President Joe Biden may be facing an uphill struggle to win reelection in 2024 as a string of recent polls show him losing to former President Donald Trump, while bookmakers offer better odds on the Republican.
White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki addressed the issue of Biden running again during remarks delivered on board Air Force One on Monday amid ongoing speculation about his plans, particularly in terms of his age.
The president turned 79-years-old on November 20 - he was already the oldest person ever to serve as president - and his approval rating has been on a downward trajectory since late August.
Psaki was asked about reports that Biden had been telling allies he would seek a second term and addressed whether he planned to run in 2024.
"He is. That's his intention," Psaki said.
However, a number of recent polls suggest that a Biden 2024 campaign will be difficult for the president as a majority of voters don't seem willing to support him.
A Redfield & Wilton Strategies poll published on Thursday found that just 39 percent of Americans would vote for Biden in 2024, compared to 44 percent who said they'd vote for former President Donald Trump.
An Emerson College poll conducted from November 3 to 4 showed a similar result, with Trump beating Biden with 45 percent to 43 percent in a hypothetical 2024 rematch.
A USA TODAY/Suffolk University poll conducted from November 3 to 5 found that 64 percent of respondents don't want Biden to run for another term, while 58 percent said the same about Trump.
It's a similar picture when it comes to betting odds on the 2024 election. Betfair, which operates the world's largest online betting exchange, gave Biden odds of 4/1 to win the next presidential election as of Tuesday morning.
Trump's odds from the same bookmaker stood at a slightly better 3/1, while Vice President Kamala Harris was not far behind the president with 5/1 odds of winning the White House.
President Biden's approval rating could also be cause for concern. Poll tracker FiveThirtyEight is tracking the president's approval based on analysis of a wide range of polls and its own system of pollster ratings.
Biden's approval rating stood at 42.8 percent as of November 22, while disapproval of the president was 52.2 percent. His approval has been in decline since August 30 - the day before the final withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan.
Other recent polling results could also give the president pause. A Fox News poll conducted from November 14 to 17 found that 53 percent of respondents agreed that Biden's age is "interfering with his ability to serve effectively as president."
Forty percent of respondents did not think Biden's age interferes with this ability to do his job. Similarly, a POLITICO/Morning Consult poll conducted from November 13 to 15 showed that 48 percent of registered voters did not agree that Biden was mentally fit, while 46 percent did.
The same poll found that 50 percent of respondents did not agree that Biden "is in good health," with 40 percent agreeing with the statement.
The 2024 Democratic primaries are still a distant prospect but Biden's intention to run for a second term gives added relevance to his recent poor showing in a number of polls.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Darragh Roche is a U.S. News Reporter based in Limerick, Ireland. His focus is reporting on U.S. politics. He has ... Read more
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