President Biden’s re-election launch video opens with grainy footage of the Jan. 6 assault on the Capitol, with Biden warning that “MAGA extremists” want to take away American’s basic freedoms — and then promising to protect them.
Why it matters: Biden friends think he might’ve retired if he thought Vice President Harris could beat former President Trump. But Biden sees Trump as a lethal threat to America — the reason to run and the issue to build his campaign around.
State of play: That dynamic will lead Biden, 80, to seize every opportunity maximize his presidential stature and dwell on his differences with Trump — using what he calls “MAGA Republicans” on Capitol Hill as a handy proxy.
