Fareed Zakaria stopped one step short of calling for Biden to be replaced with another candidate. But the message is easy to read Political scientist Fareed Zakaria, in his author’s program Fareed Zakaria GPS and in a column on the CNN website, admitted that this election season everything is not going as he thought.
Fareed Zakaria begins with the following introduction: “When President Joe Biden made it clear that he was going to run for re-election, I understood his campaign strategy and thought that this was a smart path to victory… Trump will divide the Republicans, and a significant part party would want someone like former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley or Florida Gov. J. Ron DeSantis as their candidate.
Meanwhile, Trump would unite and motivate Democrats by allowing Biden to focus on independent voters in swing states that gave the Electoral College to Trump. in 2016 and Biden in 2020.” Next, mea culpa: “I must admit that things are not turning out the way I thought. Trump is now leading in almost every swing state, and these numbers hide even more troubling details. As someone concerned about the prospects for a second Trump term, I think it’s best to look at reality honestly.”
Zakaria acknowledges that inflation worries Americans more than unemployment, and the southern border more than the prospect of abortion bans in conservative states. After all, the Supreme Court gave abortion to the states, but the border is still a federal matter, that is, the fiefdom of the sitting president.
Trump leads Biden in confidence on issues of the economy, immigration and even foreign affairs, as only 35% of Americans believe Biden is handling the crisis in the Middle East well, and the Democratic Party is seriously divided on the issue of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.
And finally, Biden’s age, his mental state and the competence of the administration. Fareed Zakaria writes: “My biggest concern is who is more competent. In 2020, Biden led Trump by nine points, but now, in 2024, Trump leads by 16 points. That’s a 25-point shift may be a reflection that people believe the president’s age affects his ability to govern. If so, there is little Biden can do to change that view.”
Well, whether this will be the beginning of massive media preparation before an attempt to replace Biden at the election conference, time will tell. There’s not long to wait.