President Joe Biden said Monday that he plans to run for re-election next year — though he said a formal announcement is yet to be made.
“I plan to run, Al, but we’re not ready to announce it,” Biden told “Today” show host Al Roker during the annual White House Easter Egg Roll.
Biden answered a question from Roker about how many White House Easter events he planned to attend.
“I’m planning at least three or four Easter Egg Rolls,” Biden told Roker, standing next to first lady Jill Biden. “Maybe five. Maybe six, what the hell.
Biden has long said he wants to run for re-election, though he has not officially.
“I have other things to get done before I go into a full campaign,” he said in an interview with ABC News in February when asked about his goals.
Biden, who will be 86 at the end of his second term, has faced questions about his age, but he has indicated that it will not be a factor in whether he runs again.
“It’s legitimate for people to raise issues about my age. It’s totally legitimate to do that. And the only thing I can say is, ‘Look at me,'” he told ABC News’ David Muir.
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Biden’s advisers previously indicated that he might announce the race during his State of the Union address in February. Later, his advisers said he planned to announce his run after March, after the first fundraising period of the year ends, the Associated Press previously reported.
Current reports indicate that the official announcement could come this summer or even later this fall.
There are currently several major challengers in the Democratic Party, with no major names entering the ring.
Author Marianne Williamson, who ran unsuccessfully in 2020, said she would seek the Democratic nomination again. Anti-vaccine activist Robert F. Kennedy Jr., nephew of former President John F. Kennedy and son of former US Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy, has also announced he will run.
Former President Donald Trump, who lost to Biden in 2020, announced his re-election bid in November.