Biden says 'I plan on running' in 2024: President drops strongest hint yet on re-election plans - but admits 'we're not prepared to announce it yet' - as he jokes that he wants 'at least three or four more Easter egg rolls'
- Biden still hasn't announced his re-election bid
- Told Al Roker he intends to run but not prepared to say
- He was originally to announce in April.
President Joe Biden on Monday gave his strongest indication yet he’s running for another term in the White House but added he wasn’t ‘prepared to announce it.’
Biden made the announcement during an interview with Al Roker on NBC’s Today Show ahead of the annual White House Easter Egg Roll. Jill Biden was at his side.
Roker asked him: ‘I was just wondering, Mr. President, will you be taking part in the Easter egg rolls after 2024?’
‘I plan on at least three or four more Easter egg rolls? Maybe five,’ Biden said. ‘Maybe six. What the hell. I don't know.’
Roker asked him if he was planning on running in 2024.
‘I’ll either be the guy rolling the egg or the guy pushing them out,’ Biden quipped.
‘I plan on running, Al,’ he said, ‘but we're not prepared to announce it yet.’
The president has said multiple times he intends to run again in 2024 but has made no indications of when he'll formally announce his candidacy.
He has the advantage of the incumbency even as he faces questions about his health and his age. At 80, Biden is the oldest president ever elected. At his annual physical earlier this year, his doctor declared him fit to be president.
Originally there was talk Biden would announce his re-election campaign in February, shortly after his State of the Union address. Then the talk was it would be in April.
But his packed schedule shows no timeline for an announcement. The president leaves for Ireland on Tuesday, where'll he celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement and visit his ancestors land.
Toward the end of the month he and Jill Biden will host their second state dinner.
It is unclear why he hasn't announced yet or when he will do so.
Biden averages a 44% approval rating in the RealClearPolitics polling average.
He hasn't drawn a serious primary challenger although Marianne Williamson and Robert Kennedy Jr. have announced bids.