Harris clarifies Biden’s reelection plans

Vice President Harris on Wednesday sought to clarify recent comments she made about President Biden’s reelection plans after she told CNN earlier this week that the president was definitively running again in 2024. 

Harris told a reporter on Air Force Two before departing for California that “the president intends to run and if he does, I will be his ticket mate. We will run together.”

The White House said Harris wanted to clarify comments she’d made two days earlier in an interview with CNN’s Dana Bash. 

In the interview, Bash noted House Minority Whip James Clyburn (D-S.C.), who helped catapult Biden ahead of a crowded Democratic presidential primary in 2020, said Harris would be his top choice to run for president if Biden opts not to seek reelection.

“Joe Biden is running for reelection and I will be his ticket mate,” Harris told Bash.

“Full stop?” Bash asked.

“Full stop. That’s it,” Harris responded.

Harris’s clarification noting that Biden intends to run, not that he is definitively running, mirrors what the White House has consistently said about the president’s plans for 2024. 

Wednesday’s follow up may also be part of an effort to avoid Federal Election Commission disclosure requirements for candidates who have definitively entered the race.

But it is sure to inject further uncertainty into the conversation at a time when Biden’s approval ratings are mired in the high 30 percent range and his age has become a common talking point in D.C. circles.

White House spokespeople have repeatedly said Biden intends to run again in 2024, and the president himself has previously said he plans to run again if his health allows.