Outgoing US House speaker Pelosi says president Biden should run for re-election in 2024

WASHINGTON – US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said President Joe Biden should run for reelection in 2024, even as some Democrats are urging the party to elevate a younger generation of leaders.

“The vision, the knowledge, the strategic thinking is all here,” Mrs Pelosi said in an interview with CNN being broadcast on Thursday night. “I think that he’s been a great president.”

In the same interview, Mr Schumer said he would support Mr Biden “all the way.”

Mr Biden, who turned 80 last month is already the oldest US president to hold office. He has said he plans to run again, and that he’ll likely make a final decision by early next year.

The Democratic Party’s better-than-expected showing in the November midterm elections – keeping the Senate majority and limiting Republican gains in the House – has bolstered his position as the party’s standard bearer. A number of Democrats before the election sidestepped the question of whether Mr Biden should be the party’s nominee in 2024.

Although more Democrats have been backing Mr Biden’s re-election, there still has been a clamour among younger Democrats for a chance to lead. After the election, Mrs Pelosi, 82, announced that she would step down as the House Democratic leader.

Mr Biden’s 2020 opponent, Mr Donald Trump, has already announced his intention to seek the presidency again, though his standing in the Republican Party has been eroding since the midterms after some high-profile candidates he endorsed in key races lost. 

The former president also is facing a number of potential challengers for the Republican nomination, including Florida Governor Ron DeSantis.

Mr Schumer said in the CNN interview that he doubted Mr Trump could win in 2024 because “The American people have gotten wise to him.” Bloomberg