BIDEN RE-ELECTION BID NOT OFFICIAL, BUT FUNDRAISING TO BEGIN, SAYS SOURCE

WASHINGTON, United States - United States (US) President Joe Biden, who has not yet announced any plans to run for re-election, though he's openly considering another campaign, will attend two Democratic fundraising events next week, a party source told AFP.

Biden will head to New York on Tuesday and Philadelphia on Friday to meet with wealthy supporters, hoping to convince them to donate to the Democratic Party ahead of the 2024 US elections.

These fundraisers, which are fuelled by hundreds of millions of dollars in private donations, are essential in American political campaigns.

Despite Biden's official silence, the structure of a presidential run is slowly taking form around him.

In December, the president convinced the Democrats to change up their primary schedule to a configuration that could give more power to black voters, a bloc that proved indispensable for Biden's 2020 win over Donald Trump.

Biden, who at 80 is already the oldest sitting US president, has so far only said he "intends" to run again, and has promised he will make his final 2024 decision public early 2023.

Political observers predict he could make an announcement after his State of the Union speech, when US presidents traditionally lay out their upcoming political agenda to a joint session of Congress, scheduled for 7 February.