First lady Jill Biden dropped another major hint that her husband will mount a reelection campaign, quickly dismissing the possibility of him bowing out.
“Not in my book,” the first lady told CNN when asked if there was a chance he would step aside. “I’m all for it, of course.”
'SAYS HE’S NOT DONE': JILL BIDEN GIVES MAJOR REELECTION HINT FOR 2024
President Joe Biden has long indicated that he intends to run and has hinged a potential reelection bid on his health and family support. But the first lady has already signaled that she is very much in favor of him running for a second term.
“He says he’s not done,” Jill Biden said in an Associated Press interview. “He’s not finished what he’s started. And that’s what’s important.”
One of the factors slowing down Joe Biden's reelection campaign launch has been his busy schedule with a slew of domestic and international matters keeping him preoccupied, according to the first lady, who told CNN that "nothing’s been planned as [of] yet."
Although the president has been walking like a candidate, embarking on campaign-style trips to key states such as Wisconsin and Florida over recent weeks (among other high-profile activities), some Democratic insiders have been somewhat uneasy about his slow timeline, given the lack of a clear alternative front-runner on the Democratic side.
The timeline has shifted a bit, with the president's allies initially saying that a 2024 announcement would come shortly after his State of the Union address earlier this month. Now many of his allies are reportedly starting to coalesce around a campaign launch in April.
"I meant what I said. I've got other things to finish before I get into a full-blown campaign," Biden told ABC in a recent interview.
Critics have pointed to the president's age. At 80, he is already the oldest president in the history of the United States. He would be 82 by the inauguration of a hypothetical second term and 86 by the conclusion of it. The first lady shrugged off this criticism.
“How many 30-year-olds could travel to Poland, get on the train? Go nine more hours, go to Ukraine, meet with President (Volodymyr) Zelensky?” Jill Biden replied during her CNN interview. “So, look at the man. Look what he’s doing. Look what he continues to do each and every day.”
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Jill Biden has given multiple interviews in the wake of her recent five-day trip to Namibia and Kenya. Her full CNN interview is set to air in a special Jill Biden Abroad on Thursday.
The president's first major Democratic rival, bestselling author Marianne Williamson, is poised to announce her 2024 intentions later this week. On the Republican side, former President Donald Trump has already launched his 2024 campaign, setting the stage for a possible 2020 rematch.