Fact Check

Yes, Joe Biden Said He's Planning To Run for President Again

Plans were purportedly in the works as of mid-April 2023, though the president hadn't made any official campaign announcement.

Published April 11, 2023

 (Drew Angerer/Getty Images )
Image Via Drew Angerer/Getty Images
Claim:
In April 2023, U.S. President Joe Biden said he was planning to launch a 2024 presidential campaign.
Context

He followed up the remark to NBC's Al Roker by saying his team was not yet prepared to make a formal campaign announcement.

On April 10, 2023, news media and social media users widely reported that U.S. President Joe Biden said he plans to run for president in 2024. That claim was true.

Speaking to Al Roker of the NBC "Today" show during an Easter celebration at the White House, Biden indeed said he plans to run for reelection, but that his team was not yet prepared to formally announce the start of the campaign. "I plan on running, Al," Biden told Roker. "But we are not prepared to announce it yet."

Biden, who will turn 81 in November, said he had intended to run for reelection since the early days of his presidency. The president said two months after taking his oath of office in January 2021, "My plan is to run for reelection," according to CBS News. "That's my expectation."

As of mid-April 2023, two other people had formally announced their candidacy for the 2024 Democratic presidential nomination: author Marianne Williamson and anti-vaccine activist Robert Kennedy Jr., BBC reported. No prominent Democrats appeared to be considering a bid as of this writing.

The news outlet also reported that White House staff had indicated that Biden's team pushed back its date to make an official 2024 campaign announcement from February to April. An exact date was not provided.

Given that video footage showed Biden in April 2023 saying he intended to launch a 2024 presidential campaign, we rate this claim, "Correct Attribution."

Sources

Biden Says He Plans to Run for Reelection in 2024. 25 Mar. 2021, https://www.cbsnews.com/news/biden-run-for-reelection-in-2024/.

"Biden Tells Al Roker: 'I Plan on Running.'" NBC News, 10 Apr. 2023, https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/joe-biden/biden-says-plan-running-2024-no-announcement-yet-rcna78921.

"President Joe Biden Says He Plans to Run for Second Term in 2024." BBC News, 10 Apr. 2023. www.bbc.com, https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-65208051.

Watch TODAY Excerpt: Joe Biden Tells TODAY's Al Roker 'I Plan on Running' in 2024 - NBC.Com. 2023. www.nbc.com, https://www.nbc.com/today/video/joe-biden-tells-todays-al-roker-i-plan-on-running-in-2024/NBCN748549953.

Damakant Jayshi is a former writer for Snopes.

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