Biden says 2020 decision will come 'soon'
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Joe Biden said Monday he’s closing in on a final decision about the 2020 presidential race, making preparations for a campaign but stopping short of a definitive signal he’ll run.
"I’m running the traps on this. I don’t want to make this a fool’s errand," the former vice president told the audience at a ticketed event here. "I’m a lot closer than I was before Christmas, and we’ll make a decision soon."
The former vice president remains one of the biggest wild cards in a Democratic nominating contest that grows more crowded each week. For months aides said a final decision would be made by mid-January, but Biden’s comments made clear that — as was the case four years ago – the timeline is likely to be extended frequently.
Biden’s plans are the subject of speculation even within his immediate family. Biden joked that the first thing his daughter said to him before Monday’s speaking engagement was a question: "Are we running?"
"Here’s the deal — the one thing that’s for certain is we are in my view in a battle for America’s soul," Biden told the audience. "I’m making a decision now whether or not I’m the right person because it’s important — it’s critically important that we change the atmosphere."
Biden has had limited public engagements since finishing a marathon campaign schedule on behalf of Democratic candidates in the midterm elections. Monday’s answer to a question from the audience at "An Evening With Vice President Joe Biden" was the most explicit he’s been on his plans publicly.
But Biden has been talking to dozens of elected Democrats and party strategists in recent weeks to sound them out over a potential race.
"We met for a long time and discussed the pros and cons," Alabama Sen. Doug Jones (D), who once worked on the Senate Judiciary Committee during Biden’s Senate tenure, said on MSNBC's "KasieDC" Sunday. "He is weighing his family. He’s weighing the pros, the cons. I think he's becoming closer to a decision."
The former vice president’s upcoming schedule does not suggest a man about to announce his candidacy. He’s expected to attend the Munich Security Conference in mid-February and participate in ceremonies marking the renaming of University of Delaware’s school of public policy in his honor.
Monday’s event did offer hints of what a Biden candidacy would look like — and reminders of his potential liabilities in the race. He spoke at length about what he says is the failure of leaders in both parties to substantively address the genuine fear of working class Americans — something that has made them "more susceptible to demagoguery."
"There’s answers to all of this but we don’t even talk to each other anymore," he said. "We don’t talk about those things because Democrats are scared to death about offending you, and Republicans don’t think it’s necessary."