Twice-failed presidential candidate Hillary Clinton reportedly ruled out a 2024 presidential campaign in an interview with the Financial Times that was published Friday, calling it “out of the question.” But is that true if you read between the lines?
In the interview, Hillary says she expects Joe Biden to run for reelection in two years and dismissed the idea that she would launch a campaign.
“No, out of the question,” she said. “First of all, I expect Biden to run. He certainly intends to run. It would be very disruptive to challenge that.”
Does this mean that she’s not going to run? I don’t believe it.
For starters, does Hillary really believe that Biden will run for reelection? Sure, Biden says he’s going to run and reportedly told Barack Obama that he is planning to seek reelection and fancies himself the only Democrat who can beat Trump. But most Americans don’t expect him to, and nearly two-thirds don’t want him to. A plurality of voters doesn’t believe Biden is mentally fit to be president, according to a poll from Politico last year. Democrat insiders similarly dismiss the idea that Biden running for reelection is a sure thing. Last year, the Washington Post reported that some Democrats are skeptical “of any public and private signals Biden and his team send about reelection, reasoning that there is an incentive for them to project interest in a second term, regardless of his true intent, to avoid weakening his standing.”
All Hillary said was that she wouldn’t challenge Biden in a primary. But when pretty much everyone expects that Biden won’t seek reelection, dismissing the possibility of challenging Biden in a primary is relatively meaningless. So let’s stop pretending that Hillary isn’t considering losing a third bid for the White House. She’ll “answer the call” rather quickly once Biden officially announces he won’t seek reelection.
You can count on that.
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