Multiple sources confirmed to The Hill newspaper that the president plans to make public his intentions to run for a second term in the White House in the coming weeks, probably in February, around the State of the Union address.
Such an address normally takes place in late January or early February, but the House speaker must invite the speaker to address Congress, and the chaos of voting for that position this week inevitably pushed the date back. .
However, a more formal announcement is expected in April, according to the newspaper.
Meanwhile, Biden’s advisers are meeting with allies and putting together an expansive and renewed digital presence.
The Washington Post reported last month that aides were working to expand the current White House occupant’s digital footprint on platforms like TikTok and WhatsApp, where political advertising is prohibited.
The intention to mount another presidential campaign began to crystallize even as some Democrats still express concern about Biden’s age (80 years).
But these public doubts were partly silenced by the strong performance of the Democratic Party in November, in which the Blues increased their lead in the Senate and avoided a red wave in the House.
In addition, the president’s entourage asserts that time is on his side, particularly amid the GOP disharmony evidenced in this week’s vote.
While the Republicans struggled to choose a leader, the Democrats turned their attention elsewhere. Biden spent time promoting bills, including his infrastructure package, and enacted new measures on immigration policy.
On Wednesday, he traveled to Kentucky, along with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, and was able to wire that he had fulfilled one of his campaign promises: to unite the parties.
This bipartisan infrastructure event is a nice soft campaign launch, a Democratic strategist told The Hill.
“It positions his achievements, shows him as a unifier, and contrasts him with the Republicans who are cannibalizing each other during this messy fight against the House leader.”
Then, he made a visit to the southern border between the United States and Mexico, his first trip to that area as president and in compliance with an old demand from the Republicans.
This trip was aimed, in part, at mitigating the impact of upcoming immigration investigations promised by House Republicans, analysts say.
Biden has not been shy about his desire to seek re-election, especially if it turns into a rematch against former President Donald Trump (2017-2021), and his aides and allies often echo his enthusiasm on the matter.
But even the talkative president dodged questions about a hypothetical campaign on hold in recent days.
“Is an election coming up?” Biden joked after being pressured by reporters about the decision to run again.
“2023 is going to be a good year,” added the occupant of the White House.
jf/adr