President Joe Biden, the oldest individual to assume the presidency, said that he would run again for president in 2024 if he remains in good health and if former President Donald Trump decides to enter the race.
Speaking to ABC News in an interview published Wednesday, Biden offered several caveats. Since launching his 2020 campaign, Biden has been dogged by questions about health and whether he has the mental capacity to perform his duties.
“Yes,” Mr. Biden said when asked by ABC anchor David Muir about running. “But look, I’m a great respecter of fate. Fate has intervened in my life many, many times. If I’m in the health I’m in now, if I’m in good health, then in fact, I would run again.”
Previously, Biden—during his first press conference earlier this year—told reporters that he is planning a run. Various White House officials have also repeatedly said Biden, who would be would be 82 years old during the next presidential Election Day in 2024, is planning to run.
During his Wednesday interview, Biden suggested that if former President Trump enters the race on the Republican side, it would increase the likelihood that he runs.
“Why would I not run against Donald Trump if were the nominee? That would increase the prospect of running,” Biden told ABC.
As for Trump, the former commander-in-chief has not made any definitive public statements on whether he will launch a 2024 bid. But in recent months, Trump made comments teasing a potential run.
“I think if I run, I‘ll get it,” he told Fox Business last month. “Look, I have a 94, 95 percent even, in the [Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) poll], I had a 98 percent approval rating. So if I decide to run, I’ll get it very easily.”
“Most people have said if I run, they won’t run against me, so I think that’s good,” he added, referring to potential GOP challengers.
