Former U.S. President Donald Trump and former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley are competing for the Republican nomination in the upcoming 2024 presidential election, while President Joe Biden is the presumptive nominee for the Democratic Party. Additionally, several third-party candidates are also seeking to enter the race. Here is a list of the candidates:
**Republican Party**
- **Donald Trump**
Trump has leveraged civil issues and the four criminal indictments against him, an unprecedented situation for a former U.S. president, to boost his popularity among Republicans and raise funds for his campaign. He is the leading Republican candidate, with a support rate of 64% according to the latest Reuters/Ipsos poll. Trump won early nomination contests in Iowa, New Hampshire, and Nevada and is looking to replace the leadership of the Republican National Committee with close allies before the party's national convention in July. Trump, 77, describes the indictments against him as political persecution aimed at undermining his quest for a second four-year term, a claim the Justice Department denies. Several legal challenges have been submitted to the U.S. Supreme Court regarding his eligibility to run following the January 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol and whether he can claim presidential immunity. Trump has pledged to retaliate against those he views as his enemies if elected again and has increasingly adopted an authoritarian tone, stating he wouldn’t be a dictator except "on day one." He has promised comprehensive changes, including appointing loyalists within the federal civil service and enforcing stricter immigration policies, such as initiating mass deportations and ending birthright citizenship. He also pledged to repeal the healthcare program known as "Obamacare" and impose tougher trade restrictions on China, indicating that he may not defend NATO member states.
- **Nikki Haley**
Haley, 52, a former governor of South Carolina and U.N. ambassador during Trump's presidency, emphasizes her relative youth compared to Biden (81) and Trump, as well as her background as the daughter of Indian immigrants. She has built a strong reputation in the Republican Party as a formidable conservative who can address gender and racial issues more credibly than many of her peers. However, Trump has criticized her harshly, making racist remarks about her ethnic origin and exaggerating false claims about her eligibility for the White House, despite her being born in South Carolina. Haley, whose support among Republicans is 19% according to the Reuters/Ipsos poll, intensified her attacks on Trump after the New Hampshire election on January 23 and raised $1 million after Trump threatened her campaign donors. She portrays herself as a strong advocate for U.S. interests abroad, criticizing Trump for his praise of dictators and labeling him as chaotic and highly divisive. She suggested she would stay in the race following the scheduled primary in her state on February 24 where polls indicate she trails Trump. Her campaign has criticized Trump’s proposed changes to the Republican National Committee, arguing that the political party needs reform and a review of its financial resources.
**Democratic Party**
- **Joe Biden**
Biden, 81, the oldest president in U.S. history, must convince voters that he is capable of serving another four-year term given low approval ratings and a special advisor's report suggesting he suffers from memory issues. Biden has dismissed the report, and his allies assert he sees himself as the only Democratic candidate able to defeat Trump and protect democracy. The latest Reuters/Ipsos poll shows Biden with a 34% approval rating while Trump stands at 37%, with a margin of error approaching 2.9 percentage points. When announcing his candidacy, Biden stated that he must defend American freedoms, referencing the deadly attack by Trump supporters on the Capitol on January 6, 2021. He will again campaign with his current vice president Kamala Harris. The economy will be a central factor in his reelection campaign. Although the U.S. avoided sliding into a predicted recession and recorded faster growth than economists anticipated, inflation reached its highest level in 40 years in 2022, impacting voters' costs for basic needs. Biden pushed through massive economic stimulus packages and infrastructure spending to bolster U.S. industrial production, but voter recognition of his achievement in this area remains minimal. He led the Western governments' response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine by persuading allies to impose sanctions on Moscow and support Kyiv. He has also supported Israel in its conflict with Hamas in Gaza while pressing for more humanitarian assistance. However, he faces sharp criticism from some Democratic colleagues for not supporting a ceasefire in the Palestinian territories, where health officials in Gaza report over 28,400 Palestinians killed and thousands of buildings destroyed or damaged, leaving residents with insufficient food, water, and medical supplies. The Biden administration has been criticized by both Republicans and Democrats over immigration, as migrant crossings at the U.S.-Mexico border reached record levels during his tenure. Biden easily won the Democratic Party nomination competitions in New Hampshire, South Carolina, and Nevada.
**Independents**
- **Dean Phillips**
Dean Phillips, a little-known U.S. Congressman from Minnesota, announced in October that he would run against Biden, believing that the president cannot win another term. The 55-year-old millionaire and co-founder of an ice cream company declared his candidacy in a one-minute video posted online, stating, "We have some challenges ahead. We will fix this economy, and we will fix America." Phillips failed to win support from any delegates in South Carolina and finished second in New Hampshire. He did not appear on the ballot in Nevada.
- **Robert F. Kennedy Jr.**
Kennedy, 70, an anti-vaccine activist, is running as an independent after initially challenging Biden for the Democratic Party nomination but currently lags far behind in polls. Recent Reuters/Ipsos polls indicate that Kennedy could hurt Biden more than Trump in the presidential election, as independent candidates can influence U.S. election outcomes even without winning. Trump’s lead over Biden remained at six percentage points in the Reuters/Ipsos poll even when participants had the option to vote for third-party candidates, including Kennedy, who received eight percent support. Kennedy is the son of U.S. Senator Robert F. Kennedy, who was assassinated in 1968 during his presidential campaign. A surprising announcement during the Super Bowl focused on his relationship with his uncle, former President John F. Kennedy, angered family members and prompted an apology from him. Instagram has banned his account for spreading misinformation about vaccines and the COVID-19 pandemic, but it has since been restored. He also lost a legal attempt to compel Google, the owner of YouTube, to restore videos in which he questioned the safety of coronavirus vaccines.
- **Cornel West**
The political activist, philosopher, and academic announced that he would launch a third-party presidential bid that could attract progressive voters with Democratic leanings. West, 70, initially sought the Green Party nomination but stated that people "want good policies instead of partisan politics" and announced his candidacy as an independent. He promised to eradicate poverty and provide housing.
- **Jill Stein**
Dr. Jill Stein repeated her bid for the Green Party nomination as she did in 2016. She accused Democrats of repeatedly breaking their promises "to workers, youth, and the climate, while Republicans didn't even make such promises." Stein, 73, raised millions for a recount after Trump’s surprise victory in the 2016 election, but the recount in Wisconsin confirmed Trump’s win.
