President Joe Biden reportedly told ex-President Barack Obama that he is planning to run for re-election in 2024 because he believes he’s ‘the only one who can beat’ his predecessor Donald Trump.
Biden’s reported conversation with Obama is the latest sign that he intends to pursue a second term, despite low approval ratings.
‘I believe he thinks he’s the only one who can beat Trump,’ one of two sources with knowledge on the presidents’ talks told The Hill on Tuesday.
‘I don’t think he thinks there’s anyone in the Democratic party who can beat Trump and that’s the biggest factor.’
The source said that Biden ‘wants to run and he’s clearly letting everyone know’. In addition, the source opined that Biden is still the best positioned Democratic candidate to beat Trump, if he decides to run a third time, although the 46th president’s approval ratings have fallen.
Biden and Obama, whom he formerly served under as vice president, had lunch together in early April. It is not clear if they discussed the 2024 presidential election.
Biden has given several indications he would welcome a rematch with Trump. In a press conference in March in Brussels, Biden said he would be ‘very fortunate’ to run against Trump again.
Trump has not yet announced whether he will make a bid for the White House, but has been holding campaign-style rallies.
A mere 38% of Americans approve of Biden’s job performance, versus 53% who disapprove, according to a CNBC survey released last week. Biden’s ratings are even lower when it comes to the economy – just 35% of Americans approve of how he is handling it, compared to 60% that disapprove.
However, White House economists and some outside experts predict that inflation will level out and start to drop. As the height of the coronavirus pandemic passes, voters may have a more favorable opinion of Biden.
‘He can recover. A lot will depend on the outcome of the midterms,’ Democratic strategist Basil Smikle told the Hill. ‘If Democrats don’t fare very well, he’ll be going into 2024 from a position of weakness, if you will.’