Joe Biden Says Ireland Trip ‘Reinforced’ Plans to Run in 2024
‘MARY, I SEE THE LIGHT!’
As President Joe Biden left a raucous rally in his ancestral home in Ireland on Friday night, he told reporters that the journey abroad has “reinforced” his plans to run for re-election in 2024. Asked if the “last few days have changed your calculus on when you'll make an announcement on your plans for 2024,” the president replied, “No, no, no, no. I've already made that calculus. We’ll announce it relatively soon. But the trip here just reinforced my sense of optimism about what can be done.” Pressed further on whether he has made a “decision” to run, Biden shot back, “I told you my plan is to run again.” The president took the stage on Friday night in the town of Ballina, where his Irish ancestors were born, to wild cheers and the strains of the Dropkick Murphys’ “I’m Shipping Up the Boston” and exclaimed, “Mary, I see the light!” as he waved to the crowd. “Our world today stands at an inflection point where the decisions we make today are going to affect our futures for decades to come,” he said in his speech. “And it’s in these moments where we need hope and courage more than ever.”