Biden to launch 2024 re-election campaign next week: reports

President Biden is expected to formally announce the launch of his presidential re-election campaign next week, according to multiple reports. 

The 80-year-old president and his team are finalizing plans to release a video announcement on April 25 — the four-year anniversary of the start of his successful 2020 campaign, the Washington Post reports. 

However, the outlet also reported, citing people with knowledge of Biden’s plans, that the kick-off could be delayed even further.

Biden, currently the oldest president in US history, would be 86 if he is re-elected and leaves office as scheduled in January 2029.

The president has long said that he intends to run for re-election, and first lady Jill Biden said in February that her husband would seek a second term.

The first lady reportedly began preparations for her husband’s run in September of last year, along with White House advisers Anita Dunn, Mike Donilon and Jen O’Malley Dillon.

The timing of when to announce Biden’s 2024 run has reportedly been a source of debate among his inner circle.

Advisers and close allies told Axios earlier this month that they didn’t expect the president to formally announce his candidacy before this summer, with some members of his team reportedly pushing to hold off until sometime after the start of the third political fundraising quarter July 1.

Late last year, it was suggested that Biden would announce soon after the start of 2023.

The second political fundraising quarter ends June 30, giving Biden just over two months to reap post-announcement donations if his campaign launches next week.

Anti-vaccine advocate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and self-help guru Marianne Williamson have both launched longshot 2024 bids to challenge Biden for the Democratic nomination – assuming he runs. 

A re-election bid by Biden has the potential to set up a 2020 rematch with former President Donald Trump, who announced his third consecutive White House bid on Nov. 15.