Joe Biden is certain he 'would have been the best president'
While Vice President Joe Biden says he knows 2016 wasn't the right time for him to run for president, he still can't seem to stop thinking about the possibility. Biden told ABC News in an interview that aired Wednesday that before his son Beau Biden died of brain cancer in May 2015, he had every intention of launching a bid for the Democratic nomination. "I had planned on running," Biden said. "It's an awful thing to say. I think I would have been the best president."
But his decision to pass on the presidency was "the right thing, not just for my family, [but] for me," Biden admitted. "No one should ever seek the presidency unless they're able to devote their whole heart and soul and passion into just doing that," he said. "And Beau was my soul. I just wasn't ready to be able to do that."
Biden is optimistic his "cancer moonshot" will bring him similar satisfaction. He hopes that in just five years, if someone is diagnosed with the illness his son was diagnosed with, they'll survive. "It's kind of bittersweet," he said.
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.
Watch Biden's interview with ABC News, below. Becca Stanek
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
What is a bubble? Understanding the financial term.the explainer An AI bubble burst could be looming
-
France makes first arrests in Louvre jewels heistSpeed Read Two suspects were arrested in connection with the daytime theft of royal jewels from the museum
-
Argentina’s Milei buoyed by regional election winsSpeed Read Argentine President Javier Milei is an ally of President Trump, receiving billions of dollars in backing from his administration
-
Trump vows new tariffs on Canada over Reagan adspeed read The ad that offended the president has Ronald Reagan explaining why import taxes hurt the economy
-
NY attorney general asks public for ICE raid footageSpeed Read Rep. Dan Goldman claims ICE wrongly detained four US citizens in the Canal Street raid and held them for a whole day without charges
-
Trump’s huge ballroom to replace razed East WingSpeed Read The White House’s east wing is being torn down amid ballroom construction
-
Trump expands boat strikes to Pacific, killing 5 moreSpeed Read The US military destroyed two more alleged drug smuggling boats in international waters
-
Trump demands millions from his administrationSpeed Read The president has requested $230 million in compensation from the Justice Department for previous federal investigations
-
Trump nominee in limbo after racist texts leakSpeed Read Paul Ingrassia lost Republican support following the exposure of past racist text messages
-
Trump begins East Wing demolition for ballroomspeed read The president’s new construction will cost $250 million
-
Appeals court clears Trump’s Portland troop deploymentSpeed Read A divided federal appeals court ruled that President Trump can send the National Guard to Portland