Joe Biden: Hillary Clinton Will Be The Next President

Joe Biden didn’t endorse Hillary Clinton today, but he came pretty close, stating that he’s confident Clinton will secure the Democratic nomination and the presidency this November.

According to CNN, Vice President Joe Biden has become the highest-ranking Obama administration official to suggest that Hillary Clinton will win the Democratic nomination – and the presidency. Both Joe Biden and the president have kept out of the race so far, other than a few quips here and there – Biden famously joked that he might be asked by Trump to serve as his VP – but today’s remarks came just before the vice president praised Senator Bernie Sanders for running a tough race.

“I think Senator Sanders has done an extraordinary job raising a whole range of issues that are important to Democratic voters as well as the American people generally. And I know that at some point, there’s going to be a conversation between Secretary Clinton and Bernie Sanders about how we move towards the convention,” said Vice President Joe Biden today, speaking with reporters at the White House.

Bernie has done well, Biden says, but he’s still confident Hillary Clinton will win the nomination and the general election against presumed Republican opponent Donald Trump. Biden commented on the state of the Democratic race, suggesting that Clinton’s victory is all but assured.

“I think everybody knows what that math is,” Biden remarked.

Could Biden endorse Clinton before the Democratic race is over? It’s not likely, given the conciliatory tone that President Obama himself has struck on the subject of the Democratic race, but given his remarks today we could see a Biden endorsement in the coming months.

“I feel confident that Hillary will be the nominee and I feel confident she’ll be the next president,” said Vice President Joe Biden today, speaking with ABC News.

The vice president reiterated though that he hasn’t endorsed Clinton and will try to stay out of the primary until Democratic voters have made up their minds.

“I’m going to let the voters cast their ballots and not, you know, not try to meddle in the few primaries that are remaining. Let the process play itself out, we’ll know soon enough. It’s not going to be that much longer,” Joe Biden said, remarking on the state of the Democratic primary.

According to Vice President Biden, Hillary Clinton will likely be the Democratic nominee, and in his estimation will probably take the White House this November. His remarks come just ahead of the West Virginia primary, one of the only remaining primary states left in the Democratic race. Despite Senator Bernie Sanders remaining in the race, Biden is doubtful that he’ll secure enough delegates in the coming primary races to unseat Hillary as the presumptive Democratic nominee.

Joe Biden: "I feel confident that Hillary will be the nominee and … the next president" https://t.co/leGfVJlba4 pic.twitter.com/IGOkam8qgd

— CNN Politics (@CNNPolitics) May 10, 2016

CBS News reports that Obama had previously called for uniting behind Hillary Clinton as recently as March, when speaking with the New York Times.

Vice President Joe Biden is “confident” Hillary Clinton will be the nominee and the next president, but it wasn’t too long ago that Biden himself was considered a contender in the Democratic race. After skirting the issue for months, Biden announced in October that he wouldn’t be running for president, despite some influencers within the Democratic Party pushing for a Biden 2016 presidential run.

“I believe we’re out of time, the time necessary to mount a winning campaign,” Biden said in October, finally putting to rest rumors of his own presidential candidacy. “While I will not be a candidate, I will not be silent. I intend to speak out clearly and forcefully, to influence as much as I can where we stand as a party and where we need to go as a nation.”

Vice President Joe Biden has clearly kept that promise today by predicting that Hillary Clinton will be the Democratic nominee and the next president of the United States.

[Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images]