Top Democrat apologizes to Joe Biden for saying she doesn't think he'll run for president in 2024 before doubling down again: 'I happen to think you won't run'

• Rep. Carolyn Maloney said during a debate this week she doesn't think Biden will run for re-election.
• She later apologized for the remark, saying she'd "absolutely" support Biden if he ran again.

Democratic Rep. Carolyn Maloney is doubling back down on her claim that President Joe Biden won't seek the office again in 2024, just one day after apologizing for the eye-catching remark she made at a primary debate this week.

"I don't believe he's running for re-election," she said during a Tuesday debate against fellow incumbent Democratic Rep. Jerry Nadler and candidate Suraj Patel.

Maloney, the 76-year-old chairwoman of the House Committee on Oversight and Reform, sought to clarify her remarks on Wednesday, writing on Twitter that she "will absolutely support President Biden, if he decides to run for re-election."

But on Thursday, she reiterated the claim about Biden's 2024 aspirations in a morning interview on CNN.

"Mr. President, I apologize," said Maloney. "I want you to run."

"I happen to think you won't be running," she added. "But when you run, or if you run, I will be there 100%. You have deserved it. You are a great president, and thank you for everything you've done for my state, and all the states, and all the cities in America. Thank you, Mr. President."

Maloney is currently facing off against Nadler — a fellow septuagenarian and the chair of the House Judiciary Committee — after they were placed into the same district in Manhattan following redistricting.

Nadler, for his part, said during Tuesday's primary debate that it was "too early to say" whether Biden was running for re-election, and that it "doesn't serve the purpose of the Democratic Party" to address the question before the 2022 midterms.

Speculation over Biden's political future has ramped up after two Minnesota Democrats — Reps. Dean Phillips and Angie Craig — both indicated that they would like to see "new leaders in Washington."

Biden has repeatedly said that he intends to run for re-election in 2024.