Kamala Harris: Biden intends to seek re-election

Vice President Kamala Harris caused new uncertainty yesterday, Wednesday, regarding Joe Biden’s intentions to claim a second term in the US presidency in 2024, clarifying an earlier statement in which he expressed certainty about it earlier this week.

“The president intends to be a candidate and if he does, I will be his co-candidate. We will be candidates together,” Harris told an LA Times reporter yesterday as she prepared to leave California on Air Force Two.

Advisers had told the reporter that Harris wanted to go to the back of the plane to clarify statements she had made on CNN on Monday. In an interview with CNN’s Dana Bass, Harris was asked about speculation that Biden would not run again and that she might run for office.

“Joe Biden will be a candidate for re-election and I will be his co-candidate,” he said at the time. “Perfect”.

This deliberate clarification yesterday is sure to raise questions about the intentions of Biden, who has been speculated since he was elected president in 2020. Biden, 79, is already the oldest president in American history.

A prominent Democrat close to the White House said Harris’ comments yesterday did not indicate a change in Biden’s mindset about seeking re-election. Biden and other White House officials have repeatedly said he expects to be a candidate in 2024.

Harris’ subsequent statement was aimed at avoiding the use of “starting words” that would create demands for the launch of a formal campaign with the Federal Election Commission and the start of fundraising, said the Democrat, who asked not to be named. to convey internal dialogues.

Nevertheless, many Democrats have speculated about Biden’s future and whether Harris, who has low ratings, is still the front-runner for the presidency if Biden refuses to be. and Harris’s ambiguous statement yesterday about Biden’s additions – just two days after she confirmed it to CNN on Monday – is likely to exacerbate those speculations.