Ron Klain’s sobs almost confirm Biden’s 2024 run

White House chief of staff Ron Klain all but confirmed President Joe Biden’s 2024 re-election campaign as he sobbed during a farewell speech at the White House on Wednesday night.

“And as I did in 1988, in 2008, in 2020, I look forward to standing by him when he runs for president in 2024,” Klain said during the ceremony in the East Room, marking the passing of the baton to the incoming Head of State. . Staff Jeff Zients.

Klain had several emotional outbursts throughout his roughly 12-minute speech, and Biden was also seen wiping away a tear.

“I’ll try to be brief, but I can’t promise there won’t be a few tears,” Klain said, before almost immediately choking. ‘This is the best job I’ve ever had. And while it’s also the hardest job I’ve ever had, I will miss this job, our job, this mission, and most of all, this team every single day.

Klain, who began working for then-Sen. Biden 36 years ago, got emotional again when he discussed how many times in recent political history Biden had been written off.

EVERYONE HURTS SOMETIMES: President Joe Biden (left) wipes away a tear at a farewell event for White House chief of staff Ron Klain (right), who sobbed during parts of his farewell speech

During his 12-minute speech, Klain all but confirmed that Biden will be running for re-election. “And as I did in 1988, in 2008, in 2020, I look forward to standing with him when he runs for president in 2024,” he said.

Ron Klain (left) and President Joe Biden (center) embrace at Wednesday night’s East Room event as incoming Chief of Staff Jeff Zients (right) applauds

“Especially not bad, for a president and a team that was written off for dead in the winter of 2019 and for dead again in the winter of 2020 and for dead again in the winter of 2021 and for dead again the first week of November 2022,’ he said.

The earlier dates corresponded to suggestions that Biden would not be able to mount a successful presidential bid, then the rocky transition in which former President Donald Trump refused to concede the race, and finally the Democrats’ better-than-expected performance in the election. half-period.

“The president likes to say that it’s never a good bet to bet against the American people and he’s right,” Klain continued. “But what I want to say today is that it’s never a good bet to bet against Joe Biden and this team, never, ever a good bet,” Klain added, his voice cracking.

At another point, Klain offered, “I learned everything I know about how to be a good father from Joe Biden.”

And he said his favorite memory of his White House tenure is a rock, because the team was “rock solid.”

The president officially confirmed Friday that Klain would leave his post shortly after two years and be replaced by Zients, Biden’s former COVID coordinator, whose other claim to fame in politics is that he fixed Healthcare.gov during the Obama era. . .

But in DC, Zients is also known as the co-owner of Call Your Mother, a rapidly expanding bagle chain.

“Two weeks ago, I marked our anniversary here by buying everyone on the team cake,” Klain noted. “It was the second time in two years that I bought cake for everyone and people were very happy.”

“But Jeff promised to buy everyone in the White House a free bagel every day, so they’ll soon forget me,” Klain joked.

The East Room was packed with White House staff for the event.

“I want the press, I want to put an end to the rumors that the rest of the squad has not left because he is leaving,” the president joked.