President Joe Biden is beginning a two-day state visit to South Korea, where he will meet with South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol. The visit comes just weeks after a Pentagon leak revealed that the Biden administration had been eavesdropping on Yoon's government. This marks not only their fifth in-person meeting during Yoon's first year in office but also commemorates the 70th anniversary of the countries' relationship.
Despite Yoons' complaints about the leak, there are more important bilateral matters that need to be raised during his visit, according to American Enterprise Institute senior fellow Zack Cooper. Current national security adviser Jake Sullivan previewed Biden's "major deliverables" on extended deterrence, cyber cooperation, and climate mitigation, in addition to foreign assistance and investment.
Andrew Yeo, the Brookings Institution Center for East Asia Policy Studies' SK-Korea Foundation Chair, described Yoon as contributing to a "future-oriented" alliance amid Russia's war in Ukraine, China's rise, and North Korea's increasing belligerence.
In other news related to President Joe Biden:
President Joe Biden is pairing veteran advisers who helped him win the White House once with a newer generation of diverse leadership for his 2024 re-election campaign. Julie Chavez Rodriguez will coordinate with White House senior advisers overseeing an operation likely spending over $1 billion while hiring hundreds of full-time employees.
The White House and Democratic National Committee have declined to comment on upcoming personnel announcements for the 2024 campaign. However key staff members like Michael Tyler; Kate Bedingfield; Bruce Reed; Michael O'Malley Dillon; Anita Dunn are expected back directing strategy against potential opponent Donald Trump.
On Tuesday president announced leaders of his re-election campaign as well as a host of Democratic lawmakers to serve as national co-chairs. Julie Chávez Rodríguez will be Biden’s campaign manager, and Quentin Fulks from Raphael Warnock's Georgia run will serve as principal deputy campaign manager.
The national co-chairs include Reps. Lisa Blunt-Rochester, Jim Clyburn, Veronica Escobar, Chris Coons, Tammy Duckworth; Gretchen Whitmer; Jeffrey Katzenberg. Vice President Harris emphasized the importance of effective leadership in managing a campaign that reaches all Americans during this pivotal moment in history.
Despite low approval ratings hovering around 40%, President Joe Biden has announced his re-election campaign with a pledge to "finish the job." Relying on his inner circle of top advisers from the 2020 election cycle, he will focus on delivering accomplishments over his first term while potentially facing another showdown with Trump if he wins again in 2024.
Democrats point out sharp contrasts between their approaches on topics like abortion rights expansion healthcare and raising taxes for wealthy individuals. If elected for a second term, President Joe Biden would be 86 at its conclusion - nearly a decade older than US male life expectancy.