By STEVE PEOPLES (AP National Political Writer)
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump won their parties’ presidential nominations on Tuesday with clear victories in a series of low-key primaries, setting up a rematch in the general election that many voters do not want.
The results in Georgia, Mississippi, and Washington state were never in question. Neither Biden, a Democrat, nor Trump, a Republican, faced significant opposition. However, the size of their wins gave each man the majority of delegates required to claim his party’s nomination at the summer national conventions.
Even before the halfway point of the presidential primary calendar, Tuesday signaled a defining moment for a nation uncertain about its options in 2024.
There is now no doubt that the fall election will see a rematch between two flawed and unpopular presidents. At 81, Biden is already the oldest president in U.S. history, while the 77-year-old Trump is facing potential decades in prison as a defendant in four criminal cases. Their rematch — the first featuring two U.S. presidents since 1912 — will likely deepen the nation’s sharp political and cultural divisions over the eight-month campaign ahead.
In a statement, Biden celebrated the nomination while portraying Trump as a serious threat to democracy.
Trump, Biden said, “is running a campaign of resentment, revenge, and retribution that threatens the very idea of America.”
He continued, “I am honored that the diverse coalition of voters from the Democratic Party across the country have placed their trust in me once again to lead our party — and our country — at a time when the danger posed by Trump is greater than ever.”
Trump, in a video posted on social media, celebrated what he called “a great day of victory.”
“But now we have to get back to work because we have the worst president in the history of our country,” Trump said of Biden. “So, we’re not going to take time to celebrate. We’ll celebrate in eight months when the election is over.”
Both candidates dominated Tuesday’s primaries in swing-state Georgia, deep-red Mississippi, and Democratic-leaning Washington. Trump also won Hawaii’s Republican caucus.
Despite their tough talk, the road ahead will not be easy for either presumptive nominee.
Trump is facing 91 felony counts in four criminal cases involving his handling of classified documents and his attempt to overturn the 2020 election, among other alleged crimes. He’s also facing increasingly pointed questions about his policy plans and relationships with some of the world’s most dangerous dictators. Trump met privately on Friday with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, who has rolled back democracy in his country.
Biden, who would be 86 years old at the end of his next term, is working to reassure a doubtful electorate that he’s still physically and mentally capable of excelling in the world’s most important job. Voters in both parties are unhappy with his handling of immigration and inflation.
He is facing more disagreement within his party's progressive supporters who are very angry that he hasn't done enough to stop Israel's war against Hamas in Gaza. Washington activists and religious leaders have urged Democrats to vote 'uncommitted' to show their anger.
In Seattle, 26-year-old voter Bella Rivera said she hoped that their 'uncommitted' vote would serve as a wake-up call for the Democratic party.
Rivera, a preschool teacher who prefers they/them pronouns, said, "If you really want our votes, if you want to win this election, you're going to have to show more support of Palestinian liberation which is very important to us and stop funding to Israel."
In Georgia, retiree Donna Graham said she would have liked another Republican nominee instead of Trump, but she said she would never vote for Biden in the general election.
Graham said of Trump, 'He wasn't my first choice, but he's the next best thing. It's sad that it's the same old matchup as four years ago.'
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