The United States is heading for a Donald Trump vs Joe Biden rematch in this year’s presidential election. US leader Joe Biden is the presumptive presidential nominee for the Democratic Party after his victory overnight in the Georgia primary pushed him passed the threshold of 1,968 delegates. Donald Trump also passed the threshold of 1,215 delegates to become the presumptive nominee for the Republican Party, following his triumphs in Georgia, Mississippi and Washington.

Biden’s approval rating is lagging behind Trump’s at the same stage of his presidency

‘It is my great honour to be representing the Republican Party as its Presidential Nominee,’ Trump wrote on Truth Social. ‘Fear not, we will not fail,’ he told his supporters, ‘we will take back our once great Country, put AMERICA FIRST, and MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN – GREATER THAN EVER BEFORE. November 5th will go down as the most important day in the history of our Country! GOD BLESS AMERICA’.

After a testing Tuesday which saw former special counsel Robert Hur deliver damaging testimony regarding the president’s mental health to Congress, Biden cruised to an easy win in the Peach State. He later secured victory in Mississippi and Washington State. His only remaining rival is Marianne Williamson, who suspended and then unsuspended her campaign, after Minnesota congressman Dean Phillips dropped out last week.

In a press release issued shortly after his win was sealed, Biden said his presidential rival, Donald Trump, poses a ‘greater than ever’ threat:

‘We face a sobering reality: freedom and democracy are at risk here at home in a way they have not been since the Civil War. Donald Trump is running a campaign of resentment, revenge, and retribution that threatens the very idea of America. He is glorifying dictators and pledging to become one himself on day one. He seeks to bury the truth of January 6 by vowing to pardon the insurrectionists who placed a dagger at the throat of American democracy. This week, he vowed to cut seniors’ hard-earned Medicare and Social Security. He’s rooting for the economy to crash, pushing tax cuts for the ultra-wealthy, and planning to ban abortion nationwide.’

Democratic National Committee chair Jaime Harrison said: ‘Make no mistake: this year’s election will decide the future of our democracy. Donald Trump is running a campaign focused on revenge, retribution and his own self-interest. President Biden is running a campaign focused on what makes our country so great: the American people.’

Biden and Trump’s victories pave the way for an acrimonious rematch between the pair. Trump has held a small polling lead over Biden for most of this year, with recent surveys showing the Republican candidate is ahead in four key swing states. Biden’s approval rating is also lagging behind Trump’s at the same stage of his presidency.

A version of this article was first published on Spectator World