Joe Biden has reportedly been letting allies know he’ll be running for president again in 2024.
Amid sliding approval ratings, Biden is reported to be keen to dash any assumption in Democratic circles that he’ll be standing down after a single term and opening the field to hopefuls including Vice-President Kamala Harris.
“The only thing I’ve heard him say is he’s planning on running again. And I’m glad he is,” the Democratic former Connecticut senator Chris Dodd told the Washington Post in an article published Saturday – Biden’s 79th birthday.
According to the newspaper, Biden shared his decision “with a small group of donors” during a virtual fundraiser earlier this month.
Ed Rendell, the former Pennsylvania governor who attended the event, said there was “no difference” in what Biden told the donors to what he stated at a White House press conference in March. Then, Biden attempted to dampen speculation by stating that he had “never been able to plan three and a half, four years ahead.”
Rendell told the Post: “What he is saying publicly is what he firmly believes. He will not run if he feels he can’t do the job physically or emotionally.”
Biden was already the oldest presidential candidate to be elected as commander in chief when he beat Donald Trump in the November 2020 election, and will be 15 days short of his 82nd birthday on 5 November 2024, the next time voters in the US will be asked to choose their president.
In 2019, at a campaign event in New Hampshire, Biden said it was “totally appropriate” for voters to consider his age.
“Just like when I was 29 [when he was elected a US senator], was I old enough? And now, am I fit enough? I’ll completely disclose everything about my health. I’m in good shape,” Biden told the rally, according to the Laconia Daily Sun.
On Friday, doctors declared Biden “fit to successfully execute the duties of the president” after his first physical in office.
Trump, who has yet to declare if he will be running again, has frequently taunted Biden over his age and perceived health challenges. The former president, whose weight places him in the obese category, would be 78 on election day 2024.