Opinion |
Biden delivered a campaign speech, according to Al Cárdenas 1:07
(CNN) --
US President Joe Biden said Thursday he simply isn't ready to decide whether to run for re-election, but he dismissed polls showing most Democrats want another candidate in 2024.
6 takeaways from Biden's State of the Union address
“I'm just not ready to do it,” Biden told Telemundo when asked in an interview what was keeping him from deciding on another run.
President Joe Biden delivers the State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress at the US Capitol on February 7, 2023 in Washington.
(Jacquelyn Martin/Pool/Reuters)
Biden said the day after the November midterms that he "intended" to run again, barring any unforeseen events.
And he and his family have told others, including French President Emmanuel Macron during a visit in early December, that they are preparing for a contest.
Biden's reluctance to definitively announce his intentions stems in part from a desire to avoid triggering election law enforcement for candidates.
Aides, however, point out that when Biden says she has "great respect for fate," he's less of a quibble than he sounds.
ANALYSIS |
Can any Republican beat Trump or DeSantis in 2024?
The president is widely expected to formally announce his re-election bid sometime in the weeks and months after last Tuesday's State of the Union address, which was seen as a preview of what his message would be when he asks voters their support for a second term.
Biden said there was "no" reason not to make an announcement.
And he said the polls that showed many Democrats were eager for another candidate were flawed.
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“That's not what I hear,” he said.
“Look, do you know of any polls that are accurate these days?
You all told me there was no way we were going to do well in this election.
I told them from the beginning that we would do well.
They told me I couldn't win the general election.
We did well. I feel good where we are."
An ABC/Washington Post poll released this weekend showed that 58% of Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents said they would prefer a candidate other than Biden next year.
Biden said he felt good about the position within his party.
“I feel good with the way things are and I feel good with the reception I get,” he said.
"And I think it's terribly difficult to poll these days."
Still, he acknowledged that the outcome of the 2024 race was difficult to know.
“It could be that, you know, I compete and get beaten up, or I compete and win.
I mean, that's not my motivation.
That is not the basis on which I decide,” she said.
Trump announces his candidacy to seek the Republican nomination in 2024 2:21
Speaking after an event in Florida, Biden said he did not see a difference between that state's two possible Republican presidential contenders, former President Donald Trump and Gov. Ron DeSantis.
“I think they have a similar modus operandi, a similar way of working.
But I really don't know.
I have never decided to compete or not to compete based on who the opponent is going to be,” he said.
Re-election