Did Joe Biden leak that his son Beau wanted him to run for president?

When The New York Times published the Aug. 1 column, "Joe Biden in 2016: What Would Beau Do?" talk of a Biden presidential run hit a fever pitch. The column, written by Maureen Dowd, revealed a tender moment between Biden and his dying son Beau in which, Dowd writes, Beau "tried to make his father promise to run, arguing that the White House should not revert to the Clintons and that the country would be better off with Biden values." Now, multiple sources tell Politico that the source of the story that effectively "marked a turning point in the presidential speculation" surrounding Biden was none other than the veep himself.
The revelation that Biden spoke directly to Dowd and told her the story — if true — casts the subsequent series of events in a different light. As Politico puts it, "It was no coincidence that the preliminary pieces around a prospective campaign started moving right after that column" because "Biden had effectively placed an ad in The New York Times."
Biden's grappling with his 2016 decision is tinged by grief no doubt; but what this revelation shows is that while Biden has been mourning, he's also been strategizing. “Calculation sort of sounds crass, but I guess that's what it is," a source who had recently spoken to Biden told Politico. "The head is further down the road than the heart is."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

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.
Read the full story over at Politico.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Slovakia's growing bear problem
Under The Radar Government officials back plan to cull animals after latest death
By Elizabeth Carr-Ellis, The Week UK Published
-
Greenland: Sending in the advance guard
Feature The Vice President's 3-day trip to Greenland was cut short after facing backlash from local officials and residents
By The Week US Published
-
Free speech: The case of Rumeysa Ozturk
Feature The Turkish student was confronted by masked federal agents and transported in an unmarked vehicle
By The Week US Published
-
Judge orders US to recall deported migrant
Speed Read The Trump administration has been ordered to retrieve one of the migrants it sent to a prison in El Salvador due to an 'administrative error'
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Trump calls tariffs 'medicine' as stocks plunge
Speed Read 'Sometimes you have to take medicine to fix something,' the president said of his imposed 10% tariffs on imported goods
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Trump axes NSA head, NSC staff after Loomer advice
Speed Read On the recommendation of Laura Loomer, Trump fired the head of the National Security Agency and several National Security Council officials
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Trump says tariffs 'going very well' as markets fall
speed read US financial markets had their biggest one-day drop since the advent of Covid-19
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Trump rolls out tariffs on virtually all imports
Speed Read On "Liberation Day," Trump announced a 10% baseline tariff on all imports to America and higher reciprocal tariffs for some 60 other countries
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Sen. Booker's 25-hour speech beats Thurmond
Speed Read He spoke for the longest time in recorded Senate history, protesting the Trump administration's policies
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Bondi seeks death penalty for Luigi Mangione
Speed Read Mangione was charged with fatally shooting UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson last year
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Democrats win costly Wisconsin court seat
Speed Read Democrats prevailed in an election for the Wisconsin Supreme Court despite Elon Musk's robust financial support of the Republican candidate
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published