President Joe Biden said he plans to run for reelection in 2024, but is not yet ready to launch his campaign.
(Bloomberg) — President Joe Biden said he plans to run for reelection in 2024, but is not yet ready to launch his campaign.
“I’m planning on running,” Biden said in a brief interview with NBC’s “Today” show during the White House Easter egg roll. “But we’re not prepared to announce it yet.”
Biden, 80, has long said he intends to be the Democratic presidential nominee. His top aides for months have privately discussed building a campaign and the president has road tested his message in battleground states. But he has not made a final decision.
The wait has generated speculation about Biden’s plans but it’s not unusual for incumbent presidents to formally announce their reelection in the spring of their third year in office.
Former President Barack Obama launched his second presidential campaign in April 2011 and his predecessor, George W. Bush, filed reelection paperwork in May 2003. The famously deliberative Biden did not enter the 2020 race until April 2019 — well after other Democratic candidates were in the field.
Biden has not made several key decisions that traditionally predate a campaign launch, such as picking a city to host the Democratic National Convention. Atlanta, Chicago and New York are the three finalists.
The oldest man to be elected president, Biden has faced persistent questions about his age and stamina; he would be 86 at the end of a second term. But he has repeatedly shrugged off those doubts.
Polls show a majority of Americans, including Democrats, do not want Biden to seek a second term. But Biden faces only token opposition in the Democratic primary field and no major party figures have said they are willing to challenge him.
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