On the Campaign Trail

U.S. Elections 2024

By Trevor Hunnicutt, White House Correspondent

Welcome back to the campaign trail. Joe Biden takes the world stage yet again for what is likely to be his last foreign trip before the 2024 election. I'm Trevor Hunnicutt, a White House correspondent who is part of the team covering this year's presidential, congressional and other races.

As his presidential campaign kicks into high gear, Biden finds himself in an Italy that's tilting further to the right, like France, Austria and Germany. What does it mean for his reelection bid?

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Latest election headlines

Biden's international campaign against Trump

Biden is back in Europe for his second trip in as many weeks, this time for the G7 summit. There, in sun-soaked southern Italy, he will bask in the mostly warm embrace of leaders who have joined his effort to kneecap Russia's war in Ukraine and keep China in check. Then he'll meet the Pope.

It's another chance for the Democrat to rub shoulders with world leaders and use the presidential bully pulpit to boost his re-election bid.

While abroad, Biden doesn't name-check his Republican opponent Donald Trump, but Trump's presence is likely to be keenly felt this trip.

Biden will argue that alliances like NATO and the G7 make Americans stronger. Last week, in France, Biden marked the 80th anniversary of D-Day with World War Two veterans in Normandy and spoke of the need to avoid isolationism.

Trump has been critical of NATO, threatened not to defend its members if they don't pay more for their defense and proposed broad new tariffs.

As the far right gains ground in European Parliament elections and isolationist, anti-immigrant movements gain momentum in several European countries, particularly among young voters, the Biden administration is worried about global support for liberal democracy generally.

If Biden nails the Italy trip and the upcoming June 27 debate with Trump, his campaign hopes he might be able to convince voters that his age, 81, has not made him feeble but given him the experience to navigate international crises well.

But a bigger question hangs over this U.S. election – could America's role as leader of a coalition of liberal democracies end with Biden's first term? After all, several U.S. polls show strong support for Trump, and his fundraising is kicking into high gear.

Poll of the week

Fact check of the week

The guilty verdict on 34 felony counts in Donald Trump's New York hush money trial continued to resonate across social media. Contrary to online posts saying he lost his right to vote after the jury's guilty verdict, Trump can cast his ballot in November unless he is physically behind bars, according to New York and Florida laws that govern voting rights for convicted felons.

An expert told us it's unlikely Trump will find himself locked up on Nov. 5, but if he were, Trump's former rival for the Republican nomination, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, might hold the key to restoring Trump's voting rights through clemency.

Other false claims spread after the verdict include that the judge gave the wrong instructions to the jury (he didn't), that all the jurors have since been arrested (none were) and that a fictional California congressman called the verdict "unfair."

In this section, the Reuters fact-checking team addresses misinformation connected to the U.S. elections. Find more fact-checks from around the world here.

Photo from the trail

U.S President Joe Biden, first lady Jill Biden, French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte Macron attend a ceremony to mark the 80th anniversary of D-Day at the Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial in Colleville-sur-Mer, France, June 6, 2024. REUTERS/Elizabeth Frantz

What to watch for

June 14: Biden meets the Pope; Trump celebrates 78th birthday at a party in Palm Beach, Florida
June 15: Trump speaks at a church and at the Turning Point Action conference in Detroit; Biden joins star-studded Los Angeles fundraiser
June 18: Trump campaigns in Racine, Wisconsin
June 27: Biden and Trump debate on CNN

The who, what and when

Find up-to-date elections coverage, interactive data and more on Reuters.com.

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