Vice President Joe Biden said that despite his previous regrets about not running for office, he was glad not to be seeking the Democratic nomination in 2016.
“I made the right decision, I’m positive of that,” Joe Biden told the “Today” show on Tuesday morning. “The right decision for my family and in terms of timing that [was] available. And what I meant, being directly honest, was [that] I cared deeply about the plight of the middle class, and a whole range of other issues, and it’s the best floor in the world to have your views made known and convince the public of that.”
During 2015, Biden publicly struggled with his decision of whether or not to run for the nomination following the death of his son Beau. After Biden eventually decided to forgo a campaign, citing his family’s grieving process and a lack of funds as his main concerns, he expressed remorse that he would never realize his dream of commanding the Oval Office.
“Everybody thinks I’ve dreamt of being president. I’ve not dreamt of being president,” Biden said. “But here’s what’s hard to let go. From the time I’ve been 28 years old I’ve held public office … it’s hard to figure out what’s going to replace that, that sense of purpose when you’re not in this office.”
Although Biden opted out of the race in October, he pledged to remain active in the primary process in order to help a Democrat get elected. As Hillary Clinton faces investigation from the FBI, some have speculated that Biden may jump in to the race in order to save the party. But, the vice president all but ruled out that possibility.
“I’ve learned never to say no, but I can’t imagine,” Biden said, jokingly adding, “If I win the lottery maybe!”
