First Lady Jill Biden Says She and President Have ‘Not Yet’ Discussed a Possible 2024 Reelection
First Lady Jill Biden said she has not yet discussed with President Joe Biden whether he will run for a second presidential term in the 2024 election.
“Not yet. We’ve been too busy. So, not yet,” Dr. Jill Biden told NBC’s “Today” show in an interview that aired Tuesday morning but was pre-recorded Monday in Knoxville, Tennessee. “But, I’m sure it will be a discussion.”
The first lady’s comments are the first in which she has publicly indicated that there has been no determination between her and her husband about a second term in the White House.
Her comments come as season begins for the November 2022 midterm elections. Democrats are seeking to buck a historic trend that typically sees the new president’s party lose congressional seats in midterm elections.
The White House has consistently indicated that Biden intends to run for re-election in 2024, though more recently there have been concerns among some Democrats about whether a campaign for a second term is a fait accompli. Biden’s advanced age and low approval ratings at times have raised questions about her viability among voters.
CNN reported in August that campaigning is drudgery that not everyone in the family craves, citing two people with knowledge of internal family conversations.
In June, Vice President Kamala Harris said in an interview that Biden’s goal is a second term. “The president intends to run, and if he does, I will be his ticket partner. We will run together,” Harris said.
Jill Biden’s admission that there is still an argument between the first couple about President Biden’s political future is a sign that the decision may not be assured.
“It’s exhausting,” the first lady said in the same interview, responding to whether a long presidential campaign is something she and President Biden were prepared to face. “But, you know, look at everything Joe has done. He has stayed true to what he said he would do. And so I think he just needs to move on,” she said.