Joe Biden formally announces he will run for a second term as US president
Joe Biden has formally announced he is running for re-election in 2024, asking voters to give him more time to “finish the job”.
The announcement of his run for the 2024 election comes four years to the day since he declared his initial bid for the White House by promising to heal the “soul of the nation” amid the turbulent administration of former president Donald Trump.
Already the oldest president in history – Mr Biden would be 86 at the end of a second term.
Mr Biden said in a pre-recorded video message: “Personal freedom is fundamental to who we are as Americans. There’s nothing more important. Nothing more sacred.
“That’s been the work of my first term: To fight for our democracy.
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Joe Biden’s bid for a second term
‘MAGA extremists are lining up to take those bedrock freedoms away’
“This shouldn’t be a red or blue issue. To protect our rights. To make sure that everyone in this country is treated equally. And that everyone is given a fair shot at making it.
“But around the country, MAGA extremists are lining up to take those bedrock freedoms away. Cutting social security that you’ve paid for your entire life while cutting taxes for the very wealthy.
“Dictating what health care decisions women can make, banning books, and telling people who they can love. All while making it more difficult for you to be able to vote.
“When I ran for president four years ago, I said we are in a battle for the soul of America. And we still are.
“The question we are facing is whether in the years ahead we have more freedom or less freedom. More rights or fewer.
“I know what I want the answer to be and I think you do too. This is not a time to be complacent. “That’s why I’m running for re-election.”
A notable swath of Democratic voters have indicated they would prefer he not run, in part because of his age – concerns Mr Biden himself has called “totally legitimate”.
A recent poll from The Associated Press-NORC Centre for Public Affairs Research showed just 47% of Democrats said they wanted him to seek a second term, up from 37% in February.
It comes a day after he told Sky News of his intention to go for re-election.
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Mr Trump officially launched his third bid for the US presidency in November 2022.
The 76-year-old can still run for office despite being the first current or former US president to be charged with a crime.
He has pleaded not guilty to 34 felony counts of falsifying business records and conspiracy for his alleged role in hush money payments to two women towards the end of his 2016 presidential campaign.
Vladimir Putin told Donald Trump he “will not back down” from Russia’s goals in Ukraine during a phone call today, the Kremlin has said.
The Russian president spoke to his US counterpart for almost an hour, and Mr Trump “again raised the issue of an early end to military action” in Ukraine, Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov told reporters.
In response, Mr Putin said “Russia will not back down” from its aims there, which include “the elimination of the well-known root causes that led to the current state of affairs,” Mr Ushakov said.
The phrase “root causes” is shorthand for Moscow’s argument that it was compelled to invade Ukraine in order to prevent the country from joining NATO.
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Trump and Putin’s latest call on Ukraine
Ukraine and its European allies say this is a pretext to justify what they call an imperial-style war, but Mr Trump has previously shown sympathy with Russia.
At the same time, Mr Putin told the US president that Russia is ready to continue negotiating, the aide said.
The Russian president said any prospective peace deal must see Ukraine give up its NATO bid and recognise his country’s territorial gains.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy, seen with Mr Trump in June, is pushing for Ukraine to join NATO. Pic: Reuters
He also briefed Mr Trump on agreements made last month, which saw Russia and Ukraine exchange prisoners of war and dead soldiers.
Specific dates for the third round of peace talks in Istanbul were not discussed – nor was the US decision to halt some shipments of critical weapons to Ukraine.
Mr Putin and Mr Trump’s call came after the Pentagon confirmed some weapons due to be sent to Ukraine have been held as it reviews military stockpiles.
The paused shipments include air defence missiles and precision-guided artillery, two people familiar with the situation have said.
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The decision led to Ukraine calling in the acting US envoy to Kyiv on Wednesday to underline the importance of military aid from Washington.
Kyiv also cautioned that the move would weaken Ukraine’s ability to defend itself against intensifying Russian airstrikes and battlefield advances.
Mr Putin and Mr Trump’s phone call was the sixth they have publicly disclosed since the US president returned to the White House in January.
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