Joe Biden says he's the most qualified person to be president

Former Vice President Joe Biden couldn't possibly sound more like he's running for president without literally uttering the words "I'm running for president."

At the University of Montana on Monday night, Biden said he believes he is "the most qualified person in the country to be president" because "the issues that we face as a country today are the issues that have been in my wheelhouse, that I've worked on my whole life," reports CNN.

Biden went on to say that even his critics would "acknowledge" that he knows "a great deal" about the problems plaguing the nation, especially "relating to the plight of the middle class and our foreign policy."

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That might all sound like Biden is just seconds away from announcing his 2020 bid, but he stopped short of doing so, saying he has to make the decision with his family and that he'll do so in the next few weeks. "We've got to figure out whether or not this is something we can all do as a family," he said.

When a moderator raised some of the potential concerns about Biden running, including that he would be 78 years old when he took the oath of office and that he's a "gaffe machine," Biden said "none" of these potential liabilities concerns him. "I'm ready to litigate all those things," he said. "The question is what kind of nation are we becoming? What are we going to do? Who are we?"

With talk like this from Biden, who currently leads in 2020 Democratic primary polls, don't bet against seeing him throw his hat in the ring.