Joe Biden's name is one that's frequently brought up as a possible competitor against President Donald Trump in 2020 — and the former vice president is well aware of it. When it comes to the likelihood of him running in the 2020 presidential election, Biden has said that it's still too early to get into it. There's good news for his fans, though: Biden hasn't ruled out the possibility just yet.
In October, Biden dropped CBS News a hint about his future plans. "I don't think about the polling data," the former vice president said. "I think about whether or not I should run based on very private decisions relating to my family and the loss of my son and what I want to do with the rest of my life. But I don't think of it in terms of can I win, can I — will I lose. That's not part of the calculation."
Biden, who is 75, also said that any questions about his age were a "legitimate issue."
"I think people are going to judge it, if I were to run. I think they're gonna judge me on my vitality," Biden said. "Can I still run up the steps of Air Force Two? Am I still in good shape? Am I — do I have all my faculties? Am I energetic? I think it's totally legitimate people ask those questions."
Some may interpret Biden's public musings about a potential 2020 run as mysterious, as they don't give too much away. In December 2017, for instance, Biden told reporter David Kamp for Variety magazine, "I haven’t decided to run but I’ve decided I’m not going to decide not to run. We’ll see what happens." Kamp described Biden's response and political activities as that of someone who is "very much like a probable candidate."
Biden has also formed his own political action committee, American Possibilities, which states on its website:
It’s time to reach deep into the soul of this country and once again give everyone — and I mean everyone — the opportunity to achieve the impossible.
Even Trump has talked about a potential Biden 2020 run — and how the former vice president would be the "dream" opponent. In an interview with CBS News in July, Trump mocked Biden, saying, "I'd really like to — I'd like to run against any one of them, but Biden never by himself could never do anything. President Obama took him, made him vice president, and he was fine."
Trump also said, "President Obama took him out of the garbage heap, and everybody was shocked that he did. I'd love to have it be Biden." Biden, however, chose not to respond to Trump's mockery. Biting his tongue in October, he said, "Well, I tell you what – well, I shouldn't say anything. Age has given me some wisdom." For what it's worth, per sources that spoke with Axios in July, Trump reportedly fears the thought of running against Biden in 2020 and considers him someone who would be a formidable opponent.
Running for president is a subject that seems to weigh on Biden. In January, he expressed remorse over not running in the 2016 presidential race. "I regret it every day," he said, "but it was the right decision for my family and for me." Come 2020, Biden's fans may just want the popular politician to step into the arena.
