US: Biden to meet with top donors for reelection campaign

US President Joe Biden is reportedly set to meet with top donors ahead of an anticipated re-election campaign. The upcoming meeting is part of efforts by aides who have ramped up planning for Biden’s bid for a second term as president.

Two sources familiar with the matter, according to Reuters, said that the US leader is set to meet with top donors as aides have ramped up planning for the anticipated launch of Biden’s campaign for another presidential term in the 2024 elections. This follows Biden’s comments last week when he said he would launch his reelection campaign “relatively soon.”

People familiar with the matter said Biden could launch his reelection bid in the coming days but noted that the announcement might take longer. Donors are key to what is seen as the most expensive US presidential election so far.

Biden has laid out the themes that he likely plans to run on in another bid to secure four more years as president in political speeches and even secured a doctor’s note saying that he is “fit for duty.” Biden also told his fellow Democrats to re-order the party’s primary schedule in a way that favors his nomination and picked Chicago as the city where he may be the nominee next year. The US leader has yet to face a challenge to his nomination.

On Wednesday, Biden visited a labor union training facility in Maryland and ripped into congressional Republicans that currently control the House of Representatives for their economic plan. While Biden has avoided talking about his immediate predecessor Donald Trump and the legal battles the former Republican president is currently facing, he took a swipe at Trump by referring to his “last term - only term.”

On Thursday, Biden met with Colombian President Gustavo Petro at the White House as both leaders look to tackle issues such as immigration, climate change, and drug trafficking. Petro called on the economies in the region to lean toward clean energy, moving away from dependence on oil, coal, and gas, a part of his clean energy platform.

Biden echoed his Colombian counterpart for increased cooperation between the two countries as the US and Colombia worked together to combat international drug trafficking.