The 2024 presidential election is fast approaching in the United States. In recent developments, the upcoming general election, which is now less than five months from occurring, is likely to be a rematch of the 2020 contest between the former 45th president, the reality television star and business mogul from New York City Donald Trump and the current incumbent president, the career politician from Delaware and Pennsylvania Joe Biden. Most recent polls forecast a closely contested contest, with the two men locked in a dead heat. Currently, Trump leads in several key swing states that are likely to decide the election, but his lead is far from secure. While the election is political lightyears away, the contest is unlikely to be decided decisively by either candidate as most people are extremely polarized politically. In a recent projection, if a third party candidate, Robert Kennedy Jr., a former Democrat attempting to run as an independent, is on the ballot, the race is a statistical tie between Trump and Biden. Kennedy could prove to be a deciding factor in the contest as many moderates have flocked to his support.
Trump and Biden are both widely unpopular. Far left progressives are uneasy about Biden, and many people are simply disappointed in his paltry job performance as president. But Trump is even more disliked in many regards, and his largely disapproved of by many Americans. He has little to no appeal to centrist voters, and even many Republican leaning voters have soured on him. Trump was recently found guilty in a hush money trial with the adult film star Stormy Daniels. This has hurt him, and another poll shows a projected three point lead with Biden shrank to just one point after the verdict.
In California and New York, vulnerable Republicans in blue states have towed the line when discussing the verdict. Some have defended Trump, while others have been cautiously and characteristically silent.
