MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Biden announces he will seek reelection

“Wall Street did not build America, the middle class built America,” Biden said

US President Joe Biden Tuesday announced he would seek reelection in 2024, once again with Kamala Harris as his running mate. The Democratic leader, who will be turning 81 later this year, argued that “every generation has a time when they had to stand up for democracy, defend their fundamental freedoms: I believe this is our time,” Biden said while asking his voters to help him finish the job he has started.

Biden, who would be 86 at the end of a second term, insisted that his more than 50 years of experience in Washington will count for more than concerns about his age.

Every generation has a moment where they have had to stand up for democracy. 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. https://t.co/V9Mzpw8Sqy pic.twitter.com/Y4NXR6B8ly

— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) April 25, 2023

In his announcement video, Biden targeted “extreme MAGA Republicans,” who -he claimed- are focused on “taking away” rights and dividing the country.

The announcement comes exactly four years after he announced his run for the 2020 election. “When I ran for president four years ago, I said we are in a battle for the soul of America -- and we still are,” Biden said.

“The question we are facing is whether in the years ahead we have more freedom or less freedom, more rights or fewer,” he added.

“I know what I want the answer to be. This is not a time to be complacent. That's why I'm running for re-election. I know America and I know we are good and decent people. I know we are still a country that believes in honesty and respect and treating each other with dignity,” he also pointed out.

After his announcement on social media, Biden told labor leaders in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday that he was a pro-union president who will continue to push for more union jobs.

The Democratic leader also criticized the opposition for not voting for the American Rescue Plan, the Inflation Reduction Act, and other initiatives, which he said will cut the debt while supporting jobs that boost the middle class.

“Wall Street did not build America, the middle class built America and unions built the middle class,” Biden said to applause from attendees at North America's Building Trades Unions Legislative Conference, which represents 14 unions and nearly three million workers.

He also asked his audience to allow his administration to “finish the job” by bringing down inflation and prescription drug costs.