Special Climate Envoy John Kerry is expected to step down from his role in the coming weeks — and hit the campaign trail alongside President Joe Biden to tout the Biden administration’s efforts with regard to climate change.
Axios first reported that Kerry, 80, was planning to shift into campaign mode on Saturday — mainly because he said that the climate was a key issue, and he feared that green initiatives would lose any momentum they may have had if Biden were to lose his 2024 re-election bid.
Breaking News: John Kerry will step down as U.S. special envoy for climate, two people familiar with his plans said. He is widely expected to get involved in the 2024 presidential campaign. No successor has yet been tapped. https://t.co/9rB7rqJ0W4 pic.twitter.com/GepYxA5zJX
— The New York Times (@nytimes) January 13, 2024
Kerry, according to Axios, informed the president of his “plans to help tell the climate story in the context of Biden’s campaign” during a meeting at the White House last week to recap last month’s COP28 climate conference.
He reportedly thanked Biden for choosing him to take on the role of Climate Envoy — and congratulated the president on his efforts to aid the climate agenda in his own policies and championed legislation.
The New York Times also reported on Kerry’s likely next steps, saying that he was expected to remain in his current role at least long enough to attend next week’s World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland — as well as the International Energy Agency’s upcoming meeting in Paris in February.
Kerry, who previously served as Secretary of State under former President Barack Obama, will not be the only Obama administration alum on the campaign trail for Biden. Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is also expected to stump for Biden in the coming months.
“Clinton is popular with women and key parts of the Democratic base and remains a fundraising draw who can help ensure Biden has the money to get his message out. There is still a two-for-the-price-of-one theme when it comes to her family: Husband Bill Clinton made a cameo at the fundraising event at their Washington home,” NBC News reported.
But as some have noted on social media, both Clinton and Kerry also have something else in common: they both lost their own presidential bids. Clinton lost to former President Donald Trump in 2016 — after losing the 2008 primary to Obama — and Kerry lost to George W. Bush in 2004.