Biden Spills The Beans About 2020 To Colbert

In his first talk show appearance since the election of Donald Trump, Vice President Joe Biden appeared on Stephen Colbert's The Late Show on Dec. 6. During the segment, America's cherished uncle aimed to set the record straight about comments he made the previous day regarding a potential 2020 presidential run against the current President-Elect. Could the potential for a Biden presidential run be just another of the VP's jokes? Biden told Colbert about his 2020 plans and officially made things even more confusing.

During the interview, Biden clarified comments he made the day prior that hinted he might run for president in 2020. While sitting in Colbert's interview chair for the last time as vice president, Biden said that he doesn't plan to run in 2020, but isn't ruling out the possibility:

I don’t plan on running again, but to say you know it’s going to happen in four years I just think is not rational.

He followed the statement up by saying he can't envision a scenario that would result in him running, but that he also learned long ago to "never say never." The coy statement, which Colbert aptly called "the sound of a door creaking open," is a tried-and-true tactic — whether it's Jay-Z continuing to tour and release music after "retiring" or Hillary Clinton reneging on her decision not to run for president, this sort of flirtation leaves the possibility of a Biden presidential run open while abstaining from making promises.

Adding to the "will he or won't he" speculation about 2020, Biden also made a few jokingly-disparaging remarks about Trump's "fitness," though whether he was speaking about the president-elect's physique or his extreme lack of qualification remains to be seen:

Hell, Donald Trump’s going to be 74, I’ll be 77 — and in better shape. What the heck?

Biden went on to express that his decision not to run in 2016 following the death of his son Beau was necessary, but that he does think he would have been well-poised to become president.

Do I think that I was best prepared at this moment to lead the country? I did, because I thought the issues of the greatest concern were in my wheelhouse, things I’ve dealt with my whole career. So in that sense, I’m disappointed that I’m not going to be in a position to be making some of those decisions, but I don’t regret the actual decision.

Biden and Colbert are old chums, and their cozy teaser proves that these two funnymen on either side of the political-media divide are birds of a feather. Here's hoping for some excellent on-air political commentary from Uncle Joe in 2017 and many years beyond.