White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre corrected her earlier statement on whether President Biden planned to serve two full terms if he is re-elected in 2024, minutes after initially refusing to answer the question during a press briefing.
When asked by a reporter during a White House press briefing on Tuesday, Jean-Pierre responded that it was up to Biden to decide for himself and she would not get ahead of him.
"Does the president plan to serve all eight years?" a reporter questioned.
"I'm just not going to get ahead of the president. That's something for him to decide. I'm just not going to get ahead of it, and there's a 2024 campaign and anything related to that, I would refer you to [the campaign]," Jean-Pierre replied.
However after the briefing, Jean-Pierre clarified her statement on Twitter in less than an hour later and confirmed that if re-elected, Biden would serve all eight years.
"As you know, we take following the law serious. So I wanted to be sure that I didn't go into 2023 more than is appropriate under the law. But I can confirm that if re-elected, [Biden] would serve all 8 years," Jean-Pierre tweeted.
Biden's age, which is 80, had been a topic of speculation that he was planning to hand off the torch after serving a single term.
The mix-up from Jean-Pierre occurred after Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris announced their re-election campaign. The pair face a clear runway to the Democratic nomination and a possible rematch against former President Donald Trump.
Trump maintains a lead in the Republican primary, according to polls, but has not announced a running mate.
Earlier in the day, Biden's campaign released a three-minute ad announcing his candidacy. The video begins with footage from the Jan. 6 US Capitol protest and goes on to attack "MAGA extremists" across the country, who he says are "cutting Social Security," "dictating what health care decisions women can make," and "banning books."
Biden stresses that this is not a time to be complacent, and that he is running for re-election because he believes America is made up of good and decent people.
"This is not a time to be complacent. That's why I'm running for re-election. Because I know America. I know we are good and decent people," Biden is seen stressing in the video.
"And I know we are still a country that believes in honesty and respect and treating each other with dignity," he adds.
"That we're a nation where we give hate no safe harbor. And we believe that everyone is equal and that everyone should be given a fair shot to succeed in this country."