President-elect Joe Biden didn’t directly answer whether he would sign papers indicating he’ll seek reelection.
Biden had been asked whether submitting documentation would counter speculation he was a “lame-duck” president.
“I’m not going to be a lame duck. Just watch me,” Biden said Tuesday after remarks in Wilmington, Delaware.
Biden, 78, will be the oldest president sworn into office on Jan. 20. He has referred to himself as a “bridge” to the future, but he has also suggested he’ll seek a second term.
When asked about delays in announcing his pick for attorney general, Biden said, “There’s not an obvious choice in my mind.” The position has come under increasing scrutiny as Biden prepares for his administration while his son Hunter, 50, is under investigation by the United States Attorney’s Office in Delaware over his taxes.
During the wide-ranging press conference, Biden told reporters he still believes his son was the victim of a smear campaign, specifically regarding preelection stories about his business dealings in Ukraine.
The coronavirus relief package he planned on presenting to Congress next year would include stimulus checks, Biden added. He praised Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders and “his Republican colleagues” for pushing for checks in this week’s deal.
He also hinted that the Trump administration was hindering the transition process in departments other than the Pentagon, but he declined to provide specifics.
“It’s not a honeymoon at all,” he said of his first days in office, though he projected confidence that he could work with Republican leaders.
Biden continued, “They know me, they know I level with them, they know I never mislead, they know I tell them the truth, and they know I don’t go out of my way to try to embarrass.”
