Joe Biden unsure if he has the 'emotional fuel' to run for president

Vice President Joe Biden.
(Image credit: Mark Wilson/Getty Images)

During a conference call with Democratic National Committee members on Wednesday, Vice President Joe Biden said he doesn't know if he has the "emotional fuel" to run for president, following the death of his son.

The call was set up to discuss the Iran nuclear deal, but talk soon turned to the presidential race. A person on the call confirmed to CBS News that Biden said: "If I were to announce to run, I have to be able to commit to all of you that I would be able to give it my whole heart and my whole soul, and right now, both are pretty well banged up." Biden's 46-year-old son, Beau, died in May from cancer, and a supporter told CBS News that Biden would need the approval of his family before running.

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Catherine Garcia, The Week US

Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.