According to media reports, US President Joe Biden wants to announce next week that he wants to run again in the 2024 presidential election. The Washington Post and the news channel CNN report that Biden wants to make this announcement in a video. According to the Washington Post, that could happen Thursday — exactly four years after Biden entered the presidential race against then-President Donald Trump.
However, the newspaper qualifies that the plans for announcing Biden’s presidential bid have not been finalized and the date could still be postponed. The New York Times reports that Biden has invited donors to Washington for the election campaign at the end of next week.
The Democrat had repeatedly signaled in the past that he would like to run for a second term. However, there has been no official announcement so far. Most recently, on the sidelines of his trip to Ireland, he said about a week ago: “We will announce it relatively soon.” It was the President’s clearest commitment to date.
Given his advanced age, however, even within Biden’s own party there are reservations as to whether he would be the best candidate. The 80-year-old is already the oldest president in US history. Biden would be 81 at the next presidential election in 2024, 82 at the start of a second term, and 86 at the end. When asked by an ABC reporter in February whether his age played a role in deciding whether to run for office again, he said, “No. But it’s legitimate for people to think about my age.”
Should Biden officially enter the race for the White House, he should not face any significant competition from the Democrats. The candidates of both parties will be determined in primary elections, which will be held next year. The presidential election will then take place in November 2024.
Applicants for the Republican presidential nomination so far include ex-President Donald Trump and former US Ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley. Another one came on Thursday. Conservative radio host Larry Elder announced on right-wing populist Fox News host Tucker Carlson’s show that he will run for the Republican nomination.
The 70-year-old then wrote on Twitter: “America is in decline, but that decline is not inevitable. We can enter a new golden age of America, but we must choose a leader who can take us there. That’s why I’m running for the office of President.”
