President Joe Biden during the news conference marking his first year in office confirmed the Kamala Harris will be his running mate in 2024. 

When asked if he was satified with the Vice President’s work on voting rights and if she would be his running mate in 2024, Biden said, “Yes, and yes.”

Also read: US President Joe Biden to give away 400 million N95 masks starting next week

“She’s going to be my running mate, number one. And number two, I did put her in charge [of voting rights]. I think she’s doing a good job,” he added.

Biden, at 78, was the oldest presidential candidate to be elected in 2020. He will be nearing his 82nd birthday in 2024. The White House had last year confirmed that the Democrat intends to run for re-election. 

Also read: A year of Joe Biden’s presidency: Lofty ambitions, unfulfilled promises

“He is. That’s his intention,” White House press secretary, Jen Psaki said on Thanksgiving last year.

When asked about the challenges the White House faced during his first year, Biden said he didn’t overpromise. He addressed issues including a historic rise in inflation, a stalled domestic agenda and a rise in COVID-19 cases during the conference.

“I didn’t overpromise. What I have probably outperformed what anybody thought would happen. The fact of the matter is that we’re in a situation where we have made enormous progress. You mentioned the number of deaths from COVID. Well, it was three times that not long ago. It’s coming down. Everything is changing. It’s getting better,” Biden said.

Also read: Before pullout, watchdog warned of Afghan air force collaps

He also acknowledged that the pandemic has left Americans exhausted and demoralised. He said that he believes important parts of the Build Back Better plan will be passed before the 2022 midterm elections and voters will back Democrats if they are fully informed — an assignment he said he will pursue by traveling the country.

The president began the news conference by reeling off early successes on coronavirus relief and a bipartisan infrastructure deal. But his economic, voting rights, police reform and immigration agenda have all been thwarted in a Democratic-controlled Senate, while inflation has emerged in the past year as an economic threat to the nation and a political risk for Biden.

Despite his falling approval numbers, Biden claimed to have “probably outperformed what anybody thought would happen” in a country still coping with the coronavirus.

“After almost two years of physical, emotional and psychological impact of this pandemic, for many of us, it’s been too much to bear,” Biden said. “Some people may call what’s happening now ‘the new normal.’ I call it a job not yet finished. It will get better.”

With inputs from the Associated Press