Biden's popularity wanes as Trump gains momentum: Is a surprising withdrawal on the cards?

Democratic nominee Joe Biden is expected to compete against Republican contender Donald Trump in the November presidential elections.

As per CNN's initial forecast for 2024, at present, the Republican nominee can bank on 272 electoral votes. A victory requires 270 electoral votes. CNN predicts that the Democratic nominee could secure approximately 225 electoral votes. These projections are founded on recent poll trends.

"The current President Joe Biden's dwindling popularity may result in a loss to Trump. Calls for Biden to relinquish his candidacy have emerged intermittently, but no evidence suggests his readiness for such a move. Additionally, there's no certainty that Democrats would present a stronger nominee if he did so", states a January 4 article in The Economist.

Interestingly, Joe Biden's potential withdrawal from the reelection campaign ranks among the top 10 biggest surprises that 2024 might have in store. Michael Cembalest, a premier strategist at JP Morgan Asset Management, a subsidiary of banking behemoth JP Morgan Chase, compiled this list.

"Between Super Tuesday and the November elections, President Biden may step down due to health concerns. In such a circumstance, Biden's successor would be a nominated candidate from the Democratic National Committee", Cembalest's analysis suggests.

Super Tuesday is slated for March 5, 2024. It's the day when many states hold primaries to elect delegates for party conventions.

- The world continues to view America as a beacon of democracy. I have had many world leaders I am familiar with privately tell me, "Trump must not win. This would put my country at risk." - Joe Biden articulated this on January 5 at an election rally in Pennsylvania.

The speech, delivered on Friday, marked Biden's first election campaign event this year, leading up to the presidential elections. White it was initially planned for Saturday, the anniversary of the Capitol riots, but it was rescheduled due to anticipated heavy snow.

Sources: CNN, PAP, The Economist, JP Morgan Asset Management