CLEARING THE FIELD

Why a President most voters say shouldn't run faces no real party challenge

- BRIAN BENNETT

IN EARLY JANUARY, PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN called a Cabinet meeting in the West Wing of the White House. Over the holidays, a wave of flight cancellations by Southwest Airlines had left thousands of Americans stranded at airports for days. The face of the government response on cable news had been Biden's Transportation Secretary and onetime rival for the Democratic nomination, Pete Buttigieg, who had been one of the Administration's most visible talking heads for months. Multiple clips of Buttigieg holding his own against combative anchors had gone viral. When Biden saw Buttigieg, the President flashed his unnaturally white teeth.

"Hey, TV," Biden tossed at Buttigieg, say two people familiar with the meeting. It was a targeted jibe. Officials in the room saw it as a good-natured reminder to Buttigieg that while it was his job to be out in front of a bad news cycle, he was representing Biden, not himself.

The subtle moment spoke volumes about how Biden has managed to clear the field for a re-election bid that many in his party never wanted. A year ago, the conventional wisdom was that Biden might run again, but that he would have to fend off serious challengers in a contested primary, including possibly figures from within his own Cabinet.