President Joe Biden re-election: Will Kamala Harris also run?

US President Joe Biden has announced his bid “to finish the job” with re-election and vowed to protect American liberties from “extremists” linked to ex-president Donald Trump, who he beat in 2020 and might go up against in 2024.

Biden, 80, Tuesday announced his bid through a video framing next year’s election as a contest against Republican extremism, implicitly arguing “he needed more time to fully realize his vow to restore the nation’s character”.

Biden will be joined in his 2024 quest by his running mate, Vice President Kamala Harris, who was featured prominently in his campaign video.

The campaign announcement marks the fourth anniversary of the president’s first successful presidential campaign launched on April 25, 2019.

In a video, the Democratic presidential nominee said: “When I ran for president four years ago, I said we are in a battle for the soul of America. And we still are.”

“Freedom. Personal freedom is fundamental to who we are as Americans. There’s nothing more important. Nothing more sacred,” Biden said in the video.

“The question we are facing is whether in the years ahead we have more freedom or less freedom. More rights or fewer,” Biden said in voiceover narration with images of the Capitol Hill incident, and people protesting before the Supreme Court over abortion rights.

“I know what I want the answer to be and I think you do too. This is not a time to be complacent. That’s why I’m running for reelection,” he said.

His formal announcement has ended the lingering doubts about his rematch with his rival former president Donald Trump — who has been facing more than 34 criminal charges.