President Biden has received the green light from his wife to run for reelection, offering up the strongest indication yet that the commander-in-chief plans on seeking another four years in office.
First lady Jill Biden, who has been at the president’s side for over four decades, told The Associated Press: “He says he’s not done.”
“He’s not finished what he’s started and that’s what’s important,” Mrs. Biden said in an interview while touring Kenya.
Putting a fine point on the message, Mrs. Biden said: “How many times does he have to say it for you to believe it?”
Indeed, Mr. Biden has indicated he plans to seek a second term and was expected to announce his plans following the State of the Union address earlier this month.
But that came and went without an announcement from the president.
And the longer he puts off an announcement, the more the speculation grows about his health, his future and the prospect of someone else leading the party into the 2024 election.
Voters are concerned Mr. Biden might simply be too old to carry out the duties of the presidency. Mr. Biden is the oldest serving president in U.S. history and, if elected to another term, will be 82 years old on Inauguration Day.
Polls have shown Democrats would prefer he did not run again.
Republicans say the same thing about former President Donald Trump, 76, who is back in the mix after losing to Mr. Biden in 2020.
Mr. Biden and Mr. Trump, however, could be on a crash course next year — that is if they can survive the primary process.
At the moment, Mr. Biden’s path to the nomination is shaping up to be relatively smooth.
His sole rival could be Marianne Williamson, a new-age self-help author who also ran for the 2020 Democratic presidential nod. She is considered a long shot at best.
High-profile progressives, including Sen. Bernard Sanders of Vermont, and Rep. Ro Khanna of California, have signaled they will not run if Mr. Biden does.
The floodgates would open on the Democratic side if Mr. Biden took a pass.
Mr. Trump, meanwhile, has a tougher row to hoe.
The 76-year-old is running against former U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Nikki Haley. Others are expected to jump into the nomination race, including former Vice President Mike Pence, former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida.
When asked if she has a say in whether Mr. Biden will seek a second term, the first lady said, “Of course, he’ll listen to me because we’re a married couple.”
She later added, “He makes up his own mind, believe me.”
Mrs. Biden is the closest member of Mr. Biden’s inner circle to indicate that he will seek a second term.
Ron Klain, the president’s former chief of staff, hinted earlier this month that Mr. Biden will seek reelection.
• Jeff Mordock can be reached at jmordock@washingtontimes.com.
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