US President Joe Biden said Friday that while he has not made a formal decision about running for reelection in 2024, he intends to do so — citing previous encouragement from his late son, Beau, and revealing that he has the backing of his wife, first lady Jill Biden,
The Washington Post reports.
In an interview that aired Friday, MSNBC’s Jonathan Capehart quoted Biden’s 2017 autobiography, “Promise Me, Dad,” in which the president wrote that Beau had insisted he run for the office in 2016, saying that his father had a duty to do so. Capehart asked what words Beau — who died of brain cancer in 2015 — would have for those who say Biden should not run again because of his age.
“The only reason to be involved in public life is: Can you make life better for other people?” Biden answered. “Depending on who the opponent is, if they have a view that is so the antithesis of what I believe democracy [is], and I believe is good for average Americans, then, his argument was, ‘Dad, you have an obligation to do something.’ ”
When asked if the first lady supports a 2024 run, Biden nodded and paused before providing a full answer. “My wife thinks that we’re doing something very important and that I shouldn’t walk away from it,” he said.
But Biden said he was not yet formally declaring his candidacy, because once he does, a “whole series of regulations kick in, and I have to treat myself as a candidate from that moment on.
“I have not made that formal decision, but it’s my intention. My intention to run again. And we have time to make that decision,” he said.
The 79-year-old — who was the oldest person to be sworn into office — has faced questions from his own party about whether he should seek reelection, due to his age and low approval ratings. Biden has sought to downplay the doubts by engaging in public displays of outdoor activities and indicating multiple times he will run again since last year.
