Joe Biden took some not-so-subtle jabs at Hillary Clinton while bowing out of the 2016 race


Vice President Joe Biden is not running for president. But he also doesn't seem quite ready to surrender the Democratic nomination to Hillary Clinton without throwing a few punches first. Here's a look at some of the sneaky jabs he made at the Democratic frontrunner during his speech Wednesday afternoon:
1. "But while I will not be a candidate, I will not be silent."
A challenge if there ever was one! Biden appears to be hinting that he'll throw his weight behind the policies and issues he believes in — an apparent warning to the actual candidates vying for the Democratic nomination, with whom he disagrees on several key policy issues.
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.
2. "This party, our nation, will be making a tragic mistake if we walk away or attempt to undo the Obama legacy [...] Democrats should not only defend this record and protect this record. They should run on the record."
Biden's speech was big on promoting "the Obama legacy," a clear warning to other Democrats who dare to stray. Recently, Clinton has championed her political individuality and broken with President Obama on a number of issues, coming out against the Trans-Pacific Partnership (which she helped engineer as secretary of state), ObamaCare's "Cadillac tax" on premium health insurance, and the Keystone XL Pipeline.
3. "I don't believe, like some do, that it's naive to talk to Republicans. I don't think we should look at Republicans as our enemies. They are our opposition. They're not our enemies. And for the sake of the country, we have to work together."
Remember when Clinton said during the first Democratic presidential debate that Republicans are "enemies" she's been proud to have made? Well, the vice president begs to differ. "The other team is not the enemy," Biden recently said during a dinner in Washington. "If you treat it as the enemy there is no was we can ever ever solve the problems we have to."
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.
-
Violent videos of Charlie Kirk’s death are renewing debate over online censorship
Talking Points Social media ‘promises unfiltered access, but without guarantees of truth and without protection from harm’
-
What led to Poland invoking NATO’s Article 4 and where could it lead?
TODAY'S BIG QUESTION After a Russian drone blitz, Warsaw’s rare move to invoke the important NATO statute has potentially moved Europe closer to continent-wide warfare
-
Africa could become the next frontier for space programs
The Explainer China and the US are both working on space applications for Africa
-
House posts lewd Epstein note attributed to Trump
Speed Read The estate of Jeffrey Epstein turned over the infamous 2003 birthday note from President Donald Trump
-
Supreme Court allows 'roving' race-tied ICE raids
Speed Read The court paused a federal judge's order barring agents from detaining suspected undocumented immigrants in LA based on race
-
South Korea to fetch workers detained in Georgia raid
Speed Read More than 300 South Korean workers detained in an immigration raid at a Hyundai plant will be released
-
DC sues Trump to end Guard 'occupation'
Speed Read D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb argues that the unsolicited military presence violates the law
-
RFK Jr. faces bipartisan heat in Senate hearing
Speed Read The health secretary defended his leadership amid CDC turmoil and deflected questions about the restricted availability of vaccines
-
White House defends boat strike as legal doubts mount
Speed Read Experts say there was no legal justification for killing 11 alleged drug-traffickers
-
Epstein accusers urge full file release, hint at own list
speed read A rally was organized by Reps. Ro Khanna and Thomas Massie, who are hoping to force a vote on their Epstein Files Transparency Act
-
Court hands Harvard a win in Trump funding battle
Speed Read The Trump administration was ordered to restore Harvard's $2 billion in research grants