Former Vice President Joe Biden hasn’t confirmed or denied whether he’s running for commander-in-chief in 2020, but he contends that he’s the most qualified person for the job.
During a stop at the University of Montana on his “American Promise” book tour, Biden discussed his presidential prospects,telling the audience that he’s toying with the idea of running in the upcoming election.
“I’ll be as straight with you as I can. I think I’m the most qualified person in the country to be president,” Biden said, according to CNN, adding that the decision to run would be one his family would make alongside him. “I’ve been doing this my whole adult life, and the issues that are the most consequential relating to the plight of the middle class and our foreign policy are things that I have — even my critics would acknowledge, I may not be right, but I know a great deal about it.”
Biden, 76, acknowledged that his age, support of the 1994 crime bill, handling of the 1991 Anita Hill hearings, and history as a “gaffe machine” may work against him, according to Politico, but the Scranton native said that “none” of the potential liabilities would scare him from running.
“I am a gaffe machine, but my God what a wonderful thing compared to a guy who can’t tell the truth,” he said. “I’m ready to litigate all those things, the question is what kind of nation are we becoming? What are we going to do? Who are we?”
The former vice president told the audience in Missoula, Mont., that he and his family would decide on a potential run “in the next six weeks to two months.”
At a Philadelphia fundraiser for U.S. Rep. Bob Brady last month, attendees cheeredwhen the congressman introduced Biden by asking, apparently referring to 2020, “Do you think he should run?”
In October, Biden stopped at the Golden Dawn Diner in Edgewater Park, N.J. to campaign for U.S. Rep.-elect Andy Kim, taking selfies and serving soup to startled customers.
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