US: Biden, Trump clinch presidential nominations, set for another general election rematch

US President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump have secured the Democratic and Republican presidential nominations, respectively, setting up a rematch with each other, according to CNN. Trump clinched the Republican nomination for president on Wednesday morning, while, Biden secured the Democratic nomination earlier Tuesday night.

The voters cast ballots in presidential primaries in Georgia, Mississippi and Washington. Earlier on Tuesday, the Hawaii Republicans held caucuses, while voting wrapped up in the primary for Democrats Abroad, the official arm of the Democratic Party for Americans living overseas, reported CNN. Moreover, Biden is the projected winner of the Democratic primary in the US territory of the Northern Mariana Islands.

The shorter slate of elections followed last week's Super Tuesday, when Biden and Trump dominated across the map, putting both on the cusp of winning a majority of the delegates needed to be crowned their parties' presumptive nominees. The long-anticipated rematch of Trump and Biden is expected to mirror the 2020 campaign, though Trump will run this time under the spectre of 91 felony charges related to allegations that he plotted to overturn his 2020 election defeat, CNN reported.

The charges included that he played a lead role in the January 6, 2021, insurrection at the US Capitol; illegally took classified documents from the White House; and covered up hush money payments to an adult film star ahead of the 2016 election. However, Trump has now achieved a record of accomplishments and missteps for voters to weigh. Moreover, Biden is so far running a similar campaign to 2020, appealing to concerns over Trump's authoritarian behaviour and a middling economy, according to CNN. Notably, unlike Trump, the US president has never faced a serious, well-funded primary challenge, with Minnesota Rep. Dean Phillips, his lone rival in elected office, dropping out and endorsing Biden last week.

Biden's main opposition has come more from general intraparty anxiety over his age and from progressives' outrage over the administration's support for Israel in its war against Hamas in Gaza.
It has also come under some scrutiny following the release of special counsel Robert Hur's report, which concluded that Biden mishandled and improperly disclosed classified information after leaving the vice presidency. However, no charges were filed with Hur, who testified Tuesday on Capitol Hill, stating that he did not believe that there was enough evidence to charge Biden with a crime, as reported by CNN.

On the Republican Party (GOP) side, Trump has long been seen as the prohibitive favourite despite competition from a collection of GOP challengers, including governors, senators, right-wing provocateurs and his own former vice president, Mike Pence.

The last to give in was former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, who left the Republican race last week after a string of Super Tuesday losses but did not endorse Trump on the way out. Haley said the former president needed "to earn the votes of those in our party and beyond it who did not support him." Similar to Biden, Trump will need to win over sceptical portions of his base to match past levels of support. However, the primaries in Georgia are expected to provide both candidates with a gut check ahead of their anticipated November rematch, reported CNN.
Reportedly, Biden has been on a post-State of the Union tour of swing states, beginning from Pennsylvania on Friday before Georgia and then in New Hampshire on Monday.

However, Trump is bound for Dayton, Ohio, this weekend, when he will host a rally for businessman Bernie Moreno, his endorsed candidate in the GOP primary to take on Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown. Reportedly, the Ohio election is among several seen as critical to Democratic hopes of holding the Senate. (ANI)