On Tuesday, President Joe Biden made a formal announcement that he will be seeking reelection in 2024.
He requested voters to grant him additional time to complete his work and extend the term of the country’s oldest president for another four years.
Despite concerns over his age, which would make him 86 at the end of a second term, Biden believes that his first-term legislative achievements and over 50 years of experience in Washington will be more significant.
A bitterly divided nation will pose a challenging battle for President Biden to retain the presidency. Despite not having any serious Democratic challengers.
During his first public appearance after the announcement, Biden provided a glimpse into how he intends to handle the dual roles of president and presidential candidate.
He delivered a speech to building trades union members, highlighting his accomplishments and discrediting his GOP rivals . This was while demonstrating to voters that he remained focused on his day job.
“Let’s Go Joe” Chants
The building trades union members, a key base of Democratic support, greeted Biden with chants of “Let’s Go Joe” in a raucous crowd. During his speech, he showcased the tens of thousands of construction jobs. Jobs that have been created since he took office, supported by legislation he signed into law
“We — you and I — together we’re turning things around and we’re doing it in a big way,” Biden said. “It’s time to finish the job. Finish the job.”
Biden’s campaign announcement, in a three-minute video, comes on the four-year anniversary of when he declared for the White House in 2019. Promising to heal the “soul of the nation” amid the turbulent presidency of Donald Trump — a goal that has remained elusive.
“I said we are in a battle for the soul of America, and we still are,” Biden said. “The question we are facing is whether in the years ahead we have more freedom or less freedom. More rights or fewer.”
While the prospect of seeking reelection has been a given for most modern presidents, that’s not always been the case for Biden.
A notable swath of Democratic voters has indicated they would prefer he not run, in part because of his age. Biden has called those concerns “totally legitimate” but he did not address the issue head-on in his launch video.