Incumbent President Joe Biden won the Ohio Democratic primary, and former President Donald Trump won the Ohio Republican primaries. They now will face each other for the second time in the presidential race.
As of 10:50 p.m., Biden had 87%, or 425,941, of Ohio’s Democratic votes and 85%, or 3,548, of Athens County votes. Trump had 79.3%, or 877,896, of Ohio’s Republican votes and 82%, or 3,044 Athens County votes.
Only 92% of votes were accounted for at this time.
Before the Ohio primaries, Biden received the number of delegates needed to secure his general election nomination, according to an Associated Press report.
“As I’ve done ever since being elected to office, I ask all of you, without regard to party, to join together and defend democracy,” Biden saidduring the State of the Union Address March 7. “Remember your oath of office to defend against all threats foreign and domestic.”
During his first term, Biden prioritized access to COVID-19 vaccinations, concerns about climate change, racial equity, economic recovery, the Affordable Care Act, reformation of the immigration system and restoring America’s global standing.
Biden prides himself on adding 15 million jobs in his three years in office.
Although Biden hasn’t voiced his specific plans and hopes for his second term, he mentioned a few things during the State of the Union Address he wants to see in his last year of presidency.
“I see a future where we restore the right to choose and protect our freedoms, not take them away,” Biden said.
Biden said he expects to draw out plans like student debt recovery, increasing taxes on the wealthy, helping the climate crisis and decreasing gun violence.
While the address was ongoing, pro-Palestine protestors stood outside of the Capitol in response to Biden’s support for Israel.
In regards to the Israel-Gaza War, Biden said during the address he has been working to establish a six-week, at least, ceasefire and release hostages.
Many voters have shown they are against Biden’s actions in Israel. The Uncommitted Movement started in February urging people to vote uncommitted in Democratic primaries as a protest vote to pressure Biden into demanding a permanent ceasefire and other swift actions against Israel. According to a New York Times report, 15 states reported more than 10% non-Biden votes in their Democratic primaries.
Biden posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, Saturday that his administration invested $3.3 billion in 132 projects to deliver environmental justice, opportunities and right historic wrongs in communities.
Before the Ohio primaries, Trump achieved the number of delegates needed to secure his general election nomination, accordingto The Associated Press.
Trump has marketed his MAGA, or Make America Great Again, campaign since his first presidential campaign in 2016 against Hilary Clinton.
“The American Way of Life is under attack while career politicians destroy our economy and sabotage our nation’s incredible potential,” Trump’s administration wrote on his campaign website. “We will take our country back from the corrupt Washington establishment and return power to the American people, where it belongs.”
Trump’s campaign includes goals such as economic prosperity, securing America’s borders, restoring public safety, keeping America out of foreign wars and reclaiming free speech.
According to the White House website, during his first term, Trump signed a major tax reform bill that reduced federal regulations, appointed U.S. Supreme Court Justices Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett, increased military budgets, aggressive border control, and renegotiated trade agreements with Mexico, Canada, China, Japan and South Korea.
Trump is the only president in American history to be impeached twice by Congress. After losing the general election in 2020 to Biden, Trump claimed widespread voter fraud.
During a rally in Washington D.C., Trump encouraged attendees to protest the meeting of the Electoral College to count votes outside of the Capitol, which led to a violent rally on Jan. 6 that ended in five deaths and millions of dollars spent to repair damages in the Capitol.
Trump is involved in five court cases in New York, Washington D.C., Georgia and Florida, according to an Associated Press report.
The two cases in New York are for hush money, defamation and sexual assault. The case in Washington D.C. for his attempt to keep his power after losing the 2020 election. The case in Georgia is for a racketeering case after he and 18 co-defendants tried to change the outcome of the 2020 election. The Florida case is from Trump removing documents from the White House when he left office.
Regarding the Israel-Gaza War, Trump has shown supportfor Israel throughout his time in office.
Trump said Israel “wouldn’t have had to be prepared” if he were president, alluding that the U.S. would have detected and stopped the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on the Gaza Strip. Shortly after, Israel responded with attacks on Gaza – the death toll since Oct. 7 is nearly 32,000 Palestinians.
He recently said Jewish people who vote for Democrats “hate their religion” and hate “everything about Israel.”
After hearing his nomination announcement, Trump took his celebrations to Facebook.
“Now we have to get back to work because we have the worst president in the history of our country,” Trump said in a video that was posted on Facebook.
