He’s helping secure things for the [Democratic] base

 He’s helping secure things for the [Democratic] base

but he’s presenting himself as kind of a bipartisan, moderate person,” he said. “It’s a tough balancing act that I think he’s doing pretty well, but it means he’s not going to have huge enthusiasm among the Democratic base because he’s still trying to tilt to the middle to win those independents.”

As Biden expresses hesitancy, experts believe that the president will eventually seek re-election. And in the wake of his State of the Union address — where the 80-year-old both touted bipartisanship and took shots at Republicans — many see Biden’s potential campaign message taking shape.

Now in year three of his presidency, Biden sits above a divided congress — likely to pass little legislation. Essential to a successful 2024 bid is Biden’s ability to cooperate with Republicans when needed, but also make clear when the GOP is acting unreasonably, La Raja said.