President Joe Biden said on Wednesday that he’ll need to discuss among family members before making a judgment on whether he will seek reelection in 2024, noting that an official call can be expected “early next year.”
“My judgment of running, when I announce—if I annou [sic]—now, my intention is that I run again. But I’m a great respecter of fate. And this is, ultimately, a family decision. I think everybody wants me to run, but they’re go [sic]—we’re going to have discussions about it. And I don’t feel any—any hurry one way or another what—to—to make that judgment today, tomorrow, whenever, no matter what the—my predecessor does,” Biden told reporters at the White House in a post-midterms news conference.
When asked to provide a timeline for when the public could expect an official call from the president on whether he’ll seek a second term, Biden said that he’s taking some time off before making that judgment.
“Well, I—my guess is—I hope Jill and I get a little time to actually sneak away for a week around—between Christmas and Thanksgiving,” he said, adding that “it would be early next year” when a formal announcement can be expected on the matter.
So far, Biden has avoided an official launch of his 2024 campaign. In late October, the president said that it’s his “intention” to run for reelection but he won’t make a final judgment until after the 2022 midterm elections.
At the time, Biden was also asked if his wife, Jill Biden, supports a 2024 run, to which he responded that the first lady thinks what they’re doing “is something very important” and he shouldn’t “walk away from it.”
Already the oldest sitting president in U.S. history, Biden’s upcoming 80th birthday on Nov. 20 has fueled questions about whether he should pursue a second term. Biden’s flagging approval ratings are also not looking good as the commander-in-chief’s rating has remained below 50 percent for more than a year, coming in at just 40 percent in a recent Reuters/Ipsos poll.
