Biden says Harris will be his running mate in 2024

President Biden on Wednesday unequivocally said that Vice President Harris will be his running mate in the 2024 election, provided that he runs again.

"Yes and yes," the president said when asked if he's satisfied with Harris's work on voting rights and if he can commit that she will be his running mate.

"There's no need to," Biden said when asked if he wanted to expand on his answer during his second solo press conference at the White House.

"She's gonna be my running mate, number one. And number two, I did put in charge, I think she's doing a good job," he said, referring to Harris taking the lead on voting rights.

The timing of the press conference aligned with Senate Democrats pushing for voting rights legislation on Wednesday, making a final plea to their colleagues to support changing the filibuster in order to pass voting legislation.

Harris, to mark Martin Luther King Jr. Day on Monday, urged lawmakers to honor the civil rights giant's legacy by passing voting rights legislation.

Harris last week said she doesn't care about questions regarding the presidential ticket for the 2024 election, calling them "part of the punditry and the gossip around places like Washington, D.C."

She was asked by NBC's Craig Melvin about suggestions that Biden should team up with Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) for a bipartisan presidential ticket in 2024, which stemmed from a column in The New York Times. She said she didn't read the article, adding, "I really could care less about the high-class gossip on these issues."

Harris, though, added to the speculation about the next Democratic presidential nominee when she claimed to The Wall Street Journal last month that she and Biden had not even discussed the 2024 campaign.

Biden and his aides have repeatedly said the president plans to run for reelection in 2024, but his age, 79, and sinking approval ratings have led to constant questions about his future plans.