White House press secretary Karen Jean-Pierre confirmed Monday that President Joe Biden is running for re-election, after pressuring him at a briefing on record inflation in the wake of a report showing Democrats’ concern about the president’s age.
Jean-Pierre began her response by mentioning the limitations on what she could say about politics when speaking from the White House rostrum when asked directly if the president was running for re-election.
“He didn’t — first, let’s reset him for a second,” she began. I can’t talk about the elections. I can’t be a political analyst from here or, you know, the midterms or anything like that, including 2024. The president’s been asked, you know, that question many times, and he’s answered it.
His answer was very simple. And yes, he’s running for re-election. She said: I can’t say more than that.
His answer was very simple. And yes, he’s running for re-election. “I can’t say more than that,” White House press secretary Karen Jean-Pierre said at a news conference Monday.
Biden told ABC in December 2021 that he would run if he was “doing well.” When asked if he would run against his predecessor, Donald Trump, he replied: “Why should I not oppose Donald Trump as a candidate?” This would increase the likelihood of running.
Jean-Pierre had a curt answer when asked about Biden’s consistently low approval ratings, which have fallen to less than 40 percent.
“The president’s focus on providing services to the American people is his focus right now,” she said.
Biden’s approval rating is 39 percent in the United States RealClearPolitics polling average. He’s been underwater since August 2021, and now he must contend with record inflation, food shortages, gun violence, war in Ukraine and a host of other issues, along with concerns about his age that party faithful might be more willing to overlook if he did. Better numbers are heading into the midterm elections where the ruling party usually suffers losses.
There was a fresh round of scrutiny over Biden’s age at the start of the week after The New York Times reported a mix of rank and file Democrats raising concerns about the issue as the midterm elections approach.
The front page of the newspaper on Sunday treatment From a topic that Biden, 79, grappled with during his last presidential campaign, comes amid low approval ratings and concerns among some Democrats that he is still vulnerable to restoration efforts by former President Donald Trump.
“I need the equivalent of Ron DeSantis, a Democrat, but not 70 or 80 — a younger guy,” Alex Waychevanuk, a Maryland data analyst, told the Post. He said, “Someone who knows what worked for you in 1980 won’t work for you in 2022 or 2024.”
A new report has highlighted concerns about President Joe Biden’s lifespan, as his party faces serious midterm headwinds.
DeSantis, 43, is the Florida governor whose ability to grab headlines and rise in the polls has captured the attention of the Trump circle.
The newspaper also quoted a Democratic National Committee member from Florida, Steve Simeonides, as saying that Biden “should announce his intention not to seek re-election on the 24th immediately after the midterm elections.”
But the post noted “deep concern” about Biden’s political viability among dozens of officials who did not provide on-the-record comments. Biden will be 82 years old on the day of the upcoming inauguration. The announcement of the concerns comes as the House committee on January 6 was busy laying out evidence gleaned from hundreds of interviews about Trump’s efforts to overturn the election.
said David Axelrod, 67, who helped propel President Barack Obama’s rise with a campaign that featured youthful energy and the slogan “Hope.” Obama was 47 when he took office, having failed to complete his first term in the Senate.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has been attacking political enemies and drawing attention as a potential GOP presidential candidate or challenger to Trump.
President Donald Trump has repeatedly raised questions about Biden’s sanity, though the former AG has testified about Trump’s belief in voter fraud claims: “He’s getting very far from reality if he really believes these things.”
Biden will be 86 at the end of a second term
The story sparked a new round of speculation about Biden’s age, amid concern that his age, amid record inflation, a war in Ukraine and a now-flailing stock market, could jeopardize efforts to defeat Trump.
Axios She chimes in with a story about America’s aging government, noting that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is 82 and Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer is 71.
Even longtime commentator David Gergen, 80, told PBS NewsHour, “I think people like Biden and Trump should step back and leave the door open for young people.”
The Times has run similar articles before, including one in 2019 in which Democrats were concerned that the candidate, 76, was “slow and unsure how to take the blows,” according to the paper, in a debate that included the then-senator. . Kamala Harris. He went on to grab the nomination and win the presidency.
Biden has incumbent powers on his side, along with similar polling woes for Vice President Kamala Harris, his 57-year-old partner in office.
