President Biden will serve a full second term if reelected in 2024, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre clarified Tuesday after suggesting earlier that his commitment to serving a full eight years was an open question.
Jean-Pierre’s suggestion came hours after Biden announced his reelection campaign. As White House press secretary, she is restricted from engaging in political activities while serving in her official capacity as a federal employee, because of the Hatch Act.
During Tuesday’s press briefing, a reporter asked Jean-Pierre whether Biden plans to serve all eight years if he is reelected in 2024.
Jean-Pierre smiled and said, “That’s something for him to decide.”
“I’m just not going to get ahead of the president,” she said, referring all questions about the 2024 race to the Biden campaign.
Moments after the press briefing ended, Jean-Pierre clarified her statement on Twitter.
“As you know, we take following the law seriously,” Jean-Pierre said in a tweet. “So I wanted to be sure that I didn’t go into 2024 more than is appropriate under the law. But I can confirm that if reelected, @POTUS would serve all 8 years.”
As you know, we take following the law seriously. So I wanted to be sure that I didn’t go into 2024 more than is appropriate under the law. But I can confirm that if re-elected, @POTUS would serve all 8 years. https://t.co/n9OfMV4D1Y
— Karine Jean-Pierre (@PressSec) April 25, 2023
At 80 years old, Biden is already the oldest president in American history, and he’s no stranger to questions about his physical and mental fitness. The president, who would be 82 at the beginning of a second term and 86 at its conclusion, is in uncharted territory in seeking another term in his 80s.
Biden reiterated his campaign message in a speech to union leaders on Tuesday afternoon.
“We had to fight like hell. And folks, we made a lot of progress because of all of you,” Biden said. “But there’s more to do. So let’s finish the job.”
A previous version of this article incorrectly attributed a quote from Biden to his reelection campaign video. It was from his first speech after announcing his reelection bid. The article has been corrected.