Party as opposed to Biden. Scura said Robert F. Kennedy Jr. — son of Robert F. Kennedy and nephew of former President John F. Kennedy — was a strong candidate and already announced his bid. Hoeft said she prefers Senator Elizabeth Warren or Pete Buttigieg.
Scura said she isn’t the biggest fans of Biden’s current vice president, Kamala Harris. Harris was announced to be on the presidential ticket again with Biden.
“She’s actually done nothing of substance,” Scura said. “It was supposed to be this wonderful thing, our first female vice president. I can’t … name one accomplishment. Supposedly it was the border, but guess what? The border is worse than it’s ever been. … I think the potential of another four years of Biden is frightening because it will very likely be a vote for Harris.”
Hoeft said while Harris wouldn’t have been her first choice for vice president, she does a good job with Biden.
“I think that she’s very matched to his beliefs and pulls him a little to the more liberal side,” Hoeft said. “I’m happy to have her as vice president because I think she is qualified and she carries herself well. She puts a very good example out there of what women can be in politics.”
Democratic politicians came out in support of Biden’s announcement, including former President Barack Obama and former presidential Democratic Party nominee and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
“Proud of all that [Biden] and his administration have accomplished,” Obama said in a tweet. “He’s delivered for the American people — and he’ll continue to do so once he’s reelected.”
House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (CA-20) tweeted and said Biden should be focusing on the debt limit instead of his campaign.
“I know President Biden might be focused on his own political future today, but he should be focused on the future of America,” McCarthy said in the tweet.
