(Washington Examiner) President Joe Biden‘s road to reelection in 2024 is shaping up to be an uphill battle as the president works to overcome several obstacles in his personal and political life.
Biden announced his reelection campaign on April 25, becoming the Democrats‘ top candidate against several Republican challengers lining up to take back the White House. However, multiple controversies that have emerged since Biden took office could hurt his chances of securing another four years in office.
Here are four controversies encumbering the president as he prepares for reelection.
President Joe Biden and his son, Hunter Biden, step off Air Force One, Saturday, Feb. 4, 2023, at Hancock Field Air National Guard Base in Syracuse, N.Y. The Bidens are in Syracuse to visit with family members following the passing of Michael Hunter, the brother of the president’s first wife, Neilia Hunter Biden.
Hunter Biden’s business dealings
Since taking the majority in 2022, House Republicans have vowed to investigate any evidence of wrongdoing or mishaps conducted by the Biden administration and the president’s family, notably Hunter Biden.
Rep. James Comer (R-KY), the chairman of the House Oversight Committee, has delved deep into Hunter Biden’s finances and foreign connections. So far, the committee has claimed it has evidence that Hunter Biden’s business dealings and board position on Burisma, a foreign company, may have affected national security and influenced America’s foreign relations.
Comer also said the committee would hold the Biden family accountable for an alleged “Biden family influence peddling scheme.” The chairman claimed that at least nine Biden family members had accepted payments from a Chinese-affiliated company and possibly the Chinese Community Party, as well.
Democrats have blasted Republicans for going after the president and his family, placing House GOP members under a microscope. However, Comer has insisted that these investigations will be successful. If they are, it could seriously affect Biden’s chances at reelection.
The building that housed office space of President Joe Biden’s former institute, the Penn Biden Center, is seen at the corner of Constitution and Louisiana Avenue NW, in Washington, Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2023. Potentially classified documents were found on Nov. 2, 2022, in a “locked closet” in the office, according to special counsel to the president Richard Sauber. The National Archives and Records Administration took custody of the documents the next day after being notified by the White House Counsel’s office.
(AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)
Classified documents
Several classified documents were found in Biden’s possession last year, transforming what started as an isolated occurrence with Trump into a reoccurring nightmare for politicians in Washington.
Documents were discovered in Biden’s office at the Penn Biden Center and the president’s Delaware residence in November and December, respectively. Republicans zeroed in on the location of the documents, including Biden’s home garage, claiming that it was a national security risk with the number of visitors entering and exiting the building.
The documents opened Biden up to GOP attacks that a sitting president had classified documents in his possession, compared to a former president like Trump, who claims that he transported belongings to his home after he left the White House and that the documents were either mistakenly taken or declassified. However, a poll taken shortly after classified documents were discovered in both men’s possession showed that Trump’s handling of classified documents was seen as “more serious” than Biden’s.
Special counsels Robert Kur and Jack Smith are investigating the classified documents scandal for Biden and Trump, respectively.
