White House says Biden won’t ‘underestimate Trump’ if he runs in 2024

White House chief of staff Ron Klain said President Biden shouldn’t “estimate or underestimate” former President Trump in a potential 2024 rematch. 

“I wouldn’t want to estimate or underestimate Donald Trump as an opponent if he chooses to run,” Klain told Axios’s Mike Allen in an interview on “Axios on HBO” that aired Sunday. 

“My experience, Mike, is that incumbent presidents are judged on their record,” he added. “President Trump had a bad record in 2020. Joe Biden is hopefully assembling a powerful record to run on if he runs for reelection in 2024.”

Klain’s remarks suggest that the White House is anticipating a potentially tough reelection fight if Trump ultimately decides to mount a political comeback in 2024. 

The former president has repeatedly hinted at the idea of another White House bid, telling Fox News’s Sean Hannity last month that he is “looking at it very seriously, beyond seriously.”

While those in Trump’s orbit have given mixed assessments of just how likely it is that he runs for president again, he retains outsized influence within the Republican Party and still commands the support of an ultra-loyal base of voters who are eager for a rematch between Trump and Biden.

Before becoming president in January, rumors swirled that Biden may choose to serve only one term in the White House. He has since indicated, however, that he’s likely to run for reelection in 2024. 

Asked during a news conference in March whether he plans to seek another term in the White House, Biden said that he expects to do so. 

“That’s my expectation,” he said. “I’m a great respecter of fate. I’ve never been able to plan 4 1/2, 3 1/2 years ahead for certain.”