President Biden informed Rev. Al Sharpton that he intends to run for office again in 2024 even though he hasn’t formally decided whether to do so, according to NBC News on Monday.
In a private discussion that took place at the White House last month, the president revealed his plan, and Sharpton immediately informed his National Action Network staff about it, according to a NAN official.
According to the White House, the president met on September 2 with representatives from civil rights organizations to address a range of issues impacting both the black community and all Americans, including the cost of healthcare, policing reforms, women’s rights, voting rights, and violence.
At the White House meeting on September 2, Biden confided with Sharpton about his 2020 campaign. During a group discussion, Sharpton reminded Biden that they had previously had a talk outside of a celebration of Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday in January 2019.
In a field that included Black candidates Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey and now-Vice President Kamala Harris, Biden was looking for Sharpton’s endorsement or at the very least a guarantee of neutrality.
Then, in order to avoid making a firm commitment that he would run in 2020, Biden sought Sharpton’s guidance on the matter. However, that encounter almost four years ago convinced Sharpton that he was among the first to realize that Biden would ultimately run, as he recalled for the group at the White House.
After the civil rights gathering, Sharpton went to see Biden for a personal portrait.
Biden assured Sharpton that he was among the first to learn about the 2020 campaign and that he was correct. Then, according to Sharpton, the man said he would “do it again,”
Despite Biden’s desire for a second term, a Marquette Law School poll found that 72% of Americans oppose him running again.
