Biden says he’ll make 2024 announcement ‘relatively soon’

President Biden on Friday told reporters he’s already made a decision about whether to run for reelection and will make an announcement “relatively soon.”

“I’ve already made that calculus. We’ll announce it relatively soon. But the trip here just reinforced my sense of optimism about what can be done,” Biden told reporters before departing Ireland for the United States.

“I told you my plan is to run again,” Biden added.

Biden has for months said he intends to run for a second term, but the timeline for an official announcement has repeatedly slipped. Advisers first indicated the president may announce his plans around February’s State of the Union address, but when that didn’t happen, reports suggested Biden would announce in the spring.

Biden would be 82 at the start of a second term. He and the Democratic National Committee earlier this week announced the party’s 2024 convention will be held in Chicago.

The latest reports are that Biden may wait until the summer to announce. White House allies and Democratic strategists have argued there is no real rush for Biden to officially declare his candidacy, noting there are no real calls from Democrats for him to step aside and suggesting a delayed announcement would allow him to focus on the job of being president and promoting his agenda to the public.

Author Marianne Williamson, who ran an unsuccessful campaign in 2020, has declared she is running for the Democratic nomination, as is Robert F. Kennedy Jr.