Joe Biden Rules Out 2020 Presidential Run, At Least For Now
Former Vice President Joe Biden addressed the speculation that he will jump into the sea of potential contenders to oppose President Donald Trump in the 2020 election. Biden’s name has popped up many times as the nation anticipates this next presidential election, and when asked during an event in London on Wednesday, the Democrat gave something of an answer.
CNN details that Obama’s vice president was asked whether he might be the best potential opponent against President Donald Trump, specifically when it comes to foreign policy. Joe Biden asserted that there are quite a few people within the Democratic Party who could beat Trump. He added that he can’t think of a potential nominee who doesn’t have a better grasp of American foreign policy than Trump does.
Within his response, he noted that he is not an aspiring candidate for that 2020 presidential run “at this point.” Of course, the fact that Biden insists he’s not planning a presidential run at this moment doesn’t fully guarantee that he won’t head down that path at some point down the road.
Previously, Biden has said that he won’t make a decision about a 2020 run until after the upcoming 2018 midterms. President Trump has attacked Biden numerous times, insisting that he would love to run against the former vice president. At a recent rally, Trump leaned on his long-running habit of making up critical nicknames for his foes, referring to Biden as “Sleepy Joe.”
Joe Biden: "There are many people in the Democratic Party who can defeat Trump & not a single aspiring candidate that I can think of for the nomination – and I am not one at this point – does not have a better understanding and formulation of American foreign policy than @POTUS." pic.twitter.com/2Xk53WADMU
— The Hill (@thehill) October 10, 2018
This remark that he is not currently an aspiring presidential candidate for 2020 likely won’t eliminate the speculation about Biden potentially running. Many had hoped he would throw his hat in the ring in 2016. However, the former vice president decided at the time that he needed to focus on his personal life as his son Beau had just died.
While many Democrats love Biden and would love to see him as president, he’s currently 75-years-old. A fair number of Democrats are quite vocal about wanting someone younger and fresher to run, discounting other potential candidates like Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren as well.
https://twitter.com/cfcpac/status/1050037128795549697
As the Washington Post recently detailed, there is no shortage of names when it comes to speculation regarding 2020. Former New York mayor Michael Bloomberg has just changed his affiliation from Independent to Democrat, a move that certainly points toward a run. Other potential candidates include the likes of Eric Holder, Terry McAuliffe, Sherrod Brown, Amy Klobuchar, Kamala Harris, Cory Booker, Kristen Gillibrand, and a host of others.
Right now, Joe Biden insists that he is focused on the midterms and he has been making numerous appearances to support current candidates. Will the former vice president ultimately throw his hat in the ring for the 2020 presidential election? It won’t be long before potential candidates start to get serious about a run and many will be watching to see what Biden decides to do.
