White House says Obama might take sides in a Biden vs. Clinton match-up

Should Vice President Joe Biden opt to jump in the 2016 presidential race, Obama has a tough choice to make: Will he support his running mate, or his former secretary of state, Hillary Clinton? While the easiest answer may be to simply endorse neither, White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest said at a Monday briefing that the notion of Obama endorsing a candidate in the Democratic presidential primary should not ruled out, as he does plan to vote in the Illinois primary.

Earnest would not, however, give an answer as to which candidate Obama would endorse, though he did speak quite fondly of Biden. "The president has indicated his view that the decision he made, I guess, seven years ago now, to add Joe Biden to the ticket as his running mate was the smartest decision that he had ever made in politics," Earnest said. "And I think that should give you some sense of the president's view of Vice President Biden's aptitude for the top job."

The press secretary went on to highlight Biden's previous experience running for president and commented that "you could make the case that there is probably no one in American politics today who has a better understanding of exactly what is required to mount a successful national presidential campaign."

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

However, Earnest also pointed out that Obama has spoken warmly of Hillary in the past, even if he has yet to endorse her. Biden is expected to announce his decision in the coming month. Becca Stanek