Speculation has mounted about President Joe Biden’s 2024 plans since late December 2022, when he spent the New Year’s holiday in the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Some political pundits projected that he would formally announce his candidacy when he returned, but that didn’t happen.
Even after classified documents from his time as vice president were discovered at his Delaware homes earlier this year, following the classified materials that were found at the Washington-based Penn-Biden Center in November 2022, Biden has continued to drop hints that he will run again.
After a rousing address at a cathedral that was built with bricks sold by his great-great-great grandfather, Biden departed Ireland on April 15, promising once more to seek reelection in 2024.
Biden spoke to reporters before boarding Air Force One and a flight to Delaware following a four-day visit to the nation where his ancestors have deep roots.
When asked if the previous few days had changed his calculus on when he will announce his 2024 plans, Biden said. “No, no, I have already made that calculus. We will announce it relatively soon.
“The trip here just reinforced my sense of optimism about what can be done,” he added.
‘When I Announce It’
When a reporter pressed about if he had made up his mind about another term, Biden responded, “I told you my plan is to run again.”
Advisers had indicated he might have announced his plans around the time he delivered the Feb. 7 State of the Union address. When that didn’t occur, it was then suggested by some people within his circle that he would declare his candidacy in the spring.
After a meeting with Senate Democrats in early March, Biden was asked by reporters when he would announce his 2024 reelection campaign. He responded, “When I announce it.”
Now there are reports he will wait until the summer.
Upon Biden’s return from the Virgin Islands, he embarked on a nationwide tour touting the $1.2 trillion Infrastructure Investment and Job Acts that he signed into law in November 2022. During those stops, he told Americans that he has never been so optimistic about the country’s future.
At the Democratic National Committee’s (DNC) winter meeting in early February, Biden said, “We’re just getting started. So let me ask a simple question. Are you with me?” An enthusiastic crowd loudly chanted, “Four more years!”
During that gathering, the DNC unanimously passed a resolution declaring its “full and complete support” for a second term for Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris.
Also in February, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters that Biden “intends to run” for president in 2024.
The same month, first lady Dr. Jill Biden said her husband is “pretty much” prepared to declare his candidacy.
“He says he’s not done,” she told a reporter while visiting Nairobi, Kenya’s capital city. “He’s not finished what he’s started. And that’s what’s important.”
At the White House Easter Egg Roll on April 10, with the first lady by his side, Biden told TODAY Show host Al Roker that “I plan on at least three or four more Easter Egg Rolls. Maybe five? Maybe six?” before adding that “I plan on running, Al. We’re just not prepared to announce it yet.”
Potential Rivals Express Support
Prominent Democrats who were considered potential 2024 presidential candidates have publicly voiced their support for Biden. This list includes California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker.
In early March, The Washington Post reported that Biden is enlisting a team of high-profile Democratic figures who could emerge as rivals to travel across the country and promote his accomplishments during his first term.
With an objective of unifying the party, Biden has hand-picked a team of governors, senators, and other recognizable Democrats who will deliver speeches and appear in media interviews leading up to his expected announcement to pursue a second term.
The DNC is expected to serve as headquarters for Biden’s team, the report indicated.
Newsom, Pritzker, and Democratic Govs. Wes Moore of Maryland, Phil Murphy of New Jersey, Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania, and Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan are among the people who have joined the effort, according to The Washington Post.
Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Christopher A. Coons (D-Del.), and Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), and U.S. Reps. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.), Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-Del.), and Veronica Escobar (D-Texas) are also part of the team.
“Among the many things that will assist Biden to win reelection is the Democrats’ ability to unify despite ideological differences,” David Carlucci, a former New York state senator who’s a Democratic political strategist, told The Epoch Times.
“This national advisory board not only showcases this strength, but it also further adds to the likelihood of a Democratic win in 2024,” he said.
“Strength comes from unity. Even if some of these appointees decide to run against the president, at least the Democrats will come to the general election with a robust, transparent, and unified message,” Carlucci added. “This is how Democrats will win. On the other hand, as seen with the appointment of Speaker [Kevin] McCarthy, Republicans struggle immensely with their fringe members.”
Biden introduced his 2024 budget on March 9 in a campaign-style event in Philadelphia.
The $6.9 trillion proposal would reduce the federal deficit over the long term, the White House said, with help from tax hikes on corporations and wealthy Americans. In fiscal year 2024, though, the proposed budget would result in spending $1.8 trillion more than the government would bring in.
“When I grew up, trickle-down didn’t work for my family. I ran for president to rebuild the backbone of the country—the middle class,” Biden said. “That’s what my budget is an investment in.”
‘Investing in America’
Biden’s trip to Ireland coincided with the conclusion of the “Investing in America” tour, where the president and several of his cabinet members promoted his economic agenda.
