President Joe Biden on Thursday said he would be “very fortunate” if he were to face off against former President Donald Trump in the 2024 presidential election.
Addressing reporters at a press conference in Brussels — where the president is meeting with NATO, G-7 and European allies for emergency talks aimed at ending Russia’s war on Ukraine — Biden broke with the longstanding norm that presidents don’t talk about domestic politics while abroad.
“In the next election, I’d be very fortunate if I had that same man running against me,” Biden said.
Biden, who has long touted his decades of experience in foreign policy, has used the world stage to stand in contrast with his immediate predecessor, who was accused of harming Washington’s relationships abroad and cozying up with leaders like China’s Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin. The 2024 chatter on Thursday followed a question about whether the U.S. and its NATO allies were taking any steps to safeguard, or Trump-proof, the alliance in the event that Trump or another MAGA figure became president in 2024.
“No, that’s not how I think of this,” Biden said. “I have no concerns about the impact.”
Biden then retold the story of why he ran for president, revisiting the violent protests in Charlottesville, Va. His meandering answer then turned to his focus in 2022, to keep the Democratic majority in both the House and the Senate. He also talked about the events of Jan. 6, 2021.
“I don’t think you’ll find any European leader who thinks that I am not up to the job,” Biden then said, recalling his first trip to Europe after becoming president. That June 2021 trip was largely about sending a message to the rest of the world about America’s leadership role, its commitment to global alliance and to democracy, over the rise in authoritarianism.
The president, who will be 81 in 2024, has insisted he will run for a second term if he is in good health, as he is now. He also said in December that a rematch against Trump would make him more likely to run for president again.
“Sure. Why would I not run against Donald Trump? He’s the nominee, that increases the prospect of running,” Biden said during a December interview with ABC News.
It’s no secret that Trump is considering a bid in 2024. He hedges when asked on Fox News, but often notes that his supporters will be “very happy” with his choice. A Trump spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Biden’s remarks.
