Former Vice President Joe Biden fueled speculation that he would consider mounting a bid against President Donald Trump in the 2020 election during a back-and-forth on his book tour Monday evening.
MAY 08: Former U.S. Vice President Joe Biden delivers a keynote address regarding the future of the middle class, at the Brookings Institution, on May 8, 2018 in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Mark Wilson/Getty Images)
“I’ll be as straight with you as I can. I think I’m the most qualified person in the country to be president,” Biden said in response to a question, adding “the issues that we face as a country today are the issues that have been in my wheelhouse, that I’ve worked on my whole life.”
Biden continued in characteristic self-deprecating fashion saying, “I am a gaffe machine, but my God what a wonderful thing compared to a guy who can’t tell the truth … No one should run for the job unless they believe that they would be qualified doing the job.”
“I’ve been doing this my whole adult life,” he continued. “And the issues that are the most consequential relating to the plight of the middle class and our foreign policy are things that I have — even my critics would acknowledge, I may not be right but I know a great deal about it.”
Former Vice President of the U.S. Joe Biden speaks during a political rally in Newark, New Jersey, U.S., October 12, 2017. REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz
“Whether or not I run, whoever runs, I’m going to break my neck to make sure they win. We can’t have four more years,” the former vice president said.
Biden currently leads the pack of prospective Democratic nominees in 2020, drawing 26 percent of party support in a mid-November Morning Consult poll. Biden was followed in popularity by Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, who drew 19 percent of Democratic support.
