• Joe Biden’s top aides have been quietly building a 2024 campaign effort.
• The current plan is for a Biden re-election effort to rely heavily on the resources of the Democratic National Committee.
• The plan only has a small campaign staff.

President Joe Biden’s closest advisers have been secretly preparing a 2024 campaign effort, with increasing discussions about who may head the operation, potential themes, and structure, according to nine people involved with the preparations.

According to these sources, the current plan is for Biden’s re-election campaign to rely heavily on the Democratic National Committee’s resources and have a small campaign staff, a cost-cutting configuration that follows the model of former President Bill Clinton’s re-election bid but differs dramatically from former President Barack Obama’s.

People familiar with the discussions said Biden and his closest advisors are also using the run-up to November’s midterm elections to test potential 2024 themes, such as taking on wealthy special interests and framing his achievements in office as “promises made, promises maintained.”

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“The underlying contrast on ‘promises kept’ is clear and harsh,” said Delaware Sen. Chris Coons, a key Biden friend. “Former President Trump made so many references to restoring America’s infrastructure that it became a running gag on late-night talk shows.” President Biden was successful in enacting a solid, bipartisan infrastructure spending measure.

At the same time, sources familiar with the negotiations say the process is archetypal Biden in that it is painfully methodical and major components remain unresolved, leaving some Democrats sceptical that he will run in the end. The DNC-campaign dynamic, in particular, suggests a go-through-the-motions strategy to a Biden 2024 race in that it establishes a political operation that could immediately mobilise if he runs or shift to a different nominee if he withdraws.

“He’s running, and we’re putting in place the infrastructure for him to win,” said Cedric Richmond, a top Biden aide who transitioned from the White House to the DNC earlier this year. “Right now, it’s all about making an early investment in 2024 as we help 2022.”

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