US first lady Jill Biden gave one of the clearest indications yet that President Joe Biden would run for a second term, telling The Associated Press in an exclusive interview on Friday that there is “pretty much” nothing left to do but figure out the time and place for the announcement.
Although Mr Biden has long said that it is his intention to seek re-election, he has yet to make it official, and he has struggled to dispel questions about whether he is too old to continue serving.
Mr Biden would be 86 at the end of a second term.
“He says he’s not done,” the first lady said in Nairobi, the second and final stop of her five-day trip to Africa. “He’s not finished what he’s started. And that’s what’s important.”
She added: “How many times does he have to say it for you to believe it?”
Biden aides have said an announcement is likely to come in April, after the first fundraising quarter ends, which is around the time that former president Barack Obama officially launched his re-election campaign.
The first lady has long been described as a key figure in Mr Biden's orbit as he plans his future.
“Because I'm his wife,” she laughed.
But she brushed off the question about whether she has the deciding vote on whether the President runs for re-election.
“Of course he'll listen to me, because we're a married couple,” she said. But she added later: “He makes up his own mind, believe me.”
First lady Jill Biden visits Namibia — in pictures
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Ms Biden is visiting Namibia and Kenya this week as the White House seeks improved economic partnership with Africa. AFP -
US first lady Jill Biden with Namibian President Hage Geingob at the State House in Windhoek, Namibia, on February 22, 2023. AP -
Ms Biden with Namibia's first lady Monica Geingos. AP -
Ms Biden attends a wreath-laying ceremony at Heroes' Acre in Windhoek. AP -
Ms Biden is in the country as part of a commitment by President Joe Biden to deepen US engagement with the region. AP -
Heroes' Acre is one of Namibia's official war memorials. AFP -
Mr Geingob welcomes Ms Biden at the State House in Windhoek. AFP -
Ms Biden is accompanied by her granddaughter Naomi Biden. AFP -
Another view of the wreath-laying ceremony at Heroes’ Acre. Reuters -
Ms Geingos with the Bidens' granddaughter Naomi. Reuters -
The last high-level US official to visit Namibia was vice president Al Gore in 1996, the White House said. AP -
The US has fallen behind China in investment in sub-Saharan Africa, a key battleground in an increasingly fraught competition between the major powers. AFP -
Ms Biden's visit highlights the challenges facing women and young people and the food insecurity plaguing the continent. AFP -
After flying all night, the first lady and her granddaughter were feted at the airport by members of some of Namibia’s ethnic groups. Reuters -
It is Ms Biden's sixth visit to Africa, but her first as first lady. Reuters
