The remote duel can really begin in the race for the White House.
While Donald Trump is in the lead on the Republican side, after his two inaugural victories in the primary battle in Iowa then New Hampshire, the current American president, Joe Biden, enters the fray in South Carolina this Saturday on the Republican side. Democrat.
A formality?
Not quite.
Like his great rival, Biden must still eliminate two competitors to become the official candidate of his party: Dean Phillips and Marianne Williamson.
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Dean Phillips: the new generation
Minnesota Representative Dean Phillips comes from a business background.
He worked for a long time as a start-up manager before taking the helm of the family business Phillips Distilling, an alcohol brand.
If, in the face of Joe Biden, his program does not stand out, the candidate is the symbol of “new generation” in politics.
Making a point of renewing an overly established political class, he focuses on “restoring Americans’ confidence in our government,” explains his campaign website.
If you're asking “Dean Who?”, please allow me to introduce myself.pic.twitter.com/ipdBOb0MGh
— Dean Phillips (@deanbphillips) December 22, 2023
Described as an idealist, Dean Phillips describes himself as a centrist Democrat.
If he presents himself as a worthy successor to Joe Biden, the 55-year-old candidate is criticized for his tendency to flirt - or work - with the Republicans.
He has also been recognized as the second most bipartisan member of Congress.
A significant asset in bringing together an America that could not be more divided, his work with elected Republican officials could be seen as a betrayal.
To distance himself from the current president, he does not hesitate to put on the table the impeachment investigation which is overwhelming Joe Biden, not to mention the latter's age, 81 years old.
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Marianne Williamson: Second try
Author specializing in personal development, Marianne Williamson became known as spiritual advisor to the famous presenter Oprah Winfrey, reports the New York Times.
Now in politics, she defends a more modern program than that of Joe Biden, calling in particular for reparations for the descendants of slaves, the formation of a ministry of peace and even free childcare.
Regarding the current president, she criticizes a man who is “corrupt” and “resistant to change”.
Reparations isn't only about economic compensation;
it's also about psychological and emotional reconciliation.
#Marianne2024 pic.twitter.com/YVXeRI0vAE
— Marianne Williamson (@marwilliamson) January 30, 2024
Marianne Williamson already tried her luck in 2020. Noting that she had only 0.3% of voting intentions, she withdrew from the race.
The past of the septuagenarian nevertheless darkens her candidacy.
In 2019, extracts from radio shows recorded in 2012 emerged in which she called on her audience to “stay awake”.
In question, a discussion on vaccination in which she expressed her “anxiety” at the idea of having her children vaccinated.
Also read: 2024 presidential election in the United States: in the absence of a Trump-Biden duel, what figures could emerge?
In a poll from the site FiveThirtyEight (Abc News) on January 31, Joe Bide was given the winner of the primaries in light of voting intentions.
He obtained 72.3% compared to 6.2% for Marianne Williamson and 4.4% for Dean Phillips.
For this election, the Democrats are playing the anti-Trump card, with the defense of the right to abortion and social security coverage at the top of their demands.