(Fwrd Axis) — President Joe Biden is currently planning to announce his re-election campaign after the November midterm elections amid speculation about the Democrat’s plans for the 2024 election, according to a new report.
Despite most polls showing Democrats would prefer a candidate other than Biden, the President’s resolve for mounting another bid has hardened in recent weeks thanks to a string of legislative, economic, and foreign policy victories.
Joe Biden, 79, is the oldest president to ever hold the office and turns 80 just a few weeks after the midterm elections. He has repeatedly said he intends to run again for re-election, hoping to deny Trump a return to the Oval Office.
Bloomberg was the first to report of Biden’s intentions to announce a 2024 run earlier than usual.
Announcing early would allow two years for the White House to sell Biden’s agenda to the country and make the pitch for why he should win another term in office.
Biden, who just recovered from Covid, is planning to travel more and hold more campaign-style events such as townhalls to sell his administration’s accomplishments ahead of the midterms and his 2024 announcement.
Those close to the President say Biden’s determination to seek a second term comes as Trump teases another run for office amid several investigations regarding his role in the Jan. 6, 2021 insurrection and Republicans still holding a strong view of him. Earlier this week, FBI agents searched Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida and uncovered a trove of classified materials.
Biden’s approval ratings have risen this week to 40 percent, his highest in nearly two months. According to FiveThirtyEight, the President currently has a 40.8 approval rating and a 55 percent disapproval rating. The President has noted that polls show him defeating Trump head-to-head in a 2024 matchup.
However, Biden may not even face Trump if the former president declines to run. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is seen as the ‘second in line’ behind Trump but polls show a closer matchup with Biden beating him in a potential 2024 matchup.
The White House and the Democratic National Committee declined to comment.
Despite Biden wanting to seek a second term, there are Democrats who have not publicly said they would support another term for the President. Senator Joe Manchin (D-W.Va) and Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) both declined to endorse Biden’s re-election. Last weekend, New York Times columnist Maureen Dowd wrote Biden should “leave on a high.”
While an official announcement isn’t expected until at least by the fall, there are signs Biden is planning to run. He has given several speeches at DNC fundraisers and after summer vacation, the President plans to travel to Pennsylvania, Arizona, and Nevada to sell his recent accomplishments and agenda.
“If he says he’s planning on running, he’s running,” Cerdic Richmond told Bloomberg. “And if he runs, he wins.”
