President Biden declines to answer on his plans for 2024, pushes back on concerns over his mental health

During President Joe Biden’s appearance on “60 Minutes” with Scott Pelley he was pressed on whether or not he would be running for re-election in 2024.

Biden avoided giving a firm answer and said that this issue is still up in the air, citing the importance of the upcoming midterms.

“Sir, are you committed to running again, or are there certain conditions that have to be right?” Pelley asked Biden.

“Look, if I were to say to you, I’m running again, all of a sudden, a whole range of things come into play that I have — requirements I have to change and move and do in terms of election laws and it’s much too early to make that kind of decision. I’m a great respecter of fate. And so, what I’m doing is I’m doing my job. I’m gonna do that job. And within the timeframe that makes sense after this next election cycle here, going into next year, make a judgment on what to do,” Biden replied.

“You say that it’s much too early to make that decision,” Pelley hit back. “I take it the decision has not been made in your own head?”

“Look, my intention as I said to begin with is that I would run again,” the president said. “But it’s just an intention. But is it a firm decision that I run again? That remains to be seen, Biden replied.

Whilst Biden’s approval rating has increased in recent polls, it still remains below 50%. Pelley asked Biden if he knew why this was the case.

“This is a really difficult time. We’re at an inflection point in the history of this country,” Biden said. “We’re gonna make decisions, and we’re making decisions now, that are gonna determine what we’re gonna look like the next ten years from now. I think you’d agree that the impact on the psyche of the American people as a consequence of the pandemic is profound. Think of how that has changed everything. You know, people’s attitudes about themselves, their families, about the state of the nation, about the state of their communities.”

He continued, “And so there’s a lot of uncertainty out there, a great deal of uncertainty. And we lost a million people. A million people to COVID. When I got in office, when I got elected, only 2 million people had been vaccinated. I got 220 million, my point is it takes time. We were left in a very difficult situation. it’s been a very difficult time. Very difficult.”

Biden was bullish when asked by Pelley about whether he had the physical and mental fitness to continue in his position.

“Watch me. And honest to God, that’s all I think. Watch me. If you think I don’t have the energy level or the mental acuity, then, you know, that’s one thing. It’s another thing, you just watch and, you know, keep my schedule. Do what I’m doing. I think that, you know, I don’t — when I sit down with our NATO allies and keep them together, I don’t have them saying, ‘Wait a minute, how– how old are you?’” Biden hit back.

Biden then went on to say: “I respect the fact that people would say, you know, ‘You’re old.’ But I think it relates to how much energy you have and whether or not the job you’re doing is one consistent with what any person of any age would be able to do.”

“How would you say your mental focus is?” Pelley enquired.

“Oh, it’s focused. I’d say it’s– I think it’s– I– I haven’t– look, I have trouble even mentioning, even saying to myself, my own head, the number of years,” Biden said. “I no more think of myself as being as old as I am than fly. I mean, it’s just not– I haven’t observed anything in terms of– there’s not things I don’t do now that I did before, whether it’s physical, or mental, or anything else.”