President Joe Biden told Rev. Al Sharpton that he will seek a second term in a private conversation at the White House last month, the civil rights leader informed his National Action Network staff in Washington later that day.
“I’m going to do it again,” Biden said as he posed for a photograph with Sharpton, who is also an MSNBC host, in the Roosevelt Room, according to a NAN official who recounted Sharpton’s description. “I’m going.”
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While Biden allies have said he will seek re-election, he has shied away from declaring that unequivocally, at least in part to avoid triggering campaign-finance reporting laws. His remarks to Sharpton at the tail end of a meeting with the leaders of several of the nation's most prominent civil rights organizations represent a stronger assertion that he will be on the ballot again.
NBC News has reached out to the White House for comment on Biden's intentions.
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In 2020, Black voters were the key to Biden’s comeback in the Democratic primary, helping him win the pivotal South Carolina contest after he failed to take first place in the first three races in Iowa, New Hampshire and Nevada. Three days later, Biden's overwhelming support among Black voters propelled him to an insurmountable delegate lead on Super Tuesday.
