Biden sees himself as a two-term president

Joe BidenJoe Biden’s Morning Report The Hill – Biden leans heavily on gun control The Justice Department faces risks and rewards with riot-sedition charges. campaigned to be a “transition” president during a pivotal moment in the country’s history, saying he would take the reins of former President TrumpDonald Trump’s Morning ReportThe Hill – Biden leans heavily on gun control The Justice Department faces risks and rewards with rebellion charges. Online harassment is ugly and routine for women in journalism MORE and return the country to normal.

But now, more than ever, those around him say he will run for president again.

“I don’t think there’s any reason to say that he won’t,” said a longtime adviser to the president.

Another Biden ally added that Biden did not tell associates that he would not run again.

“Therefore, we all assume that he is,” said the ally, “contrary to this feeling that he will be a president for a single term of his own volition.”

Biden, who will turn 79 later this year, is the oldest president in the country’s history. If he runs again in 2024, that will undoubtedly open up discussions about his age and ability to do the job.

Republican speaking heads, including Fox News Sean HannitySean Patrick HannityBiden sees himself as a two-term president The worst person in America’s competition? Sean Hannity was caught wandering between commercial breaks MORE, have already raised questions about Biden’s cognitive abilities, questioning who is actually in charge of the White House.

Republican Party senators implicitly sent the same message earlier this year, arguing that they could negotiate with Biden, but that the team around him, particularly the White House chief of staff Ron KlainRon KlainBiden sees himself as president of two terms. A former Newsom employee gives up running for OMB director in Ohio, expanding the vaccine’s eligibility to over 16s., made it more difficult. Few reporters who heard these statements saw anything other than an effort to make it appear that it was the team that ran the White House, not Biden.

Biden’s allies say it is too early for his presidency and too early to think about 2024.

There are two years until the start of the primary season, and those close to the chief voter emphasize that no one is thinking about a second presidential candidacy.

“He hasn’t even assembled a full team at the White House yet,” said the consultant. “There is a lot to do before he even reaches the point where he will have to make a final decision.”

Even if he decides not to run, Democratic strategists say it is up to him not to announce that he is leaving until the end of his presidency to avoid lame duck status.

“Biden should definitely be getting ready to run again,” said Democratic strategist Jamal Simmons. “It is easier to stop the train than to catch it late, and a duckling president will not be able to approve many things.”

Still, people close to him signal that Biden has been on his feet for another four years. Sen. Chris CoonsChris Andrew Coons Morning report from The Hill – Biden leans heavily on gun control. Democrats plan to put pressure on the Republican Party for obstruction. Biden sees himself as a two-term president MORE (D-Del.) I told Politico in January that Biden is “planning to run again”.

“He knows that we are in the midst of an absolute turnaround, a pivotal point in American history, and he is ready for the challenge,” said Coons.

It is likely that there will also be pressure on Biden to run again, given the proximity of the 2020 race.

Biden considered himself the only Democrat who could defeat Trump, and with the former president flirting with another dispute, some in the Biden party will see the best bet to keep Trump out of the Oval Office.

In an interview with “Axios on HBO” in November, Valerie Biden Owens, Biden’s sister who has been advising him since the beginning of his political career, said his brother “absolutely” would run for a second term.

“He is transitory in that he is bringing all these young people and bringing [us] back [so] we are not a divided country, ”she continued. “But of course. He’s strong.”

Recent research seems to support this sentiment. Biden has the support of most Americans, with 55 percent saying they approve of his performance, according to the policy website FiveThirtyEight. Its approval rating is reinforced by its management of the coronavirus and distribution of the vaccine.

Last week, Biden gave a kind of victory lap after meeting the deadline for delivery of 100 million COVID-19 vaccines well ahead of schedule, after a slow launch.

Earlier this month, Congress also passed a $ 1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package, which sent direct payments of up to $ 1,400 to many Americans.

Biden faces other challenges in his presidency. To begin with, he must break the fever of a nation that remains divided after Trump’s four years. He must also face a fracture in his own party and pressure from progressives who do not want him to compromise with Republicans.

He faces pressure to fix an economy he suffered from coronavirus, to fix racial divides, to tackle inequality and to deal with the latest wave of mass shootings in Boulder, Colorado and Atlanta.

Separately, Democrats wonder how Vice President Harris fits into the picture and how she will face Biden and her own prospects of running for president again.

If Biden does not run, she is the obvious heir.

“She is in the difficult position of wanting to run for president, obviously, but she is a little paralyzed because of the whole issue of whether Biden is running or not running again,” said a Biden ally. “This may cause some friction in the future.”

During his campaign, Biden barely said he would be president for a single term. But he also made it clear that he would pass the torch on to the party’s younger leaders.

“Look, I see myself as a bridge, not as anything else,” said Biden during the campaign in March 2020. “There is an entire generation of leaders that you saw behind me. They are the future of this country. ”

But those at Biden World say the president is proving that he can handle the job now and four years from now.

“He had an incredible two months,” said the longtime adviser. “He is proving that all pessimists are wrong every day.”