Biden tells Al Roker ‘I plan on running’ in 2024

WASHINGTON — President Biden told America’s most famous weatherman Monday that he forecasts a 2024 re-election campaign — but a launch date isn’t yet on his radar.

“I plan on running, Al, but we’re not prepared to announce it yet,” Biden, 80, said in an interview with “Today” show meteorologist Al Roker ahead of the White House Easter Egg Roll.

Biden already is the oldest-ever president and would be 86 if he completes a full second term in 2029 — nearly 21 years over his age cohort’s threshold for full Social Security retirement benefits.

The president has repeatedly said he “intends” to run, but his advanced age and questions about his mental acuity have led to doubts among fellow Democrats.

A former White House official told Reuters last month that Biden intends to seek a second term in part because he’s concerned that Vice President Kamala Harris may not be able to beat former President Donald Trump, 76, who is seeking the Republican nomination.

“If he did not think she was capable, he would not have picked her. But it is a question of consistently rising to the occasion,” that former official said. “I think his running for re-election is less about her and more about him, but I do think that she and the Democratic bench [are] a factor.”

So far, only anti-vaccine activist Robert Kennedy Jr., the son of the assassinated 1968 presidential candidate and former US attorney general, and Oprah Winfrey’s former spiritual guru Marianne Williamson have announced long-shot Democratic primary bids.

If Biden were to back out before the early 2024 caucus and primary season, there could be a mad scramble for the Democratic nomination. Potential contenders include Harris, 58, California Gov. Gavin Newsom, 55, Colorado Gov. Jared Polis, 47, Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar, 62, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, 41, and New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy, 65.

Trump, meanwhile, is the front-runner for the 2024 GOP nomination — with last month’s unprecedented indictment filed against him by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg appearing to give him a boost in the polls.

The ex-president faces declared challenges by former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, 51, former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, 72, and entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, 37. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, 44, is widely regarded as the most obvious electoral threat to Trump — and is expected to launch his candidacy next month.