President Biden intends to run for reelection, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Monday, despite meager approval ratings and multiple surveys saying Democrats would prefer a new candidate in 2024.
“The president has said he intends to run,” Ms. Jean-Pierre said during the daily White House press briefing. “He’s said that multiple times, so there’s that. I’ll put that out there.”
When asked about former President Trump suggesting that he’s prepared to run on the Republican ticket in 2024, Ms. Jean-Pierre quickly pivoted to talking about the Inflation Reduction Act. The proposal is a smaller revival of Mr. Biden’s Build Back Better bill, which collapsed earlier this year.
“We have some work today in the next couple of days and weeks,” she said, referencing the inflation bill. “We are going to focus on that. We are not going to be distracted by what’s happening with the former president. That’s not our focus.”
“We see the Inflation Reduction Act as a down payment, as a promise the president has made and we are going to make sure to get that over the finish line,” Ms. Jean-Pierre said.
Speculation about whether Mr. Biden will run for a second term has been fueled amid questions about his age (79) and falling approval ratings, even among voters within his own party.
Mr. Biden would be 82 at the start of his second term. He is already the oldest president to be inaugurated when he was sworn in last year.
Since last August, the president’s approval numbers have plummeted. A New York Times/Siena College poll released last month found that 64% of Democratic voters prefer a new standard-bearer in 2024.
The same poll also found that 94% of Democrats under the age of 30 said they would prefer a different presidential nominee.
Overall, Mr. Biden’s approval ratings continue to sink. A Gallup poll released last week found that 38% of voters approved of his job as president, down from 41% in June. The president began his term in January 2021 with a 57% approval rating.
• Jeff Mordock can be reached at jmordock@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.