‘My plan is to run for re-election,’ says Biden in his long-awaited first press conference

Joe Biden last night committed to running for re-election in 2024, when he would be 81 years old.

In his long-awaited first press conference as president, Mr Biden defended his handling of an immigration crisis at the Mexico border. He said he was “flattered” that migrants thought he was a “nice guy” but “nothing had changed” in terms of letting them in.

He also announced a new target of delivering 200 million coronavirus vaccines in his first 100 days.

Ratcheting up tensions with China, Mr Biden condemned Beijing for human rights violations and said president Xi Jinping “doesn’t have a democratic bone in his body”.

The president also suggested a goal of removing US troops from Afghanistan by May 1 would be missed but did say he did not envisage them being there next year.

Asked if he would run for the White House again, Mr Biden said: “The answer is yes, my plan is to run for re-election, that is my expectation.”

He added: “I’m a great respecter of fate. I’ve never been able to plan three-and-a-half, four years ahead for certain.”

The president was also asked if he expected Kamala Harris to again be his running mate next time.

He said: “I would expect that to be the case. She’s doing a great job, she’s a great partner.”

Mr Biden is already the oldest person ever elected US president.

He said he had “no idea” if he would be running once more against Donald Trump. “I don’t even think about it. I’ve no idea if there’ll even be a Republican party – do you?”

Mr Biden was questioned repeatedly over increasing numbers of children being held in custody after crossing the border from Mexico.

Nearly 5,000 children are in crowded border stations awaiting transfers to overwhelmed government shelters. He said they were not coming because of the perception that he was a “nice guy” and would let them in, but because of conditions in their own countries in Central America.

Mr Biden said the vast majority of migrants caught at the border were turned back but Mexico was not accepting some of them. He said no previous administration, apart from Mr Trump’s, had refused to give care and shelter to children arriving.

“I know it’s ambitious, twice our original goal,” he said. “No other country in the world has even come close.”

Mr Biden said China was trying to become the leading, wealthiest country in the world and it “won’t happen on my watch”. He said the Chinese president “doesn’t have a democratic bone in his body but he’s a smart, smart guy”.

“I told him in person on several occasions we’re not looking for confrontation, though we know that there will be stiff competition.”

On recent missile launches by North Korea, Mr Biden said: “If they choose to escalate, we will respond accordingly.”

He was prepared for “some form of diplomacy” but it would have to be “conditioned upon the end results of denuclearisation”. The president said he believes the US Senate should make it harder to use a parliamentary tactic called the filibuster.

It requires 60 votes to advance most legislation in the 100-seat chamber. He called the long-standing rule an obstacle to progress that is being abused by senators “in a gigantic way”.

Following two recent mass shootings in Georgia and Colorado, Mr Biden said gun control measures would be a matter of “timing” but he intended to pursue them.

Online Editors