US Election 2024 Highlights: Is Biden Courting Young Voters With New Student Debt Relief Announcement?

US President Joe Biden, primarily elected in 2020 by young people, announced on Wednesday that an additional 150,000 citizens will have their student loan debt forgiven as part of an expansion of his student loan forgiveness program.

In a statement, Biden emphasized the high cost of a college education, stating, "While a college degree is still a ticket to a better life, that ticket is too expensive," adding, "And too many Americans are still saddled with unsustainable debt in exchange for a college degree."

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Biden Courting Young Voters

Throughout his presidency, a total of $138 billion in federal student loans taken out by 3.9 million Americans to pay for higher education has been eliminated, according to calculations by his administration.

Biden expressed his satisfaction with the loan forgiveness, stating, "I'm happy to have been able to forgive these loans because when we relieve Americans of their student debt, they're free to chase their dreams."

Initially, the 81-year-old Democrat had more ambitious plans to eliminate hundreds of billions of dollars in debt for middle-class debtors. However, the plan was overturned by the conservative-dominated Supreme Court, leading the Biden administration to accept more modest measures as a workaround. The latest measure, revealed on Wednesday, targets borrowers who have repaid their student loans for ten years and borrowed $12,000 or less, forgiving their remaining debt.

The proposal is expected to eliminate $1.2 billion in debt and assist 153,000 people, according to calculations by the White House. The beneficiaries will receive the good news via email bearing the president's signature.

Biden's campaign has been promoting his significant economic and social achievements to young Americans. However, young voters have shown limited enthusiasm for Biden's return to the White House as he prepares to face the likely Republican candidate, former President Donald Trump.

Following the announcement of the new debt relief measure, Biden's campaign shared a statement from Maxwell Frost, the first Generation Z member of the US Congress, praising the president's actions on student debt.

An opinion poll published by Quinnipiac University showed Biden and Trump running neck and neck among young Americans, with 47 per cent of voters aged 18-34 planning to vote for Biden and 45 per cent for Trump. However, only 30 per cent in that group had a favourable opinion of Biden, compared to 39 per cent for Trump.

Is Trump pulling away young supporters?

Increasing support from voters under age 30 in a hypothetical match-up with President Joe Biden has been gained by former President Donald Trump, as revealed by an Emerson College poll released Friday. This comes amid larger concerns from younger voters over Biden's age and mental fitness.

In the Emerson College poll, Trump leads Biden 47% to 45%, with 8% undecided, among nearly 1,600 registered voters surveyed between October 16 and October 17 (with a 2.4% margin of error), according to Forbes report.

Notably, voters under 30 barely favour Trump (45%) over Biden (43%, with 12% undecided). These numbers are significant considering Biden's wide margin of victory over Trump in 2020 among voters under 30, where he secured 59% compared to Trump's 35%.

The poll also examined other potential match-ups, showing Trump leading Sen. Bernie Sanders (D-Vt.) 48% to 40%, with 12% undecided. Conversely, Biden leads Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) 40% to 30%, with 29% undecided. Furthermore, Trump emerges as the leading candidate in the double digits for the Republican primary, garnering 59% support, followed by Nikki Haley at 8%, Ron DeSantis at 4%, and Mike Pence at 3%.

Despite these trends, Biden still maintains the support of a majority of Democratic voters, with 70% backing him. Marianne Williamson follows with 10%, while 20% remain undecided. A separate Emerson College survey released last month showed both Trump and Biden receiving 45% of support, with 10% undecided, reported Forbes.

The significance of younger voters in elections has grown, with 50% of people aged 18 to 29 turning out to vote in the 2020 presidential election-a notable 11-point increase over the previous election, according to Tufts University's Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement. In this demographic, Biden received nearly 60% of the votes.

The Emerson College poll echoes findings from an earlier poll by the Associated Press and the National Opinion Research Center at the University of Chicago, indicating concerns among younger voters and a majority of Democrats regarding Biden's age. About 76% of Democrats aged 18 to 29 expressed the belief that Biden, aged 80, was too old to run for president in 2024, while 43% of all Democrats stated they would still support him as the presidential nominee, as per Forbes report.

The poll also highlighted that age was seen as a significant factor in electing Biden over Trump by 69% of all Democrats. Additionally, Biden was more associated with terms like "old," "outdated," "ageing," and "elderly," while Trump was linked more to terms like "corrupt," "criminal," and "crooked."