According to a Washington website, Joe Biden told Barack Obama he will run for re-election in 2024.
The site cited two anonymous sources. One person said Biden wants to run and he is clearly letting everyone know that it was not clear when Biden told Obama his plans. Obama visited the White House earlier this month to celebrate the Affordable Care Act.
He said that was a joke that brought laughter.
Biden was the vice-president of Obama from 2009 to 2017 onwards. After short-lived campaigns in 1988 and 2008, he won the presidency on his third attempt in 2020.
Biden was the oldest president to be inaugurated at 78. He would be 82 at the beginning of his second term if he won again.
Biden's approval ratings have plummeted due to competing crises, from Russia's invasion of Ukraine to the coronaviruses and rampant inflation at home. Most observers believe that Republicans will take over Congress in November. The president has dropped hints that he does plan to run again.
In September, it was widely reported that Biden and his aides told allies he planned to run again. In December, Biden said he would run if he stayed in good health. He said Kamala Harris, his vice-president, would be on the ticket again.
Trump, 75, is about to make his third run for the presidency.
One of the sources who spoke to the Hill said Biden thinks he is the only one who can beat Trump. I don't think he thinks there is anyone in the Democratic party who can beat Trump, and that is the biggest factor. In 2020, Biden surged to victory in the Democratic primary on the back of support from Black voters, and quickly gained the sense that he was the party's best hope of beating Trump.
According to books and reportage about the 2020 campaign, Obama doubted whether Biden would win.
Edward-Isaac Dovere, author of Battle for the Soul: Inside the Democrats Campaigns to defeat Trump, reports that Obama was doubtful about Biden's prospects. He didn't think Biden would be a disciplined candidate. Dovere also says that Obama doubted Biden's stamina for the race, was not certain he had the requisite swagger for an American president, and worried that his vice-president had difficulty connecting with crowds, but Dovere also quotes Jen Psaki, now Biden's White House press secretary, saying Obama undervalued Biden's political abilities because they had such different styles.