Democratic Rep. Maloney backtracks on not supporting Biden in 2024: ‘Mr. President, I apologize’

Rep. Carolyn Maloney, D-NY., apologized to President Joe Biden for saying she would not support a 2024 presidential run and tried to reword her statement during an interview Thursday.

After a reporter popped the question of if Biden should seek re-election during a Tuesday debate against primary opponent Rep. Jerry Nadler, D-NY, Maloney said, “I don’t believe he’s running for re-election.”

The media quickly added Maloney to the growing list of Democrats who aren’t endorsing the president. Maloney joined CNN Thursday to apologize to Biden for not supporting his potential run. “Mr. President, I apologize,” she said. “I want you to run. I happen to think you won’t be running, but if you run, when you run, I will be there 100%.”

The reporter then asked Maloney to explain why she thought he wasn’t going to run. “That was just my own personal belief… but I will support him if he runs, and it’s totally his decision… We are all entitled to our own information.”

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Maloney then went on to praise Biden and how he’s handled the presidency so far, touting the recent introduction of the “exciting” Inflation Reduction Act of 2022. 

In recent weeks, following Biden’s approval rating plummeting to a record low of 31%, Democrats have been dodging the question of if they would endorse the president in a 2024 run.

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Nadler, who running against Maloney in New York’s newly redrawn 12th Congressional District, was also asked if Biden should see re-election during the debate. 

“Too early to say. Doesn’t serve the purpose of the Democratic Party to deal with that until after the midterms,” Nadler said.

Other Democrats have either avoided committing to support Biden or outright said he should not run again for president. Rep. Dean Phillips, D-Minn, told an interviewer that instead of Biden seeking re-election, “The country would be well-served by a new generation of compelling, well-prepared, dynamic Democrats who step up.”

Rep. Angie Craig, D-Minn., agreed with Phillips that the country needs “a new generation of leadership” up and down the ballot. Phillips and Craig are both up for re-election this fall.

Rep. Tom Malinowski, D-N.J., said during a town hall, “I’m not going to opine on who should be president.” 

Rep. Tim Ryan, D-Ohio., told Fox News’ Sandra Smith: “I’m working on my own election and that’s all I’m focused on right now.”

Rep. Alexandria Ocastio-Cortez, D-NY., told CNN ealier this summer: “We’ll cross that bridge when we get to it… Should he run again, I think it’s — we’ll take a look at it.”

Maloney was the only representative to attempt to retract an apparently anti-Biden 2024 statement.

Biden, who would be 81 at the next presidential election, has not officially announced a reelection bid, though the White House has stated that he plans to run.