Thanks for joining us for our coverage of Biden's campaign launch. You can read more about Biden's 2024 run here.

And don't miss our other coverage:

• Biden's new campaign launch video explained
• Biden v Trump: The sequel few Americans want to see
• Democratic voters react to Biden's 2024 run announcement

This page was edited by Alexandra Binley, Alex Therrien, Marianna Brady and the reporters today were Holly Honderich, Chelsea Bailey, Adam Durbin, Aoife Walsh, Krystyna Gajda, and Chloe Kim.

Thanks for joining us.

Mike Wendling
National digital reporter

Image source, Joe Biden/Facebook

It’s a theme that Joe Biden has returned to again and again: he's locked in a “battle for the soul” of the country against the forces of right-wing extremism.

Four years ago he launched his campaign by mentioning Charlottesville, Virginia, and the August 2017 far-right rally there. He criticised Donald Trump, who said after violence broke out and a counter protester was killed: "You had some very bad people in that group, but you also had people that were very fine people, on both sides."

“In that moment, I knew the threat to this nation was unlike any I had ever seen,” Biden said during that 2019 launch.

Now he knows that Trump is likely to be his opponent for a second time. And in today’s video he again picked up the extremism theme, starting with shots of the 6 January 2021 Capitol riot.

“When I ran for president four years ago, I said we are in a battle for the soul of America,” he said. “And we still are.”

The political debate over the Capitol riot continues, and just last week the first criminal charges were filed against torch-carrying rank-and-file marchers at Charlottesville. Expect to hear more about the battles and souls as the campaign progresses.

Sam Cabral
US reporter

When asked earlier this year to address the scrutiny he is facing over his age, Joe Biden said: "It's legitimate for people to raise issues about my age. And the only thing I can say is, watch me."

In the nearly three months since then, the American president has maintained a busy schedule - perhaps hoping to prove he is still up to the job.

During a rowdy State of the Union address in February, he gleefully jousted with Republicans as they booed and jeered his speech.

Later that month, as part of a visit with Nato allies in Poland, he made a surprise trip to Ukraine's capital Kyiv and appeared beside President Volodymyr Zelensky under the sound of air raid sirens.

In March, he was in Canada, wise-cracking in a speech before parliament.

And earlier this month, he was greeted with much fanfare during twin visits to Northern Ireland and Ireland, where he played diplomat over the Good Friday peace deal and celebrated his family ties.

But it is unclear whether any of this will matter much. An NBC News poll, external this weekend found that 70% of Americans - including 51% of Democrats - do not want him to seek a second term. Over half of those respondents cited Biden's age as a major reason why.

Holly Honderich
US reporter

Joe Biden knew that the eyes of the media would be on him today - even more than normal.

But he didn't once explicitly mention the reason we had all tuned into a relatively low key lunchtime speech in Washington DC: his 2024 presidential run is now official.

Instead, the Democrat used his platform today for an unofficial campaign speech, aimed at one of his biggest voting blocs - union workers and blue collar voters.

"I make no apologies for being labelled the most pro-union president American history," he told the crowd.

He also ran through some of his administration's greatest hits, including a Covid-19 relief package called the American Rescue Plan and the bipartisan infrastructure bill.

And he aimed fire at Republicans, criticising them for using America's debt ceiling as a negotiating tactic.

While he didn't explicitly mention his presidential bid, the crowd clearly got the message, interrupting Biden a few times with chants of "four more years".

"There's more to do, so let's finish the job," Biden said.

We went out in New York to ask Americans how they felt about President Biden seeking a second term.

President Biden has finished his speech after speaking to union workers for about 40 minutes - we'll be bringing you analysis shortly.

Just as President Biden seems to reach his crescendo - telling the gathered audience that "it's time to finish the job" - he's interrupted by chants of "four more years, four more years".

After some applause Biden returns to his script, this time looking ahead to what a second Biden administration could do.

"We've got a lot more to do," he says, now moving to the topic of high inflation.

Joe Biden - now both a president and a 2024 presidential hopeful - is now running through his first term resume.

One of the "first things" he did was pass the American Rescue Plan, which helped "save the nation from the pandemic", he says. "We got relief to folks who needed it the most."

"They didn't think we could do it," he says to applause. "It worked."

He turns next to a bipartisan infrastructure bill.

"Under my predecessor, infrastructure week was a punchline," the president says.

"On my watch, we’re making infrastructure decade a headline."

He tells the crowd of union members they are the ones completing the more than 25,000 infrastructure projects announced under his tenure.

"Union workers are going to finish the job!" he says, again referencing what is becoming the main slogan for the Biden 2024 campaign.

Though Republicans in Congress would disagree with this success story for his first term, he's doing a good job at getting his supporters in the room excited.

Image source, None

Biden is speaking before a fairly raucuous crowd at the North America Building Trades Union (NABTU) in Washington DC.

NABTU represents more than three million workers in the building and construction industry in the US and Canada.

He is greeted by a crowd that welcomes him with chants of "let's go Joe".

Although he makes no mention of his announcement this morning, the president quickly uses his new campaign slogan - finish the job.

"Our economic plan is working," he tells the room. "And we now have to finish the job."

Joe Biden is speaking now and likely to address his 2024 bid for the White House.

Watch our stream above.

Sam Cabral
US reporter

Image source, Getty Images

It has been a rough couple of years for Joe Biden in the polls.

