President Joe Biden is likely to announce his bid for reelection “not long after” after he delivers his State of the Union address on Feb. 7, a source with knowledge of the ongoing planning confirmed to CBS News.
The exact date of Mr. Biden’s announcement has not been finalized yet, according to the source, who said, “This has always, always been our plan. State of the Union first, candidate later.”
CNN was the first to report the approximate timing of the president’s announcement.
Senior aides view the forthcoming State of the Union Address as a de facto launch of his reelection bid. He wouldn’t announce during the speech, which is not the appropriate venue for the announcement, but with the annual attention the prime time address affords and the captive audience it can draw, they see it as a way for Mr. Biden to lay out his short- and longer-term ambitions.
A formal announcement would come later, as early as later in February. A separate, senior Democratic source close to the White House said the timeline for announcement is later February or even March.
Rep. James Clyburn of South Carolina, the assistant Democratic leader and a top ally of the president, said he speaks regularly with Mr. Biden, and he has encouraged him to “announce for reelection” because of his accomplishments. In an interview with CBS News chief election and campaign correspondent Robert Costa Wednesday, Clyburn praised Mr. Biden for passing “more progressive legislation than any president since Lyndon Baines Johnson.”
The president told CBS News in September last year that he intended to run again and was working through it with his family and those who are close to him.
Some White House staffers, who are also anticipating the launch of Mr. Biden’s reelection bid, are making plans to split their time between official West Wing duties and a reelection campaign based either in Philadelphia, Wilmington or the Washington area.
So far, former President Donald Trump is the only candidate to formally announce a bid for 2024.
The White House has generally declined to answer questions about 2024.
A presidential announcement would come against the backdrop of a special counsel investigation into classified documents marked found at the president’s former personal office and at his home in Wilmington, Del. The White House has said repeatedly that it is cooperating with that probe.
