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Biden Says He Expects To Run For A 2nd Term

President Biden told reporters during his first press briefing that he expects to run for reelection but that he is a "respecter of fate" and would not say anything for certain.
Jim Watson
/
AFP via Getty Images
President Biden told reporters during his first press briefing that he expects to run for reelection but that he is a "respecter of fate" and would not say anything for certain.

In the first news conference of his presidency, President Biden confirmed he plans to run for reelection in 2024.

"That is my expectation," he told reporters, noting the endeavor is several years away.

"I'm a great respecter of fate. I've never been able to plan 4 1/2, 3 1/2 years ahead for certain," he said.

"I set a goal that's in front of me to get things done for the people I care most about, which are hardworking decent American people."

Asked whether Vice President Harris would join him as his running mate for a reelection bid, Biden said he "fully expect[s] that to be the case."

"She's doing a great job. She's a great partner," he said.

As to whether he might face former President Donald Trump as his Republican opponent in 2024, Biden said he wasn't thinking that far ahead.

"Oh come on. I don't even think about — I don't, I have no idea," he said. "I have no idea whether there will be Republican Party, do you?"

There had been speculation in 2019 that Biden would serve only one term because of his age. He would turn 82 in 2024.

Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

Barbara Sprunt is a producer on NPR's Washington desk, where she reports and produces breaking news and feature political content. She formerly produced the NPR Politics Podcast and got her start in radio at as an intern on NPR's Weekend All Things Considered and Tell Me More with Michel Martin. She is an alumnus of the Paul Miller Reporting Fellowship at the National Press Foundation. She is a graduate of American University in Washington, D.C., and a Pennsylvania native.