While President Donald Trump is under impeachment fire for his Ukraine conversation, former Vice President Joe Biden may be the one who is taking all the hits. He is not only slipping in the polls but also falling behind the other Democratic candidates in fundraising.

Biden acknowledged at an event in California that he is struggling: “We haven’t raised what a lot of people have. We got started way later than everybody else, but we’ve raised, this last quarter, $15 million, in the middle of summer.”

More worrisome for Biden is that this is $6 million down from the previous quarter, indicating slowing support. Many political pundits predicted that he would lose momentum as his campaign progressed. Ben Shapiro said in a tweet in March that “Joe Biden’s best day will be the day of his announcement,” and he has been proven right.

Joe Biden

The logic is straightforward: His support is based entirely on name recognition. As a known variable, he has little potential to gain new supporters. When the other candidates in the race gather attention and traction, he is bound to lose support. The only way is down.

Sleepy Joe?

Trump’s label “Sleepy Joe” turned out to be an apt euphemism for signs of age. Even Democrats openly discuss his slurred, incoherent, and often confused speech as indications of geriatric decline. Despite a lackluster performance in the debates, his support among Democratic voters remained stubbornly high – until the fuzz surrounding Ukraine.

The so-called “whistleblower” unintentionally brought attention to the dubious involvement of Biden’s son in a Ukrainian oil company and Biden’s open brag on how he pressured Ukraine to fire a prosecutor who was investigating corruption by threatening to withhold US foreign aid.

Trump seems to have dodged a bullet in this recent palace coup attempt. He has held his ground in approval ratings and come through it mostly unscathed. By contrast, Biden started slipping in the polls. He no longer appears as clean to the Democratic voters.

Viable Candidate

This leaves the Democrats with a “yuge” problem. Biden is widely recognized as the only viable candidate among the top contenders. An open socialist like Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) can never win a presidential election. With his recent heart attack, his chances have shrunk even further. Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) is scaring centrists and corporate Democrats with her far-left progressive politics. The only viable top-tier candidate who has a chance of beating Trump is Biden.

Therefore, his slowing momentum and shrinking campaign funding do not bode well for the Democrats’ chances of winning the 2020 election. It does not matter who Trump will face. He or she is unlikely to unseat the noble savage of New York. Barring any new significant developments, Trump is on track for his second term in office.

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