Biden Will Seek Re-election, Setting Up Possible Rematch With Trump

President Biden formally announced that he would seek a second term, pitching himself as the Democrat best positioned to keep Donald Trump from reclaiming the White House.

In the three-minute, four-second video, Mr. Biden says he has spent his first years in office fighting for democracy and freedom. And he warns that “MAGA extremists” around the country — using Mr. Trump’s “Make America Great Again” slogan — threaten those freedoms.

“When I ran for president four years ago, I said we are in a battle for the soul of America. And we still are,” Mr. Biden says in the video, adding later: “That’s why I’m running for re-election.”

The formal declaration of Mr. Biden’s candidacy comes four years to the day after he said he would seek the presidency in 2019, asserting at the time that it was vital to prevent Mr. Trump from winning a second term.

Mr. Biden succeeded in 2020.

The president does not mention Mr. Trump by name in the video. But the subtext is clear — it starts with scenes of the Jan. 6 assault on the Capitol. When Mr. Biden says the words “MAGA extremists,” the screen flashes a picture of Mr. Trump with his arm on the shoulder of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, another potential Republican rival.

“Every generation of Americans has faced a moment when they’ve had to defend democracy,” Mr. Biden says. “Stand up for our personal freedoms. Stand up for the right to vote and our civil rights. And this is our moment.”