Who's the Favorite to Win the Next Presidential Election?
Four years ago, Donald Trump completely upset the form guide to become the 45th President of the United States. He headed into the closing days of campaign and voting day itself as the underdog, with Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton heavily fancied to succeed Barack Obama in The White House.
But despite losing out in the popular vote by nearly three million, attracting barely over 46%, Trump won the States he needed to wrestle power away from the Democrats and prevent Clinton from becoming the country's first female leader.
Four years later, the New York-born business mogul must upset the odds once more to hold on to power and achieve his ambition of becoming a two-term President. But standing in his way is potentially an even tougher opponent than he'd faced in 2016.
In this article, we will examine Trump's chances of being re-elected as President and analyze the threat he faces from this year's Democratic nominee.
Biden-Harris
Having unsuccessfully run for President on two occasions previously, Joe Biden is hopeful that he can make it third time lucky and realize a lifelong ambition of becoming the leader of the United States.
Biden is the favorite in the latest US election odds, well clear of Trump on most of the leading platforms. His popularity received a boost recently with the appointment of Kamala Harris as his running mate, and that appears to be reflected in his narrowing odds.
77-year-old Biden pledged at the end of July that he'd select a female running mate, and it is a policy that certainly appears to have paid off in the short-term. Harris's background and ideologies enable her to reach an audience unique from Biden's base, and that factor has proven crucial in previous elections.
But perhaps Biden's biggest challenge is to unite the Democratic left in America. In particular, the withdrawal of Bernie Sanders from the running to become the party's nomination has left a large portion of voters without a mast to tie their flag to.
This proved costly for Clinton four years ago, as a substantial percentage of Sanders supporters switched their support to Trump after their man dropped out of the race. Biden simply cannot afford for that to happen again if he is to be successful.
Donald's Trump Cards
If Donald Trump is to upset the odds again then he must mobilize his support like never before. Love him or loathe him, 'The Donald' has proven himself an expert at nurturing a base of fanatical followers that will go the extra mile to show their backing.
He has built support based on policies around divisive issues such as immigration, foreign policy and support for big business, with his hard-nosed approach to foreign interests in the U.S. proving a huge hit with his supporters.
His pro-business outlook could also help him rally support at a time when the world's economies are struggling, with his focus on bringing major manufacturing hubs back to America likely to be another vote winner later this year.
Trump is also hugely prolific on Twitter, utilizing the platform to articulate himself without hesitation. And although many question the wisdom of some of the stuff he Tweets, his digital presence is unrivaled in politics, and the Biden-Harris campaign could find it difficult to cut through the noise.
Examining the evidence, it's safe to say that Joe Biden has an excellent chance of unseating Donald Trump this winter. But, as we learned four years ago, only a fool would completely write off the chances of the controversial incumbent.