US President Joe Biden to run for a second term in 2024

US President Joe Biden formally announced he is running for reelection for 2024 on Tuesday.

"Every generation has a moment where they have had to stand up for democracy," Biden said in a tweet accompanying a three-minute video. "To stand up for their fundamental freedoms. I believe this is ours."

"That’s why I’m running for reelection as President of the United States. Join us. Let’s finish the job," he added.

The 80-year-old is possibly set for a rematch against former Republican President Donald Trump. Biden beat Trump in the 2020 presidential election.

Biden's first public appearance since reelection annoucement

In his first public appearance since the announcement, Biden offered a preview of how he plans to navigate the dual roles of president and presidential candidate.

He delivered a speech at North America’s Building Trades Unions 2023 Legislative Conference in Washington, DC, to highlight his accomplishments and undercut Republican rivals.

At the same time, he showed voters he remained focused on his day job.

Vice President Kamala Harris is also scheduled to attend a a political rally on Tuesday evening in support of abortion access at Howard University in Washington. There, she is set to make the case to support Biden's reelected bid.

Biden's road back to the White House

The president had previously hinted that he would make an announcement in January. Revelations about the mishandling of sensitive official documents from his time serving as vice president, however, appeared to have thrown a shadow over any announcement plans.

Some Democrats have said that they would rather Biden didn't run, in large part due to his age, but he is not facing any serious rivals for the Democratic Party's candidacy. Biden would be 86 at the end of his second term.

Additionally, Biden faces questions over unmet promises from his first campaign that he is asking voters to give him another chance to fulfill.

He faces lingering criticism over his administation's chaotic 2021 withdrawal from Afghanistan after nearly 20 years of war, all the while as Republicans step up attacks over his immigration and economic policies.

There are questions over which candidate will win the Republican Party's nomination, although Trump is currently favored.

The Biden presidency surprised many with its unusually strong performance during last year's midterms — despite the president's low approval ratings. Nevertheless, the country is still more divided than it has been for decades.

What to expect from Biden's campaign

Biden took office with the coronavirus pandemic still raging. He plans to focus his campaign on his record there, as well as the major bills he managed to get through Congress with bipartisan support.

This includes his $1 trillion infrastructure bill and a $430 billion inflation package.

He has staked his campaign's success on "finishing the job," a phrase he has turned into a slogan, having already laid out key legislation that will likely form the backbone of his election manifesto — including a ban on assault-style weapons, lowering the cost of prescription drugs, and adding the right to abortion into the constitution after the conservative-dominated Supreme Court overturned Roe v Wade last year.

Biden has admitted that one of his goals as president — reuniting the country — has not exactly gone to plan.

 "I said I was running for three reasons," he said in January. "One was to restore the soul of America. And the second one was to rebuild the country from the middle out and the bottom down."

"Thirdly was to unite the country. The third is turning out to be the hardest," he said.

rm, ab/dj (Reuters, AP, AFP)