‘Remains to be seen’
Now Biden's cagey on a run for re-elex
President Biden said it “remains to be seen” whether he will run for re-election in 2024 — the latest indication that the 79-year-old president will step aside after his first term in the Oval Office.
Biden was asked during a “60 Minutes” interview that aired Sunday whether he has made a “firm decision” about seeking another four years in the White House.
“Look, my intention, as I said to begin with, is that I would run again. But it’s just an intention. But is it a firm decision that I run again? That remains to be seen,” Biden said.
CBS correspondent Scott Pelley pressed the president about whether Biden’s commitment to serving a second term would rely on “certain conditions.”
Biden replied that it was too soon to make the call and that he would decide after the midterm elections.
“It’s much too early to make that kind of decision, he said. “I’m a great respecter of fate. And so, what I’m doing is I’m doing my job. I’m gonna do that job.”
He added, “And within the time frame that makes sense after this next election cycle here, going into next year, make a judgment on what to do.”
The president’s remarks were a departure from his previous position that he will run again, despite the fact that he would be expected to serve until the age of 86.
Biden reportedly told former President Barack Obama earlier this year that he sincerely plans to run again, in an apparent effort to beat back speculation that he will retire.
However, some members of the Democratic Party have said that the president should let a younger generation take charge in the White House.
“People, I think, want some change,” Ohio Democratic Senate candidate Tim Ryan said earlier this month. “I think it’s time for some generational change, which of course I’ve been trying to do for a while now.”
Republicans have questioned Biden’s mental focus as he turns 80 in November, making him the oldest president in the country’s history.
“I respect the fact that people would say, you know, ‘You’re old,’ ” the president told Pelley. “But I think it relates to how much energy you have and whether or not the job you’re doing is one consistent with what any person of any age would be able to do.”
His low polling could also be a determining factor in his decision on whether to seek re-election.
An NBC News poll released Sunday found more than half of registered voters disapprove of Biden’s performance as president.
The president told “60 Minutes” that his low approval rating reflected the plethora of challenges the country faces.
“This is a really difficult time. We’re at an inflection point in the history of this country,” he said. “We’re gonna make decisions now that are gonna determine what we’re gonna look like the next 10 years from now.”