Chris Lange, FISM News

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President Joe Biden said he would run for reelection in 2024, but stressed that it is only an ‘intention” during a 60 Minutes interview on Sunday.

The comment is a departure from previous assertions both he and White House aides have made concerning his intention to seek a second term. He also declared that the “pandemic is over” and vowed to tame inflation in the interview, which was taped on Thursday evening.

Despite a series of softball questions from CBS correspondent Scott Pelley, the White House was forced to continue the trend of walking back Biden’s comments, this time an assertion that the U.S. would defend Taiwan in the event of an invasion by China.

Biden says decision to seek reelection is ‘just an intention’

During the rare television interview, Biden told Pelley that he intends to seek a second term in office in 2024 but added that it is “much too early” to make a “firm decision.”

“My intention, as I said to begin with, is that I would run again. But it’s just an intention. But is it a firm decision that I run again? That remains to be seen,” Biden said.

“I’m a great respecter of fate. And so, what I’m doing is I’m doing my job. I’m gonna do that job. And within the timeframe that makes sense after this next election cycle here, going into next year, make a judgment on what to do,” the President continued.

Biden also pushed back when asked about critics who have questioned his fitness for the job.

“Watch me. If you think I don’t have the energy level or the mental acuity, then, you know, that’s one thing. It’s another thing, you just watch and, you know, keep my schedule. Do what I’m doing,” Biden said.

“I respect the fact that people would say, you know, ‘You’re old,’” Biden continued. “And — but I think it relates to how much energy you have, and whether or not the job you’re doing is one consistent with what any person of any age would be able to do.” Biden will be 81 years old in 2024.

FISM previously reported that a July CNN poll found that 75% of Democrats don’t want Biden to seek a second term.

WH forced to walk back Biden assertion that US will defend Taiwan against China

Biden also said that the U.S. military would defend Taiwan in the event that China invades, prompting the White House to walk the comment back immediately after the interview.

“[W]ould U.S. forces defend the island?” Pelley asked the President.

“Yes, if in fact there was an unprecedented attack,” Biden replied.

“So unlike Ukraine, to be clear, sir — U.S. forces, U.S. men and women, would defend Taiwan in the event of a Chinese invasion?” Pelley clarified.

“Yes,” Biden said.

Following the interview, a White House spokesperson said that the U.S. policy towards Taiwan had not changed.

“The president has said this before, including in Tokyo earlier this year. He also made clear then that our Taiwan policy hasn’t changed. That remains true,” the spokesperson said.

The State Department revised its Fact Sheet on Taiwan in May 2022, stating that the independent island nation is part of China and that the U.S. “does not support” Taiwan’s independence. 

Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said Beijing was “strongly dissatisfied and resolutely opposed” to Biden’s comments and had lodged a formal complaint over it, she said, asserting that China is entitled to take any measures deemed necessary to counter what it considers to be Taiwan’s separatism.

Taiwan’s foreign ministry expressed its thanks to Biden for confirming the “U.S. government’s rock-solid security.”

Biden: ‘pandemic is over’

The President also told Pelley that the “pandemic is over” during the wide-ranging interview. 

“We still have a problem with COVID. We’re still doing a lot of work on it … but the pandemic is over,” he said, pointing out that no one’s wearing masks. Everybody seems to be in pretty good shape. So I think it’s changing. And I think this is a perfect example of it.”

The comments, however, seemed to be at odds with his administration’s extension of the public health emergency declaration for the pandemic through Oct. 13 and Biden’s recent call to Congress to provide an additional $22 billion in emergency COVID-19 relief, despite evidence of widespread fraud.

President doubles down on claim he had no foreknowledge of Mar-a-Lago raid

Pelley also broached the subject of last month’s FBI raid on former President Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort, asking Biden if he had been “briefed on the top-secret documents” seized in the raid, to which the President replied with a simple “no.”

Pelley then asked if anyone in his administration had warned him about national security secrets alleged to have been discovered at Mar-a-Lago.

“I have not personally spoken to anyone on that regard,” Biden said. “I am sure my administration is aware of all that and so is the National Security Council, but I am not.”

Pelley proceeded to ask Biden what he thought when he saw a widely-circulated photo produced by the Justice Department showing documents with classified markings spread out on the floor of Trump’s Florida home. 

“How anyone could be that irresponsible, and I thought what data may be in there that could compromise sources methods,” he said. “By that, I mean names of people who helped, etc. It was just totally irresponsible.”

Biden vows to tame inflation but says economy still strong

During the interview, the President vowed to “get control of inflation,” currently at 8.3% year-over-year, but said that the economy is not as bad as some might think.

“Let’s put this in perspective. Inflation rate month to month was just an inch, hardly at all,” Biden said. 

“We’re in a position where, for the last several months, it hasn’t spiked. It has been basically even,” he continued, touting job numbers, the recently-passed chip manufacturing legislation, and lowering fuel costs.

This article was partially informed by CBS,  Reuters, The New York Post, Newsweek, and Axios reports.