White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre on Tuesday refused to say whether President Joe Biden plans to serve a full second term.
Biden officially announced his reelection bid in a campaign video Tuesday morning, making him the oldest presidential candidate in history. Democratic voters have expressed concern over the 80-year-old president’s age, with polls showing a majority prefer a different candidate.
A reporter asked Jean-Pierre if Biden will serve his full second term. He would be 86 years old at the end of his second term.
“I’m just not gonna get ahead of the president,” Jean-Pierre responded. “That’s something for him to decide, I’m just not gonna get ahead of it. There’s a 2024 campaign. Anything else related to that, I would refer you to that.”
A New York Times/Siena poll from July 2022 found 64% of Democratic voters do not want Biden to run for a second term, with the majority citing his age. A Yahoo/YouGov poll from March found 68% of likely voters think Biden is “too old for another term as a president,” with about 48% of likely Democratic voters saying Biden’s age is an issue for reelection. (RELATED: Reporter Asks Jean-Pierre Why Biden Is Running For President At 80 Years Old)
A CBS News poll in early April found 22% of Democrats and Democrat-leaning voters are “excited” about Biden running, 54% are “accepting” of Biden running again, 28% are “confident” and 27% are “nervous” about a second term. The poll surveyed 2,093 U.S. adults between April 21-24 with a +/- 5.6% margin of error.
Biden has previously expressed frustration with the public’s concerns about his age and mental health.