WASHINGTON — President Joseph R. Biden officially announced his campaign for reelection on Tuesday, earning immediate criticism from the north country’s most senior Republican.
In a news release sent shortly after the president released a video on YouTube announcing his campaign for a second term, Rep. Elise M. Stefanik, R-Willsboro, hammered President Biden on “disastrous policies.”
“The American people are suffering from crippling inflation, record illegal border crossings and woke policies that seek to destroy our freedoms,” she said. “Joe Biden has never been in a weaker position.”
She pointed to the president’s low approval rating, which is about 39% according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll concluded last week, and the fact that about half of surveyed Democrats say they don’t think he should seek a second term.
Rep. Stefanik, who leads House Republican messaging as conference chair, said she is committed to continuing the Republican criticisms of President Biden, and intends to contrast his achievements with the Republican’s recently-released platform, the Commitment to America.
Rep. Stefanik, who has been an ardent supporter of former President Donald J. Trump for years, declared her support for Mr. Trump’s reelection bid before he even announced it early this year. She reiterated that support again on Tuesday.
“Now more than ever, our country needs Donald J. Trump, and I will do everything in my power to help elect him in 2024 as President of the United States to save America,” she said.
Rumors that Rep. Stefanik may be under consideration for the vice presidency under a second Trump term have begun floating, with some reports in conservative media suggesting she may be a contender. Such rumors have flown since Mr. Trump’s second campaign for office began in 2019. Officially, the congresswoman has declared her campaign for a sixth term representing the north country in Congress.
