(Washington) Nobody in the White House will tell you openly that Joe Biden will announce his candidacy for a second term on Tuesday. But no one will tell you otherwise either.
Joe Biden himself is having fun.
Asked Friday by AFP in the gardens of the White House to know if he will make this announcement, he simply replied: “I don’t know. »
The American president, who nevertheless insists on having “the intention” to represent himself, continues to maintain the suspense around the exact timing of his announcement.
Several American media, starting with the Washington Post, quoted several anonymous sources on Thursday to discuss next week’s deadline.
These rumors, which agitate all of Washington, are obviously to be taken with a grain of salt: January, February, early April… The Biden camp has already hinted several times that an announcement was imminent, without it ever materializing.
But the latest speculation seems to have something different, as Tuesday’s date owes nothing to chance. April 25 will be the fourth anniversary, to the day, of Joe Biden’s last campaign entry, at the end of which the Democrat deprived Donald Trump of a second term.
Announcing a new candidacy on this date, even though the Americans could attend a remake of the 2020 duel, would be a strong symbol.
There are currently no campaign events on the president’s agenda for next week. But his schedule also seems very compatible with this possible announcement, especially if it is made by video, which several American media suggest.
On Monday, Joe Biden will preside over a ceremony decorating teachers. He will also receive three elected officials from Tennessee who had demonstrated in their local assembly against the repeated shootings that mourn the country.
Education and gun regulation are two of Joe Biden’s top priorities.
On Tuesday, the day of the possible announcement, the president is scheduled to speak in front of a union to share his vision on one of his main leitmotifs: how to bring “manufacturing jobs” back to the United States and “rebuild the middle class”.
The next day, he will receive South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol for a state dinner, an event he might be tempted to use to distance himself from his predecessor Donald Trump, known for his meetings with North Korean Kim Jong. -A.
All of these elements make this week an auspicious time for Joe Biden. But do not ask his spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre for any confirmation.
She immediately agitates an American law, which prohibits federal employees from getting involved in political campaigns.
“I know there’s a lot of interest around this whole thing,” she said during her daily press briefing on Friday. “I obviously understand all the questions,” the spokeswoman said.
“But when it comes to the president’s plans for 2024, I just want to say that federal law prohibits me from speaking on campaign-related topics from this desk,” she said.
His refusal to answer prompted reporters to ask the question in a more original way.
“How did the President plan to mark the fourth anniversary of his last candidacy? “Who can answer our questions about 2024?” “, launched the journalists.
“I have nothing to say about 2024,” said Karine Jean-Pierre. “Anyway, it won’t come from this desk.” »
