Biden says he won’t be a 'lame duck' president, doesn't commit to quickly filing for re-election

(Image credit: ALEX EDELMAN/AFP via Getty Images)

published 22 December 2020

President-elect Joe Biden was asked Tuesday if he would consider filing for re-election shortly after he's sworn in as commander-in-chief next month to signal he won't be a "lame duck" president.

The question elicited a chuckle from Biden before he assured the press he won't be a lame duck. "Just watch me," he said. He did not, however, commit to filing for re-election next year.

There's been speculation that the 78-year-old Biden views himself as a transitional president and is only planning to serve one term in office, though opting against filing next year wouldn't necessarily be a clear indicator one way or another. President Trump, who frequently eschewed Oval Office norms during his term in the White House, did officially launch his re-election bid on Inauguration Day in 2017, but that was unusually early. His successors, George W. Bush and Barack Obama, for instance, didn't confirm their bids for a second term with the Federal Election Commission until the year before the election.

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Tim is a staff writer at The Week and has contributed to Bedford and Bowery and The New York Transatlantic. He is a graduate of Occidental College and NYU's journalism school. Tim enjoys writing about baseball, Europe, and extinct megafauna. He lives in New York City.