Biden Says It's 'Much Too Early' to Decide About Running in 2024, but Defends Age and Approval Ratings
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Ting Shen/Bloomberg/Getty President Joe Biden
Joe Biden won't say whether or not he's committed to running again in 2024 — but in a new 60 Minutes interview, the president defended his age, saying he's in "pretty good shape."
"Look. If I were to say to you, 'I'm running again,' all the sudden a whole range of things come into play, requirements I have to change and move and do — in terms of election laws. And it's much too early to make that kind of decision," Biden, 79, said in the interview that aired Sunday.
He continued: "I am a great respecter of fate, and so what I'm doing is I'm doing my job. I'm going to do that job and within the timeframe that makes sense after this next election cycle here, going into next year make a judgment on what to do."
Biden's "intention," however, remains the same: to run again. But that, the president said, is "just an intention."
"Is it a firm decision, that I'd run again? That remains to be seen," Biden told CBS News' Scott Pelley.
Eric Kerchner/60 Minutes President Biden on '60 Minutes'
When Pelley noted that Biden is the oldest president in history, Biden interjected: "Pretty good shape, huh?"
Asked how he would respond to those who question whether he's fit for the job, Biden said: "Watch me."
"I mean honest to God, that's all I think," Biden continued. "If you think I don't have the energy level or mental acuity, then, you know, that's one thing. It's another thing to just watch and keep my schedule, do what I'm doing. I know when I sit down with my NATO allies and keep them together, I don't have them saying, 'Wait a minute, how old are you?' ... I think it relates to how much energy you have, and whether or not the job you're doing is one consistent with one of any person of any age would be able to do."
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Despite recent legislative successes, Biden noted that the country is at "an inflection point," suggesting that previously low approval ratings may be the result of recent setbacks, like the pandemic.
"I think you'd agree that the impact on the psyche of the American people as a consequence of the pandemic is profound," Biden said. "Think of how that has changed everything: people's attitudes about themselves, their families, about the state of the nation, about the state of their communities. And so there's a lot of uncertainty out there, a great deal of uncertainty ... It's been a very difficult time. Very difficult."
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According to an August opinion poll by Reuters and Ipsos, Biden appears to be winning back the trust of Americans, as his approval rating rose to 41%, the highest number he's seen since early June.
Biden became the oldest person to be sworn in as commander-in-chief in U.S. history at his inaugural ceremony, when he was 78. Donald Trump was previously the oldest-ever president to take office, and was 70 at his 2017 inauguration.
The question of Biden's age — he'll be 81 at the time of the 2024 election — has led to speculation regarding whether he'll run for a second term.
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Meanwhile, recent polls suggest that the majority of Americans across all political parties and age groups are in favor of a maximum age limit for elected officials.
According to a new opinion poll by CBS News/YouGov, 73% of people surveyed supported the idea. When respondents were asked what the maximum age should be and given a list of options to choose from, 70 years old was the most popular response, receiving 40% of the votes.
