(CNN) — Preparations are already underway for President Joe Biden to formally announce his bid for a second term in the White House next week, with a campaign video set to be released to definitively answer the question of whether he will seek re-election and ignite a aggressive fundraising effort to help Democrats stay in the White House.
Biden’s small circle of advisers and allies is preparing for a video announcement on Tuesday that would coincide with the date the now-president announced his intention to reach the White House in 2019, according to four sources familiar with the matter.
Advisers inside and outside the White House warn that the date could still change, given unforeseen events, but the decision was reached that “it is no longer useful or necessary to avoid simply stating the obvious: he will run,” a senior official told CNN. democrat official.
As sentimental as he is fond of an anniversary, Biden approved the plan to formalize his intentions on Tuesday, four years after he returned to public service to launch his campaign in 2019.
The importance of the anniversary connection and the fact that it would occur just days before the first meeting of large donors next Friday have made the possibility increasingly likely, one of the people said.
Biden’s plan to run for re-election has not been a secret within the West Wing, even though it has not been officially announced.
His official statement, which will put an end to any lingering speculation about his intentions, sparks a battle to convince the public of his achievements and his ability to continue as president well into his eighties.
Biden said last week that he had completed his “calculus” on whether to run for re-election and would announce his intentions soon.
“I already made that calculation. We will announce it relatively soon,” Biden said as he left Ireland. He had just finished a campaign rally, one of the biggest of his career.
“The trip here has only reinforced my sense of optimism about what can be done,” the president told reporters.
“I already told you that my plan is to run again,” he added.
Biden’s advisers have been quietly preparing the infrastructure for a re-election campaign for months. The effort has been led at the White House by White House Deputy Secretary General Jen O’Malley Dillon and Senior Counsel Anita Dunn.
