Biden is 'happy not to' run in 2020, but doesn't think any other Democrat can beat Trump – report
Former vice-president Joe Biden has reportedly said that he is the Democrats' best chance of reclaiming the White House in 2020, arguing that other candidates just don't have what it takes to challenge President Donald Trump.
Biden stoked rumors of him running for election last month, when he called himself "the most qualified person in the country to be president."
The New York Times has now reported, citing the veteran politician's allies, that he is inclined to run, and a formal announcement is likely to follow within the next two weeks. The 76-year-old politician reportedly believes he is the only viable choice the Democrats have if they want Trump out.
"If you can persuade me there is somebody better who can win, I'm happy not to do it. But I don't see the candidate who can clearly do what has to be done to win," Biden told a fellow Democrat over the Christmas break, the Times reported.
While Biden has repeatedly signaled he might consider a run, this, if confirmed, is by far the strongest indication that he is actually about to hit the campaign trail.
Biden has emerged as an early frontrunner in the unofficial race among the Democrats, according to pollsters. A mid-December poll in Iowa, the state to hold the first caucuses, showed his support at 32 percent, which is way ahead of other potential candidates, such as Bernie Sanders (19 percent), Beto O'Rourke (11 percent) and Elizabeth Warren (eight percent) who recently kicked off her first campaign tour.
Last month, Biden told a crowd at a book event in Montana that he would need "six weeks to two months" to make up his mind about whether to run, citing concerns about not being able to see his family.
"I have two young grandchildren my son left who love me and adore me and want me around. I want to be there to take care of them, so we've got to figure out whether or not this is something we can all do as a family," he said at the time.
Biden spent 36 years representing Delaware in the Senate before taking up the job as Barack Obama's VP. He will likely have to deal with slurs relating to his habit of ignoring people's personal space in public, which earned him nicknames like "Creepy Uncle Joe" and "Handsy," if he is to challenge Trump, who is an expert in leveling insults at his opponents.
Most recently Biden found himself in hot water after some accused him of sexism for calling conservative radio host Ann Coulter a "conservative blonde woman" instead of referring to her by name, like he did with male conservative commentator Rush Limbaugh in the same sentence.
While Biden prides himself on his vast experience as a state legislator, his age is also a concern for many. Biden would be nearing his 78th birthday at the end of the campaign. Speaking in Michigan in October, Biden admitted that the issue of age "is a totally legitimate thing to raise" in his case.
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