First lady Dr. Jill Biden on Friday gave one of the clearest indications yet that President Biden is planning to run for re-election in 2024.
The first lady, who is on the final leg of a five-day trip to Africa, was asked during an interview with The Associated Press if her husband would seek the White House again. "How many times does he have to say it for you to believe it?" she said. "He says he's not done. He's not finished what he's started. And that's what's important."
Dr. Biden added that there was "pretty much" nothing left to do but figure out a time and place for an official campaign announcement.
This sentiment was echoed by the president's granddaughter, Naomi, who joined the first lady on the African trip. "Preach nana," she wrote on Twitter following the interview.
The president himself was asked about his wife's comments in an interview with ABC News just hours later. "As my mother would say, 'God love her,'" Biden said, adding that his "intention has been from the beginning to run. But there are too many other things we have to finish in the near term before I start a campaign."
President Biden has not yet committed to seeking re-election, but these comments seem to all but confirm that he will make a run for a second term. AP noted that White House aides "have said an announcement is likely to come in April, after the first fundraising quarter ends." This is around the same time that former President Barack Obama launched his 2012 re-election campaign.
Democrats continue to question whether Biden is the right candidate to beat a GOP challenger a second time.