Headed toward a contentious and competitive rematch with former President Trump, Biden faces tight horserace polling numbers – plus a boycott vote push and college campus protests over the administration’s handling of the war in Gaza.
As the race ramps up, the Biden-Harris reelection campaign has touted the promises he’s fulfilled: from getting the COVID-19 pandemic under control to signing the major bipartisan infrastructure law.
Other pledges are still in progress, and Biden is working to push some over the finish line as November nears. His allies have voiced concerns that some voters just aren’t linking the president to his White House accomplishments.
This week, news broke that the administration is planning to shift marijuana from a Schedule I drug, on par with methamphetamines, to a lower-risk Schedule III drug. The move could give him a boost with young progressives, who are largely supportive of relaxing marijuana policies. Read more from The Hill’s Nathaniel Weixel.
Biden also unveiled a new initiative last month aimed at easing debt for millions of borrowers – including Americans with “runaway interest” and borrowers who have been paying loans for 20 years, among others. There’s likely a long road before these plans are finalized, but it’s another move that could help signal his commitment to young voters as they feel the strain of economic pressures.
Following up on Biden’s promises to act against gun violence, the Justice Department last month submitted a final rule to the federal register that would close a loophole related to gun sales – roughly half a year after the Biden White House kickstarted the Office of Gun Violence Prevention.
Progress on these and other goals is slow-going as Biden navigates procedural stalls and pushback. He’s also had some missteps: his withdrawal from Afghanistan was largely seen as a botched effort as he promised to shore up U.S. leadership abroad, and he’s now navigating controversial terrain amid Russia’s war on Ukraine and the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza.
Biden’s asking for another White House term to “finish the job” — and warning that another Trump term could mean a backslide on his progress.
“We have to take this seriously,” Biden said in remarks at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner over the weekend. “I think, in your hearts, you know what’s at stake. The stakes couldn’t be higher.”
