The White House and the Democratic National Committee are preparing to launch President Biden's re-election bid with a video message as early as Tuesday, according to people familiar with the matter.
Why it matters: By announcing next week, Biden, 80, would quell rising doubts among fellow Democrats about his intention to run again — and have more than two months to raise money before the next Federal Election Commission filing deadline.
Driving the news: Biden's team has told outside vendors to prepare the logistics for an announcement by early next week, but have said it could be delayed.
Zoom in: Biden's team hasn't announced a campaign manager and is still in the early stages of hiring a staff. If he announces next week, he likely would need to rely on the DNC in the campaign's early stages.
- Some Democrats believed Biden would be better positioned by waiting until summer to announce, and trying to remain above the political fray.
- Once Biden announces his candidacy, any political trips will need to be at least partially funded by the campaign apparatus, requiring robust fundraising.
Driving the news: The Washington Post first reported Biden’s potential announcement but noted that it could be delayed.
- CBS News reported that an announcement video is “in production” but that the president has not signed off on it.
- Biden told reporters last week as he departed Ireland that he would announce his re-election plans “relatively soon.” He added that “the trip here just reinforced my sense of optimism about what can be done.”
- CNN reported that the campaign headquarters will be based in Wilmington, Delaware, in Biden's home state.
The White House declined to comment Thursday.
Between the lines: The longer Biden waits, the more he risks not being able to hire Democratic operatives who are committing to other 2024 campaigns.
- Biden doesn't like to be rushed and prefers to make decisions on his own timeline. He began his 2020 campaign on April 25, 2019 — four years ago Tuesday.
- Biden is hosting a large donor gathering in Washington, D.C., on April 28, the New York Times first reported.
