PresidentJoe Bidenformally announced early Tuesday that he will seek a second term in the White House,declaring his 2024 candidacy for presidentfour years to the day after launching his bid for the 2020 nomination.
At 80 years old, Biden is the first octogenarian to hold the title of U.S. president, raising skepticism about whether he will be fit to serve an additional four years when his term ends in 2025. But the Democratic commander-in-chiefisn’t ready to end his political career, arguing that his tenure as president thus far has proven him capable of carrying Americans through hard times, especially in the fight against Republican extremism.
“When I ran for president four years ago, I said we are in a battle for the soul of America. And we still are,” he said in narration in a three-minute campaign video shared across social media that included images of the Jan. 6, 2021 insurrection, as well as protests from abortion rights activists.
Joe Biden.AP Photo/Evan Vucci
“The question we are facing is whether in the years ahead we have more freedom or less freedom; more rights or fewer,” Biden continued. “I know what I want the answer to be and I think you do too. This is not a time to be complacent. That’s why I’m running for reelection — because I know America. I know we’re good and decent people. I know we’re still a country that believes in honesty, respect, and treating each other with dignity. We’re a nation where we give hate no safe harbor. We believe that everyone is equal, that everyone should be given a fair shot to succeed in this country.”
Biden’s announcement on Tuesday is no surprise. Just two weeks ago, while celebrating Easter on the White House lawn, the president told theTodayshow’s Al Roker in a live interview that heplanned on running in 2024but wasn’t ready to make the news official.
In 2019, top campaign advisers told Politico that Biden privately planned to be a one-term president, with the goal of unseating PresidentDonald Trumpand potentiallypositioning his vice president to take over in 2024. But once Biden got into the position, attitudes seem to have changed as he began priming voters to get behind him for a second term.
More recently, Biden and Vice PresidentKamala Harrishave been appearing at events with Democratic donors to tout their accomplishments ahead of the anticipated 2024 announcement. Harris was featured heavily in Biden’s campaign video on Tuesday, too.
AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster
In his first two years as president, Biden was able to follow through on many of his campaign promises, enacting a significant amount of legislation that’s touched on several issues.
TheAmerican Rescue Planhelped protect Americans from COVID-19 and gave low-income families some extra cash to get through the pandemic; theBipartisan Infrastructure Billallotted $1 trillion toward improving infrastructure and transportation, establishing broadband internet in rural communities and guaranteeing clean drinking water; the CHIPS and Science Act allotted funding for the U.S. to manufacture important electronic parts that reduce our reliance on China; and theInflation Reduction Actis hailed as one of his biggest feats, working to fight climate change, enhance health care coverage and reduce the deficit.
Biden also lobbied for thefirst major piece of gun safety legislationin decades, responding to the tragicelementary school shooting in Uvalde, Texas, and signed theRespect for Marriage Actinto law shortly before Republicansregained a majorityin the House,enshrining federal protectionsfor same-sex marriage.
President Biden holds a ceremony to sign the Respect for Marriage Act.Ting Shen/Bloomberg via Getty
Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer.
But the president’s accomplishments have been largely overshadowed, as he’s taken the brunt of the blame forwidespread economic woesand isbeing investigated for his handling of classified documents, an issuealso plaguing Trumpand former Vice PresidentMike Pence.
With the economy on everybody’s minds,Biden’s approval ratings have suffered; coupled with his age, there’s no doubt that he has a lot of convincing to do if he wants to earn voters' support in 2024. Some Democrats who have praised his legislative wins remain doubtful that he’ll be able swing undecided voters and secure an Electoral College victory in the next election, leaving uncertainty about the party’s political future.
source: people.com
