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President Biden privately told former President Barack Obama that he’s running for re-election in 2024, according to a report — hinting that he’s serious about winning a second term and not just saying so publicly to avoid making himself a lame duck.
Biden, 79, is already the oldest-ever president and would be 86 if he completes a second term.
The president and his aides routinely say publicly that he plans to run again, but saying otherwise would deflate his political agenda and unleash an internal struggle among Democrats to replace him.
The Hill first reported on Biden’s discussions with Obama, citing two sources with knowledge of those talks. One source said Biden “wants to run and he’s clearly letting everyone know.”
“I believe he thinks he’s the only one who can beat [former President Donald] Trump. I don’t think he thinks there’s anyone in the Democratic Party who can beat Trump and that’s the biggest factor,” the person said.
Biden’s approval rating stands at just 41%, according to the RealClearPolitics average of recent polls, and a Harvard CAPS-Harris Poll published March 29 found Trump would beat Biden by 6 percentage points in a rematch of the 2020 election. The poll also found Trump would trounce Vice President Kamala Harris by an even wider margin of 11 percentage points.
Biden took office after winning the most votes of any candidate in US history, but his support collapsed following the chaotic troop withdrawal from Afghanistan in August. The public mood soured further as inflation hit four-decade highs — reaching 8.5 percent in March — as violent crime and illegal immigration spiked and the COVID-19 pandemic dragged on, nearing its millionth US death.
It’s unclear when and where Biden told Obama of his plans, but the popular former president was at the White House this month to celebrate the 12th anniversary of ObamaCare’s enactment.
Obama’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
In public remarks, Biden for months has said he intends to run again. He said last month that he would be “very fortunate” to face Trump in 2024.
“The next election, I’d be very fortunate if I had that same man running against me,” Biden said at a news conference in Brussels after meeting with NATO allies about the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
At his second solo White House press conference this past January, Biden said he intends to keep Harris as his running mate in 2024.
“Are you satisfied with her work on this issue [of voting rights]? And can you guarantee, do you commit that she will be your running mate in 2024 provided that you run again?” NBC News reporter Kristen Welker asked Biden.
“Yes and yes,” Biden replied.
“Do you care to expand?” Welker asked.
“No, there’s no need to. I mean, she’s going to be my running mate, number one. And number two, I did put her in charge. I think she’s doing a good job,” Biden said.
In December, Biden said in an interview with ABC News anchor David Muir that he’d run again if he’s in “good health.”
“If I’m in the health I’m in now — I’m in good health — then, in fact, I would run again,” Biden said. “I’m a great respecter of fate. Fate has intervened in my life many, many times.”
But in December, Harris told the Wall Street Journal in an interview that she and Biden had not discussed whether they are running together for re-election. She also said she was unaware of whether Biden is running for a second term.
“I will tell you this without any ambiguity: We do not talk about nor have we talked about re-election, because we haven’t completed our first year and we’re in the middle of a pandemic,” she said at the time.
Asked specifically if she believes Biden will run again, Harris told the paper, “I’ll be very honest: I don’t think about it, nor have we talked about it.”
Harris in January slammed “gossip” that Biden might replace her on the Democratic ticket with someone else, such as Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.).
Biden won the 2020 election by a broad margin in the national popular vote, but he only narrowly defeated Trump in the Electoral College by eking out slim margins in a handful of swing states including Arizona, Georgia, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.
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