Over the course of the three-week tour that covered more than 25 states, Biden, Harris, and more than two dozen senior administration officials boasted that his economic agenda has generated robust employment growth and billions of dollars in manufacturing and clean energy investments.
In Minnesota on April 3, Biden visited an engine manufacturer that recently announced a $1 billion investment to upgrade its plants in North Carolina, Indiana, and New York, a move expected to create hundreds of new jobs.
“Federal investment attracts private investment,” Biden said at the start of his speech.
Biden said that his economic platform has unleashed “more than $435 billion in private investment in less than two years,” including more than $2 billion in Minnesota.
Republican policies would undo his administration’s progress, he emphasized.
“Folks, unfortunately, this is not your father’s Republican Party,” Biden said. “MAGA Republicans in Congress threatened to undo all this progress.”
“Well, I’ve got news for my MAGA Republican friends: Not on my watch.”
While Biden continues to tell reporters that he intends to run again in 2024, his approval numbers remain in the low 40s.
Low Approval Numbers
On April 17, FiveThirtyEight reported that the president’s average approval rating is 43.2 percent while his disapproval number is 52.7 percent.
According to FiveThirtyEight, Barack Obama (43 percent) and Ronald Reagan (41 percent) won second terms with a similar approval rating at the same juncture of their first terms. Donald Trump (42 percent) and Jimmy Carter (40 percent) lost.
At 80, Biden is already the oldest president in American history. If reelected in 2024, he will be 86 at the end of his second term.
A Yahoo/YouGov poll released on March 1 showed that 68 percent of the respondents think Biden is “too old for another term.”
Conducted from Feb.23 to Feb. 27, the survey of 1,516 U.S. voters indicated that 48 percent of Democrats agree with that statement while 34 percent disagree.
According to the poll, 56 percent agree that “there is an age at which somebody is too old to be president,” and 45 percent said that once a candidate reaches 80, he or she is too old for the role.
The poll also showed that 77 percent of Democrats approve of Biden’s job performance compared to 20 who don’t approve.
Biden gave a speech to the Irish parliament on April 13 when he mentioned his age while also making the case for a second run.
“I’m at the end of my career, not the beginning,” Biden said. “The only thing I bring to this career after my age—as you can see how old I am—is a little bit of wisdom.”
“I come to the job with more experience than any president in American history,” he continued. “It doesn’t make me better or worse, but it gives me few excuses.”
Biden will be 82 at the beginning of his second term if he is reelected. That does not worry some lawmakers.
“We need a president who provides stability after the turmoil that divided our country under Donald Trump, and President Biden has led with a steady hand, which I know Minnesota appreciates,” Minnesota Democratic U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar said when Biden was in the state during the Investing in America tour.
In a statement, Minnesota Democratic U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar said that Biden’s visit to her district “underscored all that we have accomplished as Democrats in the past two years” and added that she backs his reelection.
Kennedy Announces Bid
No Democrat who currently holds an office has entered the 2024 presidential race.
On March 4, self-help author and spiritual adviser Marianne Williamson began her 2024 presidential campaign at Union Station in Washington.
Last week, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. filed paperwork to run for president in 2024.
Kennedy, 69, is the son of Sen. Robert F. Kennedy and the nephew of President John F. Kennedy.
He is an attorney, the founder of Children’s Health Defense, and a widely known medical freedom and environmental activist.
Kennedy is set to formally announce his 2024 presidential bid in Boston on April 19.
Government spending is expected to be a widely discussed issue in both parties’ primaries and the general election.
Biden has approved trillions in spending since taking office. Among the legislation that he proudly publicizes are the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan, the $1.2 trillion Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, the $745 billion Inflation Reduction Act, and a $1.7 trillion government spending bill that he signed when in St. Croix last December.
Republicans have long blamed this spending for the rise in consumer prices and have said since the 117th Congress that cutting spending would be a top priority for the party if they took the House.
‘An Abject Failure’
Wes Farno, a Republican campaign strategist in Ohio, believes that Biden’s messaging that “all is well” will “fall flat.” Republicans are well-positioned to take back the White House in 2024, he thinks.
“As president, he is an abject failure,” Farno said of Biden. “He botched the Afghanistan withdrawal and has weakened the military by having it focus on a woke agenda. The national debt is out of control, inflation is through the roof, and American families have lost purchasing power. Many people have trouble affording groceries, gas, and their bills.
“We’ve gone from being an energy-independent country to a nation focused on green energy we can’t afford at the expense of oil and gas production, and we have increased our reliance on foreign countries for those resources,” Farno added.
“It’s absurd when he stands up there and claims that the economy is doing well and inflation is under control. Go into a grocery store and tell that to anyone picking something up off the shelves.
“Ronald Reagan once asked, ‘Are you better off today than four years ago?’” Farno continued. “Regardless of where they stand politically, very few Americans can say yes to that question.”
