RACE FOR THE
BY
JOE Biden and Donald Trump have won their parties’ presidential nominations to set up an election rematch that millions of American voters simply do not want.
Trump, 77, has been accused of various wrongdoing. He is also being painted as a danger to America.
Even some in his own party think he is not fit to be in the White House.
Biden, 81, has many detractors too. Voters say he is too old, too prone to errors and has no charisma.
Bookies have former Apprentice star Trump as a 10/11 favourite to win, with his rival a 2/1 outsider.
Biden faced only token opposition in the Democratic primary, typical for a sitting president. Trump had been the Republican front-runner for months, seeing off the likes of Nikki Haley.
The outcome of Tuesday’s contests across Georgia, Mississippi, and Washington was never in doubt.
Although the presidential primary calendar was not halfway through, the magnitude of the wins gave each candidate the delegate majority needed to claim their party’s nomination for the November 5 election.
But the nation is uneasy with the choice that lies ahead.
Pollsters and strategists say rarely have so many Americans been so unhappy with the country’s direction for this long. And rarely have so many wanted different candidates.
Voters who dislike both Biden and Trump now have their own nickname – “double haters”.
UNPOPULAR
It will be a contest between two flawed and unpopular presidents.
For months, Americans have been in denial, hoping other candidates would emerge while entertaining fantasies about possible last-minute entrants such as Michelle Obama.
They have even hoped for a viable third party candidate and speedy legal prosecutions that would force Biden and businessman Trump off the ballot.
As those scenarios have failed to materialise, millions now face their worst fear – they don’t want either contender to win.
Trump is mired in criminal prosecutions, while even some die-hard Democrats are unsure about Biden due to his controversies and gaffes as he shows signs of mental fragility.
Democrat voter Kirsten Limoges, 34, told the Mirror she is now “resigned” to having Biden on the ballot.
The marketing executive said: “For months, I’ve struggled to support President Biden. His mistakes, including countless errors when speaking, are a genuine concern over his fitness to hold the most powerful office there is.
“But what alternative do we have? Anyone but Trump.” Likewise, Republican voter Nick Gerlach said he wished
for a “viable alternative” to Trump and, like many of the party’s supporters, wants another candidate to take over.
Wall Street trader Nick, 54, said: “True Republicans want the cult of Trump gone and [ for us to] get back to the party’s true values.”
But ex-president Trump has such a stranglehold on the Grand Old Party the result was a forgone conclusion.
Nick said: “Even if he is convicted of a crime, it won’t stop Trump.
“He’ll use it for political gain. A criminal in the White House? The Founding