Biden 2024 campaign announcement coming as soon as next week
WASHINGTON — President Biden will formally announce his 2024 reelection campaign as soon as next week, three people briefed on the discussions said Thursday.
The people, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations, said they were not aware that a final decision on timing had been made, but that Biden had been eyeing Tuesday, April 25, four years to the day since the Democrat entered the 2020 race. The announcement is expected to be in the form of a video released to supporters.
Biden, 80, has repeatedly said he intends to run for a second term, but advisors say he has felt little need to jump into campaigning because he faces no significant opposition to his party’s nomination.
When Joe Biden won in 2020, he became the oldest president in U.S. history. If he runs again in 2024 and wins, he’ll beat own record. Is that a problem?
It’ll be a markedly different experience from four years ago, when Biden was written off by much of the political establishment until he consolidated support as the candidate Democrats believed was best positioned to defeat former President Trump while the COVID-19 pandemic raged. This time around, he will have to juggle the challenge of running for reelection while running the country.
Biden in recent months has been focused on implementing the massive infrastructure, technology investment and climate laws passed during his first two years in office and drawing a sharp contrast with Republicans as Washington gears up for a fight over raising the nation’s borrowing limit. Aides believe those priorities will burnish his image ahead of his reelection campaign.
Addressing the roadblock the longtime Democratic senator from California’s absence has created for judicial nominations, the administration says, “It is her decision.”
The president, already the oldest person ever elected president, will also need to contend with voter concerns about his fitness for the job. He has brushed aside those concerns, telling voters to “watch me,” and aides say he plans to mount a robust campaign ahead of what they expect to be a close general election owing to the country’s polarization, no matter who emerges as the GOP standard-bearer.
Biden has summoned top Democratic donors to Washington next week for what was expected to be a dinner with him and a strategy session with his chief political advisors.
The Washington Post first reported on the expected timing of the announcement.
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