Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in an interview published on Friday ruled out a 2024 presidential campaign, saying that her entry into the race is “out of the question.”
While speaking with the Financial Times, the former first lady and US senator said that she expected President Joe Biden to stand for reelection in two years. When asked if she could view herself launching a campaign — after unsuccessfully challenging Barack Obama for the Democratic nomination in 2008 and losing the general election to Donald Trump in 2016 — Clinton quickly waved off such a proposition.
“No, out of the question,” she said.
She continued: “First of all, I expect Biden to run. He certainly intends to run. It would be very disruptive to challenge that.”
Biden has said publicly and privately said that he intends to run for reelection in 2024.
However, a recent New York Times report detailed that some Democrats have expressed concerns about Biden’s standing among the general public as his approval ratings continue to sag and the party faces a difficult midterm climate where Republicans are set to make major gains in Congress.
Some have raised questions about Biden’s age — he is currently 79 years old and would be 86 at the end of his second term if he wins reelection — in expressing doubt in whether he will go through with a campaign.
If Biden doesn’t run, Vice President Kamala Harris would be a natural successor, but after her 2020 presidential campaign fizzled before the Iowa caucus and New Hampshire primary, some Democrats might look elsewhere for a candidate.
After a rocky first year in office, Harris’ political team sought a reset; several aides have departed the vice president’s office in recent months and she brought on longtime Democratic strategist Jamal Simmons to serve as her communications director.
Politicians who could potentially be in the mix in the event that Biden chooses not to run in 2024 include Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg; Sens. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota, Cory Booker of New Jersey, and Bernie Sanders of Vermont; and Govs. Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan, Roy Cooper of North Carolina, and J.B. Pritzker of Illinois.
Clinton later in the interview said she feels Trump will run for president again if he is up for a third White House bid.
“I think if he can he’s going to run again,” she told the Financial Times. “Follow the money with Trump — he’s raised about $130 million sitting in his bank account that he used to travel around, to fund organising against elections … I don’t know who will challenge him in the Republican primary.”
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