Samuel Case, FISM News
First Lady Jill Biden reaffirmed President Joe Biden’s plans to run for a second term in 2024, telling the Associated Press “he’s not finished,” as the president acknowledges concerns about his age.
“How many times does he have to say it until you believe it?” Mrs. Biden questioned, referring to the president’s repeated comments about running again for reelection.
“He says he’s not done. He’s not finished what he’s started. And that’s what’s important,” she said.
Mrs. Biden later said there’s “pretty much” nothing left for the president to decide other than when to announce his candidacy.
President Biden reacted to his wife’s comments later that same day. “God love her. Look, I meant what I said, I’ve got other things to finish before I get into a full-blown campaign,” he said in an interview with ABC News.
Biden, who would be 86 at the end of his second term, also acknowledged his age is a “legitimate” concern for American voters.
“It’s legitimate for people to raise issues about my age,” he said. “It’s totally legitimate to do that. And the only thing I can say is ‘watch me.’”
His comments come as a recent Harvard CAPS-Harris poll shows a large majority of voters, 67%, think Biden “is showing he is too old to be president,” including 71% of independents.
The same polls show 57% of voters have doubts about Biden’s mental fitness, including 66% of independents. Republican Presidential candidate Nikki Haley has suggested politicians 75 and older be subjected to mental competency tests.
Biden aides say the president will likely announce sometime in April. One Biden ally told The Hill that it’s “all about timing at this point” and less of a question of whether or not he will run.