Biden opens '24 bid, with possible Trump rematch

President Joe Biden formally announced that he would seek re-election in 2024, readying a historic campaign against a Republican field dominated by his predecessor while economic uncertainty clouds his case for a second term.

Biden, 80, implored voters to let him "finish this job" he began when he took office and put aside any worries about his age. He said there is still work to do to give Americans a "fair shot" and beat back "extremists" in the Republican Party who want to cut government spending and curb abortion rights. "The question we are facing is whether in the years ahead we have more freedom or less freedom," Biden said in a video released Tuesday. "I know what I want the answer to be and I think you do too.

This is not a time to be complacent. That's why I'm running for re-election." Already the oldest person ever elected US president, Biden would be 86 at the end of a second term and faces intense scrutiny about his fitness to serve another four years in the White House. His kick-off message shows he is betting that voters will reward him for his decades of experience and record, while looking past age concerns.

Biden had long said he intended to seek a second term, making the official announcement somewhat of a foregone conclusion. He hadn't felt pressure to declare his candidacy earlier because he faced no serious opposition for the Democratic Party's nomination, his advisers said, even though polls showed large numbers of Democrats prefer he not run again in part because of his age.