President Kamala Harris?

July 26, 2024

SEOUL – On July 21, US President Joe Biden announced his withdrawal from the presidential race and endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris to become the Democratic Party’s nominee. The announcement came after weeks of turmoil following his disastrous debate performance at the end of June. Biden tried to resist calls for his withdrawal but bowed to reality as support for his candidacy collapsed in the Democratic Party amid weakening poll numbers in the race against former President Donald Trump. Trump, meanwhile, survived an assassination attempt in mid-July and gained momentum from the Republican convention only days later.

Kamala Harris has yet to receive the Democratic nomination officially, but the party has rallied behind her, and no opposition has yet to emerge. She will soon have to choose a vice-presidential candidate to complete the ticket. Trump chose JD Vance, a senator from Ohio and successful author, who has morphed into a MAGA firebrand. Vice presidential candidates usually have little influence over the final outcome, but Harris’ choice will be important in what is expected to be a close election.

After nearly a month of upheaval, where does the election stand now? And what does it mean for South Korea?

President Biden was on a trajectory to almost certain defeat for I believe two reasons: his age and feelings about the economy. Voters thought Biden was old when they elected him in 2020 but they did so to get rid of Trump amid the chaos of his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic. As 2024 approached, doubts about Biden’s age only grew and finally exploded after the debate, where he appeared far more elderly than expected. At 59 and full of energy, Kamala Harris shifts the age issue to Trump, who