President Biden said on Saturday that his family are ‘not having any’ conversations about a potential 2024 presidential run while he is staying in Nantucket, Massachusetts, over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend, saying they are celebrating instead.
Biden was asked by reporters how the conversations about a re-election bid were going as he and First Lady Jill Biden were crossing a street while on vacation on the island.
‘We’re not having any. We’re celebrating,’ the president responded.
Biden said during a post-election press conference earlier this month that he intends to run for re-election, but added that he will make a final decision by early next year.
‘I think everybody wants me to run, but we’re going to have discussions about it,’ Biden said. ‘I hope Jill and I get a little time to sneak away for a week between Thanksgiving and Christmas, and my guess is it will be early next year when we make that judgment.’
The White House in recent months has emphasized Biden’s ‘intentions’ to run for re-election, but has not committed either way. Biden, who turned 80 this month, is the oldest president in history.
Biden has faced questions about whether he will run in 2024 in part because of his age, as well as concerns from Democrats about his approval rating and whether he would be able to fight off a Republican challenge. However, he was given a major boost this month when a widely-predicted Republican ‘red wave’ in the midterm elections did not come to pass. Republicans have narrowly taken control of the House, but Democrats were able to keep control of the Senate.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom this week shut down speculation that he might run as a primary challenger to Biden, telling Politico that he is ‘all in’ for Biden’s re-election campaign.
The Bidens are staying at a waterfront compound along Nantucket Harbor. The Bidens on the trip include Ashley and Hunter Biden. The family has a more than 40-year tradition of spending Thanksgiving on the island.
Fox News’ Patrick Hauf and The Associated Press contributed to this report.