On Monday, President Joe Biden made every effort to appear and sounded like someone campaigning for reelection, but he reiterated once more that he had nothing to officially declare. He has consistently hinted that he may run for office while delaying the start of his anticipated campaign for months.
During the White House Easter Egg Roll, a fun Easter celebration attended by hundreds of people, Joe Biden once more gave his almost-but-not-quite confirmation.
In a brief interview with NBC News on the South Lawn, accompanied by his wife First Lady Jill Biden, he said, “I plan on running now but we’re not prepared to announce it yet.”
Biden noted that he intended to attend numerous more egg rolls, a traditional event where children race to push coloured eggs over the grass. He said, “I plan on at least three or four more Easter Egg Rolls. Maybe five…, maybe six, what the hell — I don’t know.”
If Biden’s statement left a little wiggle room, his candidate-style crowd dive did not. He often appears most comfortable away from the stiff formalities of the presidency.
Hugging children and taking cellphones from multiple people in the Easter crowd for selfies, he gave a good impression of a president gearing up for the campaign.
Biden would be 86 years old by the time he completed a second term, making him already the oldest president in US history.
His refusal so far to formally declare has left any would-be replacements from the Democratic party waiting quietly in the wings. However, if he does declare, he would not face serious challenges from his own party.
On the Republican side, the current frontrunner is former president Donald Trump, whom Biden defeated in 2020.
