USSC Briefing Room | Why Trump and Biden? How the US system led to their selection

9 July 2024

President Biden’s approval rating is at an all-time low and the number of “double haters” who want neither candidate is at an all-time high.

Source: Getty

Podcast by

Jared Mondschein

Director of ResearchUnited States Studies Centre

Raymond La Raja

Visiting Fellow

The US system is driving the selection of candidates further and further away from the mainstream. Campaign financing contributes to this.

How did Trump and Biden become their party’s nominee with so little public support? What systems contribute to the polarisation of politics? Could campaign finance reform lead to candidates with a broader appeal?

USSC Director of Research Jared Mondschein spoke with Prof. Raymond La Raja, Professor of Political Science at the University of Massachusetts Amhurst, about his research into campaign finance reform.

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Produced by: Elliott Brennan

Music by Dan Phillipson, licensed through PremiumBeat