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."
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.
-
Today's political cartoons - January 18, 2025Cartoons Saturday's cartoons - Bondi on the Bible, climate change, and more
-
5 Senate-approved cartoons on the Trump confirmation hearingsCartoons Artists take on non-answers, drunken rhetoric, and more
-
The best new cars for 2025The Week Recommends From family SUVs to luxury all-electrics these are the most hotly anticipated vehicles
-
DeSantis appoints Florida's top lawyer to US SenateSpeed Read The state's attorney general, Ashley Moody, will replace Sen. Marco Rubio in the Senate
-
Pam Bondi downplays politics at confirmation hearingSpeed Read Trump's pick for attorney general claimed her Justice Department would not prosecute anyone for political reasons
-
Biden warns of oligarchy in farewell addressSpeed Read The president issued a stark warning about the dangers of unchecked power in the hands of the ultra-wealthy
-
Hegseth boosts hopes for confirmation amid grillingSpeed Read The Senate held confirmation hearings for Pete Hegseth, Trump's Defense Secretary nominee
-
Biden removes Cuba from terrorism blacklistSpeed read The move is likely to be reversed by the incoming Trump administration, as it was Trump who first put Cuba on the terrorism blacklist in his first term
-
South Korea arrests impeached presidentspeed read Impeached South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol has been detained, making him the first sitting president to be arrested in the country's history
-
House GOP unveils bill for Trump to buy GreenlandSpeed Read The bill would allow the U.S. to purchase the Danish territory — or procure it through economic or military force
-
DOJ releases Trump Jan. 6 special counsel reportSpeed Read Jack Smith's report details the president-elect's "criminal efforts to retain power" amid the 2020 election
