Joe Biden knows he's a 2020 tease


Another day, another tease from Joe Biden.
The former vice president still hasn't told the world about his 2020 ambitions, turning everything Biden says into an opportunity to speculate about whether he's running or not. But after his Tuesday comments to the International Association of Fire Fighters in Washington, it's seems pretty clear where Biden is leaning.
Biden spoke at the group's annual meeting on Tuesday, stepping onto the stage to cries of "run, Joe, run" and a sea of signs reading the same. "I appreciate the energy you showed when I got up here," Biden said, then added "save it a little bit longer — I may need it in a few weeks," per Bloomberg's Jennifer Epstein. That prompted more cheers, to which Biden said "Be careful what you wish for." And after the event, Biden told reporters asking his 2020 plans that "we’ll announce that pretty soon."
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.
Biden came very close to running in 2016, only declining due to the recent death of his son Beau Biden. He's now "95 percent committed" to the 2020 race, and is only second guessing a run because he fears attacks on his family, people close to the former vice president have said.
If Biden enters the race, he'll have the support of the IAFF, its president tells Bloomberg. In his Tuesday speech, Biden decried President Trump's budget that would cut Medicaid funding and defended collective bargaining rights, per Bloomberg. He also addressed his recent comments saying Vice President Mike Pence is a "decent guy," saying "if you noticed, I get criticized for saying anything nice about a Republican." Read more about what Biden said at Bloomberg.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Kathryn is a graduate of Syracuse University, with degrees in magazine journalism and information technology, along with hours to earn another degree after working at SU's independent paper The Daily Orange. She's currently recovering from a horse addiction while living in New York City, and likes to share her extremely dry sense of humor on Twitter.
-
Trump vows to lift Syria sanctions
speed read The move would help the new government stabilize the country following years of civil war
-
Senate rejects Trump's Library of Congress takeover
speed read Congress resisted the president's attempts to control 'the legislative branch's premier research body'
-
Hamas frees US hostage in deal sidelining Israel
speed read Edan Alexander, a 21-year-old soldier, was the final living US citizen held by the militant group
-
White Afrikaners land in US as Trump-declared refugees
speed read An exception was made to Trump's near-total ban on admitting refugees for the white South Africans
-
Qatar luxury jet gift clouds Trump trip to Mideast
speed read Qatar is said to be presenting Trump with a $400 million plane, which would be among the biggest foreign gifts ever received by the US government
-
Trump taps Fox News' Pirro for DC attorney post
speed read The president has named Fox News host Jeanine Pirro to be the top federal prosecutor for Washington, replacing acting US Attorney Ed Martin
-
Trump, UK's Starmer outline first post-tariff deal
speed read President Donald Trump and British Prime Minister Kier Starmer struck a 'historic' agreement to eliminate some of the former's imposed tariffs
-
Fed leaves rates unchanged as Powell warns on tariffs
speed read The Federal Reserve says the risks of higher inflation and unemployment are increasing under Trump's tariffs