His approval ratings, external have been underwater - meaning his disapproval exceeds his approval - since August 2021, beginning with the withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan and getting worse as inflation spiked.

Over the past few months, Biden's favourability has stabilised with roughly 42% of voters approving of the job he has done but 52% disapproving.

That isn't the only bad news for the president.

For months, polls have shown tepid support for Biden seeking a second term.

The latest, external, from NBC News this weekend, found more than 70% of voters - including 51% of Democrats - felt that way, with most people citing his advanced age as their primary concern.

One bright spot for Biden may be that, given Democratic performances in 2020 and 2022, he is viewed as a man who can beat Republicans again, including if he is in a rematch with Donald Trump.

A CBS News poll, external on Tuesday found that even most Democrats who say he should not run again would still consider voting for him.

Sarah Smith
North America editor

Image source, Getty Images

Sequels are rarely as good as the original. We can all think of a few movie follow ups that should never have been made. American voters may have similar misgivings about the next US presidential election which looks increasingly likely to be a rerun of the 2020 contest, with the same characters in the leading roles.

Joe Biden has now confirmed he's signed up to star for the Democrats, while Donald Trump remains the clear frontrunner for the Republican nomination.

It's a story we have seen before and only very few people seem eager to watch again.

Read more here

No campaign speeches have as yet been announced for the first day of Biden's run at re-election, but the president will be speaking at a previously scheduled event with workers in a few minutes time.

He will be speaking to trade union members in Washington DC at 12:30 EST (17:30 BST), addressing his plans to help manufacturing and middle class workers.

We'll be streaming live at the top of the page.

Image source, Reuters

Republicans have been reacting to Joe Biden's announcement, putting out a series of posts on social media critical of his record in office.

Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy, the most senior member of the party in Congress, says Biden "should be focused on the future of America" rather than his own political future.

McCarthy adds the president "should have announced he will finally come to the table and negotiate a responsible debt limit increase to avoid the first default in our history" - in reference to a long-running battle in Congress over increasing the limit on the amount of money the US is allowed to borrow to pay for government spending.

Senator Ron Johnson took a simpler approach, merely sharing Biden's announcement video alongside the words: "Finish what job, destroying America?"

The Twitter account of the Republican Party itself posted a video speculating about disasters - including an "emboldened" China invading Taiwan and the collapse of the financial system - which it suggested could befall the US if the "weakest president we've ever had" wins in 2024.

Democratic presidential hopeful Marianne Williamson, an author and spiritual adviser, says President Biden's bid for re-election is "concerning",In a lengthy statement posted on Twitter, external, Ms Williamson outlined her critiques of Joe Biden's presidency and accused the Democratic Party leadership of "shoe-horning Biden into the nomination." Noting Biden's low approval ratings, Ms Williamson said, "it is imperative that the voters hear from all candidates running in this primary - not just the President".

She concluded by saying she looks forward to a "robust debate" with the president during the 2024 campaign.

Image source, Getty Images

Chelsea Bailey
BBC News, Washington

In a tweet posted shortly after President Biden announced his re-election bid, First Lady Jill Biden posted a photo outside of her classroom. "Just like four years ago - I'm off to teach and Joe's launched his (re-election) campaign!" She wrote.

Since taking office, Ms Biden has continued to work as a teacher at a community college, in addition to her role as First Lady.

Image source, First Lady Jill Biden

Sam Cabral
US reporter

Image source, Getty Images

The ascension of Kamala Harris to the US vice-presidency was a big moment.

Supporters celebrated glass ceilings being broken - the first female, first black and first Asian American vice-president in US history - and spoke of how she was in perfect position to be the country's first woman president.

But Harris, 58, has stumbled in the spotlight over the past two years.

Her public appearances and speaking engagements have been awkward; stories of high turnover and low morale on her staff have been aplenty; and she has been handed some of the administration's thorniest portfolio items, including the influx of immigrants at the southern US border.

The vice-president's backers insist she is unfairly maligned with misogynistic and sexist slander, and the White House has recently stepped up efforts both to push back against the attacks and to spotlight her leadership on the issue of abortion access.

But the damage may already be done. Her approval ratings are even lower than President Biden's and there is no question the chatter about her political future is a lot more hushed these days.

Katty Kay
US special correspondent

Image source, Getty Images

Last week I asked a senior White House official how they planned to address the issue of Biden's age - which polls suggest is a problem with even Democratic voters.

The official didn't deny there was an issue but said they are working on a couple of strategies to mitigate the problem.

One is to place Biden in situations where he seems vibrant - so expect fewer speeches behind podiums and more gatherings with small crowds where he's surrounded by people.

The second, and potentially more complex strategy, is to boost the Vice-President's approval ratings so she can be more widely used during the campaign. The official suggested that this a currently a priority in the West Wing.

Kamala Harris has been hiring new staff with input from the White House as part of that effort. The thinking is that if her popularity numbers rise, she can do more of the travel that is such a gruelling part of any presidential campaign.

But if she's unpopular, there's not much point sending her on repeated campaign trips to swing states. The White House feels cautiously optimistic that Harris has had a better month, with a successful trip to Africa and a consoling visit to Nashville after the school shooting.

The White House is fully aware of the president's age issue and knows well how strenuous US election campaigns are.

Remember, Barack Obama was 30 years younger than Joe Biden is today, when he ran for his second term in office.